Rep. Fred Upton Seeks Wide Bipartisan Support Of ‘Cures’ Bill To Encourage Senate Adoption
In other congressional news, Politico examines the House Republicans' budget and finds that increased funding for NIH and the CDC would come at the expense of other domestic programs, including the elimination of the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality. Lawmakers are also considering a host of other legislative action or policy changes like a mental health bill, allowing grant money to pay for needle exchanges and how to improve electronic health records.
Modern Healthcare:
Upton Aiming 80% Of House Back 21st Century Cures
House Energy and Commerce Committee Chairman Fred Upton (R-Mich.) is aiming to have as many as 350 votes or 80% of the members of the House to back the 21st Century Cures Act, also known as H.R. 6. Upton made the announcement during a Tuesday news conference surrounded by other members of Congress from both sides of the political aisle and patients battling a variety of illnesses including lupus and multiple sclerosis. The bill now has 131 co-sponsors, made up of half Republican and half Democrats. Achieving the 80% goal would send the right signal to the Senate, with the hope that they would quickly pass their own version of the bill, he said. (Dickson, 6/16)
Politico:
NIH Boost Masks GOP Cuts Elsewhere From Obama's Budget
House Republicans rolled out a giant $153 billion spending bill Tuesday that tries to put a kinder, gentler — some say smarter — face on what are still deep cuts from President Barack Obama’s domestic budget. More than in the past, there are clear winners led by the National Institutes of Health together with the Centers for Disease Control and modest new investments in education initiatives targeted to early childhood, disadvantaged minority students and the disabled. (Rogers, 6/16)
CQ Healthbeat:
Revised Mental Health Bill Gets Conditional Endorsement
A revised version of a wide-reaching mental health bill by Rep. Tim Murphy appears to have picked up the tentative support of a group that endorsed a rival measure last year, but Democrats still have concerns about Murphy's effort. The Pennsylvania Republican said some changes will be made to the legislation (HR 2646) and expressed hope that it would be marked up soon after Tuesday’s Energy and Commerce Health Subcommittee hearing. Subcommittee Chairman Joe Pitts, R-Pa., said the panel would act on the legislation, which seemed to get somewhat of a warmer reception than Murphy received at that stage for a similar bill last year. (Attias, 6/16)
The New York Times:
House Republicans Ease Opposition To Needle Exchanges
Faced with a health crisis resulting from a rise in heroin use in many of their home states, House Republicans are easing their longstanding opposition to federal funding in support of needle exchange programs. The annual health spending measure now taking shape in the House would still bar using federal dollars to buy sterile needles or syringes, but officials could use federal grant money to provide support for state and local drug treatment programs that include needle exchanges. (Hulse, 6/16)
CQ Healthbeat:
Electronic Records Limit Docs' Contact With Patients, Panel Is Told
Although electronic health records can improve the quality of care, some health experts warn that overly burdensome documentation requirements are forcing doctors to spend more time on computers at the expense of interacting with their patients. “Complaints of increased time burdens on the practitioner, loss of provider interactions with patients and frustration with new requirements and changed workflows dominated discussion among providers, even as the capability of EHR’s to reduce errors and improve communication had grown,” said Boyd Vindell Washington, president of Unified Medical Group and chief medical information officer of Franciscan Missionaries of Our Lady Health System, told the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee on Tuesday. (Zanona, 6/16)
