Legislative Activity

Senate Finance to Discuss CHRONIC Care Act

On Tuesday, May 16, the Senate Committee on Finance will hold a hearing titled “Examining Bipartisan Medicare Policies that Improve Care for Patients with Chronic Conditions.” The Committee will discuss S. 870, Creating High-Quality Results and Outcomes Necessary to Improve Chronic (CHRONIC) Care Act of 2017, introduced by the co-chairs of the Senate Finance Committee’s Chronic Care Working Group—Chairman Orrin Hatch (R-UT), Ranking Member Ron Wyden (D-OR), Sen. Johnny Isakson (R-GA), and Sen. Mark Warner (D-VA). Similar to the legislation that was introduced by the working group last Congress, the CHRONIC Care Act strives to better the Medicare program for seniors suffering from chronic conditions through policies to improve fee-for-service (FFS), Medicare Advantage, and Accountable Care Organizations (ACOs). The bill aims to provide flexibility, greatly expand access to telehealth services and the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) Innovation Center’s Value-Based Insurance Design model, and better care for those with serious chronic conditions.  While the legislation did not move in the 114th Congress, various policies championed by the Chronic Care Working Group were included in H.R. 34, the 21st Century Cures Act, which was signed into law by President Obama in December. With strong stakeholder support and 16 cosponsors, the CHRONIC Care Act could be an opportunity for Congress to work together on health care policy and modernize the Medicare program.

This Week’s Hearings: 

• On Tuesday, May 16, the Senate Finance Committee has scheduled a hearing titled “Examining Bipartisan Medicare Policies that Improve Care for patients with Chronic Conditions.” The witnesses will be:

  • Katherine Hayes, Director of Health Policy, Bipartisan Policy Center;

  • Lee H. Schwamm, Professor of Neurology, Harvard Medical School, Director of Acute Stroke Services and Director of Partners TeleStroke Center, Massachusetts General Hospital;

  • John G. Lovelace, President of Government Programs and Individual Advantage, President, UPMC Insurance Services Division, UPMC for You; and

  • Stephen Rosenthal, Senior Vice President, Population Health Management, Montefiore Health System.

• On Wednesday, May 17, the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Labor, Health and Human Services, Education, and Related Agencies has scheduled a hearing titled “Advances in Biomedical Research.” The witness will be:

  • Francis Collins, Director, NIH; Accompanied by:

  • Anthony S. Fauci, Director, NIH, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases;

  • Gary Gibbons, Director, NIH, National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute;

  • Joshua Gordon, Director, NIH, National Institute of Mental Health;

  • Doug Lowy, Acting Director, NIH, National Cancer Institute;

  • Dr. Nora Volkow, Director, NIH, National Institute of Drug Abuse.

• On Wednesday, May 17, the House Energy and Commerce Subcommittee on Health has scheduled a hearing titled “Examining Initiatives to Advance Public Health.” The witnesses will be announced.

• On Wednesday, May 17, the Senate Commerce, Science, and Transportation Committee has scheduled a hearing titled “Current Issues in American Sports: Protecting the Health and Safety of American Athletes.” The witnesses will be:

  • Jay Clarence Butler, Chief Medical Officer, Alaska Department of Health and Social Services;

  • Maureen Deutscher, Family Representative, Prescription Opioid Abuse Advisory Committee, South Dakota Department of Health;

  • Shelly Pfohl, Chief Executive Officer, United States Center for SafeSport;

  • Scott Sailor, President, National Athletic Trainers’ Association;

  • Robert Stern, Professor of Neurology, Boston University School of Medicine; and

  • Lauryn Williams, True Sport Ambassador, United States Anti-Doping Agency.

• On Wednesday, May 17, the Senate Veterans’ Affairs Committee will mark up various pieces of legislation including S. 324, State Veterans Home Adult Day Health Care Improvement Act of 2017; S. 591, Military and Veteran Caregiver Services Improvement Act of 2017; S. 609, Chiropractic Care Available to All Veterans Act of 2017; S. 804, Women Veterans Access to Quality Care Act; and S. 681, Deborah Sampson Act.

• On Thursday, May 18, the House Ways and Means Subcommittee on Health has scheduled a hearing titled “Current Status of the Medicare Program, Payment Systems, and Extenders.” The witnesses will be announced.