Congress

Senate health committee Chair Lamar Alexander (R-TN) and two other members of the committee are raising concerns that FDA’s proposed sunscreen rule, which would require sunscreen makers submit data for 12 ingredients, would lead American consumers to question the safety of sunscreens.

As a House Energy & Commerce geared up for a Tuesday (June 4) hearing on legislation to repeal the Medicaid Disproportionate Share Hospital cuts that are set to kick in Oct. 1, Senate Finance Committee Chair Chuck Grassley’s (R-IA) office said repealing the cuts would be a giveaway to hospitals and is not grounded in reality.

Days before the House Appropriations Committee is set to mark up an FDA funding bill, an expert on the agency’s budget process said there are plenty of challenges looming ahead that could sink the $184 million increase that House lawmakers propose in the bill.

A new proposal to curb surprise billing by implementing “network-matching,” floated by Senate health committee Chair Lamar Alexander (R-TN) and ranking Democrat Patty Murray (WA), could save the federal government $7 billion over 10 years, according to a new analysis by the Council for Affordable Health Coverage.

Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (IL) again took FDA Acting Commissioner Ned Sharpless to task in a letter on Wednesday (May 29), saying their May 14 meeting in which they discussed youth e-cigarette use was “one of the most disappointing and alarming meetings” in his time in public service.

A group of more than 30 House lawmakers, most of whom are Republicans and who are led by Rep. Michael Burgess (R-TX), asked CMS earlier this month to consider using the innovation center to run a demonstration expanding the use of physician-owned hospitals.

FDA’s drug center would receive an approximate $50 million increase in budget authority over fiscal 2019 levels under the 2020 funding bill passed by the House Appropriations agriculture subcommittee on Thursday (May 23), according to a preliminary analysis by the Alliance for a Stronger FDA.

A draft legislative package released by Senate health committee leaders Thursday (May 23) would require plans to have up-to-date provider directories, available online or within 24 hours of an inquiry, but Medicare Advantage (MA) plans would not be included in that policy, according to the office of Chair Lamar Alexander (R-TN).

A bipartisan group of House lawmakers, led by emergency room physician Rep. Raul Ruiz (D-CA), unveiled Thursday (May 23) an outline of legislation that would hold patients harmless from surprise bills and allow providers and issuers to resolve payment disputes through arbitration.