April 6, 2022

Murphy Administration Releases HART Program Plan    The Murphy Administration released a detailed description of its plan to improve health care affordability in New Jersey. The Health Care Affordability, Responsibility and Transparency (HART) Program’s plan sets health care cost targets for health care leaders. The blueprint released by the HART Program lays out the target rate of growth for health care spending and explains the program’s approach to understanding the factors that drive costs. The program’s approach encompasses collection and analysis of insurance, hospital, provider and pharmaceutical costs to track New Jersey’s progress in meeting these targets, understand cost drivers and identify strategies to help curb costs. Various advocates, hospitals, health care providers, insurers, unions, employers and other stakeholders across New Jersey have signed onto a compact, committing to working towards meeting the program’s targets and goals. See the full release here.  See blueprint here.

Budget Hearings in Person Budget hearings continued in both the New Jersey State Assembly and Senate. The Assembly Budget Committee began the week’s hearings with State Treasurer Elizabeth Muoio appearing in person and sharing revised projections of nearly $46.9 billion to be collected this year, up nearly 11% from the estimate incorporated in the FY 2022 budget. State revenue increases were seen in income, sales and business taxes. The non-partisan Office of Legislative Services has estimated revenues to surpass the original budget estimate by about 14%. The $48.9 billion proposed budget represents the second budget with no new taxes and includes the State’s largest pension payment of $6.8 billion. Monday’s Assembly Budget hearing can be found here.

U.S. Trade Representative Ambassador Tai Hearings U.S. Trade Representative Ambassador Katherine Tai appeared before the Senate Finance and the House Ways & Means Committees last week to discuss the administration’s trade policy agenda. Several members expressed concern with the proposed waiver of the WTO Trade-Related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights (TRIPS) agreement which would allow the world to infringe on the Intellectual Property behind COVID-19 vaccines and therapeutics. Senator Menendez, Chair of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, questioned the process and lack of consultation with the members of the Committee. BioNJ thanks Senator Menendez for raising concerns as it is BioNJ’s position that this waiver would dismantle the foundation of innovation and weaken our ability to end the current pandemic and respond to future ones. See BIO’s statement on TRIPS waiver here.

Congressional Letter to CMS BioNJ applauds Congresswoman Bonnie Watson Coleman and Congressman Jeff Van Drew and the 42 additional members of Congress for their outreach to the Honorable Xavier Becerra, Secretary Health and Human Services and The Honorable Chiquita Brooks-LaSure, Administrator, Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) regarding the CMS’ proposed non-coverage determination for monoclonal antibodies for the treatment of Alzheimer’s Disease (AD). The members urged CMS to re-propose or revise the proposed decision and issue a final decision that would provide coverage for treatments as indicated by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) label, while continuing to carefully assess the effects of drugs in real-world populations. BioNJ previously shared that it joined with 45 members of the Council of State Bioscience Association (CSBA) and voiced our concerns that the Proposed National Coverage Determination (NCD) would set a dangerous precedent, restricting access to a promising class of new amyloid-focused therapies. In addition to the impact on Americans struggling with AD, it would also have far-reaching implications for a variety of Patient populations living with unmet medical needs – Patients who stand to benefit from therapies approved for difficult-to-treat diseases, notably those approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) under the Accelerated Approval pathway. Please see the Congressional letter here.

CURES 2.0 Congressional Briefing Cures 2.0 is the follow-up legislation to the landmark, bipartisan 21st Century Cures Act of 2016, that led to the streamlining and improvements in medical care, research, drug development and more. New Jersey’s own, Max Schill, who was the inspiring 7-year old (at the time) Patient who walked the halls of Congress to get the CURES legislation passed in 2016, participated in this briefing for congressional staff. The webinar also featured Diana DeGette, U.S Representative, Colorado, and Fred Upton, U.S. Representative, Michigan.   We are sharing this webinar which features a now 13-year old Max and highlights the features of the Cures 2.0 bill and how it seeks to make new treatments more accessible to Patients. Cures 2.0 endeavors to take advantage of new technologies and modernization efforts to improve approval and regulatory processes, bring more Patient empowerment and engagement in drug development and clinical trials, build on infrastructure goals to expand telehealth and improve public health and preparedness.    The webinar can be viewed here.

We Need Your Help: Support BioNJ Policy and Advocacy Efforts BioNJ is the voice of New Jersey’s life sciences sector in Trenton and Washington. BioNJ’s Public Policy Support Series sponsorship opportunities are still available for 2022. Help ensure BioNJ continues to deliver our message of improved Patient access and enhanced innovation through a Public Policy Support Series Sponsorship.   More information is available here.

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