Adam Higgins

Capitol Hill Healthcare Update

By Adam Higgins on March 9, 2020 Posted in Healthcare

CORONAVIRUS WORRIES CONTINUE AFTER EMERGENCY FUNDING BILL Congressional approval last week of emergency spending to address the coronavirus hasn’t allayed Capitol Hill’s concerns about preparedness and response as the impact of the virus in the United States rapidly escalates. Two lawmakers – Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, and Rep. Paul Gosar, R-Ariz. – announced this weekend … Continue Reading

Capitol Hill Healthcare Update

By Adam Higgins on February 24, 2020 Posted in Healthcare

AZAR TO TESTIFY THIS WEEK BEFORE HOUSE, SENATE COMMITTEES Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar faces a marathon week of testimony, appearing before four congressional committees to discuss his department’s fiscal 2021 budget. In addition to funding issues, Azar is likely to face questions on the federal government’s response to the coronavirus outbreak. Last … Continue Reading

Capitol Hill Healthcare Update

By Adam Higgins on February 10, 2020 Posted in Healthcare

SURPRISE BILLING PROGRESS DRIVES THE WEEK Legislation to address surprise medical bills is moving forward this week, as two House committees mark up their own plans to protect patients. After progress stalled at the end of last year, the House Ways and Means Committee jump-started it by announcing it would move forward with its proposal. … Continue Reading

Capitol Hill Healthcare Update

By Adam Higgins on February 3, 2020 Posted in Healthcare

SURPRISE BILLING FIX REGAINING TRACTION? Legislation to address unexpected bills for out-of-network medical care appears to be making a comeback, after a committee turf battle stalled its progress at the end of last year. House leaders want to pass a bill by May, when they intentionally created a deadline for several popular health programs that will need … Continue Reading

Capitol Hill Healthcare Update

By Adam Higgins on January 27, 2020 Posted in Healthcare

CONCERNS ABOUT CORONAVIRUS GROW ON CAPITOL HILL As coronavirus cases continue to emerge in the United States and worldwide, lawmakers are seeking briefings from federal health officials about the outbreak that originated in China and what steps U.S. health agencies are taking to protect Americans. Five cases were confirmed in the United States, but there … Continue Reading

Capitol Hill Healthcare Update

By Adam Higgins on January 13, 2020 Posted in Healthcare

NEW SENATOR JOINS HEALTH COMMITTEE Newly sworn-in Sen. Kelly Loeffler, R-Ga., is the newest member of the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee. Loeffler took the oath of office last week, replacing retired Sen. Johnny Isakson, R-Ga. Committee Chairman Lamar Alexander, R-Tenn., praised Loeffler as having the background and skills to “immediately become an … Continue Reading

Capitol Hill Healthcare Update

By Adam Higgins on January 6, 2020 Posted in Healthcare

SPRING DEADLINE DRIVES 2020 HEALTH POLICY AGENDA Few policy issues consumed more political oxygen on Capitol Hill last year than prescription drug prices and surprise medical bills – but without significant legislative achievement on either. But Congress is going to try again, setting up a spring deadline to force action on key healthcare provisions. Despite … Continue Reading

Capitol Hill Healthcare Update

By Chris Jones and Adam Higgins on December 16, 2019 Posted in Healthcare

ACA TAXES ON CHOPPING BLOCK IN YEAR-END BUDGET DEAL Congressional leaders are poised to announce an agreement today that would permanently repeal the Affordable Care Act (ACA) taxes on medical device manufacturers, insurers and high-cost health plans as part of a spending package that would avoid a government shutdown later this week. If the tax … Continue Reading

Capitol Hill Healthcare Update

By Adam Higgins on December 9, 2019 Posted in Healthcare

YEAR-END LEGISLATIVE OVERDRIVE This week is crunch time on a host of legislative priorities, and various health-related provisions hang in the balance. Lawmakers and staff worked all weekend negotiating on legislation to fund the government beyond next Friday’s deadline, when current funding expires. As the only true must-pass legislative vehicle before the end of the … Continue Reading

Capitol Hill Healthcare Update

By Chris Jones and Adam Higgins on December 2, 2019 Posted in Healthcare

HEALTH PROVISIONS FACE UNCERTAINTY AS CONGRESS RETURNS FOR BUSY DECEMBER Congress returns to Washington this week after the Thanksgiving holiday with only 18 days before the government runs out of money – and that’s not even the most important issue lawmakers will face in what is shaping up as a cramped year-end calendar. In addition … Continue Reading

Capitol Hill Healthcare Update

By Adam Higgins and Chris Jones on November 18, 2019 Posted in Uncategorized

FDA NOMINATION HEARING DRIVES THE WEEK IN HEALTH POLICY President Trump’s nominee to lead the Food and Drug Administration, Dr. Stephen Hahn, will appear Wednesday before the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee for a hearing on his nomination. Hahn, an oncologist and chief medical executive at MD Anderson Cancer Center in Houston, is … Continue Reading

Capitol Hill Healthcare Update

By Chris Jones and Adam Higgins on November 12, 2019 Posted in Uncategorized

COMPREHENSIVE DRUG BILL STALLS WHILE HOUSE PUSHES SMALLER MEASURES House Democrats are planning to take up more narrow bills addressing prescription drug costs while their broad legislation is delayed as the Congressional Budget Office (CBO) works on estimating its budgetary impacts. Majority Leader Steny Hoyer, D-Md., said the Democrats’ bill now won’t receive a floor … Continue Reading

Capitol Hill Healthcare Update

By Adam Higgins on September 16, 2019 Posted in Uncategorized

PELOSI DRUG PRICE PLAN EXPECTED THIS WEEK House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., is expected to release her long-awaited plan this week to address prescription drug costs, according to congressional staff. A draft summary of the proposal that circulated last week would allow the government to negotiate prices with manufacturers on 250 drugs and impose sweeping … Continue Reading

