Billy Wynne

Ways and Means Committee Examines H.R. 3, the Lower Drug Costs Now Act, and Education and Labor Committee Favorably Reports AINS to H.R. 3 The House Ways and Means Committee convened a hearing to discuss H.R. 3, the Lower Drug Costs Now Act (summary). The Ways and Means Committee is the third House Committee to…

Subcommittee Examines E-Cigarettes and Youth Tobacco Epidemic The House Appropriations Subcommittee on Labor, Health and Human Services, Education, and Related Agencies convened a hearing to examine the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC) ongoing investigation of lung injury associated with e-cigarette use, discuss the youth tobacco epidemic, and identify public policy remedies. Overall, members…

Initial Cost Estimates of H.R. 3; Price Negotiation, Inflation Rebates Analyzed The Congressional Budget Office (CBO) released a preliminary cost estimate of title I of the Lower Drug Costs Now Act of 2019 (H.R. 3) regarding price negotiation of certain prescription drugs in Medicare Part D. CBO estimates that enacting title I would reduce federal…

Report on State Of Childhood Obesity Offers Policy Recommendations to Improve Obesity Disparities The Robert Wood Johnson Foundations (RWJF) published a report on the state of childhood obesity detailing that fifteen percent of American children ages 10 to 17 are obese and disparities exist along socioeconomic, racial, and ethnic lines. The report found that almost…

Agency, along with OIG, Proposes Reforms to Stark Law, Anti-Kickback to Promote Value-Based Care The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) announced highly-anticipated proposed reforms to the Physician Self-Referral Law (the “Stark Law”) and the Federal Anti-Kickback Statute (AKS), including relevant civil monetary penalty (CMP) provisions, the latter of which prohibit inducements to beneficiaries…

Agency Begins Review of FDA Drug Importation Guidance The Office of Management and Budget (OMB) has received for review Food and Drug Administration (FDA) guidance on the importation of certain FDA-approved prescription drugs and biological products. The guidance will be released in draft form, allowing stakeholders and opportunity to submit comments before its ultimate finalization.…

President Issues Proclamation Preventing Immigration to the U.S. for those without Health Insurance President Donald Trump issued a proclamation that will suspend the entry of legal immigrants into the United States who do not have health insurance (fact sheet). Of note, this proclamation follows the recent finalization of new regulations that determine inadmissibility for immigrants…

Commissioners Discuss Changes to Measuring Access to Care; Express Concern over Declines in PCPs The Medicare Payment Advisory Commission (MedPAC) convened a session to discuss proposed changes to how the Commission measures access to care, and in particular examined changes in findings for access to primary care services. While Commission staff found that, through new…

Commissioners Consider Restructuring Part D; Biosimilars, Medicare Reinsurance, and Market Behavior Discussed The Medicare Payment and Access Commission (MedPAC) convened a session to discuss current problems in the Medicare Part D benefit and a proposal to restructure Part D. Principal Policy Analyst Shinobu Suzuki and Principal Policy Analyst Rachel Schmidt outlined a restructuring of Part…

Medicare Executive Order Issued; Medicare Advantage, Provider Burden, New Technologies Addressed President Trump signed an Executive Order (EO) on Medicare (EO; release) during a wide-ranging speech at The Villages retirement community in Florida that was originally scheduled for early August but had been rescheduled due to gun violence in Texas and Ohio. While not effectuating…