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Vaccine Awareness Campaign to Champion Immunization Nationally and Enhance Safety Act of 2019 or the VACCINES Act of 2019 This bill requires the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to take a series of actions relating to vaccination rates and awareness. Specifically, the CDC must (1) develop a national surveillance system to monitor vaccination rates, and (2) conduct a national campaign to increase awareness of the importance of vaccines. Additionally, the National Vaccine Advisory Committee must assess national confidence in vaccines and update a specified 2015 report accordingly.
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Filing registrants (25)
Referred to the Subcommittee on Health.
Referred to the House Committee on Energy and Commerce.
Introduced in House
Congress.gov source codes: 1000, Intro-H
Bills with similar content found using semantic analysis.
Sources: Congress.gov
2020 · second_quarter · Health Issues
21st Century Cures Act 2.0 ---RFI from House Energy and Commerce Committee 340B Drug Discount Program ---340B Pause Act (Discussion Draft House/Senate) ---Labor, Health and Human Services, Education, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act for FY 2021 ---Program Implementation & Oversight Biodefense Research, Development and Procurement Issues (Nonfunding) ---H.R.6800: Health and Economic Recovery Omnibus Emergency Solutions Act (HEROES) Act of 2020 ---Executive Order on Modernizing Influenza Vaccines ---Gene editing ---Implementation of 21st Century Cures Act of 2016 ---Implementation of Medical Countermeasure Innovation Act of 2016 ---Implementation of Pandemic and All-Hazards Preparedness and Advancing Innovation (PAHPAI) Act of 2019 ---National Biodefense Strategy ---Tropical Disease Priority Review Voucher (PRV) Program Biosimilars ---H.R.1499: Protecting Consumer Access to Generic Drugs Act of 2019 ---Biosimilar Copay ---Brazil Biologics Regulations ---BSUFA ---Canada Biologics Regulations ---Coding ---Implementation and Reauthorization of the Biosimilar User Fee Act of 2017 ---Implementation of CREATES Act of 2019 ---India Biologics Regulations ---Interchangeability and Pharmacy Substitution ---Mexico Biologics Regulations ---Naming ---Reimbursement Climate Change ---RFI from House Select Committee on the Climate Crisis Coronavirus (COVID-19) Pandemic ---H.R.4100/S.1712: DISARM Act of 2019 ---H.R.5076/S.1872: Protecting Seniors through Immunizations Act of 2019 ---H.R.6206: Pandemic Response and Emergency Preparedness (PREP) Act of 2020 ---H.R.6260/S.3545: Reciprocity Ensures Streamlined Use of Lifesaving Treatments for Coronavirus Patients Act of 2020 ---H.R.6800: Health and Economic Recovery Omnibus Emergency Solutions Act (HEROES) Act of 2020 ---H.R.7288: The Taxpayer Research and Coronavirus Knowledge (TRACK) Act ---COVID-19 Vaccine and Therapeutic Development ---Drug Supply Chain Management ---Healthcare Disparities ---Home Administration of Part B Drugs ---Liability ---Medicare reimbursement policies ---Patient Cost-Sharing and Smoothing ---Pricing-related Provisions ---R&D Funding for Medical Countermeasures ---Restrictions on Intellectual Property Rights ---Senate HELP Pandemic Preparedness White Paper Drug Evaluation and Review ---S.1617: Second Look at Drug Patents Act of 2019 ---S.3872: Promising Pathway Act ---Compassionate Use/Expanded Access ---Expedited Pathways ---Priority Review Voucher Programs Drug Manufacturing, Quality & Distribution ---Drug Shortages ---Drug Supply Chain Management Drug Patenting ---H.R.1046/S.377: Medicare Negotiation and Competitive Licensing Act of 2019 ---S.1416/H.R.4398/H.R.3991/H.R.5133: Affordable Prescriptions for Patients Act of 2019 Drug Pricing ---H.R.1046/S.377: Medicare Negotiation and Competitive Licensing Act of 2019 ---H.R.1093/S.378: Stop Price Gouging Act of 2019 ---H.R.1425: The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Enhancement Act of 2020 ---H.R.2069/S.474: Stopping the Pharmaceutical Industry from Keeping drugs Expensive (SPIKE) Act of 2019 ---H.R.2113: Prescription Drug STAR Act of 2019 ---H.R.2376/S.1227: Prescription Pricing for the People Act of 2019 ---H.R.6800: Health and Economic Recovery Omnibus Emergency Solutions Act (HEROES) Act of 2020 ---H.R.7288: The Taxpayer Research and Coronavirus Knowledge (TRACK) Act ---S.1416/H.R.4398/H.R.3991/H.R.5133: Affordable Prescriptions for Patients Act of 2019 ---S.2543: Prescription Drug Pricing Reduction Act of 2019 ---CMMI Authority ---General ---HHS Blueprint to lower drug prices and reduce out of pocket costs ---Implementation of CREATES Act of 2019 ---International Pricing Index Proposal ---Labor, Health and Human Services, Education, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act for FY 2021 ---Potential Administration Executive Orders ---Pricing-related Provisions Foreign Drug Data Protection Laws ---Regulatory Harmonization Funding for Antimicrobial Resistance Programs ---H.R.6800: Health and Economic Recovery Omnibus Emergency Solutions Act (HEROES) Act of 2020 ---Agriculture, Rural Development, FDA, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act for FY 2021 ---Labor, Health and Human Services, Education, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act for FY 2021 ---Pioneering Antimicrobial Subscriptions to End Upsurging Resistance (PASTEUR) Act of 2020 Funding for Biodefense/Biomedical/Emergency Preparedness Research, Development and Procurement ---H.R.6800: Health and Economic Recovery Omnibus Emergency Solutions Act (HEROES) Act of 2020 ---Health Defense Operations Funding Designation ---Labor, Health and Human Services, Education, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act for FY 2021 Funding for FDA ---Agriculture, Rural Development, FDA, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act for FY 2021 Funding for Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) - Vaccine Injury Compensation Program (VICP) ---Labor, Health and Human Services, Education, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act for FY 2021 Funding for National Institutes of Health ---H.R.6800: Health and Economic Recovery Omnibus Emergency Solutions Act (HEROES) Act of 2020 ---Labor, Health and Human Services, Education, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act for FY 2021 Funding for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Vaccine Programs ---H.R.6800: Health and Economic Recovery Omnibus Emergency Solutions Act (HEROES) Act of 2020 ---Funding for 2020-21 Influenza Season Preparedness and Response ---Funding for Routine Immunization Infrastructure during Pandemic ---Labor, Health and Human Services, Education, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act for FY 2021 Funding for the HHS Office of Infectious Disease and HIV/AIDS Policy ---Labor, Health and Human Services, Education, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act for FY 2021 Medicaid ---H.R.5741: Strengthening Innovation in Medicare and Medicaid Act of 2020 ---S.2543: Prescription Drug Pricing Reduction Act of 2019 ---Alternative payment arrangements for gene therapies ---Average Manufacturer Price Calculations ---Pricing and Rebates Medicare Expansion ---H.R.5741: Strengthening Innovation in Medicare and Medicaid Act of 2020 Orphan Drug Issues ---H.R.4439/S.4010: Creating Hope Reauthorization Act of 2019 ---H.R.4712: Fairness in Orphan Drug Exclusivity Act of 2019 ---Tax Credit Rare Pediatric Disease Priority Review ---H.R.4439/S.4010: Creating Hope Reauthorization Act of 2019 Reimbursement and Coverage of Innovative Products ---H.R.275: Medicare Prescription Drug Price Negotiation Act of 2019 ---H.R.5122: To prohibit further action on the proposed rule regarding testing of Medicare Part B Prescription Drug Models ---H.R.6800: Health and Economic Recovery Omnibus Emergency Solutions Act (HEROES) Act of 2020 ---S.2326: New Opportunities for Value that Extend Lives (NOVEL) Act of 2019 ---S.2543: Prescription Drug Pricing Reduction Act of 2019 ---Administration Rebate Rule ---CMMI Authority ---HHS Blueprint to lower drug prices and reduce out of pocket costs ---Home Administration of Part B Drugs ---International Pricing Index Proposal ---Medicare Part B Physician-Administered Products ---Medicare Part D Prescription Drug Program ---Patient Cost-Sharing and Smoothing ---Protected Classes ---Step Therapy ---Support of Patient Premiums and Cost-Sharing Obligations ---Surprise Billing ---Value-based Contracting and Communications The United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA) ---Implementation of United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA) ---IP Provisions Trade and Foreign Drug Price Controls US-China Trade Agreement ---IP Provisions US-EU Trade Agreement ---IP Provisions US-Japan Trade Agreement ---IP Provisions US-Kenya Trade Agreement ---IP Provisions US-UK Trade Agreement ---IP Provisions Vaccines and Infectious Diseases ---H.R.2862/S.1619: Vaccine Awareness Campaign to Champion Immunization Nationally and Enhance Safety (VACCINES) Act of 2019 ---H.R.4100/S.1712: DISARM Act of 2019 ---H.R.5076/S.1872: Protecting Seniors through Immunizations Act of 2019 ---H.R.6800: Health and Economic Recovery Omnibus Emergency Solutions Act (HEROES) Act of 2020 ---Adult Immunization Education ---Labor, Health and Human Services, Education, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act for FY 2021 ---Maternal Immunization ---Pioneering Antimicrobial Subscriptions to End Upsurging Resistance (PASTEUR) Act of 2020 ---Vaccine and Anti-Microbial Resistance Product Development and Incentives ---Vaccine Injury Compensation Program
Client expense: $3,320,000 · Firm income: Not reported
Government targets: Centers For Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS), Food & Drug Administration (FDA), HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES, Health & Human Services, Dept of (HHS), Natl Economic Council (NEC), Natl Security Council (NSC), Office of the Vice President of the United States, SENATE, U.S. Trade Representative (USTR), White House Office
2020 · second_quarter · Health Issues
21st Century Cures Act 2.0 ---RFI from House Energy and Commerce Committee 340B Drug Discount Program ---340B Pause Act (Discussion Draft House/Senate) ---Labor, Health and Human Services, Education, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act for FY 2021 ---Program Implementation & Oversight Biodefense Research, Development and Procurement Issues (Nonfunding) ---H.R.6800: Health and Economic Recovery Omnibus Emergency Solutions Act (HEROES) Act of 2020 ---Executive Order on Modernizing Influenza Vaccines ---Gene editing ---Implementation of 21st Century Cures Act of 2016 ---Implementation of Medical Countermeasure Innovation Act of 2016 ---Implementation of Pandemic and All-Hazards Preparedness and Advancing Innovation (PAHPAI) Act of 2019 ---National Biodefense Strategy ---Tropical Disease Priority Review Voucher (PRV) Program Biosimilars ---H.R.1499: Protecting Consumer Access to Generic Drugs Act of 2019 ---Biosimilar Copay ---Brazil Biologics Regulations ---BSUFA ---Canada Biologics Regulations ---Coding ---Implementation and Reauthorization of the Biosimilar User Fee Act of 2017 ---Implementation of CREATES Act of 2019 ---India Biologics Regulations ---Interchangeability and Pharmacy Substitution ---Mexico Biologics Regulations ---Naming ---Reimbursement Climate Change ---RFI from House Select Committee on the Climate Crisis Coronavirus (COVID-19) Pandemic ---H.R.4100/S.1712: DISARM Act of 2019 ---H.R.5076/S.1872: Protecting Seniors through Immunizations Act of 2019 ---H.R.6206: Pandemic Response and Emergency Preparedness (PREP) Act of 2020 ---H.R.6260/S.3545: Reciprocity Ensures Streamlined Use of Lifesaving Treatments for Coronavirus Patients Act of 2020 ---H.R.6800: Health and Economic Recovery Omnibus Emergency Solutions Act (HEROES) Act of 2020 ---H.R.7288: The Taxpayer Research and Coronavirus Knowledge (TRACK) Act ---COVID-19 Vaccine and Therapeutic Development ---Drug Supply Chain Management ---Healthcare Disparities ---Home Administration of Part B Drugs ---Liability ---Medicare reimbursement policies ---Patient Cost-Sharing and Smoothing ---Pricing-related Provisions ---R&D Funding for Medical Countermeasures ---Restrictions on Intellectual Property Rights ---Senate HELP Pandemic Preparedness White Paper Drug Evaluation and Review ---S.1617: Second Look at Drug Patents Act of 2019 ---S.3872: Promising Pathway Act ---Compassionate Use/Expanded Access ---Expedited Pathways ---Priority Review Voucher Programs Drug Manufacturing, Quality & Distribution ---Drug Shortages ---Drug Supply Chain Management Drug Patenting ---H.R.1046/S.377: Medicare Negotiation and Competitive Licensing Act of 2019 ---S.1416/H.R.4398/H.R.3991/H.R.5133: Affordable Prescriptions for Patients Act of 2019 Drug Pricing ---H.R.1046/S.377: Medicare Negotiation and Competitive Licensing Act of 2019 ---H.R.1093/S.378: Stop Price Gouging Act of 2019 ---H.R.1425: The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Enhancement Act of 2020 ---H.R.2069/S.474: Stopping the Pharmaceutical Industry from Keeping drugs Expensive (SPIKE) Act of 2019 ---H.R.2113: Prescription Drug STAR Act of 2019 ---H.R.2376/S.1227: Prescription Pricing for the People Act of 2019 ---H.R.6800: Health and Economic Recovery Omnibus Emergency Solutions Act (HEROES) Act of 2020 ---H.R.7288: The Taxpayer Research and Coronavirus Knowledge (TRACK) Act ---S.1416/H.R.4398/H.R.3991/H.R.5133: Affordable Prescriptions for Patients Act of 2019 ---S.2543: Prescription Drug Pricing Reduction Act of 2019 ---CMMI Authority ---General ---HHS Blueprint to lower drug prices and reduce out of pocket costs ---Implementation of CREATES Act of 2019 ---International Pricing Index Proposal ---Labor, Health and Human Services, Education, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act for FY 2021 ---Potential Administration Executive Orders ---Pricing-related Provisions Foreign Drug Data Protection Laws ---Regulatory Harmonization Funding for Antimicrobial Resistance Programs ---H.R.6800: Health and Economic Recovery Omnibus Emergency Solutions Act (HEROES) Act of 2020 ---Agriculture, Rural Development, FDA, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act for FY 2021 ---Labor, Health and Human Services, Education, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act for FY 2021 ---Pioneering Antimicrobial Subscriptions to End Upsurging Resistance (PASTEUR) Act of 2020 Funding for Biodefense/Biomedical/Emergency Preparedness Research, Development and Procurement ---H.R.6800: Health and Economic Recovery Omnibus Emergency Solutions Act (HEROES) Act of 2020 ---Health Defense Operations Funding Designation ---Labor, Health and Human Services, Education, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act for FY 2021 Funding for FDA ---Agriculture, Rural Development, FDA, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act for FY 2021 Funding for Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) - Vaccine Injury Compensation Program (VICP) ---Labor, Health and Human Services, Education, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act for FY 2021 Funding for National Institutes of Health ---H.R.6800: Health and Economic Recovery Omnibus Emergency Solutions Act (HEROES) Act of 2020 ---Labor, Health and Human Services, Education, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act for FY 2021 Funding for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Vaccine Programs ---H.R.6800: Health and Economic Recovery Omnibus Emergency Solutions Act (HEROES) Act of 2020 ---Funding for 2020-21 Influenza Season Preparedness and Response ---Funding for Routine Immunization Infrastructure during Pandemic ---Labor, Health and Human Services, Education, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act for FY 2021 Funding for the HHS Office of Infectious Disease and HIV/AIDS Policy ---Labor, Health and Human Services, Education, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act for FY 2021 Medicaid ---H.R.5741: Strengthening Innovation in Medicare and Medicaid Act of 2020 ---S.2543: Prescription Drug Pricing Reduction Act of 2019 ---Alternative payment arrangements for gene therapies ---Average Manufacturer Price Calculations ---Pricing and Rebates Medicare Expansion ---H.R.5741: Strengthening Innovation in Medicare and Medicaid Act of 2020 Orphan Drug Issues ---H.R.4439/S.4010: Creating Hope Reauthorization Act of 2019 ---H.R.4712: Fairness in Orphan Drug Exclusivity Act of 2019 ---Tax Credit Rare Pediatric Disease Priority Review ---H.R.4439/S.4010: Creating Hope Reauthorization Act of 2019 Reimbursement and Coverage of Innovative Products ---H.R.275: Medicare Prescription Drug Price Negotiation Act of 2019 ---H.R.5122: To prohibit further action on the proposed rule regarding testing of Medicare Part B Prescription Drug Models ---H.R.6800: Health and Economic Recovery Omnibus Emergency Solutions Act (HEROES) Act of 2020 ---S.2326: New Opportunities for Value that Extend Lives (NOVEL) Act of 2019 ---S.2543: Prescription Drug Pricing Reduction Act of 2019 ---Administration Rebate Rule ---CMMI Authority ---HHS Blueprint to lower drug prices and reduce out of pocket costs ---Home Administration of Part B Drugs ---International Pricing Index Proposal ---Medicare Part B Physician-Administered Products ---Medicare Part D Prescription Drug Program ---Patient Cost-Sharing and Smoothing ---Protected Classes ---Step Therapy ---Support of Patient Premiums and Cost-Sharing Obligations ---Surprise Billing ---Value-based Contracting and Communications The United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA) ---Implementation of United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA) ---IP Provisions Trade and Foreign Drug Price Controls US-China Trade Agreement ---IP Provisions US-EU Trade Agreement ---IP Provisions US-Japan Trade Agreement ---IP Provisions US-Kenya Trade Agreement ---IP Provisions US-UK Trade Agreement ---IP Provisions Vaccines and Infectious Diseases ---H.R.2862/S.1619: Vaccine Awareness Campaign to Champion Immunization Nationally and Enhance Safety (VACCINES) Act of 2019 ---H.R.4100/S.1712: DISARM Act of 2019 ---H.R.5076/S.1872: Protecting Seniors through Immunizations Act of 2019 ---H.R.6800: Health and Economic Recovery Omnibus Emergency Solutions Act (HEROES) Act of 2020 ---Adult Immunization Education ---Labor, Health and Human Services, Education, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act for FY 2021 ---Maternal Immunization ---Pioneering Antimicrobial Subscriptions to End Upsurging Resistance (PASTEUR) Act of 2020 ---Vaccine and Anti-Microbial Resistance Product Development and Incentives ---Vaccine Injury Compensation Program
2020 · second_quarter · Health Issues
Medicare Access and CHIP Reauthorization Act of 2015 implementation, Medicare physician payment reform, MEDPAC, surgical global payments, ACA implementation, health care reform, health care quality improvement, physician workforce issues, comparative clinical effectiveness research, health information technology, EHR meaningful use, EHR data blocking, Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute, MEDCAC, Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Innovation, registry access to Medicare claims data, lung cancer screenings, Agency for Healthcare Research & Quality, graduate medical education, electronic cigarette and cigar regulation, PTAC, meaningful use, congenital heart disease funding, unique device identifiers, medical liability reform, tobacco riders in appropriations bills, tobacco regulation in the FDA, price transparency, ECMO coding, Prohibit Smoking in VA Facilities Act (S.2106/HR3700) Resident Physician Shortage Reduction Act (S.348/HR1763), Congenital Heart Futures Reauthorization Act, surprise billing, prior authorization, Women and Lung Cancer Research and Preventive Services Act (S.1107/HR2222), T21 bills, Transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR), Increasing Access to Quality Cardiac Rehabilitation Act (HR.3911), Smoke-Free Schools Act of 2019 (HR.4019/S.1832), Protection for Veterans Burn Pits Exposure Act (HR.4086), The Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act (H.R.748), Coronavirus Provider Protection Act (H.R.7059), Resident Physician Shortage Reduction Act of 2019 (S. 348/H.R. 1763), Quit Because of COVID-19 Act (H.R.7286), Tobacco to 21 Act (S.1258/H.R.2411), The Local Chamber, Tourism, and 501(c)(6) Protection Act (H.R.6697), Immediate Relief for Rural Facilities and Providers Act (S.3559/H.R.6365), Reversing the Youth Tobacco Epidemic Act of 2019 (H.R.2339), Vaccines Act of 2019 (H.R.2862), Investment in Tomorrow's Pediatric Health Care Workforce Act (S.2443), Protecting People from Surprise Medical Bills Act (H.R.3502), Stopping Appealing Flavors in E-Cigarettes for Kids Act (H.R.1498), Resident Education Deferred Interest (REDI) Act (H.R.1554), Improving Access to Medicare Coverage Act (H.R.1682), Traditional Cigar Manufacturing and Small Business Jobs Preservation Act of 2019 (H.R.1854), Women & Lung Cancer Research & Preventive Services Act (H.R.2222), Prevent BLEEDing Act of 2019 (H.R.2550), Educating Medical Professionals and Optimizing Workforce Efficiency and Readiness (EMPOWER) for Health Act (H.R.2781), PCORI Reauthorization (H.R.3030), Improving Seniors Timely Access to Care Act (H.R.3107), Keep Physicians Serving Patients Act (H.R.3302), Stopping Appealing Flavors in E-Cigarettes for Kids Act (S.655), Improving Access to Medicare Coverage Act (S.753)
2020 · third_quarter · Health Issues
Health Insurance Coverage (general); Health Disparities (general); Breastfeeding (general); Assisted Reproductive Technology (general); Smoking Cessation (general); Substance Use Disorder (general); Gynecologic Cancer (general); Gynecologic Devices (general); Reproductive Health (general); Intimate Partner Violence (general); Gun Violence (general); Immunization (general); Breast Cancer (general); Medical Liability Reform (general); Health IT (general); Patient-Physician Relationship (general); Child Welfare (general); Prematurity (general); Maternal Mortality and Morbidity (general); Graduate Medical Education (general); Contraception (general); Abortion (general); Indian Health (general); Teaching Health Centers Graduate Medical Education (general); Community Health Centers (general); National Health Service Corps (general); Special Diabetes Program (general); Special Diabetes Program for Indians (general); Sexuality Education (general); Teen Pregnancy Prevention Program (general); Personal Responsibility Education Program (general); Research in Pregnant and Breastfeeding Women (general); Health Care Reform (general); Title X Family Planning Program (general); Womens Preventive Services (general); Administrative Burden (general); Surprise Billing (general); Pediatric Loan Repayment Program (general); COVID-19 Response (general); Personal Protective Equipment (general); Risk Evaluation and Mitigation Strategies (general); Data Collection (general); Health Equity (general); Pregnancy Risk Assessment Monitoring System (CDC); Provider Relief Fund (general); Maternal Mental Health (general); Violence Against Women Act (general); Secretarys Advisory Committee on Infant Mortality (general); H.R. 2975/S. 1645, Womens Health Protection Act; S. 1895, Lower Health Care Costs Act; H.R. 2862/S. 1619, VACCINES Act; implementation of P.L. 115-344, Preventing Maternal Deaths Act; implementation of P.L. 115-320, Improving Access to Maternity Care Act; S. 2586, Maternal Outcomes Matter Act; HR 3630, No Surprises Act; HR 3502, Protecting People From Surprise Medical Bills Act; H.R. 4495, Maternal Health Quality Improvement Act of 2019; H.R. 5640/S. 3152, the Data Mapping to Save Moms Lives Act; H.R. 6142/ S. 3424, the Black Maternal Health Momnibus Act of 2020 implementation of P.L. 116-123, the Coronavirus Preparedness and Response Supplemental Appropriations Act of 2020; implementation of P.L. 116-127, the Families First Coronavirus Response Act; implementation of P.L. 116-136, the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act; implementation of P.L. 116-139, Paycheck Protection Program and Health Care Enhancement Act; H.R. 6800, the Heroes Act; H.R. 1425, the Affordable Care Act Enhancement Act; H.R. 7059 the Coronavirus Provider Protection Act; H.R. 6953/ S. 3763 the Pandemic Responder Service Award Act; H.R. 6697, the Local Chamber, Tourism, and 501(c)(6) Protection Act; S.___, the Health, Economic Assistance, Liability Protection, and Schools Act; H.R. 2694, the Pregnant Workers Fairness Act; H.R. 8027, the Maternal Health Pandemic Response Act; S. 4524, the Quit Because of COVID-19 Act; HRes 1069/ SRes 655, Declaring racism a public health crisis; S. 4269 the Mothers and Newborns Success Act; S. 4349, Lorna Breen Health Care Provider Protection Act.
