When is Congress in session? House 2024 Calendar Senate 2024 Calendar
What’s Ahead: This Week
Hearings and Markups –
- Monday, July 22
- House Rules Committee, “Meeting on Agriculture, Rural Development, Food and Drug Administration, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act, 2025 and More.” Additional Information
- House Veterans’ Affairs Committee, “Report Card: Assessing Electronic Health Record Modernization at the Captain James A. Lovell Federal Health Care Center.” Additional Information
- Tuesday, July 23
- House Energy & Commerce, Subcommittee on Health, “Are CDC’s Priorities Restoring Public Trust and Improving the Health of the American People?” Additional Information
- House Oversight and Accountability Committee, “The Role of Pharmacy Benefit Managers in Prescription Drug Markets Part III: Transparency and Accountability.” Additional Information
- Senate Judiciary Committee, “Health Impacts of Abortion Ban on Georgia Women.” Additional Information
- Thursday, July 25
- Senate HELP Committee, “Authorization for Investigation into the Bankruptcy of Steward Health Care.” Additional Information
Notable Policy Events –
- Monday, July 22
- ATI Advisory, “Briefing on Opportunities to Improve Health Equity in Long-Term Services and Supports (LTSS).” Free, Virtual. Additional Information
- Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology (ONC), “Annual Report Workgroup.” Free, Virtual. Additional Information
- University of Pennsylvania, Leonard Davis Institute of Health Economics (LDI), “Forging a Path Toward Integrated Care for Dually Eligible Individuals.” Free, In-Person. Additional Information
- Tuesday, July 23
- Food Research & Action Center, “Gender and Racial Justice in the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP).” Additional Information
- National Academies of Science, Engineering, and Medicine (NASEM), “Health Care Spending and Related Data: A Webinar.” Additional Information
- Tuesday, July 23 to Wednesday, July 24
- Institute for Defense and Government Advancement (IDGA), “Veterans Affairs Healthcare Summit.” Paid, In-Person. Additional Information
- Wednesday, July 24
- Americans for Prosperity, “Get the Scoop on the Future of Health Care: Personal Option and Fiscal Cliff.” Additional Information
- CMS, “CMS-Designed Medicare FFS Hospital Global Budget Methodology Version 2.0 Overview Webinar.” Free, Virtual. Additional Information
- National Academies of Science, Engineering, and Medicine (NASEM), “Promising Strategies to Address Health Disparities Across the Reproductive Life Cycle. A Webinar.” Free, Virtual. Additional Information
- R Street Institute, “Prescription for Change: Reforming Patents to Lower Drug Costs.” Free, Virtual. Additional Information
- The Hill, “Mind the Gap: The Cost of Mental Health Disparities.” Free, In-Person. Additional Information
- Thursday, July 25
- Alliance for Health Policy, “2024 Signature Series: AI in Health- Navigating New Frontiers Summit.” Free, In-Person. Additional Information
- CMS, “Innovation in Behavioral Health (IBH) Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO) Office Hour.” Free, Virtual. Additional Information
- Duke-Margolis Health Policy Center, “2024 State of Real-World Evidence Policy.” Free, Virtual. Additional Information
- KFF, “Health Wonk Shop: Beyond Chevron: How the Court’s Decision Will Change Health Policy Legislating and Rulemaking.” Additional Information
- NASEM, “Diagnosis in the Era of Digital Health and Artificial Intelligence: A Workshop.” Free, Hybrid. Additional Information
Weekly Wrap-Up: Notable Health Care Developments from Last Week
Medicare & Medicaid –
- On July 15, HHS released a report on the demographic and geographic factors and impacts of medical product shortages. Report
- On July 16, CMS released a state health official (SHO) letter providing guidance and expectations for compliance with new requirements for Medicaid provider directories. Announcement SHO
- Also on July 16, the Medicare Payment Advisory Commission (MedPAC) released its annual data book, “Health Care Spending and the Medicare Program”, which reviews the Medicare program, Medicare beneficiaries, utilization of health care services, and Medicare’s payment systems. About Data Books 2024 Data Book
- Also on July 16, CMS released the final part two guidance on the Medicare prescription payment plan. The guidance primarily focuses on Part D enrollee education, outreach, and communications related to the Medicare Prescription Payment Plan, as well as a summary of significant comments and CMS’ response to the draft part two guidance. Fact Sheet Guidance
- Also on July 16, CMS approved a five-year extension of New Hampshire’s section 1115 demonstration, which would provide medical assistance to individuals with substance use disorder (SUD) and more. Announcement Section 1115
- On July 18, the Government Accountability Office (GAO) released a report on Medicaid’s federal oversight of state eligibility redeterminations. GAO found compliance issues with federal redetermination requirements in almost all states, including with long-standing requirements. Report
Marketplaces – On July 19, CMS released a statement on system changes to stop unauthorized agent and broker marketplace activity. Effective July 19, CMS will block an agent or broker from making changes to a consumer’s FFM enrollment unless the agent is already associated with the consumer’s enrollment. Press Release
Payment & Delivery System Models –
