A spate of congressional hearings this week will examine the opioid crisis, as lawmakers work to craft bipartisan legislation before the Memorial Day recess.
Four hearings on May 8 will focus on opioids:
- a House Committee on Energy and Commerce Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations hearing will examine concerns about opioid distribution and diversion from drug manufacturers;
- an Energy and Commerce Subcommittee on Health hearing will focus on 42 CFR Part 2, statutory restrictions on how providers use and disclosure patient substance use medical records. Some stakeholders argue the decades-old law should align with HIPAA;
- a House Committee on Education and the Workforce Subcommittee on Workforce Protections hearing will focus on the implications of opioid abuse on federal employee benefits; and
- a House Committee on the Judiciary hearing will examine challenges to fighting the opioid epidemic and efforts to combat the crisis.
Meanwhile, the Energy and Commerce Committee on May 9 will hold the first of two full committee mark-up sessions on its opioid-related legislative package; the second mark-up is scheduled for May 17.
340B Hearing
The Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions will hold a May 15 hearing focused on oversight reports on the 340B Drug Pricing Program. Witnesses for the hearing include Ann Maxwell, assistant inspector general for evaluation and inspections at the Department of Health and Human Services’ Office of the Inspector General, and Debra Draper, director of the health care team at the Government Accountability Office.
Other Committee Activity
The House Committee on Ways and Means will hold a May 9 hearing on Medicare Advantage.