Congressional Hearings Focus on Health Care Innovation, Medicaid Fraud, Health Policy Legislation – But Spotlight Remains On Opioids

Congressional committees with jurisdiction over health care legislation continue to focus on the opioid crisis:

The Energy and Commerce held a hearing on "Combating the Opioid Crisis: Improving the Ability of Medicare and Medicaid to Provide Care for Patients" and a roundtable discussion on "Personal Stories from the Opioid Crisis." The House Oversight Healthcare Subcommittee examined "Local Responses and Resources to Curtail the Opioid Epidemic." A Senate Judiciary Committee hearing focused on "Defeating Fentanyl: Addressing the Deadliest Drugs Fueling the Opioid Crisis." The Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP) Committee held a hearing on S.2680, the Opioid Crisis Response Act of 2018; the Committee is scheduled to vote on the legislation April 24. The House Ways and Means Trade Subcommittee will hold a hearing April 25 on "The Opioid Crisis: Stopping the Flow of Synthetic Opioids in the International Mail System." In other policy areas:

The House Oversight Committee held a hearing on federal and state efforts to identify, prevent, and recover improper payments made through state Medicaid programs (a related OIG report is...