POLICY BRIEFINGS

President Appoints New NCI Director


The White House has appointed W. Kimryn Rathmell, MD, PhD to serve as the next director of the National Cancer Institute. Rathmell succeeds Monica Bertagnolli, who was recently confirmed by the Senate to lead the NIH. Dr. Rathmell is an oncologist and kidney cancer expert who heads the Vanderbilt University Medical Center. She has held key leadership positions at the American Society of Clinical Oncology, the Kidney Cancer Research Foundation, and the American Society for Clinical Investigation.


White House Initiative on Women’s Health Research


The White House announced the establishment of an initiative focused on women’s health research last week. The initiative will be led by First Lady Jill Biden, alongside the White House Gender Policy Council, and chaired by Carolyn Mazure, Yale School of Medicine professor of women’s health research, psychiatry, and psychology. It will direct multiple federal agencies to issue recommendations to advance women’s health research within 45 days. The initiative will also engage with the private and philanthropic sectors to identify areas for additional investment.


Speaker Johnson Hires New Health Staffer


Drew Keyes has been hired as Senior Policy Advisor for the office of House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.). Keyes most recently worked as a senior policy analyst at Paragon Health Institute. Keyes previously served as a professional policy staffer for the Republican Study Committee (RSC), where he was the staff lead for the RSC’s Health Care Task Force. Keyes got his start on Capitol Hill in the offices of Reps. Louie Gohmert (R-Texas) and Tom McClintock (R-Calif.).


Recently Introduced Health Legislation


S.3290 — A bill to amend title 38, United States Code, to modify the authority of the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to furnish improvements and structural alterations as part of home health services for disabled veterans; Sponsor: Cortez Masto, Catherine [Sen.-D-NV]; Committees: Senate - Veterans’ Affairs

H.Res.867 — Expressing support for the designation of November 9, 2023, as “National Microtia and Atresia Awareness Day”; Sponsor: Neguse, Joe [Rep.-D-CO-2]; Committees: House - Energy and Commerce

H.R.6364 — To amend title XVIII of the Social Security Act to maintain certain telehealth flexibilities relating to provider privacy under the Medicare program; Sponsor: Balderson, Troy [Rep.-R-OH-12]; Committees: House - Energy and Commerce; Ways and Means

H.R.6366 — To amend title XVIII of the Social Security Act with respect to the work geographic index for physician payments under the Medicare program, and to revise the phase-in of clinical laboratory test payment changes under such program; Sponsor: Hudson, Richard [Rep.-R-NC-9]; Committees: House - Energy and Commerce; Ways and Means

H.R.6369 — To amend title XVIII of the Social Security Act to extend incentive payments for participation in eligible alternative payment models; Sponsor: Schrier, Kim [Rep.-D-WA-8]; Committees: House - Energy and Commerce; Ways and Means

H.R.6371 — To provide for certain adjustments to the physician fee schedule under the Medicare program; Sponsor: Murphy, Gregory [Rep.-R-NC-3]; Committees: House - Energy and Commerce; Ways and Means

H.R.6373 — To amend title 38, United States Code, to direct the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to offer annual preventative health evaluations to veterans with a spinal cord injury or disorder and increase access to assistive technologies, and for other purposes; Sponsor: Bergman, Jack [Rep.-R-MI-1]; Committees: House - Veterans’ Affairs

H.R.6374 — To provide for the issuance of a Veterans Health Care Stamp; Sponsor: Burgess, Michael C. [Rep.-R-TX-26]; Committees: House - Oversight and Accountability; Veterans’ Affairs

H.R.6388 — To authorize the Secretary of Health and Human Services, acting through the Administration for Community Living, to carry out a grant program for States to provide telephone reassurance services to certain older adults and to other adults with disabilities, and for other purposes; Sponsor: Molinaro, Marcus J. [Rep.-R-NY-19]; Committees: House - Energy and Commerce

S.3297 — A bill to amend title XVIII of the Social Security Act to expand the availability of medical nutrition therapy services under the Medicare program; Sponsor: Collins, Susan M. [Sen.-R-ME]; Committees: Senate – Finance

H.Res.870 — Supporting the goals and ideals of National Rural Health Day; Sponsor: Harshbarger, Diana [Rep.-R-TN-1]; Committees: House - Energy and Commerce

H.R.6395 — To amend the Energy Act of 2020 to require the Secretary of the Interior to include the Secretary of Health and Human Services in consultations regarding designations of critical minerals, elements, substances, and materials; Sponsor: Curtis, John R. [Rep.-R-UT-3]; Committees: House - Natural Resources

