Medicare Hearing Aid Coverage Act of 2019

Drug Pricing. H.R. 3, the Lower Drug Costs Now Act: Proposals to authorize the Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS) to negotiate drug prices on behalf of Medicare with pharmaceutical manufactureres. Create a maximum price for any negotiated drug with an international price index (Average International Market price). Require drug manufacturers that refuse to negotiation with HHS to pay a Non-Compliance Fee of 65 percent of the gross sales of the drug in question. Require drug companies that raised the price of a drug in Medicare above the rate of inflation since 2016 to either lower the price or pay the entire price above inflation in a rebate back to the Treasury. Create a $2,000 Medicare beneficiary annual out-of-pocket cost cap for prescription drugs. Drug Pricing. S. 2543, the Prescription Drug Pricing Reduction Act of 2019: Require pharmaceutical manufacturers to rebate Medicare if they raise their prices for drugs covered by Medicare Parts B and D faster than inflation. Establish an out-of-pocket spending limit in which Medicare beneficiaries would pay no more than $3,100 a year on drug costs. Require Medicare Part D private insurers to pay 60 percent and, drug makers 20 percent, of the costs incurred over the out-of-pocket spending cap. Increase transparency into pharmacy benefit manager practices and manufacturer drug pricing decisions. Provide state Medicaid programs with more authority to contain drug prices. Drug Pricing. H.R. 1046, the Medicare Negotiation and Competitive Licensing Act: Proposal to allow the Secretary of Health and Human Services to directly negotiate prices for prescription drugs and issue a competitive license allowing other manufacturers to produce the drug for Medicare in the event negotiations fail. Drug Pricing. S. 1895, the Lower Health Care Costs Act of 2019: Proposals to reduce the cost of prescription drugs including allowing generic drug manufacturers to sue brand-name manufacturers for not selling them samples for testing necessary to get to market; and requiring a drug manufacturer to submit a report to the Secretary of Health and Human Services for each price increase of certain drugs of which the wholesale acquisition cost increase is equal to 10 percent or more over a 12-month period or 25 percent or moreover a 36-month period. Dementia and Alzheimers Disease. S. 2076/H.R. 4256, Building Our Largest Dementia Infrastructure for Alzheimers Act (BOLD Act): Proposal to apply a public health approach to combat Alzheimers disease and related dementias. Medicare Observation Status. H.R. 1682/S. 753, the Improving Access to Medicare Coverage Act of 2019: Proposal to count days in the hospital in observation status toward meeting the three-day prior hospitalization requirement for skilled nursing facility care eligibility. Generic Drug Introduction. Generic Drug Introduction. H.R. 965, the CREATES Act: Proposal to speed the introduction of generic competition by curbing brand drug maker abuses of safety procedures as a means to limit generic manufacturer access to the drug samples needed to obtain Food and Drug Administration approval. Health Care Rights Law. Proposed rule to the provision of the Affordable Care Act addressing discrimination based on age, race, color, national origin, English proficiency, disability or sex. Medicaid Home and Community-Based Services: H.R. 1839, the Medicaid Services Investment and Accountability Act of 2019: Proposal extending the spousal impoverishment protections for home and community-based services until September 2019. Medicare Prescription Drug Costs. (No bill.) Proposals to reduce amount drug manufacturers must contribute to closing the donut hole in 2019. Medicare Prescription Drug Costs. (No bill.) Provisions of the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement (formerly the North American Free Trade Agreement) addressing countries having expansive regulatory approval monopolies for biologic drugs and restricting the ability of Congress to reform patent laws that drive up drug costs for Medicare. Medicare Coverage Expansion. H.R. 576, the Seniors Have Eyes, Ears, and Teeth Act of 2019; H.R. 1393, the Medicare Dental, Vision, and Hearing Benefit Act of 2019; H.R. 1518, the Medicare Hearing Aid Coverage Act of 2019: Proposals to expand Medicare coverage to include, vision, dental and hearing benefits. Medicare Open Enrollment. (No bill.) Proposals to ensure the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services conducts open enrollment in a way that is unbiased toward the traditional program. Medicare Part D. (No bill.) Proposals to add an out-of-pocket cap, rationalize the structure of the Part D program, and make the Part D low-income subsidy more generous. Medigap Reform: H.R. 1394, the Medigap Consumer Protection Act: Proposal to improve quality of coverage and access to Medigap by restoring first dollar coverage and extending guaranteed issue to disabled people and other beneficiairies. Drug Safety. S. 1895, the Lower Health Care Costs Act of 2019: Proposal to remove requirement that medicines marketed in the U.S. adhere to quality standards established by the U.S. Pharmacopeia. These standards allow biosimilar makers to achieve regulatory certainty and expedite biosimilars to market. Medicare Enrollment. H.R. 2477/S. 1280, the BENES Act of 2019: Proposal to improve beneficiary education tools and extend funding for state health insurance and assistance programs. Reducing Health Care Costs: S. 1895, the Lower Health Care Costs Act of 2019: Proposal to eliminate surprise medical billing including out-of-network charges in emergencies.

