Health Care Checkup
March 4, 2022
THE BIG PICTURE
On Tuesday evening, President Joe Biden held his first State of the Union address. With the recent invasion of Ukraine by Russian President Vladmir Putin, a major focus of the address was international affairs. Biden called Putin’s attack on Ukraine “premeditated and totally unprovoked,” and discussed how the U.S., along with its allies, are imposing “powerful economic sanctions” on Russia.

On the domestic policy front, the President focused on a range of items including health care policy changes he would like to see enacted this year. He discussed health issues ranging from nursing home care to mental health care, and also focused on abortion rights and the need to improve maternal health care. President Biden said that quality of nursing homes has gone down, and the costs have gone up, and vowed that Medicare will set higher standards for nursing homes. He also discussed mental health care and urged the need for full parity between physical and mental health care. He called on Congress to fund the Advanced Research Projects Agency for Health (ARPA-H), which he said would drive breakthroughs in diseases such as cancer, Alzheimer’s, and diabetes.

The President also announced several new steps his Administration will take in the fight against COVID-19. He urged Americans to get vaccinated and boosted against the virus and said that Pfizer’s new antiviral pill reduces the chances of COVID-19-related hospitalizations by 90%. Biden said that Pfizer is working to get the U.S. 1 million pills this month, and more than 2 million next month. Additionally, he announced the “Test to Treat” initiative, in which people can get tested for COVID at a pharmacy, and if they’re positive, receive antiviral pills “on the spot at no cost.” The full readout of President Biden’s address can be found here.

OMB Acting Director Shalanda Young sent a letter to House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) on President Joe Biden’s fiscal year (FY) 2022 supplemental funding request. President Biden is seeking $10 billion in “humanitarian, security, and economic assistance” for the war in Ukraine and $22.5 billion to aid in the continued fight against COVID-19. Young wrote that the COVID-19 funds are needed “promptly” to secure COVID-19 antivirals, purchase monoclonal antibodies, continue testing, begin work on a “next-generation” vaccine to protect against future variants, and aid in global vaccination efforts.

On Wednesday, the Senate voted 49-44 to pass a resolution (S.J. Res. 32) that would block CMS’ health care worker vaccine mandate. However, the requirement is highly likely to remain in effect. The Supreme Court recently upheld CMS’ mandate, which requires that workers at health care facilities participating in Medicare and/or Medicaid be fully vaccinated against COVID-19. Subsequently, the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) released a statement, which said that the “Administration strongly opposes Senate Joint Resolution 32, which would expose patients to unnecessary risk.” OMB also said that if Congress were to pass the resolution, President Biden would veto it.

On Thursday, the Senate voted 48-47 to pass a resolution to end the COVID-19 national emergency (S.J.Res.38). As a reminder, President Joe Biden renewed the COVID-19 national emergency at the end of February.

Also this week, Congress held several health-related hearings. On Tuesday, the House Education and Labor Health, Employment, Labor, and Pensions Subcommittee held a hearing on “Improving Retirement Security and Access to Mental Health Benefits.” Our summary of this hearing can be found here. On Wednesday, the House Committee on Ways and Means held a hearing on “Substance Use, Suicide Risk, and the American Health System.” Our summary can be found here. Also on Wednesday, the House Energy and Commerce Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations held a hearing titled, “Lessons from the Frontline: COVID-19’s Impact on American Health Care.” Our summary of this hearing can be found here
What to Expect Next Week: On Tuesday, the House Judiciary Subcommittee on Crime, Terrorism, and Homeland Security will hold a hearing on “Reimagining Public Safety in the COVID-19 Era.” Also on Tuesday, the House Committee on Financial Services will hold a hearing titled, “The Inflation Equation: Corporate Profiteering, Supply Chain Bottlenecks, and COVID-19.” Additionally, Congress will continue to negotiate an omnibus spending bill, ahead of the March 11 deadline when the current government funding CR expires.
DEEP DIVE
President Biden Focuses on International Affairs, Health Care in First State of the Union Address
On Tuesday evening, President Joe Biden held his first State of the Union address. With the recent invasion of Ukraine by Russian President Vladmir Putin, a major focus of the address was international affairs. Biden called Putin’s attack on Ukraine “premeditated and totally unprovoked,” and discussed how the U.S., along with its allies, are imposing “powerful economic sanctions” on Russia. On the domestic policy front, the President focused on a range of items including health care policy changes he would like to see enacted this year. He discussed health issues ranging from nursing home care to mental health care, and also focused on abortion rights and the need to improve maternal health care. President Biden said that quality of nursing homes has gone down, and the costs have gone up, and vowed that Medicare will set higher standards for nursing homes. He also discussed mental health care and urged the need for full parity between physical and mental health care. He called on Congress to fund the Advanced Research Projects Agency for Health (ARPA-H), which he said would drive breakthroughs in diseases such as cancer, Alzheimer’s, and diabetes.