Capitol Hill Healthcare Update

By Chris Jones and Adam Higgins on September 9, 2019 Posted in Healthcare

UPDATE ON DRUG PRICING LEGISLATION AS CONGRESS RECONVENES Congress reconvenes this week after a monthlong summer recess and begins what likely will be a final push toward overhauling prescription drug prices, but lack of consensus on the underlying policy and the intensifying 2020 presidential campaign will complicate efforts to advance a bill to President Donald … Continue Reading

Capitol Hill Healthcare Update

By Chris Jones and Adam Higgins on July 22, 2019 Posted in Uncategorized

Below is this week’s “Capitol Hill Healthcare Update,” which is posted on Mondays when Congress is in session. MAJOR HEALTH POLICY UNLIKELY IN POTENTIAL DEBT-SPENDING DEAL As House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., and the Trump administration edge closer to a sweeping agreement to avoid a government shutdown and debt default, it’s increasingly unlikely major healthcare provisions … Continue Reading

Capitol Hill Healthcare Update

By Chris Jones and Adam Higgins on July 15, 2019 Posted in Healthcare

Below is this week’s “Capitol Hill Healthcare Update,” which is posted on Mondays when Congress is in session. SENATORS RACE TO FINISH DRUG PRICING BILL AS TRUMP PLANS STALL With only 15 legislative days before a scheduled monthlong recess, Senate leaders are scrambling this week to seek consensus on ambitious legislation to lower prescription drug … Continue Reading

Capitol Hill Healthcare Update

By Mike Ferguson, Chris Jones, Adam Higgins and Tyler Thompson on March 19, 2018 Posted in Uncategorized

CONGRESS WORKS TO PASS BUDGET BEFORE FRIDAY’S SHUTDOWN DEADLINE House leaders are pushing to schedule a vote this week on a $1.3 trillion budget agreement that would give the Senate enough time to pass it before a Friday deadline when government funding expires. Without action this week by Congress, the government would shut down for … Continue Reading

Capitol Hill Healthcare Update

By Mike Ferguson, Chris Jones, Adam Higgins and Tyler Thompson on March 12, 2018 Posted in Uncategorized

HOUSE VOTE SET FOR UPDATED ‘RIGHT-TO-TRY’ LEGISLATION The House will vote Tuesday on updated but still controversial legislation that would give terminally ill patients wider access to prescription drugs that haven’t won approval by the Food and Drug Administration. House Energy and Commerce Committee Chairman Greg Walden, R-Ore., said the “right-to-try” bill would be a … Continue Reading

Capitol Hill Healthcare Update

By Mike Ferguson, Chris Jones, Adam Higgins and Tyler Thompson on March 6, 2018 Posted in Uncategorized

CONGRESS SCRAMBLES TO COMPLETE BUDGET IN ADVANCE OF DEADLINE Lawmakers are working overtime – including on key healthcare issues – to wrap up work on a $1.2 trillion omnibus budget bill that would fund the government for the balance of the fiscal year. Congress last month reached agreement on total spending, but now lawmakers face … Continue Reading

Capitol Hill Healthcare Update

By Mike Ferguson, Chris Jones, Adam Higgins and Tyler Thompson on February 27, 2018 Posted in Uncategorized

CONGRESS RECONVENES WITH FOCUS ON OPIOID LEGISLATION Congress reconvenes today after a weeklong recess, and a House subcommittee is scheduled to begin a series of hearings focusing on bipartisan efforts to combat the opioid epidemic, while a Senate committee plans to discuss how technology can curb opioid abuse. The House Energy and Commerce Health Subcommittee … Continue Reading

Capitol Hill Healthcare Update

By Mike Ferguson, Chris Jones, Adam Higgins and Tyler Thompson on February 12, 2018 Posted in Uncategorized

TRUMP TO RELEASE FISCAL 2019 BUDGET THIS MORNING The White House this morning is releasing President Trump’s fiscal 2019 budget blueprint, which will include funding requests for HHS, FDA, CMS and dozens of other healthcare-related federal agencies. The White House says the budget will call for $17 billion for opioid-related spending next year, including for … Continue Reading

Capitol Hill Healthcare Update

By Mike Ferguson, Chris Jones, Adam Higgins and Tyler Thompson on February 5, 2018 Posted in Uncategorized

HEALTHCARE PROVISIONS COULD BE TIED TO BUDGET DEAL TO AVERT GOVERNMENT SHUTDOWN Congress is expected this week to approve a fifth stopgap budget bill to keep the government open in advance of a Thursday shutdown deadline, and key healthcare provisions could be included in the budget package. If Congress only extends current funding into March, … Continue Reading

Capitol Hill Healthcare Update

By Mike Ferguson, Chris Jones, Adam Higgins and Tyler Thompson on January 29, 2018 Posted in Uncategorized

HEALTHCARE LIKELY TAKES BACK SEAT IN TRUMP’S STATE OF THE UNION ADDRESS After a tumultuous year on Capitol Hill – with repeated efforts to repeal the Affordable Care Act and stalled attempts to renew the Children’s Health Insurance Program – President Donald Trump isn’t likely to focus on healthcare policy in his State of the … Continue Reading

Capitol Hill Healthcare Update

By Mike Ferguson, Chris Jones, Adam Higgins and Tyler Thompson on January 22, 2018 Posted in Uncategorized

SENATE SCHEDULES NOON VOTE TO END GOVERNMENT SHUTDOWN With the government shutdown entering its third day, the Senate scheduled a procedural vote at noon today that could pave the way to end the stalemate – but it’s not clear there’s enough support to break the logjam and reopen the government. The House last week approved … Continue Reading