Client expense: $190,000 · Firm income: Not reported

Government targets: Administration on Aging, Centers For Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS), Executive Office of the President (EOP), HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES, Health & Human Services, Dept of (HHS), Justice, Dept of (DOJ), Labor, Dept of (DOL), Natl Economic Council (NEC), Office of Management & Budget (OMB), SENATE, Social Security Administration (SSA), Treasury, Dept of

Drug Pricing. H.R. 1046, the Medicare Negotiation and Competitive Licensing Act: Proposal to allow the Secretary of Health & Human Services to directly negotiate prices for prescription drugs and issue a competitive license allowing other manufacturers to produce the drug for Medicare in the event negotiations fail. Medicare Observation Status. H.R. 1682/S. 753, Improving Access to Medicare Coverage Act of 2019: Proposal to count days in the hospital in observation status toward meeting the three-day prior hospitalization requirement for skilled nursing facility care eligibility. Dementia and Alzheimers Disease. S. 2076/H.R. 4256, Building Our Largest Dementia Infrastructure for Alzheimers Act (BOLD Act): Proposal to apply a public health approach to combat Alzheimers disease and related dementias. Generic Drug Introduction. H.R. 965, CREATES Act: Proposal to speed the introduction of generic competition by curbing brand drug maker abuses of safety procedures as a means to limit generic manufacturer access to the drug samples needed to obtain Food and Drug Administration approval. Medicaid Home and Community-Based Services: H.R. 1839, the Medicaid Services Investment and Accountability Act of 2019: Proposal extending the spousal impoverishment protections for home and community-based services until September 2019. Medicare Prescription Drug Costs. (No bill): Proposals to reduce amount drug manufacturers must contribute to closing the donut hole in 2019. Medicare Prescription Drug Costs. (No bill): Provisions of the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement (formerly the North American Free Trade Agreement) addressing countries having expansive regulatory approval monopolies for biologic drugs and restricting the ability of Congress to reform patent laws that drive up drug costs for Medicare. Medicare Prescription Drug Costs. (No bill): Proposal to remove safe harbor from anti-kickback laws for drug rebates under Medicare Part D. Medicare Coverage Expansion. H.R. 576, the Seniors Have Eyes, Ears, and Teeth Act of 2019; H.R. 1393, the Medicare Dental, Vision, and Hearing Benefit Act of 2019; H.R. 1518, the Medicare Hearing Aid Coverage Act of 2019: Proposals to expand Medicare coverage to include, vision, dental and hearing. Medicare Open Enrollment. (No bill): Proposals to ensure the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services conducts open enrollment in a way that is unbiased toward the traditional program. Medicare Part D. (No bill): Proposals to add an out-of-pocket cap and rationalize the structure of the program. Medicare Part D. (No bill) Proposal to add a cap to the Part D benefit, maintain the manufacturer discount in the calculation of the threshold to enter the catastrophic benefit so that seniors need to pay less out-of-pocket to move through the donut hole, and streamline the Part D coverage determination and appeals process. Drug Pricing. (No bill): Proposals to reduce the cost of prescription drugs. Affordable Care Act Stabilization. H.R. 987, the Strengthening Health Care and Lowering Prescription Drug Costs Act: Proposal to reduce drug costs for Americans including seniors and to stabilize the Affordable Care Acts marketplaces. Medicare Enrollment. H.R. 2477/S. 1280, BENES Act of 2019: proposal to improve beneficiary education tools and extend funding for state health insurance and assistance(SHIP) programs.

