Policy Corner: June 28, 2019

Senate May Stall Appropriations Bills until Spending Caps Agreement is Reached

According to today’s Roll Call, the Senate may delay work on spending bills for federal agencies and programs until an agreement on spending caps between the House Democrats and the Trump Administration is reached, according to Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.). Senate Committee on Appropriations Chair Richard Shelby (R-Ala.) had planned to proceed under the Senate’s own proposed spending limits and move ahead after the Fourth of July recess. The House of Representatives has already marked up all twelve spending bills and sent ten of them to the floor. Last week, the House passed a package of four bills that fund federal departments including Labor, Health and Human Services, Education, Defense, State, and Energy. The President has indicated that he does not support the bills.

Senators Introduce Bill to Restore Navigator Funding to Help Americans Sign Up for Health Insurance

Sens. Bob Casey (D-Pa.) and Tammy Baldwin (D-Wis.) introduced legislation called Expand Navigators’ Resources for Outreach, Learning, and Longevity (ENROLL) Act last week to restore funding for the Navigator program, which helps families get the information and support they need to find a quality health care plan at a price they can afford. The Administration has slashed funding for health care enrollment assistance by more than 80 percent, which prompted lawmakers to introduce the ENROLL Act. The legislation is to provide resources to Navigators needed to assist Americans in finding affordable health care coverage and also requires that states have at least two Navigator programs with a physical presence in the state, including at least one community-based organization. The House companion legislation passed as part of H.R. 987 last month.

Senate HELP Committee Votes in Favor of EMSC and other Health Care Bills

The Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions (HELP), chaired by Sen. Lamar Alexander (R-Tenn.), approved health care bills including the Lower Health Care Costs Act of 2019 (S. 1895) and the Emergency Medical Services for Children (EMSC) Reauthorization Act of 2019 (S. 1173) June 26. Introduced by Chairman Alexander and Sen. Bob Casey (D-Pa.), S. 1173 is to ensure that, from the ambulance to the emergency room, emergency health care providers are fully prepared to treat children with serious illness, brain injury, and other trauma. The EMSC program is administered by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ (HHS) Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA).

The Lower Health Care Costs Act of 2019 is to end surprise health care bills by creating more transparency. It is aimed at increasing prescription drug competition to help more low-cost generic and biosimilar drugs reach patients. This legislation extends mandatory funding for community health centers, and four additional public health programs, to ensure the 27 million Americans who rely on these centers for primary care and other health care can continue to access care close to home.

House Subcommittee Holds Hearing on Lifespan Respite Reauthorization

The House Energy and Commerce Committee’s Subcommittee on Health held a hearing, “Reauthorizing Vital Health Programs for American Families,” June 25. The committee discussed four Public Health Service Act bills, including the Lifespan Respite Care Program Reauthorization Act of 2019, H.R. 2035.

House Chair Issues Letter to HHS on Proposed Medicaid Block Grants

House Energy and Commerce Chairman Frank Pallone, Jr (D-N.J.) sent a detailed letter to HHS Secretary Alex Azar yesterday reminding the Secretary that the Department does not have legal authority to implement a block grant or per capita cap on the Medicaid program. The letter follows reports that the Administration is actively considering approving waiver requests from Republican-controlled states to implement block grants or per capita caps on their Medicaid programs.

As part of his inquiry into the Administration’s efforts, Rep. Pallone included a series of questions requesting information on the Administration’s ongoing work to implement Medicaid block grants or per capita caps, which is referred to within HHS as the State Medicaid Director Letter: Medicaid Value and Accountability Demonstration Opportunity. The American Hospital Association has said the deep cuts from such a proposal “would reduce federal Medicaid funding to unsustainable levels,” and “will have serious negative consequences for communities across America.”

NIDILRR Director Resigns

Jim Whitehead, Director of National Institute on Disability, Independent Living, and Rehabilitation Research (NIDILRR) at the Administration for Community Living (ACL), submitted his resignation due to health reasons June 20. Kristi Hill, Ph.D., formerly the Deputy Director, has been named the Acting Director of NIDILRR.

Senate and House Adjourns for Fourth of July Recess

The Senate and House are adjourning today and will be in their home districts next week. As always, this is a good time to talk to your representatives about brain injury. They will return to work July 8.

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