The Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee held a hearing titled, “Examining Health Care Workforce Shortages: Where Do We Go from Here?” The hearing delved into America’s health care workforce shortage. Senators at the hearing also discussed the rising costs of health care in the U.S., coupled with poor health outcomes. To address these issues, Senate HELP Chairman Bernie Sanders (I-VT) advocated for significantly expanding and improving the Graduate Medical Education (GME) program, substantially increasing student loan debt forgiveness, and greatly expanding the Teaching Health Center program. Mehlman Consulting’s summary of the hearing can be found here.

The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) announced that it has selected three new models that it will test through the CMS Innovation Center to lower the cost of prescription drugs.

The joint committees on non-prescription drugs and pain medication drugs voted 19-0 that the FDA should approve a non-prescription version of naloxone. Naloxone, a medication used to reverse opioid overdose, currently requires a prescription from a health provider. The unanimous recommendation by the panels means that the FDA will likely approve an over-the-counter version of the medication.

In light of “industry-funded reporting” indicating that the Biden Administration is looking to make cuts to Medicare Advantage (MA), HHS released a “fact vs. fiction” sheet to set the record straight. HHS said that it is committed to “strengthening Medicare and holding health care companies accountable to delivering quality health care for all seniors.”

CMS released a proposed National Coverage Determination (NCD) decision that would expand coverage for power seat elevation equipment on certain power wheelchairs for Medicare beneficiaries. Under the proposal, power seat elevation equipment would be covered by Medicare for individuals with a Group 3 power wheelchair, which are designed for people with “severe disabilities.” The proposal is open for public comment for 30 days.

The Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee held a hearing titled, “Examining Health Care Workforce Shortages: Where Do We Go from Here?” The hearing delved into America’s health care workforce shortage. Senators at the hearing also discussed the rising costs of health care in the U.S., coupled with poor health outcomes. To address these issues, Senate HELP Chairman Bernie Sanders (I-VT) advocated for significantly expanding and improving the Graduate Medical Education (GME) program, substantially increasing student loan debt forgiveness, and greatly expanding the Teaching Health Center program. Mehlman Consulting’s summary of the hearing can be found here.

The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) announced that it has selected three new models that it will test through the CMS Innovation Center to lower the cost of prescription drugs. Under the Medicare High-Value Drug List Model, Medicare Part D plans would be “encouraged” to offer certain drugs that treat chronic conditions at a maximum of $2 per month per drug. Another model, the Cell and Gene Therapy Access Model, would help Medicaid beneficiaries access “potentially life-changing, high-cost specialty drugs” through multi-state, outcomes-based agreements with cell and gene therapy manufacturers. Finally, under the Accelerating Clinical Evidence Model, CMS, in consultation with the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), would develop payment methods for drugs approved under accelerated approval, to help “encourage timely confirmatory trial completion.” The press release can be found here, and the fact sheet can be found here.

In light of “industry-funded reporting” indicating that the Biden Administration is looking to make cuts to Medicare Advantage (MA), HHS released a “fact vs. fiction” sheet to set the record straight. HHS said that it is committed to “strengthening Medicare and holding health care companies accountable to delivering quality health care for all seniors.” HHS’s release can be found here.

CMS released a proposed National Coverage Determination (NCD) decision that would expand coverage for power seat elevation equipment on certain power wheelchairs for Medicare beneficiaries. Under the proposal, power seat elevation equipment would be covered by Medicare for individuals with a Group 3 power wheelchair, which are designed for people with “severe disabilities.” The proposal is open for public comment for 30 days. Comments can be submitted here, and the press release can be found here.

On Wednesday, the joint committees on non-prescription drugs and pain medication drugs voted 19-0 that the FDA should approve a non-prescription version of naloxone. Naloxone, a medication used to reverse opioid overdose, currently requires a prescription from a health provider. A non-prescription version would mean that it could be sold at places such as grocery stores. The unanimous recommendation by the panels means that the FDA will likely approve an over-the-counter version of the medication.