Contentious Primary Care Bill Advances Out Of Senate Health Committee

Politico: Senate Health Panel Advances $26 Billion Primary Care Bill
The Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee on Thursday advanced legislation aimed at strengthening access to primary care in a 14-7 vote, despite tensions between committee leadership. The $26 billion package, introduced by Chair Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) and Sen. Roger Marshall (R-Kan.), budgets billions in funding for community health centers and to bolster the doctor, nursing and dentist workforces. Three Republicans — Marshall and Sens. Mike Braun (Ind.) and Lisa Murkowski (Alaska) — voted with every Democrat to approve the bill. (Wilson, 9/21)

Stat: Senate HELP Committee Spars Over Health Care Workforce Policies 
In a striking display of discord Thursday, leaders of the Senate’s health committee clashed over a proposal to increase the number of primary care doctors and nurses in the United States. In drafting the policy, Chair Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) circumvented Sen. Bill Cassidy (R-La.), the Republican leader on the panel. He instead negotiated with a lower-ranked Republican on the committee to produce the legislation, which Cassidy then refused to support. The friction has consequences, as the proposal is attached to critical funding for community health centers. (Cohrs, 9/21)

The Hill: Sanders, Cassidy Clash As Senate Panel Advances Health Center Funding
However, it’s unclear if the bill has the support necessary to pass the full Senate, especially before funding expires Sept. 30. “It is a far more modest piece of legislation than I would have liked to have seen. But, if this legislation is passed, it will not only save us substantial sums of money by making our health care system more efficient and rational … but it will go a long way towards making primary health care in America more affordable and accessible for millions of Americans,” committee Chairman Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) said. (Weixel, 9/21)

Modern Healthcare: Hospital Facility Fees Face Limitations Under Senate Bill
Hospitals face cuts for off-site and telehealth services under legislation the Senate health committee approved Thursday. The Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee advanced the Bipartisan Primary Care and Health Workforce Act of 2023 on a bipartisan 14 to 7 vote. ... The measure would provide funding to support a variety of programs including federally qualified health centers, teaching hospitals, the National Health Service Corps, medical and nursing schools, and rural hospitals. (McAuliff, 9/21)

On the looming shutdown —

KFF Health News' 'What The Health?' Podcast: Countdown To Shutdown
Congress appears to be careening toward a government shutdown, as a small band of House conservatives vow to block any funding for the fiscal year that begins Oct. 1 unless they win deeper cuts to health and other domestic programs. Meanwhile, former President Donald Trump continues to roil the GOP presidential primary field, this time with comments about abortion. Alice Miranda Ollstein of Politico, Rachel Cohrs of Stat, and Tami Luhby of CNN join KFF Health News chief Washington correspondent Julie Rovner to discuss these issues and more. Also, for “extra credit,” the panelists suggest health policy stories they read this week they think you should read, too. (9/21)

On other political tug-of-wars relating to health —

Politico: Senate Dems To Agencies: Get In Alignment On Drinking Water
Senate Democrats kicked off an effort Wednesday to align agencies charged with ensuring safe drinking water access to communities. Oregon Sen. Ron Wyden, who chairs the Energy and Natural Resource Subcommittee on Water and Power, announced the effort during a hearing emphasizing the need for more data on drinking water access, which he said affects more than 2 million Americans. (Yachnin, 9/21)

Reuters: Medical Staffing Co. Says "Surprise Billing" Ban Hastened Bankruptcy
American Physician Partners, which until recently provided outsourced emergency room services to 150 U.S. hospitals, said Thursday that a ban on so-called "surprise" medical bills hastened the company's descent into bankruptcy. (Knauth, 9/21)

Politico: PhRMA Hires New Top Lobbyist
Steve Tilton, the lead lobbyist for Takeda, is being named the new top lobbyist for drugmakers’ most powerful industry group, the organization confirmed. It’s a consequential hire for the Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America, which is fighting to regain its footing following the industry’s biggest legislative loss in decades with the passage of the Inflation Reduction Act. (Wilson, 9/21)

Politico: Republican Senators Demand EPA Pull Back Soot Plan
Almost two dozen Republican senators have joined a late-breaking chorus of calls for EPA to scrap plans for tightening a key national standard for airborne soot. The agency's January proposal released in January "fails to consider several important factors that will make implementation of a lower annual standard extremely difficult, or in some cases impossible, to no measurable benefits to public health, the environment, or the economy," Sen. Shelley Moore Capito (R-W.Va.) and 22 other GOP lawmakers wrote in a letter released Thursday morning. (Reilly, 9/21)

Concerning the opioid crisis —

Stat: Senators: Long-Delayed Opioids Study Would Put Patients At Risk
Two Democratic senators are warning the Food and Drug Administration not to proceed with a controversial trial meant to measure opioids’ effectiveness as a chronic pain treatment. In a letter shared with STAT, Sens. Ed Markey (D-Mass.) and Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.) warned FDA Commissioner Robert Califf against using the method in the agency’s ongoing work to evaluate whether opioids, despite their widespread use, are effective at treating chronic pain. (Facher, 9/22)