|
Congressional:
RFK Jr. Meets with Democrat and Republican Senators
Robert F. Kennedy Jr., President-elect Donald Trump’s choice to lead the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), has spent the week on Capitol Hill meeting with Senators. Kennedy met with Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions (HELP) Committee Chair Bill Cassidy (R-LA) as well as committee Ranking Member Bernie Sanders (I-VT). Cassidy wrote in a post on X (formerly Twitter), that the two had a "frank" conversation. Kennedy also met with Sens. John Cornyn (R-TX), Maggie Hassan (D-NH), Chuck Grassley (R-IA), Ed Markey (D-MA), and John Fetterman (D-PA). Confirmation hearings have yet to be scheduled but will likely be around the end of January. Kennedy will have a hearing before both Senate HELP and Finance Committee, but votes on his confirmation will happen only in the Finance Committee.
Ranking Member Pallone Welcomes Seven New Democratic Members to the Energy and Commerce Committee
On Thursday, Energy and Commerce Committee Ranking Member Frank Pallone, Jr. (D-NJ) the appointment of seven new Democrats to the Energy and Commerce Committee for the 119th Congress: Reps. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (NY-14), Jake Auchincloss (MA-04), Troy Carter (LA-02), Rob Menendez (NJ-08), Kevin Mullin (CA-15), Greg Landsman (OH-01), Jennifer McClellan (VA-04). Read the press release here.
Chair Crapo Named Chairman of Senate Finance Committee
On Tuesday, Senator Mike Crapo (R-ID) was confirmed as Chairman of the Senate Finance Committee in the 119th Congress. Sen. Crapo discussed his policy agenda for tax, trade, health care, and social security in a coordinating press release. Crapo stated that the Finance Committee will conduct “aggressive oversight” of the Inflation Reduction Act, which allowed Medicare to negotiate drug prices for the first time. Crapo pledged to “enact policies that mitigate the adverse consequences of this law on patients, innovators, and taxpayers” and stated he is optimistic about enacting new regulations for pharmacy benefit managers (PBMs) and creating “long-term payment stability” for doctors in Medicare. Crapo said, “As we work with the Trump Administration to address America’s epidemic of chronic disease, the Committee must also streamline clinician payment systems and incentivize alternative payment models that reward providing better care at a lower cost. We must improve primary care, support chronic-care benefits in Medicare, and provide Medicare doctors with long-term payment stability.” Read the press release here.
Chair Cassidy Announces New GOP Members on Senate HELP Committee
On Tuesday, Senator Bill Cassidy (R-LA) was officially seated as the chair of the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP) Committee for the 119th Congress. Cassidy was previously ranking member of the HELP Committee in the 118th Congress. Cassidy also announced the other Republican members joining him on the committee: Senators Rand Paul (R-KY), Susan Collins (R-ME), Lisa Murkowski (R-AK), Markwayne Mullin (R-OK), Roger Marshall, M.D. (R-KS), Tommy Tuberville (R-AL), Tim Scott (R-SC), Josh Hawley (R-MO), Jim Banks (R-IN), Mike Crapo (R-ID), and Marsha Blackburn (R-TN). Senate Democratic leader Charles Schumer (D-NY) announced new Democratic HELP Committee members last week: Angela Alsobrooks (D-MD), Lisa Blunt Rochester (D-DE), and Andy Kim (D-NJ).
One of the first items for the committee will be confirmation hearings on several key administration appointments. In the coming weeks, the panel will hear from Trump's picks to lead the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), the National Institutes of Health (NIH), and to be surgeon general, among other positions. Read the press release here.
Minority Leader Jeffries Announces New Dem Appointments to Committees for the 119th Congress
On Tuesday, Democratic Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY) announced that the House Democratic Caucus has approved a slate of Democratic Members to be returned or added to the Committee on Appropriations, the Committee on Financial Services, and the Committee on Ways and Means. Reps. Brendan Boyle (D-PA-2), Stacey Plaskett (D-USVI), and Tom Suozzi (D-NY-3) were selected for the Ways and Means Committee. Read the press release here.
Chair Walberg Welcomes House Education and Workforce Committee Members
On Friday, Education and Workforce Committee Chairman Tim Walberg (R-MI) announced the new and returning Republican Members appointed to serve on the Committee in the 119th Congress. The five new members of the committee are: Reps. Bob Onder (R-MO), Ryan Mackenzie (R-PA), Michael Baumgartner (R-WA), Mark Harris (R-NC), and Mark Messmer (R-IN). Read the press release here.
Bipartisan Senate Budget Committee Investigation Releases Report on Private Equity in Health Care
On Tuesday, Sens. Chuck Grassley (R-IA) and Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI), in their respective capacities as Ranking Member and Chairman of the Senate Budget Committee during the 118th Congress, released a bipartisan staff report on the findings of their investigation into the ways in which private equity investment in health care has negative consequences for patients and providers. The report, focused on two private equity firms, said the firms focused more on financial goals than quality of care. “Investors in these hospitals earned millions while patients suffered and hospitals experienced health and safety violations, understaffing, reduced quality of patient care, and closures,” the report stated. Read the report here.
Notable Bills Introduced:
Shaheen, Baldwin, Underwood Seek to Lower Health Care Costs for Millions of Americans with Bicameral Legislation to Permanently Extend Affordable Care Act Premium Tax Credits
On Thursday, Senators Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH), Tammy Baldwin (D-WI), and Rep. Lauren Underwood (D-IL-14), reintroduced the Health Care Affordability Act—bicameral legislation making permanent the Affordable Care Act’s (ACA) enhanced premium tax credits (PTCs) for Marketplace coverage as extended through the Inflation Reduction Act. The enhanced tax credits increase the value of the tax credits available to people with income between 100 and 400 percent of the federal poverty level (FPL) while expanding eligibility for premium tax credits to include individuals with income above 400 percent of FPL. Read the press release here and the bill here.
Executive Branch:
CFPB Finalizes Rule to Remove Medical Bills from Credit Reports
On Tuesday, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) announced a finalized rule that will remove an estimated $49 billion in medical bills from the credit reports of about 15 million Americans. The CFPB’s action will ban the inclusion of medical bills on credit reports used by lenders and prohibit lenders from using medical information in their lending decisions. The CFPB expects the rule will lead to the approval of approximately 22,000 additional, affordable mortgages every year and that Americans with medical debt on their credit reports could see their credit scores rise by an average of 20 points. Read the press release here.
HHS Awards $306 Million in Avian Flu Monitoring and Preparedness Funding
Late last week on Friday, the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) announced it would award $306 million dollars to continue its H5N1 Avian Flu response. Of the $306 million, the Administration for Strategic Preparedness and Response (ASPR) will award approximately $183 million in additional funding for regional, state and local preparedness programs; the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) will award approximately $111 million in funding for additional enhancements to our ability to monitor H5N1 at the local, state and national levels; and the National Institutes of Health (NIH) will award approximately $11 million in funding for additional research into potential medical countermeasures for H5N1. Read the press release here.
| 
