Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
PASTEUR Act Back In Front Of Congress In Effort To Boost Antibiotic Market
CIDRAP: US Lawmakers Re-Introduce Antibiotic Development Legislation
A bipartisan group of US senators and representatives today reintroduced a bill to boost the antibiotic development market. The Pioneering Antimicrobial Subscriptions to End Upsurging Resistance (PASTEUR) Act, which was introduced in 2020 and 2021 but never received a vote despite bipartisan support, would establish a subscription-style payment model for new antibiotics. Under the model, companies that develop innovative new antibiotics for drug-resistant infections would receive contracts from the federal government valued between $750 million and $3 billion to make the antibiotics available at no charge for patients covered by federal health insurance programs. (Dall, 4/27)
Roll Call: House, Senate Craft Separate Health Care Packages
House lawmakers are kick-starting the legislative process for a number of health care bills at the same time their Senate counterparts are shaping their own package on drug pricing, and members appear to be finding common ground on pharmacy benefit managers. (Clason and Hellmann, 4/27)
Military.com: 2 Lawmakers Trying To Expand Access To Outside Doctors For Vets Despite VA Push To Rein In Costs
A pair of senators is pushing to expand the program that allows veterans to see doctors outside of the Department of Veterans Affairs despite moves by VA officials to rein in the program's costs after years of efforts to privatize some VA-funded care. Sen. Jerry Moran, R-Kan., the Veterans Affairs Committee ranking member, and Sen. Kyrsten Sinema, I-Ariz., are introducing a bill that would codify existing guidelines for when patients can seek non-VA care so the department cannot skirt its own rules, as critics allege it is doing. (Kheel, 4/27)
Also —
The Hill: Senate GOP Blocks Equal Rights Amendment
Senate Republicans on Thursday blocked a measure that would have allowed the Equal Rights Amendment (ERA) to be added to the Constitution. Senators voted 51 to 47 to invoke cloture on a motion to proceed, falling short of the 60 votes it it needed. (Weaver and Schnell, 4/27)
