Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
House Passes Debt-Limit Bill That Adds Rules For Medicaid, SNAP Recipients
The Washington Post: House Passes GOP Debt Ceiling Bill, As U.S. Inches Toward Fiscal Crisis
House Republicans on Wednesday approved a bill that would raise the debt ceiling, slash federal spending and repeal President Biden’s programs to combat climate change and reduce student debt, defying Democratic objections in a move that inched the United States closer to a fiscal crisis. Ignoring repeated warnings that the GOP’s brinkmanship could unleash vast economic turmoil, Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) muscled his narrow, quarrelsome majority toward a 217-215 vote, accelerating a high-stakes clash with the White House with as few as six weeks remaining before the government could default. (Romm, Sotomayor and Caldwell, 4/26)
CNN: Work Requirements: Republicans Use Debt Ceiling Bill To Push Rules For Millions Receiving Medicaid And Food Stamps
House Republicans are using the debt ceiling standoff to advocate for one of their longstanding goals – requiring more low-income Americans to work in order to receive government benefits, particularly food stamps and Medicaid. They see work requirements as a twofer, allowing them to reduce government spending, while bolstering the nation’s labor force at a time when many businesses are still struggling to staff up. (Luhby, 4/26)
Politico: Why The Senate Isn't Jumping At The Opportunity To End The Debt Crisis
The Senate still isn’t ready to save the day on the debt ceiling. As the House GOP scrambles to pass its ultimately doomed bid to raise the nation’s borrowing limit, across the Capitol almost no one is working to devise legislation that can overcome a Senate filibuster, win a House majority and get President Joe Biden’s signature. And time is ticking: Financial analysts are increasingly worried that the nation could default on its debt by early June if the limit isn’t raised. (Everett, 4/26)
Politico: Biden: I'll Meet With McCarthy — But Not On Debt Limit
President Joe Biden said Wednesday that he is open to meeting again with House Speaker Kevin McCarthy — but would not give in to the Republican’s demand for negotiations on the debt limit. “Happy to meet with McCarthy,” Biden said at the end of a brief press conference at the White House. “But not on whether or not the debt limit gets extended. That’s not negotiable.” (Cancryn and Haberkorn, 4/26)
In related news about food insecurity and SNAP benefits —
Axios: "Dramatic Disparities" Among Nation's Hungriest
Hunger rates were highest among Black and Latino households, women and adults with disabilities in a snapshot of the COVID-19 pandemic, according to new Centers for Disease Control and Prevention data. The detailed look at who is most vulnerable to food insecurity comes at a time when a long-standing congressional fight over food stamps has become a central issue in the debt limit debate. (Horn-Muller, 4/26)
In other health news from Capitol Hill —
Stat: Pharma Executives Flood Bill Cassidy With Campaign Cash
Sen. Bill Cassidy’s new perch as the top Republican on the Senate health committee has attracted some attention — and some campaign cash — from the executives of pharmaceutical companies, federal disclosures show. (Cohrs and Owermohle, 4/27)
Stat: Another Powerful Committee In Congress Is Ready To Take On PBMs
House Oversight Committee Chairman James Comer plans to hold a hearing on the results of an investigation into the business practices of drug middlemen, he said Wednesday. Comer is not a fan of pharmacy benefit managers. The Kentucky Republican represents a rural part of the state, and independent pharmacists in rural areas tend to be vehemently opposed to some PBM business practices. (Wilkerson, 4/26)
Axios: Bipartisan Bill Would Subject Nonprofit Hospitals To FTC Oversight
Nonprofit hospitals could be subject to investigations for anticompetitive conduct under a bipartisan House plan first shared with Axios. The nonprofits comprise nearly half of all facilities in the U.S. but fall outside the purview of the Federal Trade Commission. There's been growing concern in Congress over secret contracting practices and other behavior that some lawmakers contend justifies more oversight. (Dreher, 4/26)
