Public Policy August Recess Health Care Newsletter - 28 August 2018

Foley's Bipartisan Public Policy Team is pleased to share our Public Policy August Recess Health Care Newsletter in which we compiled the top health care policy news and legislation from this month. The House was not in session and the Senate came back mid-month to focus on passing appropriation bills and presidential nominations.

This Week in Health Care Policy (August Recess 2018)

Congress

Legislation and Committee Activity

Politico: Senate passes giant spending package in hopes of averting shutdown - The Senate on Thursday overwhelmingly passed an $857 billion spending package that Republican leaders are counting on to convince President Donald Trump to back down from threats of a government shutdown in September. Read More

Trump's Plan on Drug-Pricing Transparency Takes Step Forward - White House staff are reviewing a proposal that may require pharmaceutical companies to be more transparent about their pricing, a key piece of President Donald Trump's plan to lower drug costs. The Office of Management and Budget has received a proposed regulation by the Department of Health and Human Services that deals with drug-pricing transparency in the U.S. Medicare and Medicaid systems. Read More

WRGB Albany: Gillibrand: U.S. Senate Set to Vote on Opioid Legislation - Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY) says the U.S. Senate is poised to vote on critical opioid legislation. Gillibrand says the senate will likely vote on a bill that included $3.7 million in federal funding for treatment and prevention efforts in combatting the opioid epidemic. Read More

Walden and Hatch Call on OMB to Consider Economic Consequences of Proposed Drug Rebate Rule - On Aug 9, House Energy and Commerce Committee Chairman Greg Walden (R-OR) and Senate Finance Committee Chairman Orrin Hatch (R-UT) urged the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) Director Mick Mulvaney to consider the full economic effects of a proposed Health and Human Services (HHS)/Office of Inspector General rule that would alter the use of rebates that are common in negotiations between drug manufacturers and pharmacy benefit managers. Read More

Washington Post: Trump Urges GOP-led Senate to Pass Bill Cracking Down on Fentanyl Shipments - On Monday, President Trump urged the Republican-led Senate to pass legislation intended to crack down on shipments of illicit fentanyl through the international postal system, writing on Twitter: "No more delay! Leaders from both chambers announced a bipartisan agreement in June on the Synthetics Trafficking and Overdose Prevention Act(S.372) , which the House passed shortly thereafter. The Senate has yet to act on the bill, as Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) has focused on confirming federal judges and passing appropriations bills. Read More

Cortez Masto, Kennedy Introduce Legislation to Protect Seniors from Opioid Abuse - On Aug 15, Senators Catherine Cortez Masto (D-NV) and John Kennedy (R-LA) introduced the Stop Excessive Narcotics in our Retirement (SENIOR) Communities Protection Act (S.3327), legislation that would protect seniors from criminals who misuse the Medicare system to illicitly acquire opioids. Read More

Walden Holds Roundtable on Opioid Crisis with FDA Commissioner Gottlieb - On Aug 7, Energy and Commerce Committee Chairman Greg Walden (R-OR) held a roundtable in his district to discuss the opioid crisis and current efforts to combat it. Joining the chairman was Food and Drug Administration (FDA) Commissioner, Dr. Scott Gottlieb. Read More

Roll Call: Red-State Democrats Zero In on Opioid Epidemic - Vulnerable red-state Democrats are highlighting their work to address the opioid crisis in an effort to hold on to their congressional seats, even as it remains unclear whether the Senate will take key action before the midterm elections. Read More

Walden and Hatch Call on OMB to Consider Economic Consequences of Proposed Drug Rebate Rule - On Aug 9, House Energy and Commerce Committee Chairman Greg Walden (R-OR) and Senate Finance Committee Chairman Orrin Hatch (R-UT) urged Office of Management and Budget (OMB), Director Mick Mulvaney, to consider the full economic effects of a proposed Health and Human Services (HHS)/Office of Inspector General rule that would alter the use of rebates that are common in...