The federal government is entering the fifth week of a shutdown, making history as the longest full government shutdown. Negotiations remain at a standstill, with the primary sticking point continuing to be health care. Republicans are advocating for a clean continuing resolution (CR) — which has failed to advance in the Senate 12 times — while Democrats are pressing to include an extension of expiring Affordable Care Act (ACA) tax subsidies. ACA open enrollment begins Nov. 1, which may prompt renewed discussions, but a resolution remains uncertain.
340B Hearing
The Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions held a hearing on the 340B Drug Pricing Program on Thursday, Oct. 23. Witnesses included Michelle Rosenberg, director of health care for the U.S. Government Accountability Office; Aditi Sen, Ph.D., chief of the health policy studies unit for the Congressional Budget Office; and William Feldman, MD, DPhil, MPH, physician and health policy researcher at the University of California.
The hearing centered on potential programmatic reforms to 340B, which America’s Essential Hospitals continues to strongly oppose given its essential role in sustaining care for vulnerable communities. Encouragingly, bipartisan support for the program was evident at various points throughout the discussion, with several members questioning whether changes to 340B are viable in light of the recent passage of H.R. 1 and the possible expiration of ACA tax credits.
Notably, Sen. Tommy Tuberville (R-Ala.) referenced association member hospital East Alabama Health’s charity care, and Sen. John Hickenlooper (D-Colo.) highlighted data from another association member hospital, Denver Health, showing its high share of uninsured and underinsured patients. Both of these callouts provided strong examples of member hospitals’ community impact.
Leading up to and following the hearing, the association engaged directly with congressional offices to underscore the program’s value to communities served by member hospitals. A formal statement addressing the hearing’s narrative and key takeaways is forthcoming. An in-depth summary of the hearing will be available on the Federal Action Network (FAN) Resource Center by the end of the week.
Committee Activity This Week
The Senate is in session all week; the House has again cancelled its scheduled session from Monday to Thursday. Note that House Democrats return to Washington for an in-person caucus meeting on Tuesday.
Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions will hold a hearing on Wednesday, Oct. 29, at 10 am ET, titled, “The Future of Biotech: Maintaining U.S. Competitiveness and Delivering Lifesaving Cures to Patients.” On Thursday, Oct. 30, at 11 am ET, the committee will hold a nomination hearing for Casey Means, M.D., to be medical director in the Regular Corps of the Public Health Service and Surgeon General of the Public Health Service.
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