President Trump recently shared his top legislative priority: send the voter ID bill called the SAVE America Act to his desk or nothing else will get signed. That’s a tall order, right now, but let’s see what happens. With that, welcome to the Week Ahead!
The Administration
The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services will be busy this week, as they host their Quality Conference and work with states behind the scenes on their rural health transformation plans. Reports on implementation have been quiet as each state works with its legislature to approve its funding.
The clock is running out on the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC) lack of permanent leadership. Dr. Jay Bhattacharya, the National Institutes of Health Director, has been filling in, but his ability to exercise the “exclusive powers” of that office expires on March 26, per the timeline set out in the Administrative Procedures Act.
If the President decides to leave the position vacant, the authority to make decisions on things like the vaccine schedule would go to Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., while someone like Dr. Bhattacharya could continue to perform “non-exclusive” duties. Was this the plan all along?
The Senate
Pay attention to the Senate floor on the SAVE America Act even as health care may be embroiled in the voter ID debate. Senate Majority Leader Thune (R-SD) promised a full discussion but using a sequence of votes and debate that avoids the “talking filibuster.” Expect some health care-related amendments, including one requested by the President to add language prohibiting gender transition procedures for minors. Could this new method of debate-amendment-vote become a new norm in the upper chamber? We will see.
We have also hit the one-month mark for the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) shutdown. While there is still no end in sight, the Senate Homeland Security Committee is holding a hearing on the nomination of Sen. Markwayne Mullin (R-OK) on March 18, advancing the confirmation process.
Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee Chairman Bill Cassidy (R-LA) recently laid out his health care priorities, including codifying some of President Trump’s most-favored-nation pricing policies as well as price transparency. The decision to focus on areas of agreement with the President may be strategic, as he faces Trump-endorsed Rep. Julia Letlow (R-LA-5) in a primary on May 15.
Health Care Hearings This Week
- March 19: Senate HELP Committee Member Day hearing
The House
While the Senate is distracted by voter IDs, House committees are focusing on health.
Health affordability hearings are back as the House Energy and Commerce Health Subcommittee hears from health care providers on March 18. On the docket will be the American Hospital Association (AHA) and could also include representatives from groups such as the American Medical Association (AMA). We expect the Committee to focus on issues such as the impacts of consolidation in the health sector and concerns about price transparency.
Continuing its work on fraud, waste, and abuse from February, the House Energy and Commerce Oversight Subcommittee will examine the role of CMS in preventing and detecting fraud in federal programs. The Committee will focus on vulnerable programs, using technology to stop fraud, and the role of states in preventing Medicaid fraud.
NIH Director Dr. Jay Bhattacharya will be back on Capitol Hill on March 17, this time in front of the House Appropriations Labor-HHS Subcommittee for an oversight hearing.
Not to be left out of the health care discussion, the House Ways and Means Health Subcommittee will examine current challenges in kidney disease care and how prevention and treatment options can improve the lives of patients.
Looking ahead, hospitals will take center stage in April, as the House Ways and Means Committee continues its own health affordability series with a focus on the impact of consolidation.
Other Health Care Hearings This Week
- March 18: China Select Committee hearing on the drug supply chain
- March 18: House VA Committee hearing on health care legislation
There You Have It
Did you catch the MAHAspital sketch on Saturday Night Live, spoofing Sec. RFK, Jr? What did you think? Let us know. Make it a great week!