McDermott+

The Senate reconvenes this week and some House committees will see activity, but the recess state of mind is not fully gone. In the Senate, we expect a week of mostly nomination votes and little to no health care policy. The House has few committee hearings scheduled, but again, nothing focused on health care. The real action picks up again next week when both the House and Senate will be back in session.

Following nearly a year of negotiations among Congressional Democrats and the White House, the Inflation Reduction Act of 2022 (IRA) passed in the U.S. Senate this afternoon by a vote of 50 to 50 with the Vice President breaking the tie. It will now move to the House where Speaker Pelosi has announced it will be considered on Friday, August 12th. The package was initially proposed as the Build Back Better Act, with the original proposal passing in the House of Representatives on November 19, 2021. However, Democrats hit roadblocks to passing the bill in the Senate. Senators Manchin (D-WV) and Sinema (D-AZ) expressed concerns regarding the size and costs of the package, especially considering rising inflation. After months of negotiations between Majority Leader Schumer and Senator Manchin, a deal was reached to reduce the federal deficit, reform prescription drug pricing, extend the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) Advanced Premium Tax Credit (APTC) subsidies for three years, make several tax reform changes, and invest in energy and climate change. The Manchin-Schumer deal was further modified to gain the support of Senator Sinema. None of the changes implemented to gain her vote impacted the health care provisions.

Senate Majority Leader Schumer aims to pass the Inflation Reduction Act of 2022 this week. However, that vote may slip to next week. The Senate parliamentarian is still reviewing the draft bill to ensure it complies with budget reconciliation rules. It is unclear when the parliamentarian review process will conclude, and the amount of changes that staff will have to make to finalize the bill. We are also expecting new language on the prescription drug front that will incorporate insulin pricing protections. Exact timing depends on the Parliamentarian review, the health of all 50 Democratic Senators, and whether Senator Sinema will vote for it as constructed. Regardless of the exact timing in the Senate, the House of Representatives will likely be called back into session to consider the reconciliation bill after that, as the House is on recess.

The crunch is on to pass the budget reconciliation package in the Senate. Majority Leader Schumer wants to pass the budget reconciliation package that will focus on prescription drug pricing reform and extension of the Marketplace advanced premium tax credits (APTCs) before the August recess.

CMS has released the Hospital Outpatient Prospective Payment, Ambulatory Surgical Center Payment Systems, and Physician Fee Schedule Proposed Rules. Deb Godes and Kristen O'Brien explain how the proposals to update payment rates, policies and regulations affect Medicare services beginning in CY 2023.

Before the weekend, Senator Manchin shared his input on the Senate Democrats' Reconciliation package. Debbie Curtis and Rodney Whitlock discuss what compromises Democratic leaders are moving forward with to advance budget legislation.

We begin a three-week work period with twelve voting days. We are 120 days to the election. Debbie and Rodney look ahead to the efforts by President Biden and Democrats in Congress to protect abortion access while balancing work on funding important healthcare priorities through budget reconciliation.

Earlier this month, Kayla joined the McDermottPlus team as a Health Policy Director. She brings a dynamic background in health policy combined with a personal passion for combating institutional racism and addressing racial disproportions in healthcare and health outcomes.

Since the Dobbs decision last week, the Biden Administration, Congressional leaders, and healthcare stakeholders are all asking questions about what's next. Debbie Curtis and Rodney Whitlock discuss how the Dobbs decision may impact future healthcare priorities.

At 9:59 am on Friday, June 24, there was a legislative agenda in the US Congress; that changed sixty seconds later when The Supreme Court ruling on Dobbs v. Jackson Women's Health Organization was released. Debbie Curtis and Rodney Whitlock traverse through the legislation on the calendar ahead of the August recess.