The Headlines
- President Trump held his rescheduled State of the Union address, speaking on a variety of health care issues, including childhood cancer, the HIV epidemic and drug pricing.
- The Advancing Care for Exceptional (ACE) Kids Act of 2019 was introduced in the Senate.
- Hearings on primary care, pre-existing conditions and the Affordable Care Act lawsuit occurred this week in the House and Senate.
- A group of bipartisan Senators sent letters to providers and insurers requesting more information on surprise billing.
The Details
- State of the Union
On Tuesday, President Trump held his rescheduled State of the Union address, touching on a variety of topics, including health care issues such as drug pricing, HIV/AIDS and childhood cancer. In his address, he rolled out a new initiative to end the HIV epidemic in America by 2030, launching a task force and community health center programs that target high-risk populations. How much the plan will cost and how it will be paid for is still unknown.
President Trump also announced a $500 million plan to increase funding for childhood cancer research over the next decade. The increase in spending is expected to be a part of the President’s budget, which will be released in the coming weeks.
- ACE Kids Act of 2018 Introduced in Senate
On Monday, S. 317, the ACE Kids Act of 2019 was introduced in the Senate. Similar to last year’s bill, the ACE Kids Act aims to better coordinate care for children with complex medical conditions on Medicaid. The House is expected to introduce a bill as well. Duke Health Government Relations will share updates as the bills advance. - Hearings This Week
On Tuesday, the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor & Pensions held a hearing titled “How Primary Care Affects Health Care Costs and Outcomes”. The hearing discussed innovative ways to improve health care costs and outcomes, such as new care delivery models, telehealth, and addressing the cost of prescription drugs. Committee Chairman, Lamar Alexander (R-TN), announced that he is working to pass legislation this session on health care costs based on input from these hearings.
On Wednesday, the House Committees on Energy & Commerce, and Education & Labor held hearings on the Affordable Care Act and the threats against pre-existing conditions protections. In the Energy & Commerce hearing, Republican Leader Greg Walden (R-OR) announced that Republicans fully support protecting Americans with pre-existing conditions. He also requested an additional hearing on the Democrats’ Medicare for All health care plan.
- Senators Request Information on Surprise Billing
On Tuesday, a group of bipartisan Senators sent letters to insurers and providers seeking more information about surprise medical bills. They will use the information to develop legislation protecting patients from paying high costs from surprise bills, even with insurance. Surprise billing will likely be one of the main health policy issues that will see bipartisan support in addressing this Congress.