Health Care Checkup
March 26, 2021
THE BIG PICTURE
On Thursday, the Senate voted 90-2 to pass H.R.1868. The legislation, which included substitute alternative language to an earlier House-passed bill, will extend the suspension through December 31 of Medicare sequester cuts, which would otherwise reduce payments to most providers and health plans by 2 percent.
 
On Wednesday, the Senate confirmed Rachel Levine as President Biden’s Assistant Secretary of Health by a vote of 52-48. All Democrats voted in favor of Levine’s confirmation, while only two Republicans did – Susan Collins of Maine and Lisa Murkowski of Alaska.
On Tuesday, the Senate voted 57-43 to confirm Vivek Murthy as Biden’s Surgeon General. Murthy previously served in the same role during the Obama Administration.

Also on Tuesday, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) said that Congressional Democrats are in talks to add drug pricing provisions to an upcoming infrastructure bill. Speaker Pelosi said that the provision would allow the federal government to negotiate drug prices with pharmaceutical companies, which would help to lower drug costs for the Medicare program.

The Biden Administration announced that the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) will invest approximately $10 billion to expand access to COVID-19 vaccines among vulnerable communities and build confidence among the vaccine hesitant.

On Thursday, a letter was released by Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY), highlighting agenda items the Senate will prioritize after the upcoming recess. Leader Schumer said that Democrats hope to work with their Republican colleagues to make progress on voting rights, civil rights, economic recovery, jobs, climate change, health and gun safety.

Senator Bernie Sanders (I-VT), along with many of his Democratic colleagues, reintroduced several bills to combat the high prices of prescription drugs in the U.S. – the Prescription Drug Price Relief Act, the Medicare Drug Price Negotiation Act, and the Affordable and Safe Prescription Drug Importation Act. Senator Sanders also led a Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP) hearing this week on the cost of prescription drugs across the country. MCRT’s summary of the hearing can be found here.

AstraZeneca faced scrutiny this week when a group of medical experts that monitors the company’s COVID-19 vaccine clinical trial expressed concerns to U.S. federal health agencies about a report AstraZeneca released on Monday. The experts indicated that data from the report on the vaccine’s efficacy were outdated. The National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases then wrote a private letter to AstraZeneca, expressing concern that the company was jeopardizing the integrity of its clinical trial. On Thursday evening, the company released new data in an effort to patch up Monday’s blunder. The new analysis finds the vaccine to be 76% effective (a 3% decrease from Monday’s number) against symptomatic COVID-19 disease and 100% effective against severe disease and hospitalization. 

Also this week, the Senate HELP Committee held a hearing, titled “Examining Our COVID-19 Response: Improving Health Equity and Outcomes by Addressing Health Disparities.” MCRT’s summary can be found here
What to Expect Next Week: Congress will be in recess until April 12, so the Hill will be relatively quiet. However, we expect much news next week from the Biden Administration regarding its plans to pass major legislation on infrastructure. 
DEEP DIVE
Levine and Murthy Confirmed by Senate
On Wednesday, the Senate confirmed Rachel Levine as President Biden’s Assistant Secretary of Health by a vote of 52-48. All Democrats voted in favor of Levine’s confirmation, while only two Republicans did – Susan Collins of Maine and Lisa Murkowski of Alaska. Levine is the first openly transgender official to be confirmed by the Senate. At Levine’s confirmation hearing in early March, she discussed several priorities, including the opioid crisis, maternal mortality, and access to health care.
 
On Tuesday, the Senate voted 57-43 to confirm Vivek Murthy as Biden’s Surgeon General. Murthy previously served in the same role during the Obama Administration. Republican Senators Bill Cassidy (LA), Susan Collins (ME), Roger Marshall (KS), Lisa Murkowski (AK), Rob Portman (OH), Mitt Romney (UT) and Dan Sullivan (AK) joined Democrats in confirming Murthy. Murthy has also committed to addressing the opioid epidemic, as well as the mental health crisis and inequities in the health care system.

Senate Passes Medicare Sequester Relief Bill
On Thursday, the Senate voted 90-2 to pass H.R.1868. The legislation, which included substitute alternative language to an earlier House-passed bill, will extend the suspension through December 31 of Medicare sequester cuts, which would otherwise reduce payments to most providers and health plans by 2 percent. The Senate’s amendment, authored by Senators Jean Shaheen (D-NH) and Susan Collins (R-ME), dropped a more expansive House provision that would have provided additional relief from statutory pay-as-you-go cuts as well. In addition, the Senate substitute offset the costs of the near-term sequester extension by extending the cuts for an additional year in the future. 

Biden Administration Announces $10 Billion to Expand Access to COVID-19 Vaccines for Hardest-Hit Communities
On Thursday, the Biden Administration announced that the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) will invest approximately $10 billion to expand access to COVID-19 vaccines among vulnerable communities and build confidence among the vaccine hesitant. The Administration said that much of the funding will come from allocations reserved for HHS through the American Rescue Plan (ARP). $6 billion will be invested into Community Health Centers nationwide to “expand COVID-19 vaccinations, testing, and treatment for vulnerable populations; deliver preventive and primary health care services to people at higher risk for COVID-19; and expand health centers’ operational capacity during the pandemic and beyond, including modifying and improving physical infrastructure and adding mobile units.” Another $3 billion will be invested directly to states, territories, and some large cities to support efforts to increase vaccination rates and make vaccine distribution more equitable. Additionally, the Administration is launching a new partnership with dialysis clinics to “provide COVID-19 vaccinations to people receiving dialysis and health care personnel in outpatient dialysis clinics.” The Administration will provide vaccines directly to dialysis treatment centers, so patients are able to get vaccinated onsite. HHS will also invest $330 million to support community health workers in their efforts to prevent and control the spread of COVID-19.

Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer Details the Senate’s Agenda Post Recess
On Thursday, a letter was released by Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY), highlighting agenda items the Senate will prioritize after the upcoming recess. The Senator wrote: “Now that we have passed the American Rescue Plan, the Senate must continue to make progress on the other major issues facing the American people.” Leader Schumer said that Democrats hope to work with their Republican colleagues to make progress on voting rights, civil rights, economic recovery, jobs, climate change, health and gun safety. The Senator said that when the chamber returns to session on April 12, it will first consider Senator Mazie Hirono’s (D-HI) COVID hate crimes legislation to provide the Department of Justice with more tools to combat hate crimes against the Asian-American community. The Senate will also coordinate with the Biden Administration to fight climate change and boost domestic manufacturing. The Leader also stated that he intends to invoke the Congressional Review Act to repeal a Trump-era Equal Employment Opportunity Commission rule that gives employers “an unfair advantage over workers when settling discriminatory claims.” Additionally, the Senate will vote to overturn former President Trump’s policies on methane emissions.

More than 190 U.S. Companies Urge Congress to Pass Permanent Paid Family and Medical Leave Policy
More than 190 leaders in the private sector signed a letter to Congressional leaders including Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) and Chuck Schumer (D-NY). The letter calls on Congress to include a permanent paid family and medical leave policy within the Biden Administration’s $3 trillion “Build Back Better” recovery plan. The letter states, “At the onset of the pandemic, fewer than 21% of workers had access to paid leave through their employers. Lack of a national paid leave policy makes all of us more vulnerable during this pandemic and for future public health emergencies, while putting the financial stability of businesses on the line.” The letter urges Congress to work with the Biden Administration to create an “equitable and comprehensive paid family and medical leave program” that includes paid leave for having children, caring for ill family members, and caring for one’s own illness. Senate Majority Leader Schumer has not indicated if he plans to support a federal paid leave policy in a future spending bill. However, he did say that, “Making paid leave a reality for all Americans is an economic necessity.”
 
COVID-19 Updates
AstraZeneca faced scrutiny this week when a group of medical experts that monitors the company’s COVID-19 vaccine clinical trial expressed concerns to U.S. federal health agencies about a report AstraZeneca released on Monday. The experts indicated that data from the report on the vaccine’s efficacy were outdated. The National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases then wrote a private letter to AstraZeneca, expressing concern that the company was jeopardizing the integrity of its clinical trial. On Thursday evening, the company released new data in an effort to patch up Monday’s blunder. The new analysis finds the vaccine to be 76% effective (a 3% decrease from Monday’s number) against symptomatic COVID-19 disease and 100% effective against severe disease and hospitalization.
 
This week, Regeneron announced that it will request authorization from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for a lower dose of its COVID-19 antibody cocktail. The company said that results from a final-stage trial found that the cocktail reduced 70% of hospitalizations and deaths in COVID-19 patients. The therapy also reduced the duration of symptoms by four days. Additionally, the company said that all doses (8,000 mg, 2,400 mg, and 1,200 mg) had similar rates of efficacy.
 
On Tuesday, Pfizer announced that it is initiating the first phase of a clinical trial to test its new COVID-19 antiviral pill. The pill can be taken at the first sign of COVID-19 to prevent the progression of the illness. The pill works by binding to a viral enzyme, preventing the virus from replicating in the cell.
 
President Biden has set a new goal of administering 200 million COVID-19 vaccine doses by the end of next month. Last week, Biden outpaced his original goal of 100 million doses administered in his first 100 days in office. 
 
Pfizer has begun its pediatric clinical trial of its COVID-19 vaccine. Children ages 6 months to 11 years will be included in the study, which is expected to include more than 4,500 kids.

Congressional Democrats Announce Plans to Combat High Drug Prices in America
On Tuesday, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) said that Congressional Democrats are in talks to add drug pricing provisions to an upcoming infrastructure bill. Speaker Pelosi said that the provision would allow the federal government to negotiate drug prices with pharmaceutical companies, which would help to lower drug costs for the Medicare program. The Speaker said that a previous Congressional Budget Office (CBO) estimate found that the federal government would save $456 billion over the span of a decade if it were able to negotiate drug prices with pharmaceutical companies.

Also on Tuesday, Senator Bernie Sanders (I-VT), along with many of his Democratic colleagues, reintroduced several bills to combat the high prices of prescription drugs in the U.S. the Prescription Drug Price Relief Act, the Medicare Drug Price Negotiation Act, and the Affordable and Safe Prescription Drug Importation Act. Senator Sanders also led a Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions hearing this week on the cost of prescription drugs across the country. At the hearing, he said “How many people need to die? How many people need to get unnecessarily sicker before Congress is prepared to take on the greed of the pharmaceutical industry?” MCRT’s summary of the hearing can be found here.
SENATE HEARINGS AND EXECUTIVE SESSIONS
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HOUSE HEARINGS AND EXECUTIVE SESSIONS
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ADMINISTRATION ANNOUNCEMENTS
Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services
 
Food and Drug Administration
 
Guidance Documents from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

National Institutes of Health
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