Health Industry Scores Big In Spending Bill, But Consumers Were Left In The Cold
Congress' decision to repeal three health law taxes was a huge win for the industry, but consumer protection issues -- like surprise medical bills -- were not included. Meanwhile, advocates hope that the data that might come from the gun violence funding included in the spending bill for the first time in decades will make a difference in swaying lawmakers in the future.
The Hill:
Health Industry Racks Up Wins In Year-End Spending Deal
Congress started the year with heady talk of bipartisan action to lower drug prices and protect patients from surprise medical bills. It ended the year with a massive government funding deal that did little to address those issues but did cut taxes on the health care industry by $373 billion. The result is a year-end government funding package that was a win for the health care industry and highlighted just how hard it is for lawmakers to overcome powerful industry groups. (Sullivan, 12/19)
Modern Healthcare:
Healthcare Consumers Are The Big Losers In Year-End Funding Deal
While insurers and medical device manufacturers are heading into the holidays with a windfall from Congress, consumers lost big as lawmakers failed to protect them from surprise medical bills and high drug prices. Lawmakers gave a major handout to the industry when it repealed three Affordable Care Act taxes: a 40% excise tax on employer-provided health plans that exceed certain thresholds; a health insurance tax; and a 2.3% excise tax on medical devices. (Cohrs, 12/18)
NPR:
Health Surprises In The Budget: Nixing Taxes, Raising Tobacco Age, Gun Research
[NPR's] health reporting team took a look at what is in the package and picked out notable highlights, including some surprising policy reverses for Congress. The budget provides SAMHSA with $19 million for the Suicide Prevention Lifeline — this includes an increase of $7 million over last year. The additional funding is a "significant improvement," notes Lauren McGrath, the vice president of public policy at Centerstone, a behavioral health care provider working in several states. Calls to the Lifeline are answered by a patchwork of about 165 local call centers that receive only about $1,500 to 2,000 per year of federal money. Most of the federal funds support the Lifeline's national infrastructure. The additional funding "will provide much needed resources to improve consumer access to the National Suicide Lifeline," McGrath wrote in an email. (12/18)
The Hill:
Advocates Hopeful Gun Violence Research Funding Will Lead To Prevention
Doctors and advocates are hopeful that new funding for federal agencies to study gun violence will prove to be the first step in preventing mass shootings, suicides and other firearm deaths. For the first time in 23 years, a government spending bill will set aside funds — in this case, $25 million — for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and National Institutes of Health (NIH) to collect data on what the American Medical Association has called a public health crisis. (Hellmann, 12/18)
And in news about VA funding —
The Associated Press:
Budget Deal Advances VA Private Care Program Backed By Trump
President Donald Trump’s expansion of a program aimed at steering more veterans to private health care is getting an $8.9 billion boost as part of the massive government spending bill approved by the House, setting up a potential battle over the direction of the Veterans Affairs Department. The deal provides $81 billion for VA medical care to treat 9.3 million veterans, including the $8.9 billion for private care under a law passed last year expanding the Veterans Choice program. Another $11.3 billion is on tap for private care in 2021. (Yen, 12/18)
