Skip to main content

Health Policy Updates for the Week of February 11, 2019

Duke Government Relations Logo

The Headlines

  1. The President is expected to sign a bill today to fund the government until September 30, without his full $5.7 billion request for border security.
  2. The Resident Physician Shortage Reduction Act was introduced in the Senate.
  3. Duke University School of Medicine signed on to an Ad Hoc Group for Medical Research letter requesting an increase for the NIH in FY 2020.
  4. The House and Senate held hearings this week on the Affordable Care Act, drug pricing, and opioid alternative therapies.
  5. Jeff Langdon, Vice President of Women’s and Children’s Services, visited Capitol Hill last week as a part of the Children’s Hospital Association Executive Health Policy Summit.
  6. The HHS' Office of the National Coordinator (ONC) for Health Information Technology and Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) released two proposed rules focused on health care information exchange.
  7. CMS announced a five-year voluntary payment experiment (ET3) offering a new way for emergency providers to triage, treat, and transport.
  8. A bipartisan group of Senators sent letters to providers and insurers requesting information regarding surprise billing practices. They will use the collected information to draft legislation addressing the issue. 
  9. CMS proposed to cover FDA-approved CAR T-cell therapy.
  10. Duke University School of Medicine applications are still open for PhD students to attend the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) Catalyzing Advocacy for Science and Engineering (CASE) Workshop on March 24-27th.

The Details

  1. Government Funding
    The President is expected to sign the Consolidated Appropriations Act (H.J. Res. 31) today, avoiding another partial government shutdown before short-term funding expires at midnight tonight. The Senate approved the bill by a vote of 83-16; the House approved it by a vote of 300-128. The bill funds nine of the fifteen departments through September 30 and provides $1.4 billion of the $5.7 billion President Trump requested for a border barrier. The President is considering other options for funding, including declaring a national emergency to construct a border wall.
     
  2. Medicare GME Bill
    Last week, the Resident Physician Shortage Reduction Act was introduced in the Senate. The legislation would add 15,000 Medicare-funded residency positions over five years, helping to address the physician shortages. The current Medicare-funded slots have been frozen since the 1997 Balanced Budget Act. Duke Health Government Relations will be working to urge Senators Richard Burr and Thom Tillis to cosponsor the bill.
     
  3. Duke University School of Medicine Signs Ad Hoc FY2020 NIH Funding Recommendation
    The Duke University School of Medicine signed on to an Ad Hoc Group for Medical Research letter, endorsing its recommendation to increase the National Institutes of Health (NIH) budget by 6.4% over the FY 2019 level to $41.6 billion in FY 2020.
     
    The Duke University Health System also signed onto a letter circulated by the Friends of the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) urging congressional appropriators to provide $460 million for FY 2020, consistent with FY 2010 level adjusted for inflation.
     
  4. Congressional Hearings
    On Tuesday, the House Ways and Means Committee held a hearing on the rising cost of prescriptions. Members on both sides shared their commitment to working together and lowering drug prices.
     
    Also on Tuesday, the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee held a hearing to discuss research for opioid alternatives, insurance reimbursement, telehealth for rural areas, and education for prescribers.
     
    On Wednesday, the House Energy and Commerce Committee’s Health Subcommittee held a hearing to discuss legislation that would protect those with pre-existing conditions and bolster other Affordable Care Act provisions.
     
  5. Capitol Hill Visits
    Duke Health Government Relations accompanied Jeff Langdon, Vice President of Women’s and Children’s Services, on his visit to Capitol Hill last week as a part of the Children’s Hospital Association Executive Health Policy Summit. He met with congressional offices to discuss the ACE Kids Act and other issues affecting Duke Children’s Hospital.
     
  6. HHS Proposed Interoperability Rules
    The HHS' Office of the National Coordinator (ONC) for Health Information Technology and Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) released two proposed rules this week, both of which focus on health care data and electronic information exchange. The ONC rule implements the information blocking provisions of the 21st Century Cures Act and would update certification criteria for health information systems so that information is sent in a more standardized format (APIs) to improve interoperability. The CMS rule would require the following organizations implement the API standards by 2020: Medicare Advantage organizations, state Medicaid and Children's Health Insurance Program fee-for-service programs, Medicaid managed care plans, CHIP managed care entities, and qualified health plan issuers in the federally facilitated exchanges.Comments will be accepted through early April. 
     
  7. CMS Voluntary Payment Experiment for Emergency
    CMS announced a five-year voluntary payment experiment (ET3) offering a new way for emergency providers to triage, treat and transport. The experiment shifts how Medicare pays for emergency treatment, allowing for ambulances to transport patients to the most appropriate treatment settings for their condition.  
     
  8. Surprise Medical Bills Letters
    A bipartisan group of Senators sent letters to providers and insurers requesting information regarding surprise billing practices. They will use the information gathered to draft legislation on the issue. Physician and clinician groups also sent a letter to Senate HELP Committee members asking that they not set caps on payments to physicians to stop surprise billing, and offer other suggestions to address the issue while bill drafting.
     
  9. CMS CAR T-cell Therapy Coverage
    CMS proposed to cover FDA-approved CAR T-cell therapy, a treatment that uses a patient’s immune system to fight cancer. Currently, there is no Medicare policy for covering the therapy, so it is at the discretion of Medicare Administrative Contractors.
     
  10. AAAS Catalyzing Advocacy for Science and Engineering (CASE) Workshop
    The American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) will hold its 2019 Catalyzing Advocacy for Science and Engineering (CASE) Workshop on March 24-27th. The three-day program hosts students in DC to learn about Congress, the federal budget process, and effective science communication.
     
    Duke is a sponsoring institution and is able to send up to four students - two from the university and two from the School of Medicine – from the following fields: biological, physical, or earth sciences; computational sciences and mathematics; engineering disciplines; medical and health sciences; and social and behavioral sciences. Priority will be placed on students with limited experience and knowledge of science policy and advocacy. Registration fee and all associated travel/lodging expenses will be provided.
     
    Please visit AAAS CASE Website for more info on workshop.
     
    To apply for one of the two available slots for SoM PhD students, please submit a CV and one-page statement of intent to jessica.rowland@duke.edu. The deadline to apply for this opportunity is 9 am on Monday, Feb 18.