House Panel OKs Bill To Expand Medicare Coverage Of Weight Loss Drugs
Four bills advanced Thursday out of the House Ways & Means Committee would increase Medicare's coverage of pricey weight loss drugs and cancer screenings but with more restrictions than previously proposed legislation. A measure would also allow greater discretion by Medicare for covering FDA-approved medications and devices.
Stat:
House Panel Passes Bills To Expand Medicare Obesity Drug Coverage, Cancer Screening
A House committee overwhelmingly passed four bills on Thursday that would expand Medicare coverage of obesity drugs and cancer screening blood tests and place guardrails around Medicare’s discretion in covering drugs and devices approved by the Food and Drug Administration. (Zhang, Wilkerson and Lawrence, 6/27)
Modern Healthcare:
Dialysis Providers To See 2.2% Medicare Pay Bump In 2025 From CMS
Kidney dialysis providers would get a 2.2% Medicare reimbursement hike next year under a proposed rule the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services issued Thursday. The agency also intends to go forward with a payment bundling plan including oral-only drugs for kidney disease patients with high phosphorus levels. Dialysis providers have said making them responsible for supplying medicines patients can get at retail pharmacies is infeasible. (Early, 6/27)
Bloomberg Law:
Home Health Agencies To Renew Suit Over Medicare Payment Rates
The home health industry will turn to Congress—and again to the courts—for redress after absorbing yet another proposed Medicare pay cut this week. William A. Dombi, president of the National Association for Home Care & Hospice (NAHC), told Bloomberg Law that the organization intends to renew its lawsuit to stop Medicare from calculating home health payments using a disputed methodology that has slashed reimbursements since 2020. (Pugh, 6/28)
On health data and privacy —
Politico:
Privacy Bill Vote Scrapped
Republicans can’t agree on whether to move forward with House Energy and Commerce Chair Cathy McMorris Rodgers’ bill to set a national data privacy standard. ... Why it matters: The measure would have significant ramifications for companies that collect data related to customers’ health. It would restrict how firms can use the data and require them to get customers’ consent before sharing it. (Schumaker, Paun, Payne, Reader and Odejimi, 6/27)
