Policy Corner: April 12, 2019

House Committee Approves Health Care Bills

The U.S. House of Representative’s Energy and Commerce Committee, chaired by Rep. Frank Pallone, Jr. (D-N.J.), approved twelve health care-related bills last week to lower the cost of health care and prescription drugs. These bills include:

• H.R. 1781, the “Payment Commission Data Act of 2019,” introduced by Reps. Buddy Carter (R-Ga.), Tom O’Halleran (D-Ariz.), Tom Rice (R-S.C.), Jimmy Panetta (D-Calif.), Greg Gianforte (R-Mont.), and Peter Welch (D-Vt.), to provide the Medicare Payment Advisory Commission (MedPAC) and the Medicaid and CHIP Payment and Access Commission (MACPAC) with access to drug pricing and rebate data in order for these independent, non-partisan commissions to help Congress better understand the true costs of prescription drugs to consumers and taxpayers.
• H.R.1385, the “State Allowance for a Variety of Exchanges (SAVE) Act,” introduced by Reps. Andy Kim (D-N.J.) and Brian Fitzpatrick (R-Pa.), to provide states with $200 million in federal funds to establish state-based Marketplaces. Under current law, federal funds are no longer available for states to set up state-based Marketplaces.
• H.R.1386, the “Expand Navigators’ Resources for Outreach, Learning, and Longevity (ENROLL) Act,” introduced by Rep. Kathy Castor (D-Fla.), to provide $100 million annually for the Federally-Facilitated Marketplace (FFM) navigator program. The bill would reinstate the requirement that there be at least two navigator entities in each state and would require the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) to ensure that navigator grants are awarded to entities with demonstrated capacity to carry out the duties specified in the Affordable Care Act (ACA). The bill would also prohibit HHS from considering whether a navigator entity has demonstrated how it will provide information to individuals relating to association health plans or short-term, limited-duration insurance plans.
• H.R. 987, the “Marketing and Outreach Restoration to Empower (MORE) Health Education Act of 2019,” introduced by Rep. Lisa Blunt Rochester (D-Del.), to restore outreach and enrollment funding to assist consumers in signing up for health care, which has been reduced by the Administration.
• H.R. 1010, a bill to provide that the rule entitled “Short-Term, Limited Duration Insurance,” introduced by Rep. Kathy Castor (D-Fla.), to reverse the Administration’s expansion of junk insurance plans, also known as short-term, limited-duration insurance plans. These plans do not meet the requirements of the ACA, which include mandated essential health benefits, coverage for pre-existing conditions, and prohibiting lifetime caps.
• H.R. 986, the “Protecting Americans with Preexisting Conditions Act of 2019,” introduced by Rep. Ann M. Kuster (D-N.H.), to require the Administration to rescind the Section 1332 guidance of the ACA promulgated in October 2018 that would undermine the law’s consumer protections.
• H.R. 1425, the “State Health Care Premium Reduction Act,” introduced by Reps. Angie Craig (D-Minn.) and Scott Peters (D-Calif.), to provide $10 billion annually to states to establish a state reinsurance program or use the funds to provide financial assistance to reduce out-of-pocket costs for individuals enrolled in qualified health plans. The bill also requires the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) to establish and implement a reinsurance program in states that do not apply for federal funding under the bill.

Senate Finance Committee Chair and Ranking Member Investigate The MENTOR Network

Last Week, U.S. Senate Finance Committee Chairman Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) and Ranking Member Ron Wyden (D-Ore.) announced that they are requesting information from two companies affiliated with The MENTOR Network (Mentor) after recent news reports in Iowa and Oregon revealed multiple instances of abuse, neglect, and in one case, an apparent death. Mentor contracts with the two states to provide care for adults and children with intellectual and developmental disabilities and other disabilities.

The Senators asked the companies to provide information about the services they provide and any previous or ongoing reports, investigations, assessments or performance reviews, particularly in cases regarding suspected abuse. The inquiry follows a 2017 Committee investigation of foster care providers which included Mentor. The investigation raised concerns about treatment and deaths among foster children in Mentor’s care.

Administration Appoints New Director of NIDILRR Office of Research Sciences

Phillip Beatty, Ph.D., has been appointed as the director of the National Institute on Disability, Independent Living, and Rehabilitation Research (NIDILRR) Office of Research Sciences. Dr. Beatty joined NIDILRR in 2003 as a Rehabilitation Program Specialist and served as a Project Officer for a wide variety of NIDILRR grants. Most recently, he has been in the role of associate director of the Office of Research Sciences. Prior to joining NIDILRR, Dr. Beatty was active in the field of disability and rehabilitation research, focusing on the health care and long-term care experiences of people with disabilities. James R. Whitehead, Ed.D., assumed the position of director of NIDILRR April 1.

House and Senate Adjourn

The Senate and House are adjourning and will return to the Capitol April 29. As always, should you have the opportunity to meet with your Representatives and Senators, feel free to use the public policy materials on BIAA’s website.

BIAA gratefully acknowledges the Centre for Neuro Skills and Avanir Pharmaceuticals for their support for legislative action.