Client expense: $220,000 · Firm income: Not reported

Government targets: Administration on Aging, Centers For Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS), Executive Office of the President (EOP), HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES, Health & Human Services, Dept of (HHS), Justice, Dept of (DOJ), Labor, Dept of (DOL), Natl Economic Council (NEC), Office of Management & Budget (OMB), SENATE, Social Security Administration (SSA), Treasury, Dept of

Drug Pricing. (No Bill): Proposals to eliminate rebates for drugs in Medicare Part D with the exception of drugs rebated to consumers at the point of sale. Drug Pricing. H.R. 1046, The Medicare Negotiation and Competitive Licensing Act: Proposal to allow the Secretary of Health and Human Services to negotiate prices directly for prescription drugs and to issue a competitive license allowing other manufacturers to produce a drug for Medicare in the event negotiations fail. Medicare Penalties. H.R. 1788, Medicare Part B Penalties Fairness Act: Proposal limiting the penalty for Part B late enrollment and to allow those with Consolidated Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act (COBRA) coverage to avoid paying the penalty. Medicare Financing. (No Bill): Proposal to redirect the current tax assessment on net investment income to the Medicare Trust Fund. Opioid Treatment. (No Bill): The MORE Savings Act proposal to eliminate cost-sharing (including copayments, deductibles and coinsurance) for opioid treatment and recovery support services under private insurance plans and through a demonstration in Medicare, while providing increased funding for Medicaid programs to offer these services. Medicare Benefits. (No Bill): The Medicare and Medicaid Dental, Vision, and Hearing Benefit Act proposal to expand Part B benefits to include coverage of oral, vision, and hearing care, while providing for reasonable measures to facilitate implementation and contain costs. Medicare Dental, Vision, and Hearing Coverage. H.R. 576, Seniors Have Eyes, Ears and Teeth: Proposal to expand Medicare coverage to include comprehensive coverage of dental, vision, and hearing care. Hearing Aids. H.R. 1518, Medicare Hearing Aid Coverage Act: Proposal to provide Medicare coverage of hearing aids. Dental Benefits. S. 22, Medicare Dental Benefit Act: Proposal to make dental services a covered benefit under Medicare. Medicare Part D. S. 691, Medicare Extra Rx HELP Act: Proposal to eliminate the asset test, streamline program administration and to extend full benefits to individuals up to 200% of poverty for the low income subsidy program for Medicare Part D. Medicare Observation Status. H.R. 1682/S. 753, Improving Access to Medicare Coverage Act of 2019: Proposal to count days in the hospital in observation status toward meeting the three-day prior hospitalization requirement for skilled nursing facility care eligibility. Dementia and Alzheimers Disease. Building Our Largest Dementia Infrastructure for Alzheimers Act (BOLD Act): Proposal to apply a public health approach to combat Alzheimers disease and related dementias. Generic Drug Introduction. H.R. 965, CREATES Act: Proposal to speed the introduction of generic competition by curbing brand drug maker abuses of safety procedures as a means to limit generic manufacturer access to the drug samples needed to obtain Food and Drug Administration approval. Medicare Beneficiary Equitable Relief. (No Bill): Efforts to extend and make permanent the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services policy for equitable relief for select individuals currently or previously enrolled in Affordable Care Act Marketplace plans who delayed Medicare enrollment during their Initial Enrollment Period or during a qualifying Special Enrollment Period. Home and Community Based Long-Term Care. H.R. 1839, Medicaid Services Investment and Accountability Act of 2019: Proposal extending the spousal impoverishment protections for home and community based services until September 30th and provides $20 million in additional funding for the Medicaid Money Follows the Person (MFP) program. Medicare Prescription Drug Costs. (No Bill): Proposals to reduce amount drug manufacturers must contribute to closing the donut hole in 2019. Medicare Prescription Drug Costs. (No Bill): Provisions of the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement (formerly the North American Free Trade Agreement) addressing countries having expansive regulatory approval monopolies for biologic drugs and restricting the ability of Congress to reform patent laws that drive up drug costs for Medicare. Medicare Part B Drug Costs. (No Bill): Proposals to reduce Medicare Part B drug costs by limiting Medicare payment when a drug price increase exceeds an inflation limit. Medicare Open Enrollment. (No Bill): Proposals to ensure the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services conducts open enrollment in a way that is unbiased toward the traditional program. Medicaid Expansion. S. 585, States Achieve Medicaid Expansion (SAME) Act: Proposal to provide a higher level of federal Medicaid funding for states that did not expand Medicaid when the Affordable Care Act was launched in 2014.

Client expense: $220,000 · Firm income: Not reported

Government targets: Administration on Aging, Centers For Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS), Executive Office of the President (EOP), HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES, Health & Human Services, Dept of (HHS), Justice, Dept of (DOJ), Labor, Dept of (DOL), Natl Economic Council (NEC), Office of Management & Budget (OMB), SENATE, Social Security Administration (SSA), Treasury, Dept of