2020 · fourth_quarter · Health Issues
Lobbying Issues Description: Budget and appropriations for disease and injury prevention, including obesity and related diseases; pandemic influenza and emerging infectious diseases; physical activity; public health bioterrorism preparedness; food safety, environmental health; paid sick days; womens and childrens health; community-based public health interventions, and substance misuse/behavioral health issues. Specific Legislation: 1.Implementation of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (Public Law 111-148) 2.Implementation of Pandemic and All-Hazards Preparedness Reauthorization Act and Pandemic and All-Hazards Preparedness and Advancing Innovation Act (Public Law 113-5, 116-22) 3.Implementation of Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act of 2010 (Public Law 111-296) 4.Implementation of Every Student Succeeds Act (Public Law 114-95) 5.Implementation of the Comprehensive Addition and Recovery Act (Public Law 114-98) 6.Midnight Rules Relief Act (S.34/H.R. 21) 7.Regulations from the Executive in Need of Scrutiny Act (S. 21/H.R. 26) 8.Regulatory Accountability Act (S.951/H.R. 5/H.R. 45/H.Res.33) 9.Searching for and Cutting Regulations that are Unnecessarily Burdensome (SCRUB) Act (H.R. 998) 10.Regulatory Integrity Act (H.R. 1004) 11.OIRA Insight, Reform, and Accountability Act (S. 676/H.R. 1009) 12.A concurrent resolution setting forth the congressional budget for the United States Government for fiscal year 2017 and setting forth the appropriate budgetary levels for fiscal years 2018 through 2026 (S.Con.Res. 3) 13.American Health Care Act (H.R. 1628/H.Res. 228) 14.Ozone Standards Implementation Act (S. 263/H.R. 806) 15.Providing for congressional disapproval under chapter 8 of title 5, United States Code, of the final rule of the Bureau of Land Management relating to "Waste Prevention, Production Subject to Royalties, and Resource Conservation" (S.J. Res. 11/H.J.Res.36) 16.Common Sense Nutrition Disclosure Act (S. 261/H.R. 772) 17.Reinvigorating Antibiotic and Diagnostic Innovation (READI) Act (H.R. 1840) 18.Preservation of Antibiotics for Medical Treatment Act (H.R. 1587) 19.Preventing Antibiotic Resistance Act (S. 629) 20.Better Care Reconciliation Act (H.R. 1628) and related amendments 21.Public Health Emergency Response Act (S. 196) 22.Recognizing the importance of vaccinations and immunizations in the United States (H.Res.327) 23.Treat and Reduce Obesity Act (S. 830/H.R. 1953) 24.Community Health and Medical Professionals Improve Our Nation (CHAMPION) Act (H.R. 3922) 25.Community Health Investment, Modernization, and Excellence Act of 2017 (S. 1899) 26.Tobacco Tax Equity Act (S. 1837) 27.Healthy Kids Act (S. 1821/H.R. 3921) 28.Implementation of the Drug Quality and Security Act (P.S. 113-54) 29.Continuing Appropriations Act, 2018 and Supplemental Appropriations for Disaster Relief Requirements Act, 2017 (Public Law 115-56) 30.Friendly Airports for Mothers Act (S. 1110/H.R. 2375) 31.Lead-Safe Housing for Kids Act (S. 1583/H.R. 8713) 32.Supporting Working Moms Act (S. 2122/H.R. 3255) 33.Championing Healthy Kids Act (H.R. 3922) 34.Making further continuing appropriations for fiscal year 2018, and for other purposes (Public Law 115-90) 35.An Act to amend the Homeland Security Act of 2002 to require the Secretary of Homeland Security to issue Department of Homeland Security-wide guidance and develop training programs as part of the Department of Homeland Security Blue Campaign, and for other purposes (Public Law 115-96) 36.Tax Cuts and Jobs Act (Public Law 115-97) 37.Pandemic and All-Hazards Preparedness Advancing Innovation Act (P.L. 116-22) 38.Vaccine Access Improvement Act (H.R. 4993) 39.Relief from New Source Performance Standards Act (H.R. 453) 40.Strategies to Address Antimicrobial Resistance (S. 2469) 41.Opioid Quota Reform Act (S. 2535) 42.Hospital Preparedness Program Reauthorization Act (H.R. 4776) 43.Blocking Regulatory Interference from Closing Kilns Act (H.R. 1917) 44.Opioid Crisis Response Act of 2018 (S. 2680) 45.Agriculture and Nutrition Act (H.R. 2) 46.Agriculture Improvement Act (S. 3042) 47.SECURE Act (H.R. 5998) 48.Trauma-Informed Care for Children and Families Act (S. 774) 49.SUPPORT for Patients and Communities Act (H.R. 6) 50.Centers for Disease Control Emergency Response Act (S. 3161) 51.LABEL Opioids Act (S. 3428) 52.Relief from New Source Performance Standards Act (S. 1857) 53.Outdoors for All Act (S. 3499) 54.The MOMMA Act (H.R. 5977) 55.Preventing Maternal Deaths Act (H.R. 1318) 56.Medicare Access to Vaccines Equity Act (not yet introduced) 57.The Support Act (H.R. 6) 58.Climate Change Health Protection and Promotion Act (S. 529) 59.NURSE Act (H.R. 1597) 60.Investing for the People Act (H.R. 2021) 61.Child Care for Working Families Act (H.R. 365/S. 568) 62.FAMILY Act (H.R. 1185/S. 463) 63.Transportation Alternatives Enhancement Act (S. 1098) 64.Lower Health Care Costs Act (S. 1895) 65.LIFT America Act (H.R 2479) 66.Public Health Funding Restoration Act (H.R. 3447/S. 1944) 67.Supporting Older Americans Act of 2020 (HR 4334) 68.Campus Prevention and Recovery Services for Students Act (H.R. 3591) 69.Healthier Students for Stronger Campuses Act (S. 1281) 70.Saving Lives Through Better Data Act (S. 1793) 71.VACCINES Act (H.R. 2862) 72.DISARM Act (H.R. 4100/S. 1712) 73.Community Access, Resources, and Education for Families Act (H.R. 3117) 74.Protecting Seniors Through Immunization Act (S. 1872) 75.Tobacco-Free Youth Act (S. 1541) 76.Tobacco to 21 Act (H.R. 2411/S. 1258) 77.Investing for People Act (H.R. 2021) 78.School Based Health Centers Reauthorization Act (H.R.2075/S.1013) 79.Reversing the Youth Tobacco Epidemic Act of 2019 (H.R. 2339) 80.Social Determinants Accelerator Act (H.R. 4004/S. 2986) 81.Mental Health Professionals Workforce Shortage Loan Repayment Act (H.R. 2431) 82.The UNDERSTAND Act (S. 1323) 83.Americas Transportation Infrastructure Act (S. 2302) 84.Barriers to Suicide Act of 2019 (H.R. 4309) 85.Promoting Physical Activity for Americans Act (S. 1608/H.R. 2891) 86.Public Health Infrastructure Modernization Act of 2019 (H.R. 5321) 87.Supporting Healthy Mothers and Infants Act (H.R. 5249) 88.Lead-Free Future Act (H.R. 4416) 89.Home Visiting to Reduce Maternal Mortality and Morbidity Act (H.R. 4768) 90.Recognizing the anniversary of the eradication of smallpox and the importance of vaccination in the United States and worldwide (H. Res. 592) 91.Coronavirus Preparedness and Response Supplemental Appropriations Act (H.R. 6074) 92.Families First Coronavirus Response Act (H.R. 6201) 93.Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act (H.R. 748) 94.Connecting Americas Transportation Infrastructure Act (H.R. 5696/S. 3391)) 95.Improving Access to Remote Behavioral Health Treatment Act (S. 2244/H.R. 4131) 96.National Suicide Hotline Designation Act (S. 2661/H.R. 4194) 97.Suicide Prevention Lifeline Improvement Act (H.R. 4564) 98.Campaign to Prevent Suicide Act (H.R. 4585) 99.Medicaid Reentry Act (H.R. 1329) 100.Excellence in Mental Health and Addiction Treatment Expansion Act (S. 824/H.R. 1767) 101.Mental Health Services for Students Act (S. 1122/H.R. 1109) 102.Suicide Training and Awareness Nationally Delivered for Universal Prevention (STANDUP) Act (S. 2492/H.R. 2599) 103.Mental Health Parity Compliance Act (S. 1737/H.R. 3165) 104.Behavioral Health Transparency Act (S. 1576/H.R. 2874) 105.Medicare Mental Health Access Act (S. 2772/H.R. 884) 106.Public Health Emergency Response and Accountability Act (S. 3309) 107.Family Violence Prevention and Services Improvement Act (H.R. 5041) 108.Protecting the Health of Americas Older Adults During COVID-19 and Beyond Act (H.R. 6935) 109.Improving Social Determinants Act (H.R. 6561/S. 4440) 110.Urging the establishment of a United States Commission on Truth, Racial Healing, and Transformation (H.Con.Res.100/S.Con.Res.50) 111.FY 2021 Departments of Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education and Related Agencies Appropriations (TBD) 112.Better Tools for Healthy Living Act (S. 1805) 113.The WIC Act (H.R. 6811/S. 2358) 114.Health Equity and Accountability Act (H.R. 6637/S. 4819) 115.Paycheck Protection Program and Health Care Enhancement Act (H.R. 266) 116.The HEROES Act (H.R.6800) 117.Community Solutions for COVID-19 Act (H.R.7077/S.3877) 118.The Black Maternal Health Momnibus Act of 2020 (H.R. 6142) 119.COVID-19 Bias and Anti-Racism Training Act (H.R. 7618/S. 4248) 120.Urging the establishment of a United States Commission on Truth, Racial Healing, and Transformation (H. Con. Res. 100) 121.Community Immunity During COVID-19 Act of 2020 (H.R. 8061) 122.Public Safety Officer Support Act (H.R. 7568) 123.COVID-19 Behavioral Health Support Act (S. 4059) 124.Public Health Workforce Loan Repayment Act (H.R. 6578) 125.Strengthening the Public Health Workforce Act (S. 3737) 126.A resolution declaring racism a public health crisis (S. Res. 655) 127.Pandemic Child Hunger Prevention Act (H.R.7887) 128.Public Health Infrastructure Saves Lives Act (S. 4740) 129.CARE for Families Act (H.R. 3117/S. 3354) 130.Improving Data Collection for Adverse Childhood Experiences Act (H.R. 7689/S. 4980) 131.The STANDUP Act of 2020 (H.R. 7293) 132.The Effective Suicide Screening and Assessment in the Emergency Department Act (H.R. 4861) 133.The Pursuing Equity in Mental Health Act of 2019 (H.R. 5469) 134.The Improving Mental Health Access from the Emergency Department Act (H.R. 2519/S. 1334) 135.The Suicide Prevention Act (H.R. 5619/S. 3198) 136.The Helping Emergency Responders Overcome (HERO) Act (H.R. 1646/S. 3244) 137.The Campaign to Prevent Suicide Act (H.R. 4585) 138.The Maternal Health Immunization Enhancement Act (S. 4690) 139.Pandemic Vaccine Access Improvement Act (Not yet introduced) 140.Moving Forward Act (H.R. 2) 141.Continuing Appropriations Act, 2021 and Other Extensions Act (HR 8319) Coronavirus Response Additional Supplemental Appropriations Act (S. 4320). 142.ETHIC Act (H.R. 8205) 143.Safely Back to School and Work Act (S. 4322) 144.Supporting the goals and ideals of BIPOC Mental Health Awareness Month (H.Res. 1064) 145.COVID-19 Health Disparities Action Act (S. 4262) 146.Protecting American Heroes Act of 2020 (S. 4368) 147.Health STATISTICS Act (H.R. 8080) 148.Maternal Health Quality Improvement Act (H.R. 4995) 149.Helping MOMS Act of 2020 (H.R. 4996) 150.Maternal Immunization Enhancement Act 151.FY2021 Omnibus and COVID Relief and Response Act (P.L. 116-260) 152.Helping Adults Protect Immunity (HAPI) Act (H.R. 4864) 153.Secure Affordable Vaccines Equally (SAVE) for Seniors Act (H.R. 8623) House(s) of Congress and Federal Agencies lobbied during the quarter: House, Senate, Exec Office of Pres, HHS, CDC, FDA, CMS, OMB, DOT, HUD, EPA, NIMH, Education, USDA, DHS, FEMA, and SAMHSA.
