House Panel Marks Up Slew Of Health Care Bills
The House Energy and Commerce Committee advanced 15 bills funding and shaping policy for federal agencies like the CDC and FDA as well as issues like telehealth, opioids, and pandemic preparedness. The Senate HELP Committee will mark up its health package starting on July 26.
Politico:
House Committee Moves To Reauthorize Landmark Opioid Treatment Bill
The Support for Patients and Communities Reauthorization Act, sponsored by Rep. Brett Guthrie (R-Ky.), the chair of the Energy and Commerce Health Subcommittee, would renew programs that will otherwise run out of funding by the end of September, such as opioid recovery centers and training for providers who treat people with substance use disorder. It also would allow the use of federal funding to pay for test strips that can detect drugs like fentanyl and the horse tranquilizer xylazine that dealers often mix with it to deadly effect. (Paun, 7/19)
Politico:
GOP Advances Pandemic, Emergency Preparedness Bill Despite Dem Objections
The House Energy and Commerce Committee on Wednesday approved legislation meant to ensure the U.S. is prepared for pandemics and other emergencies in a party-line vote in which all Democrats voted against it. The GOP-led House markup is the first time that reauthorization of the Pandemic and All-Hazards Preparedness Act — first signed into law in 2006 — has not moved on a bipartisan basis, with disagreements over the scope of the bill and whether to address drug shortages unresolved. (Wilson, 7/19)
Politico:
House Committee Approves Bill To Expand Access To Tax-Free Telehealth Plans
The Energy and Commerce Committee advanced legislation largely on party lines Wednesday that would permanently allow employers to offer telehealth as a tax-free benefit separate from their group health insurance plans. The legislation by Tim Walberg (R-Minn.) aims to encourage employers to offer some health coverage to workers not otherwise eligible for their companies’ insurance plans — such as part-time and seasonal workers — by permitting employers to offer telehealth plans that don’t meet minimum federal standards for comprehensive coverage. (Leonard, 7/19)
Politico:
Sanders Schedules July 26 Markup For Health Care, Workforce Package
The Senate HELP Committee will consider a sweeping package from Chair Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) that would reauthorize a number of federal health programs and expand primary care. Sanders said the legislation — to be marked up July 26 — pushes for investments in health care services and would bolster the provider workforce. He added that it would save the health system money over time by increasing access to preventive, primary and mental health care, keeping Americans healthier. (Wilson, 7/19)
In other congressional news —
Politico:
'They Gave A Poor Answer': GOP Senators Slam Pentagon Briefing On Abortion Policy
A Pentagon briefing on the Defense Department’s abortion travel policy on Wednesday did little to sway Republicans, dimming hopes of progress on breaking a single senator’s blockade on more than 200 senior military promotions. Senator Armed Services Committee members who emerged from a closed-door briefing with Pentagon officials were still dug in on the issue as Sen. Tommy Tuberville's (R-Ala.) monthslong blockade of hundreds of military promotions over the policy continues. The Senate is scrambling to both pass its $886 billion Pentagon policy bill before August and also loosen the logjam. (Gould, O'Brien and Everett, 7/19)
Houston Chronicle:
Fight Over Gas Stoves Rages As Congress Debates New Energy Standards
Seven months after furor erupted over a federal safety commissioner’s proposed ban on gas stoves, the fight over how Americans cook their meals shows no sign of letting up. Democrats and Republicans are squaring off in Congress over new efficiency standards proposed by the Department of Energy, which federal officials say would reduce stoves' gas consumption by a third while rendering half of the gas-stove models currently on the market obsolete. (Osborne, 7/19)
KFF Health News:
Congress Considers Easing Regulations On Air Transport Of Donated Organs
What do kidney and pancreas transplants have to do with airplane regulations? Tucked into the hundreds of pages of legislative language to reauthorize the Federal Aviation Administration is a provision to change the life-or-death process by which human organs are flown commercially from donor to recipient. (DeGuzman, 7/20)
