Policy Corner: December 17, 2021

Senate to Recess without Voting on BBB

The U.S. Senate will recess for the year without passing the Build Back Better legislation that would provide $1.75 trillion for a social safety net, health care, and education programs. Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer had set a Christmas deadline for passing the bill that would have included funding for increasing home and community-based services for individuals with brain injury, other disabilities and who are aging, but democrat senators failed to agree to a bill that could be put forth.

Senate Committee Holds Hearing on the Nomination for the FDA Commissioner

The Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions (HELP) held a hearing Dec. 14 to consider the nomination of Dr. Robert Califf to be the Commissioner of Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in the Department of Health and Human Services. He previously served as the FDA Commissioner in President Obama’s administration. It is anticipated that he will be confirmed. The agency has been led by an acting commissioner for almost a year.

President Signs Bill to Delay Medicare Cuts to Medical Providers

President Joe Biden signed the Protecting Medicare & American Farmers from Sequester Cuts Act to place several Medicare provider payments slated to be cut beginning Jan. 1, 2022, on hold. The legislation prevents the 2% Medicare “sequestration” cuts and delays the 4% Statutory Pay-As-You-Go (PAYGO) Act cuts and lessens the Medicare physician fee schedule (PFS) cuts. The moratorium on sequestration is extended through March 31, 2022, and the sequestration cut is reduced to 1% from April 1 to June 30, 2022. The medical community urged Congress to stop scheduled Medicare cuts to hospitals, physicians, and other providers, which are especially being stretched thin during the pandemic.

HHS Secretary Appoints NIH Acting Director

Health and Human Services Secretary Xavier Becerra announced that Lawrence A. Tabak, D.D.S., Ph.D., the principal deputy director of the National Institutes of Health (NIH), will serve as the acting director of NIH effective Dec. 20, 2021. In October, Francis S. Collins, M.D., Ph.D., announced his decision to step down as the NIH director. He is the longest-serving, presidentially-appointed NIH director having served three U.S. Presidents.

Dr. Tabak has served as the principal deputy director and the deputy ethics counselor of NIH since August 2010. He previously served as the acting principal deputy director of NIH in 2009, and before that as director of the National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research from 2000-10. Before joining NIH, Dr. Tabak was the Senior Associate Dean for Research and professor of Dentistry and Biochemistry & Biophysics in the School of Medicine and Dentistry at the University of Rochester in New York.

Policy Corner Takes a Holiday Break

BIAA’s Policy Corner will return January 7, 2022. Happy Holidays!

BIAA gratefully acknowledges the Centre for Neuro Skills and Avanir Pharmaceuticals for their support for legislative action. Click here to read past issues of Policy Corner.