| Republican |
| KY |
| Carolyn B. Maloney | Democratic | NY |
| David E. Price | Democratic | NC |
| David P. Roe | Republican | TN |
| Denny Heck | Democratic | WA |
| Derek Kilmer | Democratic | WA |
| Ed Case | Democratic | HI |
| Eleanor Holmes Norton | Democratic | DC |
| Eliot L. Engel | Democratic | NY |
| Gus M. Bilirakis | Republican | FL |
| Gwen Moore | Democratic | WI |
| Jackie Walorski | Republican | IN |
| Joseph D. Morelle | Democratic | NY |
| Joseph P. Kennedy III | Democratic | MA |
| Kurt Schrader | Democratic | OR |
| Larry Bucshon | Republican | IN |
| Lauren Underwood | Democratic | IL |
| Madeleine Dean | Democratic | PA |
| Max Rose | Democratic | NY |
| Michael C. Burgess | Republican | TX |
| Rick Larsen | Democratic | WA |
| Roger Marshall | Republican | KS |
| Steve Cohen | Democratic | TN |
| Susan W. Brooks | Republican | IN |
| Sylvia R. Garcia | Democratic | TX |
| Ted Lieu | Democratic | CA |
| Troy Balderson | Republican | OH |
Client expense: $3,320,000 · Firm income: Not reported
Government targets: Agriculture, Dept of (USDA), Centers For Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS), Commerce, Dept of (DOC), Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), Food & Drug Administration (FDA), HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES, Health & Human Services, Dept of (HHS), Natl Economic Council (NEC), Natl Security Council (NSC), Office of Management & Budget (OMB), Office of the Vice President of the United States, Patent & Trademark Office (PTO), SENATE, Securities & Exchange Commission (SEC), Small Business Administration (SBA), State, Dept of (DOS), Treasury, Dept of, U.S. Trade Representative (USTR), White House Office
Client expense: $186,000 · Firm income: Not reported
Government targets: Agency for Healthcare Research & Quality (AHRQ), Centers For Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS), Food & Drug Administration (FDA), HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES, Health & Human Services, Dept of (HHS), Health Resources & Services Administration (HRSA), Medicare Payment Advisory Commission (MedPAC), SENATE, Social Security Administration (SSA)
Client expense: $404,940 · Firm income: Not reported
Government targets: Agency for Healthcare Research & Quality (AHRQ), Agriculture, Dept of (USDA), Centers For Disease Control & Prevention (CDC), Centers For Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS), Defense, Dept of (DOD), Executive Office of the President (EOP), Food & Drug Administration (FDA), Government Accountability Office (GAO), HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES, Health & Human Services, Dept of (HHS), Health Resources & Services Administration (HRSA), Homeland Security, Dept of (DHS), Indian Health Service, Justice, Dept of (DOJ), Labor, Dept of (DOL), Natl Institutes of Health (NIH), Office of Management & Budget (OMB), SENATE, Small Business Administration (SBA), State, Dept of (DOS), Substance Abuse & Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), Veterans Affairs, Dept of (VA), White House Office
Client expense: $41,268 · Firm income: Not reported
Government targets: Agriculture, Dept of (USDA), Centers For Disease Control & Prevention (CDC), Centers For Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS), Education, Dept of, Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), Executive Office of the President (EOP), Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), Food & Drug Administration (FDA), HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES, Health & Human Services, Dept of (HHS), Homeland Security, Dept of (DHS), Housing & Urban Development, Dept of (HUD), Office of Management & Budget (OMB), SENATE, Substance Abuse & Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), Transportation, Dept of (DOT)
2020 · fourth_quarter · Health Issues
Lobbying Issues Description: Budget and appropriations for disease and injury prevention, including obesity and related diseases; pandemic influenza and emerging infectious diseases; physical activity; public health bioterrorism preparedness; food safety, environmental health; paid sick days; womens and childrens health; community-based public health interventions, and substance misuse/behavioral health issues. Specific Legislation: 1.Implementation of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (Public Law 111-148) 2.Implementation of Pandemic and All-Hazards Preparedness Reauthorization Act and Pandemic and All-Hazards Preparedness and Advancing Innovation Act (Public Law 113-5, 116-22) 3.Implementation of Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act of 2010 (Public Law 111-296) 4.Implementation of Every Student Succeeds Act (Public Law 114-95) 5.Implementation of the Comprehensive Addition and Recovery Act (Public Law 114-98) 6.Midnight Rules Relief Act (S.34/H.R. 21) 7.Regulations from the Executive in Need of Scrutiny Act (S. 21/H.R. 26) 8.Regulatory Accountability Act (S.951/H.R. 5/H.R. 45/H.Res.33) 9.Searching for and Cutting Regulations that are Unnecessarily Burdensome (SCRUB) Act (H.R. 998) 10.Regulatory Integrity Act (H.R. 1004) 11.OIRA Insight, Reform, and Accountability Act (S. 676/H.R. 1009) 12.A concurrent resolution setting forth the congressional budget for the United States Government for fiscal year 2017 and setting forth the appropriate budgetary levels for fiscal years 2018 through 2026 (S.Con.Res. 3) 13.American Health Care Act (H.R. 1628/H.Res. 228) 14.Ozone Standards Implementation Act (S. 263/H.R. 806) 15.Providing for congressional disapproval under chapter 8 of title 5, United States Code, of the final rule of the Bureau of Land Management relating to "Waste Prevention, Production Subject to Royalties, and Resource Conservation" (S.J. Res. 11/H.J.Res.36) 16.Common Sense Nutrition Disclosure Act (S. 261/H.R. 772) 17.Reinvigorating Antibiotic and Diagnostic Innovation (READI) Act (H.R. 1840) 18.Preservation of Antibiotics for Medical Treatment Act (H.R. 1587) 19.Preventing Antibiotic Resistance Act (S. 629) 20.Better Care Reconciliation Act (H.R. 1628) and related amendments 21.Public Health Emergency Response Act (S. 196) 22.Recognizing the importance of vaccinations and immunizations in the United States (H.Res.327) 23.Treat and Reduce Obesity Act (S. 830/H.R. 1953) 24.Community Health and Medical Professionals Improve Our Nation (CHAMPION) Act (H.R. 3922) 25.Community Health Investment, Modernization, and Excellence Act of 2017 (S. 1899) 26.Tobacco Tax Equity Act (S. 1837) 27.Healthy Kids Act (S. 1821/H.R. 3921) 28.Implementation of the Drug Quality and Security Act (P.S. 113-54) 29.Continuing Appropriations Act, 2018 and Supplemental Appropriations for Disaster Relief Requirements Act, 2017 (Public Law 115-56) 30.Friendly Airports for Mothers Act (S. 1110/H.R. 2375) 31.Lead-Safe Housing for Kids Act (S. 1583/H.R. 8713) 32.Supporting Working Moms Act (S. 2122/H.R. 3255) 33.Championing Healthy Kids Act (H.R. 3922) 34.Making further continuing appropriations for fiscal year 2018, and for other purposes (Public Law 115-90) 35.An Act to amend the Homeland Security Act of 2002 to require the Secretary of Homeland Security to issue Department of Homeland Security-wide guidance and develop training programs as part of the Department of Homeland Security Blue Campaign, and for other purposes (Public Law 115-96) 36.Tax Cuts and Jobs Act (Public Law 115-97) 37.Pandemic and All-Hazards Preparedness Advancing Innovation Act (P.L. 116-22) 38.Vaccine Access Improvement Act (H.R. 4993) 39.Relief from New Source Performance Standards Act (H.R. 453) 40.Strategies to Address Antimicrobial Resistance (S. 2469) 41.Opioid Quota Reform Act (S. 2535) 42.Hospital Preparedness Program Reauthorization Act (H.R. 4776) 43.Blocking Regulatory Interference from Closing Kilns Act (H.R. 1917) 44.Opioid Crisis Response Act of 2018 (S. 2680) 45.Agriculture and Nutrition Act (H.R. 2) 46.Agriculture Improvement Act (S. 3042) 47.SECURE Act (H.R. 5998) 48.Trauma-Informed Care for Children and Families Act (S. 774) 49.SUPPORT for Patients and Communities Act (H.R. 6) 50.Centers for Disease Control Emergency Response Act (S. 3161) 51.LABEL Opioids Act (S. 3428) 52.Relief from New Source Performance Standards Act (S. 1857) 53.Outdoors for All Act (S. 3499) 54.The MOMMA Act (H.R. 5977) 55.Preventing Maternal Deaths Act (H.R. 1318) 56.Medicare Access to Vaccines Equity Act (not yet introduced) 57.The Support Act (H.R. 6) 58.Climate Change Health Protection and Promotion Act (S. 529) 59.NURSE Act (H.R. 1597) 60.Investing for the People Act (H.R. 2021) 61.Child Care for Working Families Act (H.R. 365/S. 568) 62.FAMILY Act (H.R. 1185/S. 463) 63.Transportation Alternatives Enhancement Act (S. 1098) 64.Lower Health Care Costs Act (S. 1895) 65.LIFT America Act (H.R 2479) 66.Public Health Funding Restoration Act (H.R. 3447/S. 1944) 67.Supporting Older Americans Act of 2020 (HR 4334) 68.Campus Prevention and Recovery Services for Students Act (H.R. 3591) 69.Healthier Students for Stronger Campuses Act (S. 1281) 70.Saving Lives Through Better Data Act (S. 1793) 71.VACCINES Act (H.R. 2862) 72.DISARM Act (H.R. 4100/S. 1712) 73.Community Access, Resources, and Education for Families Act (H.R. 3117) 74.Protecting Seniors Through Immunization Act (S. 1872) 75.Tobacco-Free Youth Act (S. 1541) 76.Tobacco to 21 Act (H.R. 2411/S. 1258) 77.Investing for People Act (H.R. 2021) 78.School Based Health Centers Reauthorization Act (H.R.2075/S.1013) 79.Reversing the Youth Tobacco Epidemic Act of 2019 (H.R. 2339) 80.Social Determinants Accelerator Act (H.R. 4004/S. 2986) 81.Mental Health Professionals Workforce Shortage Loan Repayment Act (H.R. 2431) 82.The UNDERSTAND Act (S. 1323) 83.Americas Transportation Infrastructure Act (S. 2302) 84.Barriers to Suicide Act of 2019 (H.R. 4309) 85.Promoting Physical Activity for Americans Act (S. 1608/H.R. 2891) 86.Public Health Infrastructure Modernization Act of 2019 (H.R. 5321) 87.Supporting Healthy Mothers and Infants Act (H.R. 5249) 88.Lead-Free Future Act (H.R. 4416) 89.Home Visiting to Reduce Maternal Mortality and Morbidity Act (H.R. 4768) 90.Recognizing the anniversary of the eradication of smallpox and the importance of vaccination in the United States and worldwide (H. Res. 592) 91.Coronavirus Preparedness and Response Supplemental Appropriations Act (H.R. 6074) 92.Families First Coronavirus Response Act (H.R. 6201) 93.Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act (H.R. 748) 94.Connecting Americas Transportation Infrastructure Act (H.R. 5696/S. 3391)) 95.Improving Access to Remote Behavioral Health Treatment Act (S. 2244/H.R. 4131) 96.National Suicide Hotline Designation Act (S. 2661/H.R. 4194) 97.Suicide Prevention Lifeline Improvement Act (H.R. 4564) 98.Campaign to Prevent Suicide Act (H.R. 4585) 99.Medicaid Reentry Act (H.R. 1329) 100.Excellence in Mental Health and Addiction Treatment Expansion Act (S. 824/H.R. 1767) 101.Mental Health Services for Students Act (S. 1122/H.R. 1109) 102.Suicide Training and Awareness Nationally Delivered for Universal Prevention (STANDUP) Act (S. 2492/H.R. 2599) 103.Mental Health Parity Compliance Act (S. 1737/H.R. 3165) 104.Behavioral Health Transparency Act (S. 1576/H.R. 2874) 105.Medicare Mental Health Access Act (S. 2772/H.R. 884) 106.Public Health Emergency Response and Accountability Act (S. 3309) 107.Family Violence Prevention and Services Improvement Act (H.R. 5041) 108.Protecting the Health of Americas Older Adults During COVID-19 and Beyond Act (H.R. 6935) 109.Improving Social Determinants Act (H.R. 6561/S. 4440) 110.Urging the establishment of a United States Commission on Truth, Racial Healing, and Transformation (H.Con.Res.100/S.Con.Res.50) 111.FY 2021 Departments of Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education and Related Agencies Appropriations (TBD) 112.Better Tools for Healthy Living Act (S. 1805) 113.The WIC Act (H.R. 6811/S. 2358) 114.Health Equity and Accountability Act (H.R. 6637/S. 4819) 115.Paycheck Protection Program and Health Care Enhancement Act (H.R. 266) 116.The HEROES Act (H.R.6800) 117.Community Solutions for COVID-19 Act (H.R.7077/S.3877) 118.The Black Maternal Health Momnibus Act of 2020 (H.R. 6142) 119.COVID-19 Bias and Anti-Racism Training Act (H.R. 7618/S. 4248) 120.Urging the establishment of a United States Commission on Truth, Racial Healing, and Transformation (H. Con. Res. 100) 121.Community Immunity During COVID-19 Act of 2020 (H.R. 8061) 122.Public Safety Officer Support Act (H.R. 7568) 123.COVID-19 Behavioral Health Support Act (S. 4059) 124.Public Health Workforce Loan Repayment Act (H.R. 6578) 125.Strengthening the Public Health Workforce Act (S. 3737) 126.A resolution declaring racism a public health crisis (S. Res. 655) 127.Pandemic Child Hunger Prevention Act (H.R.7887) 128.Public Health Infrastructure Saves Lives Act (S. 4740) 129.CARE for Families Act (H.R. 3117/S. 3354) 130.Improving Data Collection for Adverse Childhood Experiences Act (H.R. 7689/S. 4980) 131.The STANDUP Act of 2020 (H.R. 7293) 132.The Effective Suicide Screening and Assessment in the Emergency Department Act (H.R. 4861) 133.The Pursuing Equity in Mental Health Act of 2019 (H.R. 5469) 134.The Improving Mental Health Access from the Emergency Department Act (H.R. 2519/S. 1334) 135.The Suicide Prevention Act (H.R. 5619/S. 3198) 136.The Helping Emergency Responders Overcome (HERO) Act (H.R. 1646/S. 3244) 137.The Campaign to Prevent Suicide Act (H.R. 4585) 138.The Maternal Health Immunization Enhancement Act (S. 4690) 139.Pandemic Vaccine Access Improvement Act (Not yet introduced) 140.Moving Forward Act (H.R. 2) 141.Continuing Appropriations Act, 2021 and Other Extensions Act (HR 8319) Coronavirus Response Additional Supplemental Appropriations Act (S. 4320). 142.ETHIC Act (H.R. 8205) 143.Safely Back to School and Work Act (S. 4322) 144.Supporting the goals and ideals of BIPOC Mental Health Awareness Month (H.Res. 1064) 145.COVID-19 Health Disparities Action Act (S. 4262) 146.Protecting American Heroes Act of 2020 (S. 4368) 147.Health STATISTICS Act (H.R. 8080) 148.Maternal Health Quality Improvement Act (H.R. 4995) 149.Helping MOMS Act of 2020 (H.R. 4996) 150.Maternal Immunization Enhancement Act 151.FY2021 Omnibus and COVID Relief and Response Act (P.L. 116-260) 152.Helping Adults Protect Immunity (HAPI) Act (H.R. 4864) 153.Secure Affordable Vaccines Equally (SAVE) for Seniors Act (H.R. 8623) House(s) of Congress and Federal Agencies lobbied during the quarter: House, Senate, Exec Office of Pres, HHS, CDC, FDA, CMS, OMB, DOT, HUD, EPA, NIMH, Education, USDA, DHS, FEMA, and SAMHSA.
Client expense: $36,974 · Firm income: Not reported
Government targets: Agriculture, Dept of (USDA), Centers For Disease Control & Prevention (CDC), Centers For Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS), Education, Dept of, Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), Executive Office of the President (EOP), Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), Food & Drug Administration (FDA), HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES, Health & Human Services, Dept of (HHS), Homeland Security, Dept of (DHS), Housing & Urban Development, Dept of (HUD), Office of Management & Budget (OMB), SENATE, Substance Abuse & Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), Transportation, Dept of (DOT)
2020 · fourth_quarter · Health Issues
Legislation and policies relating to: Provisions of the Patient Protection & Affordable Care Act (P.L. 111-148) Reauthorization of funding for the Childrens Health Insurance Program Reauthorization of the Child Nutrition Act Section 2706 of the ACA regarding provider non-discrimination Policies related to health insurance market stabilization Policies affecting nurse practitioner education and workforce Definition, evaluation and enforcement of essential health benefits and provider network adequacy Health information technology and electronic health records Mental health services and violence prevention Human and child trafficking Palliative Care and Hospice Education and Training Act (H.R. 647/S. 2080) Title VIII Nursing Workforce Reauthorization Act of 2019 (H.R. 728/S. 1399) Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act (H.R. 748/S.3548) Emergency Medical Services for Children Program Reauthorization Act of 2019 (H.R. 776/S. 1173) End Surprise Billing Act of 2019 (H.R. 861) Fairness for Breastfeeding Mothers Act (H.R. 866/S. 528) Heroes Act (H.R. 925) Mental Health Access Improvement Act of 2019 (H.R. 945) Mental Health Services for Students Act of 2019 (H.R. 1109) Workplace Violence Prevention for Health Care and Social Service Workers Act (H.R. 1309) Competitive Health Insurance Reform Act of 2020 (H.R. 1418) Patient Protection and Affordable Care Enhancement Act (H.R. 1425) Healthy Families Act (H.R. 1784/S. 840) Mothers and Offspring Mortality and Morbidity Awareness (MOMMAs) Act (H.R. 1897) School-Based Health Centers Reauthorization Act of 2019 (H.R. 2075/S. 1013) Scarlett's Sunshine on Sudden Unexpected Death Act (H.R. 2271/S. 1130) Easy MAT for Opioid Addiction Act (H.R. 2281) Community Health Investment, Modernization, and Excellence Act of 2019 (H.R. 2328) Newborn Screening Saves Lives Reauthorization Act of 2019 (H.R. 2507) Pregnant Workers Fairness Act (H.R. 2694) Educating Medical Professionals and Optimizing Workforce Efficiency and Readiness (EMPOWER) for Health Act of 2019 (H.R. 2781) Vaccine Awareness Campaign to Champion Immunization Nationally and Enhance Safety (VACCINES) Act of 2019 (H.R. 2862) Physical Activities Recommendations for Americans Act of 2019 (H.R. 2891) Safe Cribs Act of 2019 (H.R. 3170) Safe Sleep for Babies Act of 2019 (H.R. 3172) Pathways to Health Careers Act (H.R. 3398) Chronic Care Management Improvement Act (H.R. 3436) No Surprises Act (H.R. 3630) Midwives for Maximizing Optimal Maternity Services (Midwives for MOMS) Act of 2019 (H.R. 3849) Social Determinants Accelerator Act of 2019 (H.R. 4004/S. 2986) Developing an Innovative Strategy for Antimicrobial Resistant Microorganisms (DISARM) Act of 2019 (H.R. 3328/H.R. 4100/S. 1712) Effective Suicide Screening and Assessment in the Emergency Department Act of 2019 (H.R. 4861/S. 3006) United States Public Health Service Modernization Act of 2019 (H.R. 4870/S. 2629) Medication Access and Training Expansion (MATE) Act of 2019 (H.R. 4974) Maternal Health Quality Improvement Act of 2019 (H.R. 4995) Helping Medicaid Offer Maternity Services (MOMS) Act of 2019 (H.R. 4996) Protecting Seniors Through Immunization Act of 2019 (H.R. 5076/S. 1872) Pursuing Equity in Mental Health Act of 2019 (H.R. 5469) Primary and Behavioral Health Care Access Act (H.R. 5575) Ban Surprise Billing Act (H.R. 5800) Consumer Protections Against Surprise Medical Bills Act of 2020 (H.R. 5826) Black Maternal Health Momnibus Act of 2020 (H.R. 6142/S. 3424) Families First Coronavirus Response Act (H.R. 6201) Take Responsibility for Workers and Families Act (H.R. 6379) Health Care at Home Act (H.R. 6644) COVID-19 Mental Health Research Act (H.R. 6645) HEROES Act (H.R. 6800) Child Care Is Essential Act (H.R. 7027) Ensuring Children and Child Care Workers Are Safe Act of 2020 (H.R. 7079) Child Care for Economic Recovery Act (H.R. 7327) Protect Telehealth Access Act (H.R. 7391) Protecting Access to Post-COVID-19 Telehealth Act of 2020 (H.R. 7663) Community and Public Health Programs Extension Act (S. 192) National Nurse Act of 2019 (S. 696/H.R. 1597) Excellence in Mental Health and Addiction Treatment Expansion Act (S. 824/H.R. 1767) Nursing Where It's Needed Act (S. 1045) Promoting Physical Activity for Americans Act (S. 1608) Lower Health Care Costs Act (S. 1895) National Suicide Hotline Designation Act (S. 2661) Child Care Protection Improvement Act of 2019 (S. 2683) CONNECT for Health Act of 2019(S. 2741/H.R. 4932) CAPTA Reauthorization Act of 2019 (S. 2971) Suicide Prevention Act (S. 3198/H.R. 5619) Eliminating Abusive and Rampant Neglect of Interactive Technologies (EARN IT) Act of 2020 (S. 3398) Tele-Mental Health Improvement Act (S. 3792) Coronavirus Mental Health and Addiction Assistance Act of 2020 (S. 3825/H.R. 6999) Mental and Behavioral Health Connectivity Act (S. 3999) Future Advancement of Academic Nursing (FAAN) Act (S. 4396/H.R. 7945) Safe Authorization for Vaccines during Emergencies (SAVE) Act (S. 4427) Pioneering Antimicrobial Subscriptions to End Up surging Resistance (PASTEUR) Act of 2020 (S. 4760)
Client expense: Not reported · Firm income: $24,000
Government targets: Bureau of Alcohol Tobacco Firearms & Explosives, Centers For Disease Control & Prevention (CDC), Centers For Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS), Education, Dept of, Food & Drug Administration (FDA), HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES, Health & Human Services, Dept of (HHS), Health Resources & Services Administration (HRSA), Homeland Security, Dept of (DHS), Justice, Dept of (DOJ), Medicare Payment Advisory Commission (MedPAC), Natl Institutes of Health (NIH), Office of Management & Budget (OMB), SENATE, Treasury, Dept of, Veterans Affairs, Dept of (VA), Vice President of the U.S., White House Office
2020 · fourth_quarter · Health Issues
