Congress

Lawmakers on the Senate Finance Committee did not hesitate to criticize the grand drug-pricing bargain Senate Finance Chair Chuck Grassley (R-IA) and ranking Democrat Ron Wyden (OR) rolled out Tuesday (July 23).

Expanding Medicaid coverage is associated with a reduction in mortality among low-income populations that benefit from expansion, according to a University of Michigan study published by the National Bureau of Economic Research Monday (July 22).

House lawmakers want FDA to expedite its review of drug substances nominated for inclusion on the agency's list of bulk substances that can be compounded based on a clinical need.

The White House asked Democrats late Thursday (July 19) to include in a budget deal Senate Democratic drug-pricing policies that would save the government $115 billion, multiple sources say

House lawmakers have reintroduced a bill that would require FDA, in consultation with the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA), to issue guidelines on the production of marijuana as part of the legislation’s larger goal to amend the Controlled Substances Act to make marijuana accessible to researchers for medical purposes.

The House late Wednesday passed 419 to 6 legislation to fully repeal the Affordable Care Act’s 40% tax on high-cost health plans, also known as the Cadillac tax, a key priority for a broad array of health care stakeholders, including issuers, employers, unions and others.

The House Energy & Commerce Committee on Wednesday (July 17) unanimously approved legislation that would delay Disproportionate Share Hospital (DSH) cuts, reauthorize Medicaid funding to the territories with increased oversight of Puerto Rico’s funding, fund community health centers and other extenders for four years, and tackle surprise billing.

Senate Finance Committee Republicans asked HHS Secretary Alex Azar on Wednesday (July 17) to provide them with information about Medicaid spending and fraud control in Puerto Rico in light of the recent corruption scandal in the Puerto Rican government.

Senate Republican leadership hotlined the health committee’s broad cost-cutting package in order to ascertain GOP concerns and discovered several senators were prepared to hold up floor action over the surprise billing provisions -- signaling that Senate leaders have work cut out for them before they can move broader legislation that is expected to merge the health committee's bill with drug-pricing measures from the Finance and Judiciary committees.