Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
House Makes Progress On Spending Deal; Worries Over Health Impacts Of A Shutdown Remain
Politico: How A Government Shutdown Would Impact Health Programs
With less than two weeks to go, the White House is urging Congress to pass a continuing resolution — a short-term funding fix — that would keep the government open at current spending levels and punt decisions on program cuts or increases to later this year. Even if lawmakers could agree on that, it could have an effect on health programs that, according to the Biden administration, need an immediate infusion of funds. Biden, for example, wants any continuing resolution to include $3.7 billion more for CMS to assist states with their post-pandemic review of Medicaid eligibility. States have cut millions of people from their rolls, some for failing to fill out paperwork. (Hooper, 9/21)
The New York Times: Republicans Inch Closer To Spending Deal, Spoiling For A Shutdown Showdown
House Republicans inched closer on Wednesday to overcoming deep internal divisions and reaching an agreement that would allow them to advance stalled spending legislation, as Speaker Kevin McCarthy bowed to the demands of far-right lawmakers for steep spending cuts that stood little chance of surviving in the Senate. The emerging deal was unlikely to bring Congress closer to averting a shutdown in 10 days, and it remained unclear whether Republicans could even reach agreement among themselves on a purely symbolic measure that underscored Mr. McCarthy’s precarious hold on his job. (Hulse and Karni, 9/20)
The Hill: Senate GOP Predicts McCarthy Will Go To Democrats For Votes
Senate Republicans are predicting that Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) will need to reach out to House Democrats to get the votes to prevent a government shutdown at the end of next week. (Bolton, 9/21)
In developments on drug price negotiations —
Politico: House Republicans Slam Drug Price Negotiations As Unconstitutional
Top Republicans on a key House panel on Wednesday backed pharmaceutical industry arguments that Medicare drug price negotiations are unconstitutional and unfair. The latest salvo between Democrats and Republicans over the landmark Medicare negotiations came during a hearing of the House Energy and Commerce Oversight and Investigations Subcommittee. At least eight lawsuits by trade groups and drugmakers challenging the Inflation Reduction Act program were the hearing's backdrop. (Lim, 9/20)
Stat: Hearing On Medicare Drug Price Negotiation Gets Unusually Heated
Republicans and Democrats fought it out over Medicare drug price negotiation Wednesday at a House hearing, with the former accusing the latter of setting up “mafia-style” theft of property. Typically, intense hearings like the one before the House Energy and Commerce subcommittee take place when lawmakers are debating legislation, not well after a law passes. (Wilkerson, 9/20)
On a military chiefs promotion blockage over abortion policy —
The Washington Post: Senate Confirms Joint Chiefs Chair In Respite From Tuberville Blockade
The 83-11 vote avoids what had been the embarrassing prospect of a temporary administrator filling the Pentagon’s most prestigious post. Yet it leaves about 300 other senior officers ensnared in Tuberville’s months-long hold on military promotions with no clear path to advancement, as the underlying political standoff over the Defense Department’s abortion policy exhibits no signs of abating. (Alfaro, Lamothe and Hauslohner, 9/20)
In other news from the corridors of power —
Modern Healthcare: Limits To Short-Term Health Insurance Face Pushback From States
State regulators are urging federal officials to reconsider their proposal to limit short-term health plans despite the insurance industry's broad support of the draft regulation. The Treasury, Labor and Health and Human Services departments in July proposed restricting short-term plans' duration to four months, essentially restoring regulations in place during President Barack Obama's administration. Under the draft rule, consumers would not be allowed to buy another short-term plan from the same insurance carrier in the same calendar year, although they would be permitted to purchase different short-term policies consecutively for up to 36 months. (Tepper, 9/20)
The Hill: Garcia Looks To Protect Legal ‘Magic Mushroom’ Use Against Federal Intervention
Rep. Robert Garcia (D-Calif.) introduced a bill Wednesday to prohibit the use of federal funds to prosecute the use of legal psilocybin, commonly known as “magic mushrooms.” The Validating Independence for State Initiatives on Organic Natural Substances (VISIONS) Act would protect legal mushroom use from federal law enforcement intervention in places where psilocybin is legal. (Irwin, 9/20)
The Hill: Hawley, Luján Call On House To Pass NDAA Amendment Expanding Radiation Compensation
Sens. Josh Hawley (R-Mo.) and Ben Ray Luján (D-N.M.) led a bipartisan press conference Wednesday in support of an amendment to the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) expanding compensation under the Radiation Exposure Compensation Act (RECA). (Budryk, 9/20)
Modern Healthcare: FTC, DOJ Draft Merger Guidelines Divide Healthcare Groups
Healthcare groups are pointing fingers at whose deals warrant heavier levels of scrutiny by antitrust agencies. Trade associations representing hospitals, physicians and insurance companies, along with unions and consumer advocacy groups, submitted public comments this week on the Federal Trade Commission and Justice Department’s draft merger guidelines. The proposed guidelines, released in July, could limit consolidation in all industries, including healthcare. (Berryman, 9/20)
AP: Revolving Door Redux: The DEA's Recently Departed No. 2 Returns To A Big Pharma Consulting Firm
Washington’s revolving door kept spinning this week as the Drug Enforcement Administration’s recently departed second-in-command returned for a new stint with the high-powered consulting firm where he previously advised Purdue Pharma and a drug distributor fighting sanctions over a deluge of suspicious painkiller shipments. Louis Milione retired from the DEA a second time this summer amid reporting by The Associated Press on potential conflicts caused by his prior consulting for the pharmaceutical industry. (Goodman and Mustian, 9/20)
Politico: Plan To Cut CDC Programs For Primary Care Package Dismays Public Health Groups
Public health groups and some lawmakers are concerned that a bipartisan deal to boost community health center funding and grow the health care workforce would take desperately needed money from mandatory public health funding. The deal between Senate HELP Committee Chair Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) and Sen. Roger Marshall (R-Kan.) is partially funded through $980 million from the Prevention and Public Health Fund — mandatory funds established by the Affordable Care Act to bolster the U.S. public health system. (Lim and Payne, 9/20)
Stat: Cannabis Users Can’t Get Federal Jobs. Could Congress Step In?
Roughly three-quarters of states have legalized marijuana either for medical or recreational use, but for years, cannabis users have been barred from getting jobs with the federal government. Congress inched closer Wednesday toward making it easier for those who smoke pot to become feds, but several Republicans used the moment to rail against the idea. (Florko, 9/20)
Modern Healthcare: UnitedHealth Sued By EEOC Over COVID-19 Vaccine Policy
The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission filed suit against UnitedHealthcare in federal court Tuesday, alleging the health insurance giant's COVID-19 vaccine policy violated federal civil rights law. The agency sued UnitedHealth in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Ohio alleging it violated Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, which protects employees from religious discrimination in the workplace. (Tepper, 9/20)
Meanwhile, the mental health of a federal judge draws scrutiny —
The Wall Street Journal: Federal Court Suspends 96-Year-Old Judge Amid Competence Investigation
A federal court that oversees appeals in patent cases suspended a 96-year-old judge amid concerns about her mental competence, a rare instance in which a court has moved to sideline one of its life-tenured members for health reasons. (Timms, 9/20)