The President also announced several new steps his Administration will take in the fight against COVID-19. He urged Americans to get vaccinated and boosted against the virus and said that Pfizer’s new antiviral pill reduces the chances of COVID-19-related hospitalizations by 90%. Biden said that Pfizer is working to get the U.S. 1 million pills this month, and more than 2 million next month. Additionally, he announced the “Test to Treat” initiative, in which people can get tested for COVID at a pharmacy, and if they’re positive, receive antiviral pills “on the spot at no cost.” The full readout of President Biden’s address can be found here.

All of the fact sheets that the White House released on the SOTU can be found below:
 
OMB Sends FY 2022 Supplemental Funding Request to Congress
OMB Acting Director Shalanda Young sent a letter to House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) on President Joe Biden’s fiscal year (FY) 2022 supplemental funding request. President Biden is seeking $10 billion in “humanitarian, security, and economic assistance” for the war in Ukraine and $22.5 billion to aid in the continued fight against COVID-19. Young wrote that the COVID-19 funds are needed “promptly” to secure COVID-19 antivirals, purchase monoclonal antibodies, continue testing, begin work on a “next-generation” vaccine to protect against future variants, and aid in global vaccination efforts. Young also urged Congress to “address these critical and urgent needs as part of a comprehensive government funding bill ahead of the March 11th funding deadline.”

CMS Re-Opens MIPS “Extreme and Uncontrollable Circumstances” Application
The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) has re-opened the Extreme and Uncontrollable Circumstances (EUC) application for Merit-based Incentive Payment System (MIPS) eligible health care providers. The EUC application allows providers to request “reweighting for any or all performance categories if [they] encounter an extreme and uncontrollable circumstance or public health emergency, such as COVID-19, that is outside of [their] control.” The original deadline at the end of 2021 was during the height of the Omicron surge, so CMS announced that 2021 MIPS EUC applications “citing COVID-19 as the triggering event” can be submitted until Thursday, March 31, 2022 at 8:00 PM ET. Additional information can be found here.  

CMS Releases Guidance on Medicaid and CHIP Coverage for when the COVID-19 Public Health Emergency Ends
On Thursday, CMS released new guidance to help states “initiate eligibility renewals for all individuals enrolled in Medicaid and CHIP within 12 months of the eventual end of the PHE, and to complete renewals within 14 months.” The guidance also outlines rules that require states to “provide a smooth transition to other options for those who may no longer be eligible for Medicaid or CHIP once the PHE eventually ends.” CMS is also providing a Eligibility and Enrollment Planning tool to help states plan for maintaining Medicaid coverage for eligible individuals. The new guidance can be found here.

Senate Passes Resolution to End the CMS Health Care Worker COVID-19 Vaccine Requirement
On Wednesday, the Senate voted 49-44 to pass a resolution (S.J. Res. 32) that would block CMS’ health care worker vaccine mandate. However, the requirement is highly likely to remain in effect. The Supreme Court recently upheld CMS’ mandate, which requires that workers at health care facilities participating in Medicare and/or Medicaid be fully vaccinated against COVID-19. Subsequently, the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) released a statement, which said that the “Administration strongly opposes Senate Joint Resolution 32, which would expose patients to unnecessary risk.” OMB also said that if Congress were to pass the resolution, President Biden would veto it.

HHS Secretary Becerra Embarks on National Mental Health Tour
The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Xavier Becerra is set to kick off a nationwide mental health tour to “hear directly from Americans across the country about the behavioral health challenges they're facing.” Becerra is expected to make several announcements in the coming months on new initiatives to improve the nation’s mental health care system. These initiatives will include increasing the mental health workforce, expanding pediatric mental health care through telehealth, and transitioning the nation’s suicide hotline to “988.” HHS said that tour stop details will be announced in the coming weeks. More information on the tour can be found here.

Becerra’s tour comes as there has been significant bipartisan interest in recent months on Capitol Hill in improving mental health. Please find MCRT’s recent Congressional mental health hearing summaries below:

 
CMS Redesigns Global and Professional Direct Contracting Model
Last week, CMS announced that it would overhaul a Trump-era Medicare pilot program aimed at moving traditional Medicare from fee-for-service care toward value-based care. The agency said that it would redesign the Global and Professional Direct Contracting Model (GPDC) Model to “advance Administration priorities, including [its] commitment to advancing health equity, and in response to stakeholder feedback and participant experience.” The program will now be called the Accountable Care Organization (ACO) Realizing Equity, Access, and Community Health (REACH) Model. The ACO REACH application opens on March 7, 2022 and closes on April 22, 2022 at 11:59 PM ET. The press release can be found here and the fact sheet can be found here.
SENATE HEARINGS AND EXECUTIVE SESSIONS
N/A
HOUSE HEARINGS AND EXECUTIVE SESSIONS
House Committee on the Judiciary - Hearing
Subcommittee on Crime, Terrorism, and Homeland Security Hearing: Reimagining Public Safety in the COVID-19 Era
Tuesday, March 8 at 10:00 AM ET

House Committee on Financial Services - Hearing
House Committee on Financial Services Hearing: The Inflation Equation: Corporate Profiteering, Supply Chain Bottlenecks, and COVID-19
Tuesday, March 8 at 10:00 AM ET
ADMINISTRATION ANNOUNCEMENTS
Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services
 
Food and Drug Administration
 
Guidance Documents from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

National Institutes of Health
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