What’s Ahead: This Week
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Hearings and Markups –
- Wednesday, November 29
- House Energy and Commerce Committee, Health Care Subcommittee, “Understanding How AI is Changing Health Care.” Additional Information
- Thursday, November 30
- House Energy and Commerce Committee, Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations, “Unmasking Challenges CDC Faces in Rebuilding Public Trust Amid Respiratory Illness Season.” Additional Information
Notable Policy Events –
- Tuesday, November 28
- Brookings Institution, “State Social Safety Net Policy: How Are States Addressing Economic Need?” Additional Information
- Health Affairs, “Policy Spotlight: One-on-One with Nora Volkow, Director, National Institute on Drug Abuse at the National Institutes of Health.” Additional Information
- Wednesday, November 29
- America’s Health Insurance Plans (AHIP), “Unlocking Innovation: Harnessing FHIR for Health Insurers.” Additional Information
- American Enterprise Institute, “Building Support for High-Value and Patient-Focused Managed Care.” Additional Information
- Thursday, November 30
- AHIP, “From Regulatory Challenge to Revenue Growth: Price Transparency in 2024.” Additional Information
- CMS, “GUIDE Request for Applications (RFA) Webinar.” Additional Information
- Maternal Mental Health Leadership Alliance, “Sip & Celebrate for Maternal Mental Health Reception.” Additional Information
- Office of the National Coordinator for Health IT (ONC), “Tech Forum: Accelerating FHIR Adoption and Improving Scalability.” Additional Information
- Urban Institute, “Authentic Community Engagement to Support Equity.” Additional Information
- Friday, December 1
- AHIP, “Aging in a Digital World: Improving Health Literacy Among Seniors.” Additional Information
Weekly Wrap-Up: Notable Health Care Developments from Last Week
Marketplaces – On November 21, HHS announced that approximately 4.6 million people have selected an ACA Health Insurance Marketplace plan since the 2024 Marketplace Open Enrollment Period opened on November 1. Press Release Fact Sheet
Payment & Delivery System Models – On November 21, CMS released a new fact sheet explaining how a primary care organization’s potential revenue under Medicare fee-for-service (FFS) compares to its potential revenue under the Making Care Primary (MCP) Model. Fact Sheet
Public Health Prevention, Preparedness, & Surveillance – On November 17, FDA issued updated guidance requiring device makers to share information about production interruptions or discontinuations. This new guidance applies to future public health emergencies (PHEs) and asks companies to voluntarily share information about device production challenges when a PHE is likely to be declared. Final Guidance
Health IT, Privacy, & Digital Health – On November 18, Micky Tripathi, National Coordinator at ONC, published an article in Ophthalmology discussing the adoption of interoperable ophthalmic imaging standards in the U.S. Article
Mental Health and Substance Use Disorder Policy – On November 21, HHS released a report on rates of substance use disorder (SUD) among adults by race and ethnicity. Past-year SUD rates were lowest for Asian adults and highest for American Indian or Alaska Native adults. Report
Prescription Drugs, Medical Devices, Biomedical Research, & Health Innovation –
- On November 20, House Budget Committee Chair Arrington (R-TX) and Rep. Burgess (R-TX) sent a letter to the Congressional Budget Office (CBO) regarding CBO’s analysis of policies impacting drug development in the U.S. Press Release Letter
- On November 22, Senate HELP Committee Democrats sent letters to CEOs from pharmaceutical companies requesting that they testify at the January 25 hearing, “Why Does the United States Pay, By Far, The Highest Prices In The World For Prescription Drugs?” Press Release Letter
Veterans Health and Military Health – On November 21, the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) announced a new partnership with the Global Liver Institute (GLI) to provide educational materials and webinars to help increase awareness about liver disease. Press Release
SDOH & Health Equity –
- On November 22, CMS stated that it would announce a call for nominations for the 2024 CMS Health Equity Award, which will recognize organizations who demonstrate they have advanced health equity by designing, implementing, and operationalizing policies and programs that support people served by CMS programs. Notice
- Also on November 22, the Administration for Children and Families (ACF) released a request for information (RFI) on a new pilot program which will support up to five states in measuring indicators of family stability and well-being for Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) program recipients. Comments are due January 11, 2024. RFI
Legislative Activity –
Introduced Legislation –
- On November 21, Rep. Brecheen (R-OK) and 11 cosponsors introduced the No Abortion Coverage for Medicaid Act (H.R.6459), which would limit demonstration projects related to abortion under Medicaid and CHIP. Bill Text Press Release
- Also on November 21, Rep. Brecheen (R-OK) and 10 cosponsors introduced the No Taxpayer Abortions for Unaccompanied Minors Act (H.R. 6460), which would prohibit the issuing, finalizing, implementing, or enforcing any rule or guidance to facilitate abortions or access to abortions for an unaccompanied alien child. Bill Text Press Release