WASHINGTON, DC - The Subcommittee on Health, chaired by Rep. Michael C. Burgess, M.D. (R-TX), today advanced six bipartisan bills to improve health care.
“The legislation and discussion drafts before us today are thoughtful and bipartisan, addressing a range of issues from Medicaid and Medicare fraud to lowering patient out-of-pocket costs for prescription drugs," said #SubHealth Chairman Burgess. “Following the productive discussions at our legislative hearing on Wednesday, we have decided to move forward in the legislative process and swiftly bring these bills to markup."
#SubHealth advanced the following bills:
H.R. 3891, to amend title XIX of the Social Security Act to clarify the authority of State Medicaid fraud and abuse control units to investigate and prosecute cases of Medicaid patient abuse and neglect in any setting, and for other purposes, authored by Rep. Tim Walberg (R-MI) and Rep. Peter Welch (D-VT), passed #SubHealth by voice vote.
* H.R. 3891 will clarify the authority of State Medicaid Fraud and Abuse Control Units (MFCUs). This clarification will give these important units the authority to investigate and prosecute abuse and neglect of Medicaid beneficiaries in non-institutional settings as well as broaden the permissible use of federal MFCU funds to screen complaints or reports alleging potential abuse or neglect of Medicaid beneficiaries.
H.R. 5306, the Ensuring Medicaid Provides Opportunities for Widespread Equity, Resources (EMPOWER) and Care Act, authored by #SubHealth Vice Chairman Brett Guthrie (R-KY) and Rep. Debbie Dingell (D-MI), passed #SubHealth, as amended, by voice vote.
* H.R. 5306, as amended, will extend the Money Follows the Person Demonstration (MFP) program in Medicaid for an additional year. The MFP program provides resources to state Medicaid programs to help transition individuals with chronic conditions and disabilities from institutions back into local communities.
H.R. 3325, the Advancing Care for Exceptional (ACE) Kids Act, authored by Energy and Commerce Committee Vice Chairman Joe Barton (R-TX) and Rep. Kathy Castor (D-FL), passed #SubHealth, as amended, by voice vote.
* H.R. 3325 will improve the delivery of care for children with complex medical conditions who receive care under Medicaid, by providing enhanced federal matching for a limited period of time for care coordination services. The bill builds upon the “health home" model that has been successful for helping state Medicaid programs improve care for populations under current law.
H.R. __, a discussion draft to prohibit the use of so-called “gag clauses" in Medicare and private health insurance plans, passed #SubHealth by voice vote.
* Today, some health insurance contracts prevent pharmacists from informing patients when the cash price for their prescription costs less than their insurance cost-sharing arrangement unless the individual directly asks. As a result, customers may be paying more for their prescriptions. This language bans group health plans offered by employers and individual health insurance plans - as well as Medicare Advantage and Medicare Part D Plans - from restricting a pharmacy’s ability to inform a customer about the lower cost, out-of-pocket price for their prescription.
H.R. __, the Strengthening the Health Care Fraud Prevention Task Force Act of 2018, passed #SubHealth, as amended, by voice vote.
* Currently operated by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS), the Healthcare Fraud Prevention Partnership (HFPP) is a voluntary public-private partnership between the federal government, state agencies, law enforcement, private health insurance plans, and health care anti-fraud associations. The HFPP operates to detect and prevent health care fraud through public-private information sharing, streamlining analytical tools and data, and providing a forum for government and industry experts to exchange successful anti-fraud practices. The bill establishes explicit authority for HFPP and its activities, better equipping them to define the rules and responsibilities of its members and expand the scope of allowable activities to address more in the spectrum of fraud and abuse in our health care system.
H.R. __, a discussion draft to amend title XIX of the Social Security Act to provide the Medicare Payment Advisory Commission with access to certain drug rebate information, passed #SubHealth by voice vote.
* This bill makes a technical correction to the statute regarding information the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) may provide to the Medicare Payment Advisory Commission (MedPAC) and the Medicaid and CHIP Payment Advisory Commission (MACPAC). In letters to the committee, the commissions have been advised by CMS that due to current statute, the commissions cannot access drug rebate data. Since the commissions can still provide recommendations on these issues to Congress, the bill would provide the commissions access to this data, so that any such recommendations for Medicare and Medicaid beneficiaries are informed by factual data.
Electronic copies of the legislation, amendment text, and vote tallies can be found on the committee’s website HERE.