Newborn Screening Saves Lives Reauthorization Act Urging inclusion of children in clinical trials for COVID-19 vaccines Urging action to address the sustained decline in childhood immunization rates during COVID-19 VACCINES Act Community Immunity During COVID-19 Act FY2021 Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education Appropriations Funding within COVID-19 relief legislation to help schools safely reopen and respond to COVID-19 Keeping All Students Safe Act FY 2021 National Defense Authorization Act Marijuana Opportunity Reinvestment and Expungement (MORE) Act (H.R. 3884) CLINICAL TREATMENT Act (H.R. 913/S. 4742) Quit Because of COVID-19 Act (H.R. 7286/S. 4524) 2020 Census Deadline Extensions Act (H.R. 8250/S. 4571) COVID-19 Relief Legislation FY 2021 Appropriations The Global Child Thrive Act HEROES Act Expansion of Protecting Life in Global Health Assistance (Global Gag Rule) Consolidated Appropriations Act COVID-19 Economic Relief Bill Regulation of air pollutants Food additive safety Paid family leave Climate change IHS funding Child Abuse Prevention and Treatment Act reauthorization CAPTA Plans of safe care grants Family First Prevention Services Act implementation Issues related to the COVID-19 pandemic and providing supports for the child welfare community Emergency Funding for Child Protection Act (S 3660) Child Welfare Emergency Funding Act (S 4172) Supporting Foster Youth and Families through the Pandemic Act Scarletts Sunshine on Sudden Unexpected Death Act (H.R. 2271/S. 1130) Gun violence prevention research funding Child product safety Child passenger safety COVID-19 pandemic response for AI/AN communities Child care supplemental funding Special Diabetes Program for Indians Reauthorization Act Maternal, Infant, and Early Childhood Home Visiting Program funding Infant sleep product safety Lead exposure prevention Standards in CBP Custody, S. 2135 Standards in ICE Family Detention Standards in ORR Custody Public Charge Child Nutrition Reauthorization/WIC SNAP Mental Health for Children H.R. 6, DREAM Act Family Separation and Detention CARE for Families Act HR 3107 WIC Act Keep Families Together Act Breastfeeding Peer Counseling Program Public Health Preparedness and Response Research for Pregnant and Lactating Women Palliative Care and Hospice Education and Training Act (S. 2080) Dietary Guidelines Child Poverty HEROES Act Senate 4.0 Coronavirus Response Legislation Asylum Child Poverty Reduction Act Suicide Prevention Dr Lorna Breen Health Care Provider Protection Act S. 4349 CBP Medical Services Contract Child Nutrition Waivers School Meal Standards Universal School Meals Eviction Moratorium 12-Month Continuous Medicaid/CHIP Eligibility Medicaid Work Requirements Medicaid Block Grants Medicaid Per Capita Caps Section 1115 Medicaid Waivers Medicaid Payment Parity Increase to Medicaid FMAP During COVID-19 Establish an automatic FMAP increase tied to state economic indicators HR 6159, the Kids Access to Primary Care Act The Ensuring Access for Womens and Childrens Act, S. 4088. Medicaid Maintenance of Effort (MOE) Protections Comprehensive Access to Robust Insurance Now Guaranteed (CARING) for Kids Act (H.R.6151) Medicaid Fiscal Accountability Rule Maternal Health H.R. 4996 Helping Moms Act H.R.4995 - Maternal Health Quality Improvement Act of 2020 Expanding Medicaid to 12 Months Post-Partum Medicaid Premiums and Cost Sharing Helping Families Access Pediatric Care Act of 2020 Medicaid Payment for Eligibility Workers Expanding the use of Telehealth in Medicaid/CHIP/Private Insurance Allow for the home and other secure locations as originating (patient) and distant (provider) sites in telehealth Waive telehealth cost-sharing for patients in telehealth Pay for telehealth care visits at parity with that of in-person visits Allow telehealth care for both new and established patients Expanding Capacity for Health Outcomes (ECHO) Act of 2019 (S 1618/HR 5199) Including Preventive Medicine Service Codes to be Eligible for Telehealth Increased Access To Broadband to Expand Telehealth Services Financial Relief to Medicaid Providers Financial Relief for Pediatricians Provider Relief Fund Expanding Provider Relief Fund Eligibility to Those Pediatricians Who Received a Small Medicare Allotment COVID-19 Response Targeted allocation of funds to primary care physician practices. Expand existing alternative payment models for primary care Fully implementing the 2021 outpatient E/M changes. Immediately implement the vaccine administration payment increases proposed in the 2021 MPFS. VACCINES Act, H.R. 2862 Expand VFC to separate CHIP Programs Providing incentive payments for VFC providers Allow VFC to pay for CPT code 90461 for administering a multiple-component vaccine Allowing underinsured and uninsured children in VFC to receive a vaccine from any participating VFC provider (not just FQHC or RHC)
Client expense: $250,000 · Firm income: Not reported
Government targets: Administration for Children & Families (ACF), Agriculture, Dept of (USDA), Bureau of Citizenship & Immigration Services (BCIS), Centers For Disease Control & Prevention (CDC), Centers For Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS), Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC), Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), Food & Drug Administration (FDA), HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES, Health & Human Services, Dept of (HHS), Health Resources & Services Administration (HRSA), Homeland Security, Dept of (DHS), Housing & Urban Development, Dept of (HUD), Indian Health Service, Natl Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), Natl Institutes of Health (NIH), Office of Management & Budget (OMB), SENATE, State, Dept of (DOS), U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), U.S. Customs & Border Protection, U.S. Immigration & Customs Enforcement (ICE)
2020 · fourth_quarter · Health Issues
: Issues related to lung disease treatment, prevention and research; public health; Issues related asthma; COPD; influenza; lung cancer; pneumonia; tuberculosis and other lung diseases; Issues related to tobacco cessation; Issues related to the Affordable Care Act; Issues related to the Childrens Health Insurance Program; Issues related to the President's Budget; Issues related to telehealth; Issues related to changing federal poverty line calculation; Issues related to COVID-19 Response;; H.R.986 Protecting Americans with Preexisting Conditions Act of 2019 H.R.987 Strengthening Health Care and Lowering Prescription Drug Costs Act H.R.1010 To provide that the rule entitled "Short-Term, Limited Duration Insurance" shall have no force or effect. H.R.1385 SAVE Act H.R.1386 ENROLL Act of 2019 H.R.1425 State Health Care Premium Reduction Act H.R.1499 Protecting Consumer Access to Generic Drugs Act of 2019 H.R.1884 Protecting Pre-Existing Conditions and Making Health Care More Affordable Act of 2019 H.R.2508 Better Respiration through Expanding Access to Tele-Health Act;H.R.2862 VACCINES Act of 2019; H.R.3630 No Surprises Act H.R.4622 Family Asthma Act S.466 Protecting Americans with Pre-existing Conditions Act of 2019 S.946 Henrietta Lacks Enhancing Cancer Research Act of 2019 S.1125 Protect Act S.1895 Lower Health Care Costs Act S.1944 Public Health Funding Restoration Act. HR 3 Elijah E. Cummings Lower Drug Costs Now Act; H.R.4716 I CAN Act; HR 5230 Elijah E. Cummings Family Asthma Act; HR 6201 - Families First Coronavirus Act; HR 6704 - Coronavirus Preparedness and Response Supplemental Appropriations Act, 2020; HR 748 - CARES Act; S. 3548 - CARES Act; S. 1531 - Stopping the Outrageous Practice of Surprise Medical Bills Act of 2019; HR 6408 -- To extend the charitable deduction to all taxpayers regardless of whether a taxpayer itemizes deductions in order to encourage and increase charitable giving, and to provide for loans and loan guarantees to certain public charities; HR 7610 Agriculture, Rural Development, Food and Drug Administration, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act, 2021; HR 7667 Commerce, Justice, Science, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act, 2021; HR 7617 Department of Defense Appropriations Act, 2021; HR 7612 Department of the Interior, Environment, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act, 2021; HR 2468 School-Based Allergies and Asthma Management Program Act; HR 7614 Departments of Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act, 2021; HR 7609 Military Construction, Veterans Affairs, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act, 2021; HR 7616 Transportation, Housing and Urban Development, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act, 2021; HR 7608 Department of State, Foreign Operations, and Related Programs Appropriations Act, 2021; H.R.5076 Protecting Seniors Through Immunization Act of 2019; H.R.6561 Improving Social Determinants of Health Act of 2020; HR 6800 HEROES Act; H.R.6935 Protecting the Health of America's Older Adults During COVID-19 and Beyond Act; HR 7286 Quit Because of COVID-19 Act; S. 4775 Delivering Immediate Relief to Americas Families, Schools and Small Businesses Act; S. 4321 The Continuing Small Business Recovery and Paycheck Protection Program Act; S. 4318 The American Workers, Families, and Employers Assistance Act; S. 4317 SAFE TO WORK Act; S. 4322 The Safely Back to School and Back to Work Act; S. 4320 Coronavirus Response Additional Supplemental Appropriations Act, 2020; ;H.R.8061 Community Immunity During COVID-19 Act of 2020;H.R.8406 The Heroes Act; H.R.925 The Heroes Act; S.4557 COVER Act; S.4740 A bill to support public health infrastructure; H.RES.957 Expressing support for the designation of May as "National Asthma and Allergy Awareness Month"; H.R.7011 Pandemic Risk Insurance Act of 2020; H.R.8261 Presumptive Benefits for War Fighters Exposed to Burn Pits and Other Toxins Act of 2020; S.4572 Presumptive Benefits for War Fighters Exposed to Burn Pits and Other Toxins Act of 2020; S.4355 Katherine's Lung Cancer Early Detection and Survival Act of 2020; H.RES.1192 Expressing support for the goals of November National Lung Cancer Awareness Month and for the early detection of lung cancer; H.R.8158 To amend title XVIII of the Social Security Act to waive budget neutrality for oxygen under the Medicare program, and for other purposes.;H.R.7481 RESTART Act; S.4737 A bill to amend the Public Health Service Act to direct the Secretary of Health and Human Services to make grants to covered health departments to increase the rate of recommended immunizations, and for other purposes; S.Res.780 A resolution designating November 2020 as "National Lung Cancer Awareness Month" and expressing support for the early detection of lung cancer; H.R.8623 SAVE for Seniors Act; S.4864 HAPI Act; H.R.8725 HAPI Act; H.R.8595 To nullify the effect of Executive Order 13950 relating to combating race and sex stereotyping; Senate Labor HHS Appropriations bill; Senate Defense Appropriations bill; Senate Transportation, Housing and Urban Development and Related Agencies Appropriations bill; Senate Agriculture, Rural Development, FDA, and Related Agencies Appropriations bill; Senate Military Construction, Veterans Affairs, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act, 2021H.R.133 Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2021; H.J.Res.110 - Extension of Continuing Appropriations Act, 2021
Client expense: $40,000 · Firm income: Not reported
Government targets: Agency for Healthcare Research & Quality (AHRQ), Centers For Disease Control & Prevention (CDC), Centers For Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS), Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), Federal Reserve System, Food & Drug Administration (FDA), HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES, Health & Human Services, Dept of (HHS), Natl Institutes of Health (NIH), Office of Management & Budget (OMB), Postal Regulatory Commission, SENATE, Small Business Administration (SBA), Treasury, Dept of, White House Office
2020 · fourth_quarter · Health Issues
Health Insurance Coverage (general); Health Disparities (general); Breastfeeding (general); Assisted Reproductive Technology (general); Smoking Cessation (general); Substance Use Disorder (general); Gynecologic Cancer (general); Gynecologic Devices (general); Reproductive Health (general); Intimate Partner Violence (general); Gun Violence (general); Immunization (general); Breast Cancer (general); Medical Liability Reform (general); Health IT (general); Patient-Physician Relationship (general); Child Welfare (general); Prematurity (general); Maternal Mortality and Morbidity (general); Graduate Medical Education (general); Contraception (general); Abortion (general); Indian Health (general); Teaching Health Centers Graduate Medical Education (general); Community Health Centers (general); National Health Service Corps (general); Special Diabetes Program (general); Special Diabetes Program for Indians (general); Sexuality Education (general); Teen Pregnancy Prevention Program (general); Personal Responsibility Education Program (general); Research in Pregnant and Breastfeeding Women (general); Health Care Reform (general); Title X Family Planning Program (general); Womens Preventive Services (general); Administrative Burden (general); Surprise Billing (general); Pediatric Loan Repayment Program (general); COVID-19 Response (general); Personal Protective Equipment (general); Risk Evaluation and Mitigation Strategies (general); Data Collection (general); Health Equity (general); Pregnancy Risk Assessment Monitoring System (CDC); Provider Relief Fund (general); Maternal Mental Health (general); Violence Against Women Act (general); Secretarys Advisory Committee on Infant Mortality (general); COVID-19 Vaccine (general); H.R. 2975/S. 1645, Womens Health Protection Act; S. 1895, Lower Health Care Costs Act; H.R. 2862/S. 1619, VACCINES Act; implementation of P.L. 115-344, Preventing Maternal Deaths Act; implementation of P.L. 115-320, Improving Access to Maternity Care Act; S. 2586, Maternal Outcomes Matter Act; HR 3630, No Surprises Act; HR 3502, Protecting People From Surprise Medical Bills Act; H.R. 4495, Maternal Health Quality Improvement Act of 2019; H.R. 5640/S. 3152, the Data Mapping to Save Moms Lives Act; H.R. 6142/ S. 3424, the Black Maternal Health Momnibus Act of 2020 implementation of P.L. 116-123, the Coronavirus Preparedness and Response Supplemental Appropriations Act of 2020; implementation of P.L. 116-127, the Families First Coronavirus Response Act; implementation of P.L. 116-136, the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act; implementation of P.L. 116-139, Paycheck Protection Program and Health Care Enhancement Act; H.R. 7059 the Coronavirus Provider Protection Act; H.R. 6953/ S. 3763 the Pandemic Responder Service Award Act; H.R. 6697, the Local Chamber, Tourism, and 501(c)(6) Protection Act; S.___, the Health, Economic Assistance, Liability Protection, and Schools Act; H.R. 2694, the Pregnant Workers Fairness Act; H.R. 8027, the Maternal Health Pandemic Response Act; HRes 1069/ SRes 655, Declaring racism a public health crisis; S. 4269 the Mothers and Newborns Success Act; S. 4349, Lorna Breen Health Care Provider Protection Act; H.R. 6701/S. 3595, Ensuring Understanding of COVID-19 to Protect Public Health Act; H.R. 8061/S. 4737, Community Immunity During COVID-19 Act; H.R. 8958/ S.4949, Supporting Best Practices for Healthy Moms Act; S.4863, HEALTH for MOM Act of 2020; H.R. 6383, Uterine Fibroid Research and Education Act; S.4859, Connected MOM Act.
Client expense: $147,955 · Firm income: Not reported
Government targets: Agency for Healthcare Research & Quality (AHRQ), Agriculture, Dept of (USDA), Centers For Disease Control & Prevention (CDC), Centers For Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS), Defense, Dept of (DOD), Executive Office of the President (EOP), Food & Drug Administration (FDA), Government Accountability Office (GAO), HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES, Health & Human Services, Dept of (HHS), Health Resources & Services Administration (HRSA), Homeland Security, Dept of (DHS), Indian Health Service, Justice, Dept of (DOJ), Labor, Dept of (DOL), Natl Institutes of Health (NIH), Office of Management & Budget (OMB), SENATE, Small Business Administration (SBA), State, Dept of (DOS), Substance Abuse & Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), Veterans Affairs, Dept of (VA), White House Office
2020 · fourth_quarter · Health Issues
H. Res. 480, Acknowledging the racial disparities in diagnosing and treating mental health among youth in communities of color H.R. 1554, the Resident Education Deferred Interest Act H.R. 1763 / S. 348, the Resident Physician Shortage Reduction Act of 2019 H.R. 2734 / S. 1448, the Safer Prescribing of Controlled Substances Act H.R. 3180/ S. 1770, the RISE from Trauma Act H.R. 3239/ S. 2135, the Humanitarian Standards for Individuals in Customs and Border Protection Custody Act H.R. 3253, the Empowering Beneficiaries, Ensuring Access, and Strengthening Accountability Act H.R. 3417, BETTER Act of 2019 H.R. 4194/S. 2661, the National Suicide Hotline Designation Act of 2019 H.R. 4309, the Barriers to Suicide Act H.R. 4327, the Enhancing Mental Health and Suicide Prevention Through Campus Planning Act H.R. 4861/ S. 3006, the Effective Suicide Screening and Assessment in the Emergency Department Act H.R. 4932 / S. 2741, the CONNECT for Health Act H.R. 4995, the Maternal Health Quality Improvement Act of 2019 H.R. 4996, the Helping Medicaid Offer Maternity Services Act of 2019 H.R. 5201, the Telemental Health Expansion Act of 2019 H.R. 5473, the Enhance Access to Support Essential Behavioral Health Services Act H.R.5469/ S.4388, the Pursuing Equity in Mental Health Act of 2019 H.R.5575, the Primary and Behavioral Health Care Access Act of 2020 Out of network billing legislation S. 1227, the Prescription Pricing for the People Act of 2019 S. 2443, the Investment in Tomorrow's Pediatric Health Care Workforce Act S. 824, the Excellence in Mental Health and Addiction Treatment Expansion Act S.1659, the Ensuring Childrens Access to Specialty Care Act of 2019 Title III Sec. 305 Timely Bills to Patients within the Lower Health Care Costs Act of 2019 (S. 1895) Cures 2.0 Title X Family Planning Program Administration Rule Efforts related to psychiatric bed shortages. H.R. 6074, the Coronavirus Preparedness and Response Supplemental Appropriations Act H.R. 6201, the Families First Coronavirus Response Act H.R. 4996, the Helping Medicaid Offer Maternity Services (MOMS) Act, and Senate efforts. S. 311, the Born-Alive Abortion Survivors Protection Act S. 3275, the Pain-Capable Unborn Child Protection Act H.R. 4056 and S. 2446, the Medicare Audiologist Access and Services Act of 2019 H.R. 5575, the Primary and Behavioral Health Care Access Act Telehealth provisions as related to Covid-19. H.R. 6644, the Health Care at Home Act Medicare Access and CHIP Reauthorization Act (MACRA) of 2015 and related Medicare and Medicaid payment updates. Emergency financial relief and stability funding for 501(c)(6) tax-exempt medical and dental trade associations impacted by the pandemic H.R. 7078, the Evaluating Disparities and Outcomes of Telehealth During the COVID-19 Emergency Act of 2020 (EDOT Act of 2020) H.R. 7255, the Coronavirus Health Care Worker Wellness Act of 2020 S. 3919, the Military Suicide Prevention in the 21st Century Act H.R. 7608, the Legislative Vehicle for the Fiscal 2021 Four-Bill Appropriations Package H.R. 7539, the Strengthening Behavioral Health Parity Act H.R. 4564, the Suicide Prevention Lifeline Improvement Act of 2019 H.R. 5619/ S. 3198, the Suicide Prevention Act H.R. 4585, the Campaign to Prevent Suicide Act H.R. 1646/ S. 3244, the Helping Emergency Responders Overcome (HERO) Act of 2019 H.R. 2519/ S. 1334, the Improving Mental Health Access from the Emergency Department Act of 2019 H.R. 7147, the Creating Resources to Improve Situations of Inherent Severity Act (CRISIS Act) H.R. 7159/S. 4282, the Crisis Care Improvement and Suicide Prevention Act of 2020 H.R. 7689, the Improving Data Collection for Adverse Childhood Experiences Act H.R. 8094/S. 4349, the Dr. Lorna Breen Health Care Provider Protection Act H.R. 6561/S. 4440, the Improving Social Determinants of Health Act H.R. 7511/ S. 4211, the Facilitating Reforms that Offer Necessary Telehealth in Every Rural (FRONTIER) Community Act H.R. 884 / S. 2772, the Medicare Mental Health Access Act H.R. 3935, the Protecting Patients Transportation to Care Act H.R. 4564, the Suicide Prevention Lifeline Improvement Act of 2020 S. Res. 738, Recognizing suicide as a serious public health problem and expressing support for the designation of September as National Suicide Prevention Month S. 4113, the Broadband Reform and Investment to Drive Growth in the Economy Act of 2020 (BRIDGE Act) H.R. 7859, the Strengthening Behavioral Health Supports for Schools Act S. 4421, the Temporary Reciprocity to Ensure Access to Treatment (TREAT) Act H.R. 8141, the Strengthening Mental Health Supports for BIPOC Communities Act HR 7510, the Assimilating Health and Equity Assessments into Decision-making Act of 2020 or AHEAD Act H.R. 5469/S.4388, the Mental Health Equity Act of 2020 H.R. 7059, the Coronavirus Provider Protection Act, S. 3792, the Tele-Mental Health Improvement Act of 2020. HR 6810 to provide COBRA subsidies for unemployed and furloughed individuals during COVID H.R. 7593/S. 4103, the Telehealth Response for E-prescribing Addiction Therapy Services (TREATS) Act H.R. 6645, the Mental Health Research Act H.R. 5201, the Telemental Health Expansion Act of 2019 H.R. 6561/S. 3595, the Ensuring Understanding for COVID-19 to Protect Public Health Act S. 4524, the Quit Because of COVID-19 Act S. 4486, the Achieving Thorough Transparency & Accessibility for Information Navigation (ATTAIN) on Mental Health Act H.R. 6800/H.R. 8406, the HEROES Act S. 4230, the Telehealth Expansion Act of 2020 H.R. 7391, the Protect Telehealth Access Act of 2020 H.R. 7760, To make a supplemental appropriation for the COVID-19 Telehealth Program of the Federal Communications Commission for the fiscal year ending September 30, 2020 H.R.8067, the Addressing COVID-19 Health Disparities Act H.R. 2862, the VACCINES Act of 2019 (G6 letter for internal purposes) Efforts related to Collaborative Care Model S. 3197, the Improving Access to Health Care in Rural and Underserved Areas Act H.R. 6139, the COVID-19 Health Care Worker Protection Act of 2020 H.Res. 908 (S.Res. 580) Condemning all forms of Anti-Asian Sentiment as related to COVID-19 H.R. 6585, the Equitable Data Collection and Disclosure on COVID-19 Act H.R. 7078, the EDOT Act of 2020 HR 7077, the Community Solutions for COVID-19 Act H.R. 7780, the Virtual Community Support Act of 2020 H. R. 8016, the Peer Assisted Relief Through Empathetic Resources and Supports (PARTNERS) Act H. R. 8206, the Promoting Effective and Empowering Recovery Services in Medicare Act of 2020 (PEERS Medicare Act of 2020) 2021 Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS), Medicare Physician Fee Schedule (MPFS) Final Rule, E/M (H.R. 8702; H.R. 8505; S. 4932) H.R. 9035, the Permanency for Audio Only Telehealth Act H.R. 7663, Protecting Access to Post-COVID-19 Telehealth Act of 2020 H.R. 8283/S. 4421 TREAT Act H.R. 2482/S. 2074 Mainstreaming Addiction Treatment Act of 2019 Misuse of race data within clinical algorithms.