H.R.6400 — To amend title XVIII of the Social Security Act to extend eligibility for certain payment increases for biosimilar biological products under the Medicare program; Sponsor: Cárdenas, Tony [Rep.-D-CA-29]; Committees: House - Energy and Commerce; Ways and Means

H.R.6403 — To amend the General Education Provisions Act to require the disclosure of student medical and counseling records to parents; Sponsor: Gaetz, Matt [Rep.-R-FL-1]; Committees: House - Education and the Workforce

H.R.6407 — To amend title XVIII of the Social Security Act to expand the availability of medical nutrition therapy services under the Medicare program; Sponsor: Kelly, Robin L. [Rep.-D-IL-2]; Committees: House - Energy and Commerce; Ways and Means

H.R.6412 — To amend title XXVII of the Public Health Service Act to provide certain informational resources related to Down syndrome; Sponsor: Molinaro, Marcus J. [Rep.-R-NY-19]; Committees: House - Energy and Commerce

H.R.6415 — To increase access to mental health, substance use, and counseling services for first responders, and for other purposes; Sponsor: Tokuda, Jill N. [Rep.-D-HI-2]; Committees: House - Energy and Commerce; Transportation and Infrastructure

S.3304 — A bill to ensure that claims for benefits under the Black Lung Benefits Act are processed in a fair and timely manner, to better protect miners from pneumoconiosis (commonly known as “black lung disease”), and for other purposes; Sponsor: Casey, Robert P., Jr. [Sen.-D-PA]; Committees: Senate - Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions

S.3307 — A bill to amend title XVIII of the Social Security Act to require the inclusion of certain information in encounter data under Medicare Advantage; Sponsor: Cortez Masto, Catherine [Sen.-D-NV]; Committees: Senate – Finance

S.3311 — A bill to direct the Secretary of Health and Human Services to conduct a demonstration program to test providing preferential treatment under the Medicare, Medicaid, and CHIP programs for certain drugs and biologicals manufactured in the United States; Sponsor: Smith, Tina [Sen.-D-MN]; Committees: Senate – Finance

S.3312 — A bill to provide a framework for artificial intelligence innovation and accountability, and for other purposes; Sponsor: Thune, John [Sen.-R-SD]; Committees: Senate - Commerce, Science, and Transportation

S.3326 — A bill to improve access to opioid use disorder treatment services under the Medicare program; Sponsor: Collins, Susan M. [Sen.-R-ME]; Committees: Senate – Finance

S.3327 — A bill to require the Secretary of Health and Human Services to publish a list of hospitals found to be in noncompliance with the hospital price transparency rule; Sponsor: Braun, Mike [Sen.-R-IN]; Committees: Senate - Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions

S.3330 — A bill to require the Secretary of Labor to conduct a study on the fiduciary duties of pharmacy benefit managers; Sponsor: Braun, Mike [Sen.-R-IN]; Committees: Senate - Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions

S.3337 — A bill to establish national data privacy standards in the United States, and for other purposes; Sponsor: Cortez Masto, Catherine [Sen.-D-NV]; Committees: Senate - Commerce, Science, and Transportation

S.Res.470 — A resolution designating November 16th, 2023, as “National Rural Health Day”; Sponsor: Barrasso, John [Sen.-R-WY]; Submitted in the Senate, considered, and agreed to without amendment and with a preamble by Unanimous Consent.

H.R.6424 — To provide additional authorities for the leadership of the United States Agency for International Development in health technology innovation for global health in low-resource settings, and for other purposes; Sponsor: Fitzpatrick, Brian K. [Rep.-R-PA-1]; Committees: House - Foreign Affairs

H.R.6428 — To help individuals receiving disability insurance benefits under title II of the Social Security Act obtain rehabilitative services and return to the workforce, and for other purposes; Sponsor: Hill, J. French [Rep.-R-AR-2]; Committees: House - Ways and Means

H.R.6430 — To amend title XVIII of the Social Security Act to extend Medicare-dependent hospital and Medicare low- volume hospital payments, and to direct the Comptroller General of the United States to carry out a report on Medicare rural hospital classifications; Sponsor: Miller, Carol D. [Rep.-R-WV-1]; Committees: House - Ways and Means

H.R.6433 — To preserve access to emergency medical services; Sponsor: Perez, Marie Gluesenkamp [Rep.-D-WA-3]; Committees: House - Energy and Commerce; Education and the Workforce



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BRIEFING ARCHIVE

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