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RFK, Jr. Meets with Senators Ahead of Confirmation Hearings
Robert F. Kennedy Jr., President-elect Trump’s nominee for Secretary of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, has spent significant time on Capitol Hill meeting with both Republican and Democratic Senators in advance of his confirmation hearings. Kennedy has yet to receive any Senate Democratic endorsements. However, his meetings with Senate Republicans have been reported as mostly positive. Kennedy’s previous positions on vaccines, abortion, and food processing have been the focus of many of the conversations, and Republican Senators have characterized the nominee’s views on these issues as more reasonable than expected.
Chairman Crapo has announced that Kennedy’s hearing in Senate Finance will take place on January 29. While the Senate Finance Committee is responsible for advancing Kennedy’s nomination to the full Senate, the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP) Committee also plans to hear testimony from Kennedy next week.
Energy & Commerce Committee Holds Organizational Meeting
The House Energy & Commerce Committee – which has the broadest jurisdiction of any committee in Congress, including shared jurisdiction over the Medicare Program with the House Ways & Means Committee – convened their organization meeting for the 119th Congress on January 15. Newly appointed Committee Chair Brett Guthrie (R-KY) highlighted various health-related priorities that the committee will focus on in the new Congress, including lowering the cost of care, increasing price transparency, strengthening innovation, addressing the opioid epidemic, improving oversight of the Medicare and Medicaid Programs, and resorting trust in public health. The panel’s Health Subcommittee will be led by Chairman Buddy Carter, BSPharm (R-GA), and Ranking Member Diana DeGette (D-CO). Full subcommittee rosters can be viewed here (GOP) and here (Democrats).
Chair Carter Works to Advance Health Legislation
Representative Buddy Carter, BSPharm (R-GA), Chairman of the House Energy and Commerce Subcommittee on Health, stated that he is in talks to revive the health package included in the initial bipartisan government funding bill proposed last December. The package included a one-year, 3.53% increase to Medicare bonuses for alternative payment model participation, an increase to Medicare physician payments of 2.5% for 2025, and pharmacy benefit manager industry reforms, including delinking and rebate pass through for some medications under Medicare Part D.
Unfortunately, the healthcare provisions were ultimately removed from the package, which passed as a scaled back continuing resolution. Chair Carter has confirmed that he is in talks with House leadership about passing the health provisions as either a standalone bill or as a part of a budget reconciliation package. GOP Doctors Caucus Chair Greg Murphy, MD (R-NC) has also stated that consideration of the measure under suspension of the rules may also be a viable avenue.
MedPAC Recommends 1.3% Update for Medicare Physicians in CY 2026
The Medicare Payment Advisory Commission (MedPAC) last week voted on a physician payment update recommendation for Calendar Year (CY) 2026 of the Medicare Economic Index (MEI) minus 1%, which would result in an approximate 1.3% boost to account for inflation. The Commission also reiterated its previous recommendation to provide a safety-net payment for physicians providing care to low-income Medicare beneficiaries. The proposed update will be included in MedPAC's March Report to the Congress. Notably, the Commission is continuing to explore physician payment reforms more comprehensively, recognizing that a more holistic approach is needed to address the complex challenges facing the physician payment system.
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