Congress returns to Washington after the GOP held a rarely seen midterm convention where President Trump promised that every American adult would receive a $5,000 dividend if Republicans keep both the House and Senate. Meanwhile, it’s hearing central in Congress as members look to hone their messages before returning to the campaign trail for the final sprint before the midterms. So, let’s get into it. Welcome to the Week Ahead!
The Administration
If one check wasn’t enough, the Trump administration has also pledged to send checks to individuals they claim were overcharged for health insurance premiums through the Affordable Care Act (ACA) federal marketplace. The $500 checks would be mailed in October, just ahead of the midterm elections, and seem to be another way for the administration to highlight actions to address concerns about health care affordability.
President Trump also used the podium at the Republican National Convention to call on Congress to pass his “Great Healthcare Plan.” This plan calls for redirecting ACA subsidies to taxpayers and codifying executive actions related to price transparency and the Most-Favored-Nation drug pricing deals the administration has negotiated. It will be important to see how Republicans in Congress react as they return to Washington.
Speaking of health care affordability messaging, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) has spent the past month highlighting how states are benefiting from the Rural Health Transformation Program (RHTP). The 18 press releases published as of September 14, have each featured how individual states are using the funds, such as Arkansas expanding telehealth services and West Virginia investing in medical transportation. We expect the administration to continue to highlight RHTP funding.
The Senate
It’s nomination week in the Senate, as multiple health care appointees are slated for committee hearings. The most notable is Chris Klomp, who currently serves as Chief Counselor at the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) but is up for Deputy Secretary of HHS. Klomp has been a star in the second Trump administration who has been involved with several major policy initiatives and has often served as an HHS spokesperson at events around the country. Klomp will appear before the Senate Finance Committee on September 15 and the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP) Committee on September 16. Although both committees will have a hearing with Klomp, it will ultimately be up to the Senate Finance Committee to decide whether to advance Klomp’s nomination. In addition to Klomp, the Senate Finance Committee will also consider the nomination of Ge Bai to be an Assistant Secretary of Health and Human Services.
The Senate HELP Committee will also be hearing from the nominee for US Surgeon General, Dr. Nicole Saphier, and Assistant Secretary for Mental Health and Substance Use, Dr. Timothy Westlake. Notably absent from the list is Dr. Heidi Overton, who is the nominee to be the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) Commissioner. Our conversations on the hill indicate that if her nomination hearing is not held this week, it will likely be pushed until after the midterms due to the limited calendar and other items demanding the Senate’s attention.
Other Health Care Hearings This Week
- September 16: Senate Aging Committee hearing on the menopause care gap
The House
With the pesky issue of funding the government out of the way, the House is focusing on hearings. These are the last opportunities for committee leadership to use their hearings to highlight the issues that matter to them before the midterms. The health care hearings scheduled hit on a couple of familiar notes including health care affordability as well as health care fraud and anticompetitive behavior. Additionally, we have what may be the last legislative hearing related to health care in the House as the Energy and Commerce Health Subcommittee is scheduled to discuss legislative proposals to reform Medicare provider payments and bolster health care cybersecurity. The biggest focus is likely to be on the provider payment bills. One such bill is H.R. 9693, the Patients First Act, the legislation introduced by the leaders of the GOP and Democratic Doctors Caucuses that seeks to reform the Medicare Access and CHIP Reauthorization Act (MACRA) of 2015. Also up for consideration is H.R. 8163, the Provider Reimbursement Stability Act, which seeks to reform the budget neutrality framework of the Medicare Physician Fee Schedule. Importantly, this hearing is not a markup, so there will not be a vote on these bills. However, this is the first step in moving a bill through a Committee and could signal what may come if there is any appetite for year-end legislation.
Additionally, there are a four health care bills that are on the schedule for floor consideration this week, including legislation related to the Indian Health Service (IHS), a bill to reauthorize a program to combat tick-borne disease, and a bill that would issue guidance on fentanyl testing in emergency departments.
More Health Care Hearings This Week
- September 14: House Judiciary Administrative State, Regulatory Reform, and Antitrust Subcommittee field hearing on health care markets, fraud, and competition
- September 15: House Oversight Health Care and Financial Services Subcommittee hearing on addressing the unaffordability of oral chemotherapy
- September 16: House Science, Space, and Technology Investigations and Oversight Subcommittee hearing on balancing biotechnology innovation and biosecurity
There You Have It
Football season has officially kicked off, and fantasy drafts along with it. With the plethora of draft strategies, did you enlist the help of AI or stick to your own knowledge? Let us know. Make it a great week!