This week in Washington: HHS and CMS nominations move forward.
House
Representatives Ask HHS Secretary Becerra to Extend
Deadline to Spend COVID-19 Provider Relief Funds
In a May 11 letter, 77 representatives sent a letter to
Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Xavier
Becerra stating their concern that existing program requirements
limit providers from making full use of COVID-19 relief. They asked
Becerra to extend the deadline to spend provider relief funds and
expedite distribution of the remaining COVID-19 relief. The letter
can be found here.
Bipartisan Bill to Protect 340B Eligibility for
Hospitals Introduced
On May 13, Reps. Doris Matsui (D-CA), Chris Stewart
(R-UT), Cindy Axne (D-IA), David McKinley (R-WV), Abigail
Spanberger (D-VA) and Dusty Johnson (R-SD) introduced a bill to
protect hospitals from losing eligibility for the 340B drug pricing
program during the COVID-19 public health emergency. A press
release from Matsui's office can be found here.
Bipartisan Bill to Curb Youth Vaping Reintroduced
On May 13, Reps. David Trone (D-MD), Raja Krishnamoorthi
(D-IL) and Chris Steward (R-UT) reintroduced the Accurate Reporting
of Smoking Variants Act. The bill would require the National
Coordinator for Health Information Technology to ensure that
electronic health records (EHRs) allow doctors to record vaping and
e-cigarette use, understand the long-term impacts of these products
and develop strategies to curb vaping among young people. The bill
text can be found here.
13 Health Care Bills Passed the House This Week
This past week, the House passed 13 health care bills. The
bills are listed and linked below.
- H.R. 433, the Family Support Services for Addiction Act
- H.R. 1475, the Pursuing Equity in Mental Health Act
- H.R. 586, the Suicide Training and Awareness Nationally Delivered for Universal Prevention (STANDUP) Act
- H.R. 721, the Mental Health Services for Students Act
- H.R. 1260, the Bipartisan Solution to Cyclical Violence Act
- H.R. 1205, Improving Mental Health Access from the Emergency Department Act
- H.R. 1324, the Effective Suicide Screening and Assessment in the Emergency Department Act
- H.R. 1480, the Helping Emergency Responders Overcome (HERO) Act
- H.R. 2862, the Campaign to Prevent Suicide Act
- H.R. 2981, the Suicide Prevention Lifeline Improvement Act
- H.R. 2955, the Suicide Prevention Act
- H.R. 768, the Block, Report, and Suspend Suspicious Shipments Act
- H.R. 2877, Behavioral Intervention Guidelines Act
A joint statement from Energy and Commerce Committee Chair Frank Pallone (D-NJ) and Health Subcommittee Chair Anna Eshoo (D-CA) about the above bills can be found here.
Senate
Brooks-LaSure's Nomination for CMS Administrator
Advances Out of Finance Committee
On May 12, the Senate voted 51 to 48 to advance the
nomination of Chiquita Brooks-LaSure for administrator of the
Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) after majority
leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) made a motion to discharge her
nomination from the Finance Committee. Republican Sens. Susan
Collins (R-ME) and Jerry Moran (R-KS) joined Democrats in
supporting the motion. Next, Sen. Schumer will need to file cloture
to limit floor debate on the confirmation. If the Senate passes
cloture, Brooks-LaSure's nomination will go before the full
Senate for a final vote. A simple majority is needed to confirm
both the cloture and the nomination.
Andrea Palm Confirmed as HHS Deputy Secretary
On May 11, the Senate voted 61-37 to confirm Andrea Palm
as deputy secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS). Palm
previously served as Wisconsin's top health official.
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