Legislative Activity

Two Health Bills Scheduled for House Floor

House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) has stated that the chamber may consider two health bills this coming week. On Tuesday, March 1, the House is expected to consider H.R. 2814, to Name the Department of Veterans Affairs Community-Base Outpatient Clinic in Sevierville, Tennessee, the Dannie A. Carr Veterans Outpatient Clinic, under suspension of the rules. The next day, the House is expected to consider H.R. 3716, the Ensuring Terminated Providers are Removed from Medicaid and CHIP Act, which requires states to make available certain provider termination information to the Secretary of Health and Human Services.

Senate to Consider Opioid Abuse Legislation

On Monday, February 29, the Senate is expected to resume consideration of the motion to proceed to S. 524, the Comprehensive Addiction and Recovery Act of 2015, which authorizes the Attorney General to award grants to address the national epidemics of prescription opioid abuse and heroin use. A cloture vote is expected.

This Week’s Hearings:

• Tuesday, March 1: The House Committee on Energy and Commerce Subcommittee on Health will hold a hearing titled “Examining the Financing and Delivery of Long-Term Care in the U.S.”

• Tuesday, March 1: The House Committee on Rules will hold a meeting on H.R. 3716, the Ensuring Terminated Providers are Removed from Medicaid and CHIP Act.

• Wednesday, March 2: The House Committee on Appropriations Subcommittee on Military Construction, Veterans Affairs, and Related Agencies will hold a hearing titled “Department of Veterans Affairs Budget.”

• Wednesday, March 2: The House Committee on Science, Space, and Technology Subcommittee on Research and Technology will hold a hearing titled “Smart Health: Empowering the Future of Mobile Apps.”

• Wednesday, March 2: The House Committee on Appropriations Subcommittee on Labor, Health and Human Services, Education, and Related Agencies will hold a hearing titled “Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration Budget.”

• Wednesday, March 2: The House Committee on Energy and Commerce Select Investigative Panel on Infant Lives will hold a hearing titled “Bioethics and Fetal Tissue.”

• Wednesday, March 2: The House Committee on Energy and Commerce Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations will hold a hearing titled “Examining the U.S. Public Health Response to the Zika Virus.”

• Wednesday, March 2: The House Committee on Foreign Affairs Subcommittee on Africa, Global Health, Global Human Rights, and International Organizations will hold a hearing titled “The Growing Threat of Cholera and Other Diseases in the Middle East.”

• Wednesday, March 2: The Senate Committee on Appropriations Subcommittee on Agriculture, Food and Drug Administration, and Related Agencies will hold a hearing titled “Hearing to Review the Fiscal Year 2017 Budget Request and Funding Justification for the Food and Drug Administration.”

• Thursday, March 3: The House Committee on Energy and Commerce Subcommittee on Commerce, Manufacturing, and Trade will hold a hearing titled “Disrupter Series: Wearable Devices.”

• Thursday, March 3: The Senate Committee on Appropriations Subcommittee on Departments of Labor, Health and Human Services, Education, and Related Agencies will hold a hearing titled “Hearing to Review the Fiscal Year 2017 Budget Request and Funding Justification for the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.”

• Thursday, March 3: The Senate Committee on Appropriations Subcommittee on Military Construction, Veterans Affairs, and Related Agencies will hold a hearing titled “Hearing to Review the Fiscal year 2017 and Fiscal year 2018 Funding Request and Budget Justification for the Veterans Health Administration and Veterans Benefits Administration.”

• Friday, March 4: The House Committee on Veterans’ Affairs Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations will hold a hearing titled “Addressing VA Opioid Prescription and Pain Management Practices.”

Regulatory Activity

CMS Releases Proposed Rule Focused on Provider Integrity

On Thursday, February 25, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) released a proposed rule titled “Medicare, Medicaid, and Children’s Health Insurance Programs; Program Integrity Enhancements to the Provider Enrollment Process.”

This proposed rule seeks to implement provisions from the Affordable Care Act (ACA) that require Medicare, Medicaid, and Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP) providers and suppliers to disclose certain current and previous affiliations with other providers and suppliers. CMS would be granted additional authority to deny or revoke a provider’s or supplier’s Medicare enrollment, and physicians or eligible professionals would be required to be enrolled in Medicare in an approved status (or have validly opted-out of the Medicare program) in order to order, certify, refer, or prescribe any Part A or B service, item, or drug.

The proposed rule is scheduled to be published in the Federal Register on March 1, and comments are due 60 days thereafter.

Other Activity

MedPAC Meeting This Week

On Thursday, March 3, and Friday, March 4, the Medicare Payment Advisory Commission (MedPAC) will hold a meeting to discuss Medicare policy issues and questions, as well as develop recommendations for Congress. The agenda includes the following topics:

• Mandated report: Developing a unified payment system for post-acute care;

• Telehealth services and the Medicare program;

• Improving Medicare Part D;

• Part B drug payment policy issues;

• Improving the efficiency of oncology care in fee-for-service Medicare; and

• Using competitive pricing to set beneficiary premiums in the fee-for-service and Medicare Advantage programs.