Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Senate Approves Veterans Suicide Prevention Measure; 21st Century Cures Proposal Would Help Medical Device Makers
A bill co-sponsored by New Hampshire Republican Kelly Ayotte to prevent suicide among veterans has cleared the U.S. Senate. The bill, which is aimed at improving mental health care and expanding suicide prevention resources for service members, previously passed the House and now goes to the president. (2/4)
The Senate unanimously cleared for the president's signature Tuesday veterans mental health legislation that senators have described as a down payment on stemming the tide of veteran suicides. Similar legislation stalled in the waning hours of the last Congress on objections from then-Sen Tom Coburn, but this time the bill (HR 203) was cleared 99-0. The House passed the bill 403-0 on Jan. 12 and President Barack Obama is expected to sign it into law. (O'Brien, 2/3)
House Republicans have shown an interest in overhauling Medicare's policies so that makers of health devices can get paid more easily and earlier in the development process than they now do. The draft proposal from the House Energy and Commerce Committee's so-called 21st Century Cures initiative includes a provision regarding coverage of newer devices. Offered by John Shimkus, R-Ill., it would support an industry push toward streamlining the process through which Medicare decides which devices to cover and how much it will pay. The provision also would aid in allowing coverage for products still in testing through clinical trials, building on existing "coverage with evidence" policies now in place at the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, Shimkus told CQ HealthBeat. (Young, 2/3)
Legislation to ease Medicaid coverage in other states for children with complex conditions has captured bipartisan support in Congress, but could fall victim to Obamacare politics. The legislation, Advancing Care for Exceptional Kids Act of 2015 (S-298 and H.R. 546), is supported by the Children's Hospital Association. (Dickson, 2/3)
In addition, President Barack Obama's plans for veterans' funding are making waves in the halls of Congress -
President Barack Obama requested a nearly 8% increase in funding for the Department of Veterans Affairs in his 2016 budget on Monday, but he drew far more attention on Capitol Hill for what he said about money Congress had already provided the agency. The administration said it will seek to reallocate part of the more than $16 billion in funds under the Veterans Choice Act passed last summer to help the agency recover from a scandal over long wait times at VA facilities. (Kesling, 2/3)
