Health Care Checkup: July 30, 2021

Health Care Checkup

July 30, 2021

THE BIG PICTURE

On Wednesday afternoon, it was announced that President Joe Biden, along with a group of bipartisan Senators, agreed upon an infrastructure package. The package is expected cost around $1.2 trillion over eight years with approximately $550 billion devoted to new spending. Later Wednesday evening, the Senate voted 67-32 to advance the infrastructure deal, which marked a major milestone after weeks of negotiation. Final details of the full package have not yet been released, but it is said to invest in public transit, passenger rail, clean energy and drinking water, bridges, and high-speed internet.

On Thursday, the House passed spending package H.R. 4502, which provides fiscal year (FY) 2022 appropriations to agencies including the Departments of Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education. The package includes approximately $3 billion for President Joe Biden’s Advanced Research Projects Agency - Health, an agency within the National Institutes of Health that would work to find cures for diseases such as Alzheimer’s and cancer. The text of the bill can be found here.

President Biden issued new COVID-19 guidance on Thursday for federal employees, requiring that they either show proof of vaccination against COVID-19, or submit to weekly testing for the virus. The President also urged states and local governments to provide $100 to individuals who get vaccinated, using funds allocated to them from the American Rescue Plan. President Biden’s full remarks on the new guidance can be found here.

The CDC altered its testing guidance on Tuesday for vaccinated individuals exposed to COVID-19. The agency now recommends that exposed, vaccinated individuals get tested for coronavirus three to five days after their exposure and wear a face mask until they receive a negative test result.

The Senate Judiciary Committee marked up several prescription drug-related bills on Thursday. MCRT’s summary of the markup can be found here.

What to Expect Next Week: Next week, the Senate will be in session, but the House will be in recess. It is expected that the Senate will continue to finalize its infrastructure package.

DEEP DIVE

House Passes Seven-Bill Spending Package for FY 2022 Agency Appropriations

Senate Debates $1.2 trillion Infrastructure Package

On Wednesday afternoon, it was announced that President Joe Biden, along with a group of bipartisan Senators, agreed upon a $1.2 trillion investment in the nation’s infrastructure. The package is expected cost around $1.2 trillion over eight years with approximately $550 billion devoted to new spending. Later Wednesday evening, the Senate voted 67-32 to advance the infrastructure deal, which marked a major milestone after weeks of negotiation. Final details of the full package have not yet been released, but it is said to invest in public transit, passenger rail, clean energy and drinking water, bridges, and high-speed internet. While the original proposal would have used $43.7 billion in unspent COVID-19 provider relief funds to help fund the infrastructure plan, the final proposal will not touch those funds. However, the final deal will be paid for, in part, by delaying a Trump-era Medicare drug rebate rule, which will result in approximately $49 billion in savings. The bill is expected to be further amended by both the Senate and the House. Some Senators have signaled that they will continue to work on the deal into the weekend as they continue to fine tune the details before the August recess.

COVID-19 Continues to Surge as Leaders Alter Mask, Testing, Vaccine Guidance

As the highly contagious Delta variant continues to spread across the country, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) now recommends that fully vaccinated people wear face masks indoors in places where transmission and rates of infection are high. The CDC also altered its testing guidance on Tuesday for vaccinated individuals exposed to COVID-19. The agency now recommends that exposed, vaccinated individuals get tested for coronavirus three to five days after their exposure and wear a face mask until they receive a negative test result. Additionally, President Biden issued new guidance on Thursday for federal employees, requiring that they either show proof of vaccination against COVID-19, or submit to weekly testing for the virus. The President also urged states and local governments to provide $100 to individuals who get vaccinated, using funds allocated to them from the American Rescue Plan. President Biden’s full remarks on the new guidance can be found here.

More than 400 Organizations Send Letter to Congressional Leaders, Urging Them to Make Telehealth Flexibilities from the Pandemic Permanent

On Monday, hundreds of health care stakeholders signed a letter to Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, and House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy, urging bipartisan action to make telehealth flexibilities from the COVID-19 public health emergency (PHE) permanent. The groups wrote that “without action from Congress, Medicare beneficiaries will abruptly lose access to nearly all recently expanded coverage of telehealth when the COVID-19 PHE ends.” The organizations also called on Congress to remove originating site restrictions; enhance HHS’s ability to add or remove eligible telehealth services; ensure that federally qualified health centers, critical access hospitals, and rural health clinics can continue using telehealth services after the PHE; and allow Medicare beneficiaries to access mental and behavioral health services through telehealth.

Senators Press HHS Secretary to Allow the Import of Prescription Drugs from Canada

Senators Amy Klobuchar (D-MN), Chuck Grassley (R-IA), Angus King (I-ME), and Susan Collins (R-ME) wrote a letter to the Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS) Xavier Becerra, encouraging him to support policies that allow Americans to personally import prescription drugs from Canada. The Senators wrote that their new legislation, the Safe and Affordable Drugs from Canada Act (S. 259), would allow Americans to personally import “certain” prescription drugs from Canada to help make the cost of prescription drugs more affordable. The letter states that “nearly 30 percent of adults report not taking their medicines as prescribed because of the cost,” and that on average, Americans pay the highest price for prescription drugs in the world.

FDA Approves First Generic Insulin

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved the first interchangeable biosimilar insulin product for patients with Type 1 and Type 2 diabetes. The generic insulin, Semglee, can now be purchased by patients instead of Lantus, which is the brand-name product. The approval of Semglee marks a pivotal milestone for diabetic patients, as it will help them save money on the expensive and life-saving drug. In reference to the approval, Acting FDA Commissioner Janet Woodcock said, “This is a momentous day for people who rely daily on insulin for treatment of diabetes, as biosimilar and interchangeable biosimilar products have the potential to greatly reduce health care costs.”