- On July 16, CMS released an advisory to alert certain Qualifying Alternative Payment Model (APM) Participants (QPs) who have earned an APM Incentive Payment that CMS does not have the information needed to disburse the payment. The advisory provides information on how to update their Medicare billing information, which must be done by September 1, 2024. Advisory
- On July 17, CMS released performance information and results for measurement year 4 of the End Stage Renal Disease (ESRD) Treatment Choices (ETC) model. Summary of Results Detailed Results ESRD Model
Public Health Prevention, Preparedness, Surveillance – On July 16, HHS Office of Inspector General (OIG) released an audit on the Administration for Strategic Preparedness and Response (ASPR) research and development contracts from fiscal year (FY) 2017 through FY 2020. Audit
Health IT, Privacy, & Digital Health –
- On July 15, the Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology (ONC) published a blog post reviewing the landscape of electronic prescribing. Blog
- On July 16, HHS announced funding in a multi-state social worker licensure compact, which would allow providers to practice across state lines and utilize telehealth. Licensure Portability Grant Program Press Release
- Also on July 16, the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP) announced actions from government, academia, and civil society to grow and enable the technology ecosystem. Announcement
- On July 18, the Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology (ONC) published the United States Core Data for Interoperability Version 5 (USCDI v5) and an associated standards bulletin outlining updates to the national data standard. Announcement USCDI v5 Standards Bulletin
Mental Health & Substance Use Disorder –
- On July 15, the Government Accountability Office (GAO) released a report on actions needed to better facilitate access to mental health services during military-to-civilian transitions. Highlights Full Report
- On July 17, the National Institutes of Health (NIH) released a study, which found doctors that are reluctant to treat addiction most commonly report a lack of institutional support as a barrier. Press Release Study
SDOH & Health Equity – On July 17, the FDA announced a rare disease innovation hub, which would disseminate and develop a comprehensive cross-center strategic rare disease agenda. Announcement
Health IT, Privacy, & Digital Health –
- On July 15, the Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology (ONC) published a blog post reviewing the landscape of electronic prescribing. Blog
- On July 16, HHS announced funding in a multi-state social worker licensure compact, which would allow providers to practice across state lines and utilize telehealth. Licensure Portability Grant Program Press Release
- Also on July 16, the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP) announced actions from government, academia, and civil society to grow and enable the technology ecosystem. Announcement
- On July 18, the Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology (ONC) published the United States Core Data for Interoperability Version 5 (USCDI v5) and an associated standards bulletin outlining updates to the national data standard. Announcement USCDI v5 Standards Bulletin
Mental Health & Substance Use Disorder –
- On July 15, the Government Accountability Office (GAO) released a report on actions needed to better facilitate access to mental health services during military-to-civilian transitions. Highlights Full Report
- On July 17, the National Institutes of Health (NIH) released a study, which found doctors that are reluctant to treat addiction most commonly report a lack of institutional support as a barrier. Press Release Study
SDOH & Health Equity – On July 17, the FDA announced a rare disease innovation hub, which would disseminate and develop a comprehensive cross-center strategic rare disease agenda. Announcement
Misc. –
- On July 16, the CDC released the annual update to the Disability and Health Data System, which provides state-level health data on adults with disabilities. Announcement Dashboard
- On July 17, House Energy and Commerce Committee Chair Cathy McMorris Rodgers (R-WA) and Oversight and Accountability Committee Chair James Comer (R-KY) sent letters to eight federal agencies following the recent Supreme Court decision on Loper Bright Enterprises v. Raimondo, in which the court overruled Chevron deference. Science, Space, and Technology Committee Chair Frank Lucas (R-OK) and House Agriculture Committee Chair GT Thompson (R-PA) joined Chairs Rodgers and Comer on an additional letter sent to the Environmental Protection Agency. Press Release
Legislative Activity –
Introduced Legislation –
- On July 15, Reps. Nunn (R-IA), Underwood (D-IL), and Pressley (D-MA) introduced the Harnessing Effective and Appropriate Long-Term Health for Moms on Medicaid Act (HEALTH for MOM) Act (H.R. 9049), which would provide States with the option to provide coordinated care through a pregnancy medical home for high-risk pregnant women. Bill Text Press Release
- Also on July 15, Reps. Nunn (R-IA), Underwood (D-IL), and Pressley (D-MA) introduced the Harnessing Effective and Appropriate Long-Term Health for Moms on Medicaid Act (HEALTH for MOM) (H.R. 9049), which would provide States with the option to provide coordinated care through a pregnancy medical home for high-risk pregnant women. Bill Text Press Release.
- On July 18, Reps. Issa (R-CA) and Johnson (D-GA) introduced the Affordable Prescriptions for Patients Act (H.R. 9070), which would prohibit product hopping. Sen. Cornyn (R-TX) and eight bipartisan cosponsors introduced the companion legislation in the Senate (S. 150) on January 30, 2023. Bill Text Press Release