Client expense: $238,000 · Firm income: Not reported
Government targets: Bureau of Citizenship & Immigration Services (BCIS), Centers For Disease Control & Prevention (CDC), Centers For Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS), Defense, Dept of (DOD), Executive Office of the President (EOP), Food & Drug Administration (FDA), HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES, Health & Human Services, Dept of (HHS), Health Resources & Services Administration (HRSA), Homeland Security, Dept of (DHS), Labor, Dept of (DOL), Natl Institutes of Health (NIH), Office of the Vice President of the United States, SENATE, Veterans Affairs, Dept of (VA), White House Office
2020 · fourth_quarter · Health Issues
H.R. 965: Creating and Restoring Equal Access to Equivalent Samples (CREATES) Act of 2019 - Provisions related to Risk Evaluation and Mitigation Strategies (REMS) and limited distribution systems H.R. 2374: Stop STALLING Act - Provisions related to citizen petitions H.R. 4100: DISARM Act of 2019 - Provisions related to antimicrobial drug development H.R. 5239: Prescription Drug Price Reporting Act - Provisions related to prescription drug pricing transparency H.R. 6222: Ensuring Affordable COVID-19 Preventive Care Act of 2020 a Provisions related to prescription drug pricing and access H.R. 6080: Preventing Drug Shortages Act - Provisions related to prescription drug shortage reporting requirements H.R. 6258: Reciprocity Ensures Streamlined Use of Lifesaving Treatments Act of 2019 - Provisions related to reciprocity H.R. 6260: Reciprocity Ensures Streamlined Use of Lifesaving Treatments for Coronavi-rus Patients Act of 2020 - Provisions related to FDA prescription drug marketing approvals H.R. 6390: To require the President to use authorities under the Defense Production Act of 1950 to require emergency production of medical equipment to address the COVID-19 outbreak - Provisions related to the Defense Production Act H.R. 6410: To direct the President to use authority under the Defense Production Act of 1950 to ensure an adequate supply equipment necessary for limiting the spread of COVID-19 - Provisions related to the Defense Production Act H.R. 7296: MMAPPP Act of 2020 - Provisions related to prescription drug pricing and transparency H.R. 7647: To provide for a COVID-19-related delay regarding annual limitation on cost-sharing for group health plans and individual and small group health insurance coverage - Provisions related to accumulator adjustment programs H.R. 7838: To provide for certain temporary waivers with respect to the 340B drug discount program due to the COVID-19 public health emergency, and for other purposes - Provisions related to the 340B drug discount program H.R. 8894: To repeal the authority of the Food and Drug Administration to require that drugs be dispensed only upon prescription, and for other purposes - Provisions related to FDA authority and prescription drugs H.R. 8920: To establish a program to develop antimicrobial innovations targeting the most challenging pathogens and most threatening infections - Provisions related to anti-microbial resistant and prescription drug development S. 61: Safe and Affordable Drugs from Canada Act of 2019 - Provisions related to importation S. 73: End Taxpayer Subsidies for Drug Ads Act - Provisions related to direct-to-consumer prescription drug advertising S. 658: Accelerated Drug Approval for Prescription Therapies Act or the ADAPT Act - Provisions related to accelerated approval S. 1169: Ensuring Timely Access to Generics Act of 2019 - Provisions related to citizen petitions S. 1224: Stop STALLING Act - Provisions related to citizen petitions S. 1391: FAIR Drug Pricing Act of 2019 - Provisions related to prescription drug pricing and transparency S. 1437: Drug-price Transparency in Communications (DTC) Act - Provisions related to direct-to-consumer prescription drug advertising S. 1532: Pharmacy Benefit Manager Accountability Study Act of 2019 - Provisions related to prescription drug pricing transparency and pharmacy benefit managers S. 1712: DISARM Act of 2019 - Provisions related to antimicrobial drug development S. 1872/H.R. 5075: Protecting Seniors Through Immunization Act S. 4864/H.R. 8725: HAPI Act; Medicaid financial barriers S. 1619/H.R. 2862: VACCINES Act CMSS. 2161: Reciprocity Ensures Streamlined Use of Lifesaving Treatments Act of 2019 - Provisions related to reciprocity CMS rule on Value Based Payment purchasing, 85 FR 37286, CMS-2482-P, provisions related to the definition of line-extension drugs. S. 2304: Strategies To Address Antibiotic Resistance Act - Provisions related to antimicrobial resistance (AMR) and other issues S. 3166: Prescription Drug Affordability and Access Act - Provisions related to prescription drug pricing CBD DSHEA 2.0 S. 3545: Reciprocity Ensures Streamlined Use of Lifesaving Treatments for Corona-virus Patients Act of 2020 - Provisions related to FDA prescription drug marketing approvals S. 3872: Promising Pathway Act - Provisions related to FDA provisional approval pathways Transparency policy issues S. 3932: A bill to direct the Secretary of Defense to carry out a pilot program under the TRICARE pharmacy benefits program - Provisions related to DoD TRICARE pharmacy benefits program S. 4010: A bill to amend the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act to make permanent the authority of the Secretary of Health and Human Services to issue priority review vouchers to encourage treatments for rare pediatric diseases - Provisions related to priority review vouchers S. 4427: SAVE Act - Provisions related to the FDA drug approval process S. 4492: Safe Drugs Act - Provisions related to FDA prescription drug mandatory recalls S. 4760: The PASTEUR Act - Provisions related to anti-microbial resistant and prescription drug development Proclamation Suspending Entry of Aliens Who Present a Risk to the U.S. Labor Market Following the Coronavirus Outbreak (June 22, 2020) Department of Homeland Security cybersecurity policy issues HHS PREP Act declaration relating to COVID-19 Drug cost and pricing policy issues Drug importation and counterfeiting policy issues HHS Safe Importation Action Plan Expanded access policy issues Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) policy issues High deductible health plans/HSA policy issues FDA modernization policy issues 340B drug discount program reform and policy issues Bipartisan Budget Act of 2018 (Public Law 115-123) - Part D provisions Patient assistance program policy issues Foreign manufacturing policy issues Biosimilar approval and reimbursement policy issues Drug shortages policy issues Regulatory efficiencies policy issues FDA mandatoruy recall authority policy issues Pharmaceutical supply chain policy issues COVID-19 policy issues Final Rule; Importation of Prescription Drugs (RIN 0910-AI45) Executive Order 13951, An America-First Healthcare Plan (September 24, 2020) Executive Order 13950, Combating Race and Sex Stereotyping (September 22, 2020) Executive Order 13948, Lowering Drug Prices by Putting America First (September 13, 2020) - Provisions on Part B and D, Most Favored Nation, and other issues Executive Order 13944, Combating Public Health Emergencies and Strengthening Na- tional Security by Ensuring Essential Medicines, Medical Countermeasures, and Critical Inputs Are Made in the United States (August 6, 2020) Executive Order 13939, Lowering Drug Prices for Patients by Eliminating Kickbacks to Middlemen (July 24, 2020) Executive Order 13938, Increasing Drug Importation to Lower Prices for American Patients (July 24, 2020) Proposed Rule: Implementation of Executive Order 13937, Executive Order on Access to Affordable Life-Saving Medications (RIN 0906-AB25) Buy America and other associated issues related to procurement and sourcing of finished product and active pharmaceutical ingredients Final Rule: 340B Drug Pricing Program; Administrative Dispute Resolution Regulation (RIN 0906-AB26) Amendments to HHS Covid-19 Declaration
Client expense: $750,000 · Firm income: Not reported
Government targets: Centers For Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS), HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES, Health & Human Services, Dept of (HHS), Office of Management & Budget (OMB), Patent & Trademark Office (PTO), SENATE, U.S. Trade Representative (USTR)
2020 · fourth_quarter · Health Issues
Medicare Access and CHIP Reauthorization Act of 2015 implementation, Medicare physician payment reform, MEDPAC, surgical global payments, ACA implementation, health care reform, health care quality improvement, physician workforce issues, comparative clinical effectiveness research, health information technology, EHR meaningful use, EHR data blocking, Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute, MEDCAC, Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Innovation, registry access to Medicare claims data, lung cancer screenings, Agency for Healthcare Research & Quality, graduate medical education, electronic cigarette and cigar regulation, PTAC, meaningful use, congenital heart disease funding, unique device identifiers, medical liability reform, COVID-19 pandemic, tobacco riders in appropriations bills, tobacco regulation in the FDA, price transparency, ECMO coding, Prohibit Smoking in VA Facilities Act (S.2106/HR3700) Resident Physician Shortage Reduction Act (S.348/HR1763), Congenital Heart Futures Reauthorization Act, surprise billing, prior authorization, Women and Lung Cancer Research and Preventive Services Act (S.1107/HR2222), T21 bills, Transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR), Increasing Access to Quality Cardiac Rehabilitation Act (HR.3911), Smoke-Free Schools Act of 2019 (HR.4019/S.1832), Protection for Veterans Burn Pits Exposure Act (HR.4086), The Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act (H.R.748), Coronavirus Provider Protection Act (H.R.7059), Resident Physician Shortage Reduction Act of 2019 (S. 348/H.R. 1763), Quit Because of COVID-19 Act (H.R.7286), Tobacco to 21 Act (S.1258/H.R.2411), The Local Chamber, Tourism, and 501(c)(6) Protection Act (H.R.6697), Immediate Relief for Rural Facilities and Providers Act (S.3559/H.R.6365), Reversing the Youth Tobacco Epidemic Act of 2019 (H.R.2339), Vaccines Act of 2019 (H.R.2862), Investment in Tomorrow's Pediatric Health Care Workforce Act (S.2443), Protecting People from Surprise Medical Bills Act (H.R.3502), Stopping Appealing Flavors in E-Cigarettes for Kids Act (H.R.1498), Resident Education Deferred Interest (REDI) Act (H.R.1554), Improving Access to Medicare Coverage Act (H.R.1682), Traditional Cigar Manufacturing and Small Business Jobs Preservation Act of 2019 (H.R.1854), Women & Lung Cancer Research & Preventive Services Act (H.R.2222), Prevent BLEEDing Act of 2019 (H.R.2550), Educating Medical Professionals and Optimizing Workforce Efficiency and Readiness (EMPOWER) for Health Act (H.R.2781), PCORI Reauthorization (H.R.3030), Improving Seniors Timely Access to Care Act (H.R.3107), Keep Physicians Serving Patients Act (H.R.3302), Stopping Appealing Flavors in E-Cigarettes for Kids Act (S.655), Improving Access to Medicare Coverage Act (S.753), Holding Providers Harmless From Medicare Cuts During COVID-19 Act of 2020 (H.R. 8702/S.5007), Medicare Reimbursement Equity Act of 2020 (S.4932), To amend title XVIII of the Social Security Act to provide for a one-year waiver of budget neutrality adjustments under the Medicare physician fee schedule, and for other purposes (H.R. 8505)
Client expense: $86,000 · Firm income: Not reported
Government targets: Agency for Healthcare Research & Quality (AHRQ), Centers For Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS), Food & Drug Administration (FDA), HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES, Health & Human Services, Dept of (HHS), Health Resources & Services Administration (HRSA), Medicare Payment Advisory Commission (MedPAC), SENATE, Social Security Administration (SSA)
2020 · fourth_quarter · Health Issues
Access to immunizations; Maternal immunizations; Immunization infrastructure; Health information technology/IIS; Quality measures; H.R. 2862, VACCINES Act; H.R.8061/S.4737 Community Immunity During COVID-19 Act of 2020; S.4269 Mothers and Newborns Success Act; S.4469 - 116th Congress (2019-2020) COVID-19 Treatment Coverage Act; Funding for vaccine infrastructure for Consolidated Appropriations Act 2021 (P.L. 116-260).
Client expense: Not reported · Firm income: $50,000
Government targets: Centers For Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS), HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES, Health & Human Services, Dept of (HHS), SENATE
2020 · fourth_quarter · Health Issues
The Affordable Care Act (P.L. 111-148, P.L. 111-152): Expanding coverage and improving Medicare benefits; Providing needed protections to guard against insurance practices that unfairly limit, deny or rescind coverage based on health status; public and private health insurers should encourage preventive health care by providing full coverage, with no cost-sharing, for preventive services recommended by an expert advisory group, such as the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force; Ensuring access to primary care physicians; and beginning to bend the cost curve; Prohibiting insurers from excluding or charging excessive rates to children based on pre-existing conditions, which later will be expanded to all persons; Covering young adults on their parents' plans; Eliminating lifetime and annual limits on health insurance coverage; Requiring that health insurers spend more on patient care and less on administration; support enactment of S. 248, the Empowering States to Innovate Act, which amends the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (ACA) to: (1) allow states to apply for waivers of certain health insurance coverage requirements in such Act (including requirements for the establishment of qualified health plans and health insurance exchanges) for plan years beginning on or after January 1, 2014 (currently, January 1, 2017), and (2) require the waiver application process to begin not later than 180 days after the enactment of this Act; Phasing out the Medicare Part D doughnut hole; Eliminating patient cost-sharing for preventive services offered by Medicare or private insurers; Increasing Medicare and Medicaid payments to primary care physicians; Supporting the Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute to help physicians and patients make care decisions based on the best available evidence; Supporting the Center on Medicare and Medicaid Innovation to fund pilots of delivery models to improve outcomes and reduce costs, including patient-centered medical homes; Advocated against a December 2018 ruling by a federal judge in Texas that the entire Affordable Care Act (ACA) is unconstitutional. Access to Primary Care in the Context of Comprehensive Healthcare Reform Legislation (H.R. 3962/H.R. 3590/H.R. 4872): Provide sliding scale subsidies based on income to buy coverage from qualified plans; Qualified plans should: provide evidence-based benefits, including preventive services; and be prohibited from excluding persons with pre-existing conditions, charging them more, cherry-picking enrollees, or cancelling or failing to renew coverage; Expand Medicaid to cover all persons below the Federal Poverty Level and ensure fair payments to participating physicians; As coverage becomes affordable, all persons should participate and coverage should be guaranteed; Responsibility for financing should be shared by individuals, employers and government. Medicare payment models that re-align incentives to support effective, efficient, patient-centered, coordinated care. Priority should be given to models designed to support the value of services provided by primary care physicians as well as to models that would create incentives, across physician specialties and sites of services, to improve the quality, effectiveness, and efficiency of care provided. Policy criteria for selecting the most promising models for pilot testing should be developed, in consultation with outside experts; The Patient-Centered Medical Home (PCMH), which has shown great promise in meeting the policy objectives suggested above, should be among the models selected for broader testing on a national pilot basis; the use of the medical home model for treatment or services under private health plans, the requirement of health plans to provide incentives to promote and report on medical home services provided, the establishment of community health teams and a primary care extension program to educate and support primary care practices in the delivery of medical home services, and the establishment of a demonstration project to educate physicians and other clinicians in training in the competencies required to deliver care consistent with the medical home care model. Medicare Payments to Physicians: Urged that Congress provide incentives to physicians who transform their practices into Advanced Alternative Payment Models and continue to provide stability for physicians in the MIPS program. Specifically, Congress should extend the five percent Qualified Alternative Payment Model participant bonus beyond the 2022 performance year, replace the zero percent baseline payment updates under Medicare with positive updates. Urged congressional committees with jurisdiction over Medicare to exercise their oversight authority and urge CMS to expedite approval of more Advanced APMS, particularly those that work for small and specialty practices and to simplify the scoring structure and reporting requirements under the Merit-Based Incentive Payment System (MIPS) in order to fulfill Congress intent of a more streamlined program that reduces burdens on physicians; Supported S.2648, the Rural ACO Improvement Act, amends title XVIII of the Social Security Act to improve the benchmarking process for the Medicare Shared Savings Program (MSSP) to ensure that all ACOs have an equal opportunity to share in savings regardless of their geographic location; Provided recommendations to CMS on the Merit-based Incentive Payment System Value Pathway (MVP), which aims to reduce reporting burden and complexity within MIPS while improving the accuracy and effectiveness of performance measurement. The College noted specifically that a robust, multi-year transition period will be critical to the success of the MVP, that it does not support making the MVP mandatory, that CMS should continue to support numerous reporting mechanisms, including qualified registries and clinical data registries, which have been instrumental in developing specialty-specific performance measures, among other things. Urged support for H.R. 8505, a bill to provide for a one-year waiver of budget neutrality adjustments under the Medicare physician fee schedule; Urged that any legislation to hold some Medicare physician payment codes harmless from budget neutrality do so for just one year and to allow evaluation and management increases, along with GPC1X codes to go into effect. Administrative Tasks on Physicians and Patients: Congress should accelerate its efforts to reduce administrative burdens on clinicians and patients, including: streamlining the prior authorization process, better integrating clinical data into clinicians electronic health records (EHRs), and working with CMS in their effort to overhaul clinical documentation guidelines; Urged Congress to cosponsor and pass the Safe Step Act (H.R. 2279), to require health insurers to provide an exceptions process for any medication step therapy protocol based on clinical decision-making, medical necessity, and other patient needs. Prescription Drug Costs: The College advocated for greater transparency in drug pricing, the elimination of anti-competitive industry practices that create barriers to generics coming to market, the importance of accounting for value in payment and coverage for prescriptions, and providing authority to the federal government to negotiate drug discounts under the Medicare Part D program. Specifically, the College urged Congress to pass the Medicare Prescription Drug Price Negotiation Act of 2019 (H.R. 275/S. 62), which allows the Secretary of Health and Human Services to negotiate covered Part D drug prices on behalf of Medicare beneficiaries, and the Creating and Restoring Equal Access to Equivalent Samples (CREATES) Act of 2019, (H.R. 965/S. 340), which would improve patient access to alternative low-cost prescription drugs and biological products by preventing prescription drug manufacturers from misusing the FDAs Risk Evaluation and Mitigation Strategies (REMS) process to make it difficult for competing generics to be brought to the market. Also urged that Congress pass the Reforming Evergreening and Manipulation that Extends Drug Years, REMEDY Act (S. 1209), to aid in the approval of more generic drug applications by the FDA and therefore improve patient access to those medications. Also urged that Congress pass the Prescription Drug STAR Act (H.R. 2113), and the Fair Accountability and Innovative Research (FAIR) Drug Pricing Act (H.R. 2296/S. 1391), to promote greater drug pricing transparency; Expressed appreciation to the House speaker for introduction of H.R. 3, the Lower Drug Costs Now Act, noting encouragement for its provisions to empower the Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS) to negotiate with drug companies for lower prices and to cap out-of-pocket costs for seniors enrolled in the Medicare Part D program. Commented to the FDA on its prescription drug reimportation proposed rule noting that while the College is generally supportive of drug importation as laid out in the proposed rule as a means to control the cost of prescription drugs, the FDA must guarantee that the design and implementation of the rule includes numerous measures and safeguards to ensure patient safety. By limiting the origin of imported drugs to Canadian-certified and FDA-approved and registered drugs and entities, the College believes the proposed rule meets the required U.S. standards to assure high-quality drugs and patient safety. Any final drug importation system must also be one that is a closed system and has a tightly controlled and documented supply chain to assure authenticity and avoid degradation of the drug. Workforce, Medical and Health Services Research, Public Health Initiatives: Congress should ensure funding in FY 2021 for federal programs/initiatives designed to support primary care including Title VII Health Professions grants and the National Health Service Corps (NHSC). Equally important is the need to fund essential health services and medical research by the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) and the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and public health programs supported by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Firearms-Related Injury and Death: The College advocated for lawmakers to pass measures to strengthen the criminal background check system, ban assault weapons and high capacity magazines, prevent the unlawful transfer of firearms to those who cannot legally purchase them, and remove restrictions on, and provide dedicated funding for, research by federal agencies on prevention of firearms-related injuries and death. Specifically, the College urged passage of the Bipartisan Background Checks Act of 2019 (H.R. 8), which would strengthen the accuracy and reporting of the National Instant Criminal Background Check System (NICS) as well as expand Brady background checks to cover all firearm sales, including unlicensed firearms sellers currently not required to use background checks, and the Gun Violence Prevention Research Act (H.R. 674/S. 184), which would authorize funding for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to study firearms safety and gun violence prevention. Also urged Congress to pass the Violence Against Women (VAWA) Reauthorization Act of 2019 (H.R. 1585), to provide protections for domestic violence victims by restricting access to firearms by those deemed a threat to them. Also urged Congress to pass the Assault Weapons Ban of 2019 (S. 66/H.R. 1296), to ban the sale of semi-automatic weapons and high capacity magazines. Immigration: The College advocated against family separation at the U.S. border. Specifically, the College urged support for H.R. 541 - the Keep Families Together Act, which would help ensure that children are not separated from their parents when families unlawfully cross over the border into the United States and would ensure that the Department of Homeland Security would not be able to implement the zero tolerance policy that separated families at the border last summer; urged congressional oversight of family separation policies. Also urged that Congress pass H.R. 6, the Dream and Promise Act of 2019, which would provide a pathway to U.S. citizenship for undocumented children who came to the United States due to the action of their parents, also known as Dreamers. Expressed concern to the U.S. Department of Homeland Security with the recent U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Service (USCIS) policy change to no longer accept or adjudicate non-military deferred action requests including those for individuals with serious medical conditions; Urged USCIS to reverse this decision immediately and resume consideration of deferred action requests for medical reasons; Opposed the proposed rule, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) Establishing a Fixed Time Period of Admission and an Extension of Stay Procedure for Nonimmigrant Academic Students, Exchange Visitors, and Representatives of Foreign Information Media. This rule would change the process to extend the period of authorized stay in the United States for certain categories of nonimmigrants by eliminating the long-standing "duration of status and replacing it with a specific end date. The College urged the Department of Homeland Security to exclude physicians in the Department of States (DOS) Exchange Visitor Program in J-1 visa status from this rule change because it will otherwise disrupt the training of thousands of physicians - physicians who already have been thoroughly vetted, already are serving on our nations health care teams, and already are carefully monitored during their time in the U.S. Graduate Medical Education: Urged that Congress support medical education training and debt relief for primary care physicians and other specialties facing shortages by passing the Resident Physician Shortage Reduction Act of 2019 (S. 348, H.R. 1763), to lift the GME caps as needed to permit training an adequate number of primary care physicians, including internal medicine specialists, and physicians in other specialties facing shortages; passing the Resident Education Deferred Interest Act (H.R. 1554), to save physicians in residency programs thousands of dollars in interest on their loans and help incentivize the opening of practices in underserved areas; pass legislation to combine DGME and IME into a single, more functional payment program, and broaden the GME financing structure to include all payers; support funding for GME/IME and programs within the Veterans Health Administration that provide graduate medical education to ensure that physicians are adequately trained with the skills needed to treat an aging population. Urged Congress to pass the Opioid Workforce Act of 2019 (H.R. 3414), which would provide Medicare support for an additional 1,000 graduate medical education (GME) positions over five years in hospitals that have, or are in the process of establishing, accredited residency programs in addiction medicine, addiction psychiatry, or pain medicine. Urged Congress to pass S. 1203 and H.R. 2441, the What You Can Do For Your Country Act, which would improve and reform the Public Service Loan Forgiveness (PSLF) Program. Vaccines: Urged Congress to pass the Vaccines Act (HR 2862), which would provide federal funding for vaccine hesitancy surveillance at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), and outline a national public messaging campaign informed by this research to help improve vaccination rates; Supported H.R. 592, recognizing the anniversary of the eradication of smallpox and the importance of vaccination in the United States and worldwide; Urged the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to reconsider its decision to not vaccinate families in the custody of U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) against influenza (flu). Urged Congress to support payments for vaccines, as finalized by CMS, and set for implementation on Jan. 1, 2021. Surprise Medical Billing: Urged Congress to pass legislation that would protect patients from surprise out-of-network medical bills in both emergency and non-emergency settings that includes the following principles: hold patients harmless from surprise medical bills for out-of-network services, address narrow insurance networks, abandon efforts to establish an in-network median rate for services in these settings and instead opt for an independent dispute resolution process to determine payment. Appropriations: Urged Congress to fund Title VII, Section 747, Primary Care Training and Enhancement (PCTE) at $71 million for fiscal year 2021; Fund the Agency for Health Care Research and Quality (AHRQ) at $460 million for fiscal year 2021; Fund the National Health Service Corps (NHSC) at $830 million for fiscal year 2021; Fund the Title X Family Planning Program at $400 million for fiscal year 2021 and include language to remove barriers to care that interfere with the patient-physician relationship; Fund Research on Prevention of Firearms-related Injuries and Deaths at $50 million for Fiscal Year 2021; Fund the National Institutes of Health (NIH) at $44.7 billion for fiscal year 2021; Fund the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) at $8.3 billion for fiscal year 2021; Urged the House and Senate Armed Services Committees to support provisions in any final FY2021 National Defense Authorization Act to prevent cuts to the Military Health Service and the military medical workforce without requiring appropriate congressional oversight and review. Physician Fee Schedule: Commented to CMS and to Congress to fully implement payment increases for all evaluation and management codes, as finalized by CMS, and as scheduled for implementation on Jan. 1, 2021. Reduce the documentation burden for E/M services by allowing choice of medical decision making or time, and work to develop additional clarity and guidance on acceptable documentation to operationalize these important proposals; examination room desktop computers should be counted as a direct medical equipment cost; care management should be promoted by increasing the values of services like Transitional Care Management (TCM) and Chronic Care Management and implementing Principle Care Management (PCM) codes; require additional survey and review for any requests to increase non-outpatient E/M or other services; work with the physician community prior to finalizing any policy