Gregg's Top Three Health Policy Articles

For the week of Jul 14-21, 2023

Author

Gregg S. Margolis, PhD
July 21, 2023

Health policy impacts everyone, but it can be hard to know what is important. If you can only read three things about health policy this week, I suggest...

The Top Three...

The Hill: Sanders’s ‘Game Of Chicken’ Over NIH Nominee Alarms Health Advocates Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) is in a standoff with the White House over drug pricing, frustrating and confusing public health experts who worry his demands will stymie the Biden administration’s nominee to lead the National Institutes of Health (NIH). Monica Bertagnolli is a renowned cancer surgeon who currently leads the National Cancer Institute. She has the support of a broad cross section of the medical research community, which has been lobbying for her confirmation. (Weixel, 7/20)

Politico: GOP Advances Pandemic, Emergency Preparedness Bill Despite Dem Objections The House Energy and Commerce Committee on Wednesday approved legislation meant to ensure the U.S. is prepared for pandemics and other emergencies in a party-line vote in which all Democrats voted against it. The GOP-led House markup is the first time that reauthorization of the Pandemic and All-Hazards Preparedness Act — first signed into law in 2006 — has not moved on a bipartisan basis, with disagreements over the scope of the bill and whether to address drug shortages unresolved. (Wilson, 7/19)

Axios: Most Hospitals Profited Off Of Pandemic, Study Finds COVID relief funds helped almost 75% of U.S. hospitals post positive operating income during the height of the pandemic, according to a new analysis that questions if the federal aid was too generous or misdirected. Why it matters: The findings counter the industry narrative that the pandemic left many facilities in the red and grappling with surging costs of care and supply chain and labor shortages. (Dreher, 7/20)

For a Deeper Dive...

Politico: Winners And Losers In The Physician Fee Schedule CMS released its highly anticipated proposed physician fee schedule last week, and it quickly drew applause — and scorn — from industry groups. The 1,920-page document lays out how the agency proposes to pay doctors in the Medicare system in 2024. CMS touted it as a win for health equity, price transparency and behavioral health. (Leonard and Payne, 7/17)

The Hill: Carper, Grassley Introduce Bipartisan Bill To Strengthen PBM Oversight Sens. Tom Carper (D-Del.) and Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) introduced legislation Thursday aimed at providing the federal government with more power to oversee pharmacy benefit managers (PBM) amid continued bipartisan scrutiny over the companies’ role in drug pricing. The two lawmakers introduced the PBM Oversight Act of 2023, which would give the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) the authority to oversee PBM decision-making. (Choi, 7/20)

Politico: Sanders Schedules July 26 Markup For Health Care, Workforce Package The Senate HELP Committee will consider a sweeping package from Chair Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) that would reauthorize a number of federal health programs and expand primary care. Sanders said the legislation — to be marked up July 26 — pushes for investments in health care services and would bolster the provider workforce. He added that it would save the health system money over time by increasing access to preventive, primary and mental health care, keeping Americans healthier. (Wilson, 7/19)

Stat: Medicare Has A New Plan To Address Drug Shortages — But It Could Backfire Medicare has a new proposal to pay hospitals more to stockpile essential drugs — an idea that comes as doctors report running low on critical chemotherapies and other drugs. But experts caution the policy could cause the very shortages that government officials are trying to avoid. For years most of the solutions for addressing drug shortages have involved giving the Food and Drug Administration more power. During the Covid-19 pandemic, Congress empowered the FDA to make drug companies create backup plans for manufacturing facility interruptions, and to collect information from drug makers on where they source ingredients. (Wilkerson, 7/18)

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For the Visual Among Us...

A few years ago I started a weekly e-mail for friends and colleagues who want to keep up on major federal health policy developments but did not have time to plod through all the minutiae--they were busy doing important things like running organizations and taking care of patients! Much to my surprise, it became pretty popular. I have now converted to a weekly newsletter format so you can manage your own subscription preferences and forward to others that might be interested.

These summaries represent my judgement on health policy issues that may not on the front pages, but are relevant to clinicians, administrators, and educators. I monitor many news sources and clipping services to identify content for this newsletter and I try hard to be as factual, balanced, and non-partisan as possible. While the articles are written by others (with credit attributed), the choice of what to include is entirely mine. If you are interested in receiving a daily summary of health policy news, you might consider signing up for the KHN Morning Briefing. If you enjoy podcasts, I suggest What the Health? and Tradeoffs.

-Gregg S. Margolis, PhD