Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Hearing Aid Bill Draws Unlikely Opponent: The Gun Industry
Stat: Why Are Gun Groups Up In Arms Over A Hearing Aid Bill?
How does a hearing aid bill turn into a fight about gun rights? By having Elizabeth Warren as a lead legislative author, apparently. The Democratic senator from Massachusetts has teamed up with several Republicans on legislation creating an over-the-counter category of hearing aids, which proponents believe would lower prices, spur innovation, and help millions of people with mild-to-moderate hearing loss obtain devices and improve their lives. As few as one in seven of the estimated 30 million Americans with hearing loss gets aids, experts say, and a big reason is their high cost. (McGrane, 5/30)
In other news from Capitol Hill —
CQ Roll Call: NIH Probe By House Panel Expands
The National Institutes of Health is facing scrutiny again from the House Energy and Commerce Committee over a scandal that occurred nearly two years ago at one of the agency’s main research institutions. On Thursday, the panel broadened its probe into safety and compliance issues at the NIH Clinical Center, a research hospital located on the agency’s campus in Bethesda, Md. In a letter sent to Director Francis Collins and obtained by CQ Roll Call, the committee requested a larger swath of documents not yet provided by the agency. (Williams, 5/26)
Politico: Ryan Appoints Controversial Cancer Doctor To HHS Committee
House Speaker Paul Ryan has named Patrick Soon-Shiong, a controversial billionaire scientist, to a committee that will advise the Trump administration on policy around health information technology, a Ryan spokeswoman said this evening. Soon-Shiong, a Los Angeles surgeon who leads a network of for-profit and not-for-profit ventures conducting cancer research, has been the subject of news stories, including by POLITICO and STAT, that have raised questions about potential conflicts of interest. (Tahir, 5/30)