affecting eligibility to participate in the Medicare program; Urged congressional committees of jurisdiction to support: Higher physician work relative value units (RVUs) for new and established office visit codes, leading to increased payments for them, Reduced documentation requirements for office visit codes, which enables physicians to select and document for each visit based on medical decision-making or total time, Expanded and improved payment for care management services. Urged Congress to support waiving budget neutrality, applicable to the calendar year 2021 physician fee schedule. COVID-19: Urged congressional appropriators to provide the highest possible funding level for research, prevention, control, and treatment of illnesses associated with the virus that is commensurate with the public health emergency that the virus represents. Urged the administration to explore regulatory and other actions that would make COVID-19 testing free-of-charge to patients covered by both public and private insurance plans, including ACA-compliant plans offered through the insurance exchanges, and to waive co-pays and deductibles for patients seeing physicians for symptoms that may be indicative of COVID-19 or who are hospitalized for treatment. Urged CMS to utilize a national disaster recovery program that would pay doctors 110% of Medicare rates for caring for uninsured patients who have been infected with SARS-CoV-2. Expressed support to Congress and the administration for the Families First Coronavirus Response Act, H.R. 6201, and other stimulus reforms related to COVID-19 including: Emergency paid leave benefits, paid sick days for public health emergencies, coverage of testing for COVID-19, waiving of cost sharing under Medicare, Medicare Advantage, Medicaid, and CHIP, increasing the federal FMAP under Medicaid, providing reimbursement for CPT codes 99441 - 99443, which are telephone evaluation and management services, expediting entrance of international medical graduates who are citizens of other nations (non-US IMGs) into the country and ensuring that lawfully present non-U.S. IMGs are not negatively impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic, funding for physician practices under the Public Health and Social Service Emergency Fund (PHSSEF), providing tax relief, grants, and loans to small and medium size practices impacted by COVID-19, increasing funding for personal protective equipment (PPE), ensuring Medicaid pay parity with Medicare for primary care services; Urged HHS and Congress to make a targeted allocation out of the Provider Relief Fund (PRF) to support primary care physicians and their practices, sufficient to keep their doors open, by offsetting lost revenue from the COVID-19 pandemic, similar to the targeted allocation for rural hospitals; Urged support for the Student Loan Forgiveness for Frontline Health Workers Act, H.R. 6720, introduced May 5, 2020 by Representative Carolyn B. Maloney (D-NY) which would eliminate graduate school debt for healthcare workers, including physicians and medical students, who are providing direct patient care in response to the COVID-19 pandemic; Urged support for H.R. 7059, the Coronavirus Provider Protection Act, which extend liability protections to those who provide care in good faith during the COVID-19 public health emergency (plus a reasonable time, such as 60 days, after the emergency declaration ends), and not in situations of gross negligence or willful misconduct. The College also urged that pay parity between telephone claims and in-person visits and between all telehealth and in-person visits be maintained after the PHE is lifted. This extension-either continued by CMS or mandated by Congress-should last at least through the end of 2021, or until such a time when effective vaccines and treatments are widely available, with an option to extend it even further, or consider making permanent, based on the experience and learnings of patients and physicians who are utilizing these visits. Urged Congress to support a targeted allocation from the Provider Relief Fund specifically for primary care services. Priorities for New Administration: Urged the incoming Biden Administration to identify and appoint physicians to health care leadership positions within your Administration. Implement approval, distribution, and funding of a safe and effective COVID-19 vaccine based on recommendations from the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP). Provide support to physicians and other frontline health care workers, including ensuring access and distribution of personal protective equipment (PPE) to health care workers. Fund COVID-19 testing and contact tracing efforts. Reverse regulations that allow the sale of extended short-term, limited duration plans, association health plans. Take action to defend the Affordable Care Act from any litigation, including California v. Texas, that would undermine coverage and patient protections. Expand premium tax credits and cost-sharing reductions. Establish a federal public option to inject competition into the health insurance marketplace. Expand Medicaid eligibility and oppose expansion waivers that limit benefits and apply high cost sharing. Permanently increase payment for Medicaid primary care services to the level of Medicare. Restore the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals, consistent with a recent ruling from a federal judge, and identify executive actions that can be taken to ensure that it is not vulnerable to being eliminated in the future. Pursue executive actions to preserve the principles of patient autonomy regarding reproductive decision-making rights. Reverse the Title X gag rule and restore funding to family planning clinics. Establish universal access to at least six weeks of paid family and medical leave that is flexible to accommodate care for a diverse array of family structures, including updating the Family Medical and Leave Act to include grandparents or in-laws. Re-introduce and pass the George Floyd Act and other legislation focused on eliminating racism and police violence. Rejoin the Paris Agreement.
Client expense: $241,204 · Firm income: Not reported
Government targets: Centers For Disease Control & Prevention (CDC), Centers For Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS), Food & Drug Administration (FDA), HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES, Health & Human Services, Dept of (HHS), Homeland Security, Dept of (DHS), President of the U.S., SENATE, State, Dept of (DOS)
2020 · fourth_quarter · Health Issues
The Affordable Care Act (P.L. 111-148, P.L. 111-152): Expanding coverage and improving Medicare benefits; Providing needed protections to guard against insurance practices that unfairly limit, deny or rescind coverage based on health status; public and private health insurers should encourage preventive health care by providing full coverage, with no cost-sharing, for preventive services recommended by an expert advisory group, such as the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force; Ensuring access to primary care physicians; and beginning to bend the cost curve; Prohibiting insurers from excluding or charging excessive rates to children based on pre-existing conditions, which later will be expanded to all persons; Covering young adults on their parents' plans; Eliminating lifetime and annual limits on health insurance coverage; Requiring that health insurers spend more on patient care and less on administration; support enactment of S. 248, the Empowering States to Innovate Act, which amends the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (ACA) to: (1) allow states to apply for waivers of certain health insurance coverage requirements in such Act (including requirements for the establishment of qualified health plans and health insurance exchanges) for plan years beginning on or after January 1, 2014 (currently, January 1, 2017), and (2) require the waiver application process to begin not later than 180 days after the enactment of this Act; Phasing out the Medicare Part D doughnut hole; Eliminating patient cost-sharing for preventive services offered by Medicare or private insurers; Increasing Medicare and Medicaid payments to primary care physicians; Supporting the Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute to help physicians and patients make care decisions based on the best available evidence; Supporting the Center on Medicare and Medicaid Innovation to fund pilots of delivery models to improve outcomes and reduce costs, including patient-centered medical homes; Advocated against a December 2018 ruling by a federal judge in Texas that the entire Affordable Care Act (ACA) is unconstitutional. Access to Primary Care in the Context of Comprehensive Healthcare Reform Legislation (H.R. 3962/H.R. 3590/H.R. 4872): Provide sliding scale subsidies based on income to buy coverage from qualified plans; Qualified plans should: provide evidence-based benefits, including preventive services; and be prohibited from excluding persons with pre-existing conditions, charging them more, cherry-picking enrollees, or cancelling or failing to renew coverage; Expand Medicaid to cover all persons below the Federal Poverty Level and ensure fair payments to participating physicians; As coverage becomes affordable, all persons should participate and coverage should be guaranteed; Responsibility for financing should be shared by individuals, employers and government. Medicare payment models that re-align incentives to support effective, efficient, patient-centered, coordinated care. Priority should be given to models designed to support the value of services provided by primary care physicians as well as to models that would create incentives, across physician specialties and sites of services, to improve the quality, effectiveness, and efficiency of care provided. Policy criteria for selecting the most promising models for pilot testing should be developed, in consultation with outside experts; The Patient-Centered Medical Home (PCMH), which has shown great promise in meeting the policy objectives suggested above, should be among the models selected for broader testing on a national pilot basis; the use of the medical home model for treatment or services under private health plans, the requirement of health plans to provide incentives to promote and report on medical home services provided, the establishment of community health teams and a primary care extension program to educate and support primary care practices in the delivery of medical home services, and the establishment of a demonstration project to educate physicians and other clinicians in training in the competencies required to deliver care consistent with the medical home care model. Medicare Payments to Physicians: Urged that Congress provide incentives to physicians who transform their practices into Advanced Alternative Payment Models and continue to provide stability for physicians in the MIPS program. Specifically, Congress should extend the five percent Qualified Alternative Payment Model participant bonus beyond the 2022 performance year, replace the zero percent baseline payment updates under Medicare with positive updates. Urged congressional committees with jurisdiction over Medicare to exercise their oversight authority and urge CMS to expedite approval of more Advanced APMS, particularly those that work for small and specialty practices and to simplify the scoring structure and reporting requirements under the Merit-Based Incentive Payment System (MIPS) in order to fulfill Congress intent of a more streamlined program that reduces burdens on physicians; Supported S.2648, the Rural ACO Improvement Act, amends title XVIII of the Social Security Act to improve the benchmarking process for the Medicare Shared Savings Program (MSSP) to ensure that all ACOs have an equal opportunity to share in savings regardless of their geographic location; Provided recommendations to CMS on the Merit-based Incentive Payment System Value Pathway (MVP), which aims to reduce reporting burden and complexity within MIPS while improving the accuracy and effectiveness of performance measurement. The College noted specifically that a robust, multi-year transition period will be critical to the success of the MVP, that it does not support making the MVP mandatory, that CMS should continue to support numerous reporting mechanisms, including qualified registries and clinical data registries, which have been instrumental in developing specialty-specific performance measures, among other things. Urged support for H.R. 8505, a bill to provide for a one-year waiver of budget neutrality adjustments under the Medicare physician fee schedule; Urged that any legislation to hold some Medicare physician payment codes harmless from budget neutrality do so for just one year and to allow evaluation and management increases, along with GPC1X codes to go into effect. Administrative Tasks on Physicians and Patients: Congress should accelerate its efforts to reduce administrative burdens on clinicians and patients, including: streamlining the prior authorization process, better integrating clinical data into clinicians electronic health records (EHRs), and working with CMS in their effort to overhaul clinical documentation guidelines; Urged Congress to cosponsor and pass the Safe Step Act (H.R. 2279), to require health insurers to provide an exceptions process for any medication step therapy protocol based on clinical decision-making, medical necessity, and other patient needs. Prescription Drug Costs: The College advocated for greater transparency in drug pricing, the elimination of anti-competitive industry practices that create barriers to generics coming to market, the importance of accounting for value in payment and coverage for prescriptions, and providing authority to the federal government to negotiate drug discounts under the Medicare Part D program. Specifically, the College urged Congress to pass the Medicare Prescription Drug Price Negotiation Act of 2019 (H.R. 275/S. 62), which allows the Secretary of Health and Human Services to negotiate covered Part D drug prices on behalf of Medicare beneficiaries, and the Creating and Restoring Equal Access to Equivalent Samples (CREATES) Act of 2019, (H.R. 965/S. 340), which would improve patient access to alternative low-cost prescription drugs and biological products by preventing prescription drug manufacturers from misusing the FDAs Risk Evaluation and Mitigation Strategies (REMS) process to make it difficult for competing generics to be brought to the market. Also urged that Congress pass the Reforming Evergreening and Manipulation that Extends Drug Years, REMEDY Act (S. 1209), to aid in the approval of more generic drug applications by the FDA and therefore improve patient access to those medications. Also urged that Congress pass the Prescription Drug STAR Act (H.R. 2113), and the Fair Accountability and Innovative Research (FAIR) Drug Pricing Act (H.R. 2296/S. 1391), to promote greater drug pricing transparency; Expressed appreciation to the House speaker for introduction of H.R. 3, the Lower Drug Costs Now Act, noting encouragement for its provisions to empower the Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS) to negotiate with drug companies for lower prices and to cap out-of-pocket costs for seniors enrolled in the Medicare Part D program. Commented to the FDA on its prescription drug reimportation proposed rule noting that while the College is generally supportive of drug importation as laid out in the proposed rule as a means to control the cost of prescription drugs, the FDA must guarantee that the design and implementation of the rule includes numerous measures and safeguards to ensure patient safety. By limiting the origin of imported drugs to Canadian-certified and FDA-approved and registered drugs and entities, the College believes the proposed rule meets the required U.S. standards to assure high-quality drugs and patient safety. Any final drug importation system must also be one that is a closed system and has a tightly controlled and documented supply chain to assure authenticity and avoid degradation of the drug. Workforce, Medical and Health Services Research, Public Health Initiatives: Congress should ensure funding in FY 2021 for federal programs/initiatives designed to support primary care including Title VII Health Professions grants and the National Health Service Corps (NHSC). Equally important is the need to fund essential health services and medical research by the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) and the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and public health programs supported by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Firearms-Related Injury and Death: The College advocated for lawmakers to pass measures to strengthen the criminal background check system, ban assault weapons and high capacity magazines, prevent the unlawful transfer of firearms to those who cannot legally purchase them, and remove restrictions on, and provide dedicated funding for, research by federal agencies on prevention of firearms-related injuries and death. Specifically, the College urged passage of the Bipartisan Background Checks Act of 2019 (H.R. 8), which would strengthen the accuracy and reporting of the National Instant Criminal Background Check System (NICS) as well as expand Brady background checks to cover all firearm sales, including unlicensed firearms sellers currently not required to use background checks, and the Gun Violence Prevention Research Act (H.R. 674/S. 184), which would authorize funding for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to study firearms safety and gun violence prevention. Also urged Congress to pass the Violence Against Women (VAWA) Reauthorization Act of 2019 (H.R. 1585), to provide protections for domestic violence victims by restricting access to firearms by those deemed a threat to them. Also urged Congress to pass the Assault Weapons Ban of 2019 (S. 66/H.R. 1296), to ban the sale of semi-automatic weapons and high capacity magazines. Immigration: The College advocated against family separation at the U.S. border. Specifically, the College urged support for H.R. 541 - the Keep Families Together Act, which would help ensure that children are not separated from their parents when families unlawfully cross over the border into the United States and would ensure that the Department of Homeland Security would not be able to implement the zero tolerance policy that separated families at the border last summer; urged congressional oversight of family separation policies. Also urged that Congress pass H.R. 6, the Dream and Promise Act of 2019, which would provide a pathway to U.S. citizenship for undocumented children who came to the United States due to the action of their parents, also known as Dreamers. Expressed concern to the U.S. Department of Homeland Security with the recent U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Service (USCIS) policy change to no longer accept or adjudicate non-military deferred action requests including those for individuals with serious medical conditions; Urged USCIS to reverse this decision immediately and resume consideration of deferred action requests for medical reasons; Opposed the proposed rule, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) Establishing a Fixed Time Period of Admission and an Extension of Stay Procedure for Nonimmigrant Academic Students, Exchange Visitors, and Representatives of Foreign Information Media. This rule would change the process to extend the period of authorized stay in the United States for certain categories of nonimmigrants by eliminating the long-standing "duration of status and replacing it with a specific end date. The College urged the Department of Homeland Security to exclude physicians in the Department of States (DOS) Exchange Visitor Program in J-1 visa status from this rule change because it will otherwise disrupt the training of thousands of physicians - physicians who already have been thoroughly vetted, already are serving on our nations health care teams, and already are carefully monitored during their time in the U.S. Graduate Medical Education: Urged that Congress support medical education training and debt relief for primary care physicians and other specialties facing shortages by passing the Resident Physician Shortage Reduction Act of 2019 (S. 348, H.R. 1763), to lift the GME caps as needed to permit training an adequate number of primary care physicians, including internal medicine specialists, and physicians in other specialties facing shortages; passing the Resident Education Deferred Interest Act (H.R. 1554), to save physicians in residency programs thousands of dollars in interest on their loans and help incentivize the opening of practices in underserved areas; pass legislation to combine DGME and IME into a single, more functional payment program, and broaden the GME financing structure to include all payers; support funding for GME/IME and programs within the Veterans Health Administration that provide graduate medical education to ensure that physicians are adequately trained with the skills needed to treat an aging population. Urged Congress to pass the Opioid Workforce Act of 2019 (H.R. 3414), which would provide Medicare support for an additional 1,000 graduate medical education (GME) positions over five years in hospitals that have, or are in the process of establishing, accredited residency programs in addiction medicine, addiction psychiatry, or pain medicine. Urged Congress to pass S. 1203 and H.R. 2441, the What You Can Do For Your Country Act, which would improve and reform the Public Service Loan Forgiveness (PSLF) Program. Vaccines: Urged Congress to pass the Vaccines Act (HR 2862), which would provide federal funding for vaccine hesitancy surveillance at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), and outline a national public messaging campaign informed by this research to help improve vaccination rates; Supported H.R. 592, recognizing the anniversary of the eradication of smallpox and the importance of vaccination in the United States and worldwide; Urged the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to reconsider its decision to not vaccinate families in the custody of U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) against influenza (flu). Urged Congress to support payments for vaccines, as finalized by CMS, and set for implementation on Jan. 1, 2021. Surprise Medical Billing: Urged Congress to pass legislation that would protect patients from surprise out-of-network medical bills in both emergency and non-emergency settings that includes the following principles: hold patients harmless from surprise medical bills for out-of-network services, address narrow insurance networks, abandon efforts to establish an in-network median rate for services in these settings and instead opt for an independent dispute resolution process to determine payment. Appropriations: Urged Congress to fund Title VII, Section 747, Primary Care Training and Enhancement (PCTE) at $71 million for fiscal year 2021; Fund the Agency for Health Care Research and Quality (AHRQ) at $460 million for fiscal year 2021; Fund the National Health Service Corps (NHSC) at $830 million for fiscal year 2021; Fund the Title X Family Planning Program at $400 million for fiscal year 2021 and include language to remove barriers to care that interfere with the patient-physician relationship; Fund Research on Prevention of Firearms-related Injuries and Deaths at $50 million for Fiscal Year 2021; Fund the National Institutes of Health (NIH) at $44.7 billion for fiscal year 2021; Fund the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) at $8.3 billion for fiscal year 2021; Urged the House and Senate Armed Services Committees to support provisions in any final FY2021 National Defense Authorization Act to prevent cuts to the Military Health Service and the military medical workforce without requiring appropriate congressional oversight and review. Physician Fee Schedule: Commented to CMS and to Congress to fully implement payment increases for all evaluation and management codes, as finalized by CMS, and as scheduled for implementation on Jan. 1, 2021. Reduce the documentation burden for E/M services by allowing choice of medical decision making or time, and work to develop additional clarity and guidance on acceptable documentation to operationalize these important proposals; examination room desktop computers should be counted as a direct medical equipment cost; care management should be promoted by increasing the values of services like Transitional Care Management (TCM) and Chronic Care Management and implementing Principle Care Management (PCM) codes; require additional survey and review for any requests to increase non-outpatient E/M or other services; work with the physician community prior to finalizing any policy affecting eligibility to participate in the Medicare program; Urged congressional committees of jurisdiction to support: Higher physician work relative value units (RVUs) for new and established office visit codes, leading to increased payments for them, Reduced documentation requirements for office visit codes, which enables physicians to select and document for each visit based on medical decision-making or total time, Expanded and improved payment for care management services. Urged Congress to support waiving budget neutrality, applicable to the calendar year 2021 physician fee schedule. COVID-19: Urged congressional appropriators to provide the highest possible funding level for research, prevention, control, and treatment of illnesses associated with the virus that is commensurate with the public health emergency that the virus represents. Urged the administration to explore regulatory and other actions that would make COVID-19 testing free-of-charge to patients covered by both public and private insurance plans, including ACA-compliant plans offered through the insurance exchanges, and to waive co-pays and deductibles for patients seeing physicians for symptoms that may be indicative of COVID-19 or who are hospitalized for treatment. Urged CMS to utilize a national disaster recovery program that would pay doctors 110% of Medicare rates for caring for uninsured patients who have been infected with SARS-CoV-2. Expressed support to Congress and the administration for the Families First Coronavirus Response Act, H.R. 6201, and other stimulus reforms related to COVID-19 including: Emergency paid leave benefits, paid sick days for public health emergencies, coverage of testing for COVID-19, waiving of cost sharing under Medicare, Medicare Advantage, Medicaid, and CHIP, increasing the federal FMAP under Medicaid, providing reimbursement for CPT codes 99441 - 99443, which are telephone evaluation and management services, expediting entrance of international medical graduates who are citizens of other nations (non-US IMGs) into the country and ensuring that lawfully present non-U.S. IMGs are not negatively impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic, funding for physician practices under the Public Health and Social Service Emergency Fund (PHSSEF), providing tax relief, grants, and loans to small and medium size practices impacted by COVID-19, increasing funding for personal protective equipment (PPE), ensuring Medicaid pay parity with Medicare for primary care services; Urged HHS and Congress to make a targeted allocation out of the Provider Relief Fund (PRF) to support primary care physicians and their practices, sufficient to keep their doors open, by offsetting lost revenue from the COVID-19 pandemic, similar to the targeted allocation for rural hospitals; Urged support for the Student Loan Forgiveness for Frontline Health Workers Act, H.R. 6720, introduced May 5, 2020 by Representative Carolyn B. Maloney (D-NY) which would eliminate graduate school debt for healthcare workers, including physicians and medical students, who are providing direct patient care in response to the COVID-19 pandemic; Urged support for H.R. 7059, the Coronavirus Provider Protection Act, which extend liability protections to those who provide care in good faith during the COVID-19 public health emergency (plus a reasonable time, such as 60 days, after the emergency declaration ends), and not in situations of gross negligence or willful misconduct. The College also urged that pay parity between telephone claims and in-person visits and between all telehealth and in-person visits be maintained after the PHE is lifted. This extension-either continued by CMS or mandated by Congress-should last at least through the end of 2021, or until such a time when effective vaccines and treatments are widely available, with an option to extend it even further, or consider making permanent, based on the experience and learnings of patients and physicians who are utilizing these visits. Urged Congress to support a targeted allocation from the Provider Relief Fund specifically for primary care services. Priorities for New Administration: Urged the incoming Biden Administration to identify and appoint physicians to health care leadership positions within your Administration. Implement approval, distribution, and funding of a safe and effective COVID-19 vaccine based on recommendations from the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP). Provide support to physicians and other frontline health care workers, including ensuring access and distribution of personal protective equipment (PPE) to health care workers. Fund COVID-19 testing and contact tracing efforts. Reverse regulations that allow the sale of extended short-term, limited duration plans, association health plans. Take action to defend the Affordable Care Act from any litigation, including California v. Texas, that would undermine coverage and patient protections. Expand premium tax credits and cost-sharing reductions. Establish a federal public option to inject competition into the health insurance marketplace. Expand Medicaid eligibility and oppose expansion waivers that limit benefits and apply high cost sharing. Permanently increase payment for Medicaid primary care services to the level of Medicare. Restore the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals, consistent with a recent ruling from a federal judge, and identify executive actions that can be taken to ensure that it is not vulnerable to being eliminated in the future. Pursue executive actions to preserve the principles of patient autonomy regarding reproductive decision-making rights. Reverse the Title X gag rule and restore funding to family planning clinics. Establish universal access to at least six weeks of paid family and medical leave that is flexible to accommodate care for a diverse array of family structures, including updating the Family Medical and Leave Act to include grandparents or in-laws. Re-introduce and pass the George Floyd Act and other legislation focused on eliminating racism and police violence. Rejoin the Paris Agreement.
