19 July 2019 Energy and Commerce Committee advances legislation to address surprise billing, increase drug price transparency, and extend vital health programs On July 19, the House Energy and Commerce Committee marked up 25 bills, including passing eight of the bipartisan health care bills advanced out of the health care subcommittee last week. Among those provisions include the REACH Act, which provides for the extension of various public health and workforce programs. The bill includes four years of funding for Community Health Centers and the National Health Service Corps, eliminates cuts to Medicaid disproportionate share hospitals (DSH) for the next two years, contains four years of funding for Medicaid programs in US Territories, and reauthorizes funding for several other health care programs. The No Surprises Act legislation to address surprise billing was also adopted as an amendment to the REACH Act, which included passage of several notable amendments including one from Rep. Raul Ruiz (D-CA) that adds an independent dispute resolution (IDR) “backstop” to the legislation that can be used when items or services provided exceed $1,250. The committee also passed the METRIC Act, which combines several drug pricing transparency bills such as the FAIR Drug Pricing Act, which requires drug manufacturers to provide justification for drug price increases over a certain threshold.
Document ID: 2019-1299 | |||||||
