Congress

Hospitals are asking Congress to remove the Medicare sequester at least for the duration of the COVID-19 pandemic and providers separately are asking for at least $1 billion in direct funding in COVID-19 legislation to cover a number of pandemic expenses including training for and implementing telemedicine.

Rep. Mark Pocan (D-WI) urged FDA chief Stephen Hahn to be honest with the public about the number of people that can be tested per day for coronavirus, coming as Hahn and other members of the White House’s Coronavirus Task Force tout the large number of diagnostic test that are being sent out to public health labs and hospitals.

House Energy & Commerce Committee leaders from both parties have requested FDA brief them by March 23 on the effect the coronavirus outbreak has had on the drug and device supply chain and on how the agency plans to combat potential shortages.

Republican senators and administration officials are pushing for a vote this week on bipartisan legislation that would shield certain manufacturers and distributors of masks from lawsuits during the coronavirus outbreak.

Democratic senators are demanding HHS immediately reverse actions that have undermined the Affordable Care Act and other policies that could impede consumers’ ability to get coverage amid the coronavirus outbreak, and pledge to ensure any coronavirus vaccine will be affordable.

FDA plans to reopen the public docket for its May 2019 cannabidiol hearing so that stakeholders can share relevant data on CBD, agency chief Stephen Hahn said in a Thursday (March 5) press release, which provided an overview of FDA’s current work in the area.

CMS plans to issue this spring several overdue Medicaid guidance documents meant to help states tackle the nation’s drug overdose crisis, an agency official told lawmakers Tuesday (March 3) in response to questions triggered by an Inside Health Policy investigation of the Trump administration’s lagging implementation of a major opioid law.

Reps. Tim Ryan (D-OH) and Bill Posey (R-FL) introduced legislation to protect U.S. consumers from potentially contaminated foreign pharmaceuticals by giving FDA authority to require black box warnings on products that are manufactured without adequate supervision.

Senate appropriators on Tuesday (Feb. 25) grilled HHS Secretary Alex Azar on whether the White House’s $2.5 billion supplemental funding request is enough to respond to the coronavirus outbreak and to beef up the U.S. supply of masks, ventilators and other personal protective equipment given other cuts sought by the White House.