Client expense: $91,236 · Firm income: Not reported
Government targets: Centers For Disease Control & Prevention (CDC), Centers For Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS), Food & Drug Administration (FDA), HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES, Health & Human Services, Dept of (HHS), Homeland Security, Dept of (DHS), President of the U.S., SENATE, State, Dept of (DOS)
2020 · fourth_quarter · Health Issues
H.R. 133 CARES Act -Provider Relief Fund -FCC COVID-19 Telehealth Grant Program -Children's Hospitals Graduate Medical Education Program (CHGME) Development of potential proposal related to leadership to elevate a child health agenda and federal coordination S.4993 - Reducing Obesity in Youth Act of 2020 H.R.8918 - Reducing Obesity in Youth Act of 2020 H.R.2862 - The VACCINES Act H.R.8061 - Community Immunity During COVID-19 Act of 2020
Client expense: $153,783 · Firm income: Not reported
Government targets: HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES, SENATE
2020 · third_quarter · Health Issues
Lobbying Issues Description: Budget and appropriations for disease and injury prevention, including obesity and related diseases; pandemic influenza and emerging infectious diseases; physical activity; public health bioterrorism preparedness; food safety, environmental health; paid sick days; womens and childrens health; community-based public health interventions, and substance misuse/behavioral health issues. Specific Legislation: 1.Implementation of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (Public Law 111-148) 2.Implementation of Pandemic and All-Hazards Preparedness Reauthorization Act and Pandemic and All-Hazards Preparedness and Advancing Innovation Act (Public Law 113-5, 116-22) 3.Implementation of Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act of 2010 (Public Law 111-296) 4.Implementation of Every Student Succeeds Act (Public Law 114-95) 5.Implementation of the Comprehensive Addition and Recovery Act (Public Law 114-98) 6.Midnight Rules Relief Act (S.34/H.R. 21) 7.Regulations from the Executive in Need of Scrutiny Act (S. 21/H.R. 26) 8.Regulatory Accountability Act (S.951/H.R. 5/H.R. 45/H.Res.33) 9.Searching for and Cutting Regulations that are Unnecessarily Burdensome (SCRUB) Act (H.R. 998) 10.Regulatory Integrity Act (H.R. 1004) 11.OIRA Insight, Reform, and Accountability Act (S. 676/H.R. 1009) 12.A concurrent resolution setting forth the congressional budget for the United States Government for fiscal year 2017 and setting forth the appropriate budgetary levels for fiscal years 2018 through 2026 (S.Con.Res. 3) 13.American Health Care Act (H.R. 1628/H.Res. 228) 14.Ozone Standards Implementation Act (S. 263/H.R. 806) 15.Providing for congressional disapproval under chapter 8 of title 5, United States Code, of the final rule of the Bureau of Land Management relating to "Waste Prevention, Production Subject to Royalties, and Resource Conservation" (S.J. Res. 11/H.J.Res.36) 16.Common Sense Nutrition Disclosure Act (S. 261/H.R. 772) 17.Reinvigorating Antibiotic and Diagnostic Innovation (READI) Act (H.R. 1840) 18.Preservation of Antibiotics for Medical Treatment Act (H.R. 1587) 19.Preventing Antibiotic Resistance Act (S. 629) 20.Better Care Reconciliation Act (H.R. 1628) and related amendments 21.Public Health Emergency Response Act (S. 196) 22.Recognizing the importance of vaccinations and immunizations in the United States (H.Res.327) 23.Treat and Reduce Obesity Act (S. 830/H.R. 1953) 24.Community Health and Medical Professionals Improve Our Nation (CHAMPION) Act (H.R. 3922) 25.Community Health Investment, Modernization, and Excellence Act of 2017 (S. 1899) 26.Tobacco Tax Equity Act (S. 1837) 27.Healthy Kids Act (S. 1821/H.R. 3921) 28.Implementation of the Drug Quality and Security Act (P.S. 113-54) 29.Continuing Appropriations Act, 2018 and Supplemental Appropriations for Disaster Relief Requirements Act, 2017 (Public Law 115-56) 30.Friendly Airports for Mothers Act (S. 1110/H.R. 2375) 31.Lead-Safe Housing for Kids Act (S. 1845) 32.Supporting Working Moms Act (S. 2122/H.R. 3255) 33.Championing Healthy Kids Act (H.R. 3922) 34.Making further continuing appropriations for fiscal year 2018, and for other purposes (Public Law 115-90) 35.An Act to amend the Homeland Security Act of 2002 to require the Secretary of Homeland Security to issue Department of Homeland Security-wide guidance and develop training programs as part of the Department of Homeland Security Blue Campaign, and for other purposes (Public Law 115-96) 36.Tax Cuts and Jobs Act (Public Law 115-97) 37.Pandemic and All-Hazards Preparedness Advancing Innovation Act (S. 2852/H.R. 6378/H.R. 7328/S. 1379/H.R. 269) 38.Vaccine Access Improvement Act (H.R. 4993) 39.Relief from New Source Performance Standards Act (H.R. 453) 40.Strategies to Address Antimicrobial Resistance (S. 2469) 41.Opioid Quota Reform Act (S. 2535) 42.Hospital Preparedness Program Reauthorization Act (H.R. 4776) 43.Blocking Regulatory Interference from Closing Kilns Act (H.R. 1917) 44.Opioid Crisis Response Act of 2018 (S. 2680) 45.Agriculture and Nutrition Act (H.R. 2) 46.Agriculture Improvement Act (S. 3042) 47.SECURE Act (H.R. 5998) 48.Trauma-Informed Care for Children and Families Act (S. 774) 49.SUPPORT for Patients and Communities Act (H.R. 6) 50.Centers for Disease Control Emergency Response Act (S. 3161) 51.LABEL Opioids Act (S. 3428) 52.Relief from New Source Performance Standards Act (S. 1857) 53.Outdoors for All Act (S. 3499) 54.The MOMMA Act (H.R. 5977) 55.Preventing Maternal Deaths Act (H.R. 1318) 56.Medicare Access to Vaccines Equity Act (not yet introduced) 57.The Support Act (H.R. 6) 58.Climate Change Health Protection and Promotion Act (S. 529) 59.NURSE Act (H.R. 1597) 60.Investing for the People Act (H.R. 2021) 61.Child Care for Working Families Act (H.R. 365/S. 568) 62.FAMILY Act (H.R. 1185/S. 463) 63.Transportation Alternatives Enhancement Act (S. 1098) 64.Lower Health Care Costs Act (S. 1895) 65.LIFT America Act (H.R 2479) 66.Public Health Funding Restoration Act (H.R. 3447/S. 1944) 67.Supporting Older Americans Act of 2020 (HR 4334) 68.Campus Prevention and Recovery Services for Students Act (H.R. 3591) 69.Healthier Students for Stronger Campuses Act (S. 1281) 70.Saving Lives Through Better Data Act (S. 1793) 71.VACCINES Act (H.R. 2862) 72.DISARM Act (H.R. 4100/S. 1712) 73.Community Access, Resources, and Education for Families Act (H.R. 3117) 74.Protecting Seniors Through Immunization Act (S. 1872) 75.Tobacco-Free Youth Act (S. 1541) 76.Tobacco to 21 Act (H.R. 2411/S. 1258) 77.Investing for People Act (H.R. 2021) 78.School Based Health Centers Reauthorization Act (H.R.2075/S.1013) 79.Reversing the Youth Tobacco Epidemic Act of 2019 (H.R. 2339) 80.Social Determinants Accelerator Act (H.R. 4004/S. 2986) 81.Mental Health Professionals Workforce Shortage Loan Repayment Act (H.R. 2431) 82.The UNDERSTAND Act (S. 1323) 83.Americas Transportation Infrastructure Act (S. 2302) 84.Barriers to Suicide Act of 2019 (H.R. 4309) 85.Promoting Physical Activity for Americans Act (S. 1608/H.R. 2891) 86.Public Health Infrastructure Modernization Act of 2019 (H.R. 5321) 87.Supporting Healthy Mothers and Infants Act (H.R. 5249) 88.Lead-Free Future Act (H.R. 4416) 89.Home Visiting to Reduce Maternal Mortality and Morbidity Act (H.R. 4768) 90.Recognizing the anniversary of the eradication of smallpox and the importance of vaccination in the United States and worldwide (H. Res. 592) 91.Coronavirus Preparedness and Response Supplemental Appropriations Act (H.R. 6074) 92.Families First Coronavirus Response Act (H.R. 6201) 93.Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act (H.R. 748) 94.Connecting Americas Transportation Infrastructure Act (H.R. 5696/S. 3391)) 95.Improving Access to Remote Behavioral Health Treatment Act (S. 2244/H.R. 4131) 96.National Suicide Hotline Designation Act (S. 2661/H.R. 4194) 97.Suicide Prevention Lifeline Improvement Act (H.R. 4564) 98.Campaign to Prevent Suicide Act (H.R. 4585) 99.Medicaid Reentry Act (H.R. 1329) 100.Excellence in Mental Health and Addiction Treatment Expansion Act (S. 824/H.R. 1767) 101.Mental Health Services for Students Act (S. 1122/H.R. 1109) 102.Suicide Training and Awareness Nationally Delivered for Universal Prevention (STANDUP) Act (S. 2492/H.R. 2599) 103.Mental Health Parity Compliance Act (S. 1737/H.R. 3165) 104.Behavioral Health Transparency Act (S. 1576/H.R. 2874) 105.Medicare Mental Health Access Act (S. 2772/H.R. 884) 106.Public Health Emergency Response and Accountability Act (S. 3309) 107.Family Violence Prevention and Services Improvement Act (H.R. 5041) 108.Protecting the Health of Americas Older Adults During COVID-19 and Beyond Act (H.R. 6935) 109.Improving Social Determinants Act (H.R. 6561/S. 4440) 110.Urging the establishment of a United States Commission on Truth, Racial Healing, and Transformation (H.Con.Res.100) 111.FY 2021 Departments of Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education and Related Agencies Appropriations (TBD) 112.Better Tools for Healthy Living Act (S. 1805) 113.The WIC Act (H.R. 6811/S. 2358) 114.Health Equity and Accountability Act (H.R. 6637) 115.Paycheck Protection Program and Health Care Enhancement Act (H.R. 266) 116.The HEROES Act (H.R.6800) 117.Community Solutions for COVID-19 Act (H.R.7077/S.3877) 118.The Black Maternal Health Momnibus Act of 2020 (H.R. 6142) 119.COVID-19 Bias and Anti-Racism Training Act (H.R. 7618/S. 4248) 120.Urging the establishment of a United States Commission on Truth, Racial Healing, and Transformation (H. Con. Res. 100) 121.Community Immunity During COVID-19 Act of 2020 (H.R. 8061) 122.Public Safety Officer Support Act (H.R. 7568) 123.COVID-19 Behavioral Health Support Act (S. 4059) 124.Public Health Workforce Loan Repayment Act (H.R. 6578) 125.Strengthening the Public Health Workforce Act (S. 3737) 126.A resolution declaring racism a public health crisis (S. Res. 655) 127.Pandemic Child Hunger Prevention Act (H.R.7887) 128.Public Health Infrastructure Saves Lives Act (S. 4740) 129.CARE for Families Act (H.R. 3117/S. 3354) 130.Improving Data Collection for Adverse Childhood Experiences Act (H.R. 7689) 131.The STANDUP Act of 2020 (H.R. 7293) 132.The Effective Suicide Screening and Assessment in the Emergency Department Act (H.R. 4861) 133.The Pursuing Equity in Mental Health Act of 2019 (H.R. 5469) 134.The Improving Mental Health Access from the Emergency Department Act (H.R. 2519/S. 1334) 135.The Suicide Prevention Act (H.R. 5619/S. 3198) 136.The Helping Emergency Responders Overcome (HERO) Act (H.R. 1646/S. 3244) 137.The Campaign to Prevent Suicide Act (H.R. 4585) 138.The Maternal Health Immunization Enhancement Act (S. 4690) 139.Pandemic Vaccine Access Improvement Act (Not yet introduced) 140.Moving Forward Act (H.R. 2) 141.Continuing Appropriations Act, 2021 and Other Extensions Act (HR 8319) Coronavirus Response Additional Supplemental Appropriations Act (S. 4320). 142.ETHIC Act (H.R. 8205) 143.Safely Back to School and Work Act (S. 4322) 144.Supporting the goals and ideals of BIPOC Mental Health Awareness Month (H.Res. 1064) 145.COVID-19 Health Disparities Action Act (S. 4262) 146.Protecting American Heroes Act of 2020 (S. 4368) 147.Health STATISTICS Act (H.R. 8080) House(s) of Congress and Federal Agencies lobbied during the quarter: House, Senate, Exec Office of Pres, HHS, CDC, FDA, CMS, OMB, DOT, HUD, EPA, NIMH, Education, USDA, DHS, FEMA, and SAMHSA.
Client expense: $36,974 · Firm income: Not reported
Government targets: Agriculture, Dept of (USDA), Centers For Disease Control & Prevention (CDC), Centers For Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS), Education, Dept of, Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), Executive Office of the President (EOP), Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), Food & Drug Administration (FDA), HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES, Health & Human Services, Dept of (HHS), Homeland Security, Dept of (DHS), Housing & Urban Development, Dept of (HUD), Office of Management & Budget (OMB), SENATE, Substance Abuse & Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), Transportation, Dept of (DOT)
2020 · third_quarter · Health Issues
Legislation and policies relating to: Provisions of the Patient Protection & Affordable Care Act (P.L. 111-148) Reauthorization of funding for the Childrens Health Insurance Program Reauthorization of the Child Nutrition Act Section 2706 of the ACA regarding provider non-discrimination Policies related to health insurance market stabilization Policies affecting nurse practitioner education and workforce Definition, evaluation and enforcement of essential health benefits and provider network adequacy Health information technology and electronic health records Mental health services and violence prevention Human and child trafficking Palliative Care and Hospice Education and Training Act (H.R. 647/S. 2080) Title VIII Nursing Workforce Reauthorization Act of 2019 (H.R. 728/S. 1399) Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act (H.R. 748/S.3548) Emergency Medical Services for Children Program Reauthorization Act of 2019 (H.R. 776/S. 1173) End Surprise Billing Act of 2019 (H.R. 861) Fairness for Breastfeeding Mothers Act (H.R. 866/S. 528) Mental Health Access Improvement Act of 2019 (H.R. 945) Workplace Violence Prevention for Health Care and Social Service Workers Act (H.R. 1309) Patient Protection and Affordable Care Enhancement Act (H.R. 1425) Healthy Families Act (H.R. 1784/S. 840) Mothers and Offspring Mortality and Morbidity Awareness (MOMMAs) Act (H.R. 1897) School-Based Health Centers Reauthorization Act of 2019 (H.R. 2075/S. 1013) Scarlett's Sunshine on Sudden Unexpected Death Act (H.R. 2271/S. 1130) Community Health Investment, Modernization, and Excellence Act of 2019 (H.R. 2328) Newborn Screening Saves Lives Reauthorization Act of 2019 (H.R. 2507) Pregnant Workers Fairness Act (H.R. 2694) Educating Medical Professionals and Optimizing Workforce Efficiency and Readiness (EMPOWER) for Health Act of 2019 (H.R. 2781) Vaccine Awareness Campaign to Champion Immunization Nationally and Enhance Safety (VACCINES) Act of 2019 (H.R. 2862) Physical Activities Recommendations for Americans Act of 2019 (H.R. 2891) Safe Cribs Act of 2019 (H.R. 3170) Safe Sleep for Babies Act of 2019 (H.R. 3172) Pathways to Health Careers Act (H.R. 3398) Chronic Care Management Improvement Act (H.R. 3436) No Surprises Act (H.R. 3630) Midwives for Maximizing Optimal Maternity Services (Midwives for MOMS) Act of 2019 (H.R. 3849) Social Determinants Accelerator Act of 2019 (H.R. 4004/S. 2986) Developing an Innovative Strategy for Antimicrobial Resistant Microorganisms (DISARM) Act of 2019 (H.R. 3328/H.R. 4100/S. 1712) Effective Suicide Screening and Assessment in the Emergency Department Act of 2019 (H.R. 4861/S. 3006) United States Public Health Service Modernization Act of 2019 (H.R. 4870/S. 2629) Medication Access and Training Expansion (MATE) Act of 2019 (H.R. 4974) Maternal Health Quality Improvement Act of 2019 (H.R. 4995) Helping Medicaid Offer Maternity Services (MOMS) Act of 2019 (H.R. 4996) Protecting Seniors Through Immunization Act of 2019 (H.R. 5076/S. 1872) Pursuing Equity in Mental Health Act of 2019 (H.R. 5469) Primary and Behavioral Health Care Access Act (H.R. 5575) Ban Surprise Billing Act (H.R. 5800) Consumer Protections Against Surprise Medical Bills Act of 2020 (H.R. 5826) Black Maternal Health Momnibus Act of 2020 (H.R. 6142/S. 3424) Families First Coronavirus Response Act (H.R. 6201) Take Responsibility for Workers and Families Act (H.R. 6379) Health Care at Home Act (H.R. 6644) COVID-19 Mental Health Research Act (H.R. 6645) HEROES Act (H.R. 6800) Child Care Is Essential Act (H.R. 7027) Ensuring Children and Child Care Workers Are Safe Act of 2020 (H.R. 7079) Child Care for Economic Recovery Act (H.R. 7327) Protect Telehealth Access Act (H.R. 7391) Protecting Access to Post-COVID-19 Telehealth Act of 2020 (H.R. 7663) Community and Public Health Programs Extension Act (S. 192) National Nurse Act of 2019 (S. 696/H.R. 1597) Excellence in Mental Health and Addiction Treatment Expansion Act (S. 824/H.R. 1767) Nursing Where It's Needed Act (S. 1045) Promoting Physical Activity for Americans Act (S. 1608) Lower Health Care Costs Act (S. 1895) National Suicide Hotline Designation Act (S. 2661) Child Care Protection Improvement Act of 2019 (S. 2683) CONNECT for Health Act of 2019(S. 2741/H.R. 4932) CAPTA Reauthorization Act of 2019 (S. 2971) Suicide Prevention Act (S. 3198/H.R. 5619) Eliminating Abusive and Rampant Neglect of Interactive Technologies (EARN IT) Act of 2020 (S. 3398) Tele-Mental Health Improvement Act (S. 3792) Coronavirus Mental Health and Addiction Assistance Act of 2020 (S. 3825/H.R. 6999) Future Advancement of Academic Nursing (FAAN) Act (S. 4396/H.R. 7945) Safe Authorization for Vaccines during Emergencies (SAVE) Act (S. 4427)
Client expense: Not reported · Firm income: $24,000
Government targets: Bureau of Alcohol Tobacco Firearms & Explosives, Centers For Disease Control & Prevention (CDC), Centers For Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS), Education, Dept of, Food & Drug Administration (FDA), HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES, Health & Human Services, Dept of (HHS), Health Resources & Services Administration (HRSA), Homeland Security, Dept of (DHS), Justice, Dept of (DOJ), Medicare Payment Advisory Commission (MedPAC), Natl Institutes of Health (NIH), Office of Management & Budget (OMB), SENATE, Treasury, Dept of, Veterans Affairs, Dept of (VA), Vice President of the U.S., White House Office
2020 · third_quarter · Health Issues
H.R.34: 21st Century Cures Act 2.0 ---RFI from House Energy and Commerce Committee 340B Drug Discount Program ---Executive Order on Affordable Life-saving Medications ---H.R. 7614: Labor, Health and Human Services, Education, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act for FY 2021 ---Program Implementation & Oversight Reimbursement and Coverage of Innovative Products ---Executive order on Lowering Drug Prices by Putting America First Drug Importation ---Executive Order on Increasing Drug Importation to Lower Prices for American Patients Antibiotic & Diagnostic Tax Credit Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation Forum ---Biologics Regulations ---Intellectual Property Issues Biodefense Research, Development and Procurement Issues (Nonfunding) ---H.R.6074: Coronavirus Preparedness and Response Supplemental Appropriations Act for FY 2020 ---Implementation of the Families First Coronavirus Response Act of 2020 ---H.R. 748: Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act of 2020 ---H.R.4100/S.1712: DISARM Act of 2019 ---S.4760: Pioneering Antimicrobial Subscriptions to End Upsurging Resistance (PASTEUR) Act of 2020 ---S.4231: Preparing for the Next Pandemic Act of 2020 ---Strategic National Stockpile ---H.R.6800: Health and Economic Recovery Omnibus Emergency Solutions Act (HEROES) Act of 2020 ---H.R.7537: Infectious Disease Therapies Research and Innovation Act ---H.R.7556: To amend the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 to make a portion of research credit refundable for certain small businesses engaging in specified medical research. ---H.R.7555: To amend the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 to add a new medical research component to the credit for increasing research activities. ---H.R.7537: Infectious Disease Therapies Research and Innovation Act ---Implementation of the Pandemic and All-Hazards Preparedness and Advancing Innovation (PAHPAI) Act of 2019 ---Executive Order on Buy American ---Executive Order on Modernizing Influenza Vaccines ---Gene editing ---Implementation of 21st Century Cures Act of 2016 ---Implementation of Medical Countermeasure Innovation Act of 2016 ---MCM Manufacturing & Capacity ---MCM R&D Incentives ---National Biodefense Strategy ---Senate HELP Pandemic Preparedness White Paper ---Tropical Disease Priority Review Voucher (PRV) Program Biosimilars ---Biosimilar Copay ---BSUFA ---Implementation and Reauthorization of the Biosimilar User Fee Act of 2017 ---Reimbursement Climate Change ---RFI from House Select Committee on the Climate Crisis Coronavirus (COVID-19) Pandemic ---H.R.4100/S.1712: DISARM Act of 2019 ---H.R.5076/S.1872: Protecting Seniors through Immunizations Act of 2019 ---H.R.7917: IGNITE American Innovation Act ---H.R.6260/S.3545: Reciprocity Ensures Streamlined Use of Lifesaving Treatments for Coronavirus Patients Act of 2020 ---H.R.6800: Health and Economic Recovery Omnibus Emergency Solutions Act (HEROES) Act of 2020 ---S.4775: The Delivering Immediate Relief to America's Families, Schools and Small Business Act ---H.R.7288: The Taxpayer Research and Coronavirus Knowledge (TRACK) Act ---COVID-19 Vaccine and Therapeutic Development ---Coverage for Covid Tx ---Drug Supply Chain Management ---Funding for Countermeasure Injury Compensation Program ---Healthcare Disparities ---Home Administration of Part B Drugs ---Liability ---Medicare reimbursement policies ---Patient Cost-Sharing and Smoothing ---Pricing-related Provisions ---R&D Funding for Medical Countermeasures ---Restrictions on Intellectual Property Rights ---Senate HELP Pandemic Preparedness White Paper Drug Evaluation and Review ---S.1617: Second Look at Drug Patents Act of 2019 ---H.R.7269/S.3872: Promising Pathway Act ---Compassionate Use/Expanded Access ---Expedited Pathways ---Priority Review Voucher Programs Drug Manufacturing, Quality & Distribution ---Drug Shortages ---Drug Supply Chain Management ---Executive Order on Buy American Drug Patenting ---H.R.1046/S.377: Medicare Negotiation and Competitive Licensing Act of 2019 ---S.1416/H.R.4398/H.R.3991/H.R.5133: Affordable Prescriptions for Patients Act of 2019 Drug Pricing ---H.R.3: Lower Drug Costs Now Act of 2019 ---H.R.488/S.99: Medicare Drug Price Negotiation Act of 2019 ---H.R.1046/S.377: Medicare Negotiation and Competitive Licensing Act of 2019 ---H.R.1093/S.378: Stop Price Gouging Act of 2019 ---H.R.1425: The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Enhancement Act of 2020 ---S.1895: Lower Health Care Costs for Patients Act of 2019 ---H.R.1499: Protecting Consumer Access to Generic Drugs Act of 2019 ---S.1617: Second Look at Drug Patents Act of 2019 ---H.R.19/S.3129: Lower Costs, More Cures Act of 2019 ---H.R.2069/S.474: Stopping the Pharmaceutical Industry from Keeping drugs Expensive (SPIKE) Act of 2019 ---H.R.275: Medicare Prescription Drug Price Negotiation Act of 2019 ---H.R.1188/S.366: Forcing Limits on Abusive and Tumultuous prices (FLAT) prices Act of 2019 ---H.R.2113: Prescription Drug STAR Act of 2019 ---H.R.2376/S.1227: Prescription Pricing for the People Act of 2019 ---H.R.2387: Stop The Overuse of Petitions and Get Affordable Medicines to Enter Soon (STOP GAMES) Act of 2019 ---S.2543: Prescription Drug Pricing Reduction Act of 2019 ---H.R.3199: Terminating the Extension of Rights Misappropriated (TERM) Act of 2019 ---H.R.3991: Affordable Prescriptions for Patients Through Improvements to Patent Litigation Act of 2019 ---H.R.6800: Health and Economic Recovery Omnibus Emergency Solutions Act (HEROES) Act of 2020 ---H.R.7288: The Taxpayer Research and Coronavirus Knowledge (TRACK) Act ---S.1416/H.R.4398/H.R.3991/H.R.5133: Affordable Prescriptions for Patients Act of 2019 ---H.R.7614: Labor, Health and Human Services, Education, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act for FY 2021 ---H.R.6074: Coronavirus Preparedness and Response Supplemental Appropriations Act for FY 2020 ---CMMI Authority ---Executive Order on Buy American ---Executive Order on Access to Affordable Life-saving Medications ---Executive Order on Increasing Drug Importation to Lower Prices for American Patients ---Executive Order on Lowering Prices for Patients by Eliminating Kickbacks to Middlemen ---General ---International Pricing Index Proposal ---Most Favored Nation Executive Order ---Proposed Federal Price Caps on COVID-19 Therapeutics and Vaccines Foreign Drug Data Protection Laws ---Regulatory Harmonization Funding for Antimicrobial Resistance Programs ---S. 1624: Health, Economic Assistance, Liability Protection, and Schools (HEALS) Act ---H.R.6800: Health and Economic Recovery Omnibus Emergency Solutions (HEROES) Act of 2020 ---H.R.6074: Coronavirus Preparedness and Response Supplemental Appropriations Act for FY 2020 ---H.R.7610: Agriculture, Rural Development, FDA, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act for FY 2021 ---H.R.7614: Labor, Health and Human services, Education, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act for FY 2021 ---H.R.748: Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act of 2020 ---S.4760:Pioneering Antimicrobial Subscriptions to End Upsurging Resistance (PASTEUR) Act of 2020 Funding for Biodefense/Biomedical/Emergency Preparedness Research, Development and Procurement ---H.R. 8337: Continuing Appropriations Act, 2021 and other Extensions Act of 2020 ---H.R.6800: Health and Economic Recovery Omnibus Emergency Solutions (HEROES) Act of 2020 ---H.R.748: Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act of 2020 ---H.R.6074: Coronavirus Preparedness and Response Supplemental Appropriations Act for FY 2020 ---H.R.7614: Labor, Health and Human services, Education, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act for FY 2021 ---S. 1624: Health, Economic Assistance, Liability Protection, and Schools (HEALS) Act ---Health Defense Operations Funding Designation ---H.R.7537: Infectious Disease Therapies Research and Innovation Act ---H.R.7556: To amend the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 to make a portion of research credit refundable for certain small businesses engaging in specified medical research. ---H.R.7555: To amend the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 to add a new medical research component to the credit for increasing research activities. ---H.R.7537: Infectious Disease Therapies Research and Innovation Act Funding for FDA ---H.R.7610: Agriculture, Rural Development, FDA, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act for FY 2021 Funding for Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) - Vaccine Injury Compensation Program (VICP) ---H.R.7614: Labor, Health and Human services, Education, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act for FY 2021 Funding for National Institutes of Health ---H.R. 8337: Continuing Appropriations Act, 2021 and other Extensions Act of 2020 ---H.R.6800: Health and Economic Recovery Omnibus Emergency Solutions (HEROES) Act of 2020 ---H.R.748: Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act of 2020 ---H.R.6074: Coronavirus Preparedness and Response Supplemental Appropriations Act for FY 2020 Funding for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Vaccine Programs ---H.R. 8337: Continuing Appropriations Act, 2021 and other Extensions Act of 2020 ---H.R.748: Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act of 2020 ---H.R.6800: Health and Economic Recovery Omnibus Emergency Solutions (HEROES) Act of 2020 ---H.R.6074: Coronavirus Preparedness and Response Supplemental Appropriations Act for FY 2020 ---H.R.7614: Labor, Health and Human services, Education, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act for FY 2021 ---Funding for 2020-21 Influenza Season Preparedness and Response ---Funding for Routine Immunization Infrastructure during Pandemic Funding for the HHS Office of Infectious Disease and HIV/AIDS Policy ---H.R.7614: Labor, Health and Human services, Education, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act for FY 2021 Medicaid ---H.R.5741: Strengthening Innovation in Medicare and Medicaid Act of 2020 ---S.2543: Prescription Drug Pricing Reduction Act of 2019 ---S.3013: Encouraging Innovation Benefit Design to Lower Costs for Seniors Act of 2019 ---Alternative payment arrangements for gene therapies ---Average Manufacturer Price Calculations ---Drug Benefit Design ---Pricing and Rebates ---Value-Based Purchasing (VBP) Rule Medicare Expansion ---H.R.5741: Strengthening Innovation in Medicare and Medicaid Act of 2020 Orphan Drug Issues ---H.R.4439/S.4010: Creating Hope Reauthorization Act of 2019 ---H.R.4712: Fairness in Orphan Drug Exclusivity Act of 2019 ---Tax Credit Rare Pediatric Disease Priority Review ---H.R. 8337: Continuing Appropriations Act, 2021 and other Extensions Act of 2020 ---H.R.4439/S.4010: Creating Hope Reauthorization Act of 2019 Reimbursement and Coverage of Innovative Products ---H.R.19/S.3129: Lower Costs, More Cures Act of 2019 ---H.R.275: Medicare Prescription Drug Price Negotiation Act of 2019 ---H.R.3: Lower Drug Costs Now Act of 2019 ---H.R.488/S.99: Medicare Drug Price Negotiation Act of 2019 ---H.R.5741: Strengthening Innovation in Medicare and Medicaid Act of 2020 ---H.R.6800: Health and Economic Recovery Omnibus Emergency Solutions (HEROES) Act of 2020 ---S.2326: New Opportunities for Value that Extend Lives (NOVEL) Act of 2019 ---S.2543: Prescription Drug Pricing Reduction Act of 2019 ---Administration Rebate Rule ---CMMI Authority ---Executive Order on Lowering Drug Prices by Putting America First ---Executive Order on Access to Affordable Life-Saving Medications ---Executive Order on Lowering Prices for Patients by Eliminating Kickbacks to Middlemen ---In-Home Administration of Part B Drugs ---International Pricing Index Proposal ---Medicare Part B Physician-Administered Products ---Patient Cost-Sharing and Smoothing ---Protected Classes ---Step Therapy ---Support of Patient Premiums and Cost-Sharing Obligations ---Value-Based Purchasing (VBP) Rule ---Value-based Contracting and Communications The United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA) ---Implementation of United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA) ---IP Provisions Trade and Foreign Drug Price Controls US-China Trade Agreement ---IP Provisions US-UK Trade Agreement ---Digital Trade ---IP Provisions ---Market Access ---Regulatory Harmonization Vaccines and Infectious Diseases ---H.R.2862/S.1619: Vaccine Awareness Campaign to Champion Immunization Nationally and Enhance Safety (VACCINES) Act of 2019 ---H.R.4100/S.1712: DISARM Act of 2019 ---H.R.5076/S.1872: Protecting Seniors through Immunizations Act of 2019 ---H.R.6800: Health and Economic Recovery Omnibus Emergency Solutions (HEROES) Act of 2020 ---H.R.748: Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act of 2020 ---H.R.6074: Coronavirus Preparedness and Response Supplemental Appropriations Act for FY 2020 ---H.R.7614: Labor, Health and Human services, Education, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act for FY 2021 ---S.4509: Vaccine And Coverage Certainty (VACC) Act ---Adult Immunization Education ---Countermeasure Injury Compensation Program ---Implementation of the Families First Coronavirus Response Act of 2020 ---MCM Manufacturing & Capacity ---MCM R&D Incentives ---Maternal Immunization ---Operation Warp Speed/ACTIV ---S.4760: Pioneering Antimicrobial Subscriptions to End Upsurging Resistance (PASTEUR) Act of 2020 ---Vaccine Injury Compensation Program ---Vaccine Quality Measure ---Vaccine Safety ---Vaccine and Anti-Microbial Resistance Product Development and Incentives
Client expense: $3,170,000 · Firm income: Not reported
Government targets: Agriculture, Dept of (USDA), Centers For Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS), Commerce, Dept of (DOC), Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), Food & Drug Administration (FDA), HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES, Health & Human Services, Dept of (HHS), Natl Economic Council (NEC), Natl Security Council (NSC), Office of the Vice President of the United States, Patent & Trademark Office (PTO), SENATE, Securities & Exchange Commission (SEC), Small Business Administration (SBA), Treasury, Dept of, U.S. Trade Representative (USTR), White House Office
2020 · third_quarter · Health Issues
Medicare Access and CHIP Reauthorization Act of 2015 implementation, Medicare physician payment reform, MEDPAC, surgical global payments, ACA implementation, health care reform, health care quality improvement, physician workforce issues, comparative clinical effectiveness research, health information technology, EHR meaningful use, EHR data blocking, Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute, MEDCAC, Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Innovation, registry access to Medicare claims data, lung cancer screenings, Agency for Healthcare Research & Quality, graduate medical education, electronic cigarette and cigar regulation, PTAC, meaningful use, congenital heart disease funding, unique device identifiers, medical liability reform, COVID-19 pandemic, tobacco riders in appropriations bills, tobacco regulation in the FDA, price transparency, ECMO coding, Prohibit Smoking in VA Facilities Act (S.2106/HR3700) Resident Physician Shortage Reduction Act (S.348/HR1763), Congenital Heart Futures Reauthorization Act, surprise billing, prior authorization, Women and Lung Cancer Research and Preventive Services Act (S.1107/HR2222), T21 bills, Transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR), Increasing Access to Quality Cardiac Rehabilitation Act (HR.3911), Smoke-Free Schools Act of 2019 (HR.4019/S.1832), Protection for Veterans Burn Pits Exposure Act (HR.4086), The Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act (H.R.748), Coronavirus Provider Protection Act (H.R.7059), Resident Physician Shortage Reduction Act of 2019 (S. 348/H.R. 1763), Quit Because of COVID-19 Act (H.R.7286), Tobacco to 21 Act (S.1258/H.R.2411), The Local Chamber, Tourism, and 501(c)(6) Protection Act (H.R.6697), Immediate Relief for Rural Facilities and Providers Act (S.3559/H.R.6365), Reversing the Youth Tobacco Epidemic Act of 2019 (H.R.2339), Vaccines Act of 2019 (H.R.2862), Investment in Tomorrow's Pediatric Health Care Workforce Act (S.2443), Protecting People from Surprise Medical Bills Act (H.R.3502), Stopping Appealing Flavors in E-Cigarettes for Kids Act (H.R.1498), Resident Education Deferred Interest (REDI) Act (H.R.1554), Improving Access to Medicare Coverage Act (H.R.1682), Traditional Cigar Manufacturing and Small Business Jobs Preservation Act of 2019 (H.R.1854), Women & Lung Cancer Research & Preventive Services Act (H.R.2222), Prevent BLEEDing Act of 2019 (H.R.2550), Educating Medical Professionals and Optimizing Workforce Efficiency and Readiness (EMPOWER) for Health Act (H.R.2781), PCORI Reauthorization (H.R.3030), Improving Seniors Timely Access to Care Act (H.R.3107), Keep Physicians Serving Patients Act (H.R.3302), Stopping Appealing Flavors in E-Cigarettes for Kids Act (S.655), Improving Access to Medicare Coverage Act (S.753)
Client expense: $143,000 · Firm income: Not reported
Government targets: Agency for Healthcare Research & Quality (AHRQ), Centers For Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS), Food & Drug Administration (FDA), HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES, Health & Human Services, Dept of (HHS), Health Resources & Services Administration (HRSA), Medicare Payment Advisory Commission (MedPAC), SENATE, Social Security Administration (SSA)
2020 · third_quarter · Health Issues
Access to immunizations; Maternal immunizations; Immunization infrastructure; Health information technology/IIS; Quality measures; H.R. 2862, VACCINES Act; HR 6800, Health and Economic Recovery Omnibus Emergency Solutions Act or the HEROES Act; HR 925, Health and Economic Recovery Omnibus Emergency Solutions Act 2.0 or the HEROES Act 2.0; HR8061/S.4737 Community Immunity During COVID-19 Act of 2020; S.4269 Mothers and Newborns Success Act; S.4469 - 116th Congress (2019-2020) COVID-19 Treatment Coverage Act.
Client expense: Not reported · Firm income: $50,000
Government targets: Centers For Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS), HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES, Health & Human Services, Dept of (HHS), SENATE
2020 · third_quarter · Health Issues
Issues related to lung disease treatment, prevention and research; public health; Issues related asthma; COPD; influenza; lung cancer; pneumonia; tuberculosis and other lung diseases; Issues related to tobacco cessation; Issues related to the Affordable Care Act; Issues related to the Childrens Health Insurance Program; Issues related to the President's Budget; Issues related to telehealth; Issues related to changing federal poverty line calculation; Issues related to COVID-19 Response;; H.R.986 Protecting Americans with Preexisting Conditions Act of 2019 H.R.987 Strengthening Health Care and Lowering Prescription Drug Costs Act H.R.1010 To provide that the rule entitled "Short-Term, Limited Duration Insurance" shall have no force or effect. H.R.1385 SAVE Act H.R.1386 ENROLL Act of 2019 H.R.1425 State Health Care Premium Reduction Act H.R.1499 Protecting Consumer Access to Generic Drugs Act of 2019 H.R.1884 Protecting Pre-Existing Conditions and Making Health Care More Affordable Act of 2019 H.R.2508 Better Respiration through Expanding Access to Tele-Health Act;H.R.2862 VACCINES Act of 2019; H.R.3630 No Surprises Act H.R.4622 Family Asthma Act S.466 Protecting Americans with Pre-existing Conditions Act of 2019 S.946 Henrietta Lacks Enhancing Cancer Research Act of 2019 S.1125 Protect Act S.1895 Lower Health Care Costs Act S.1944 Public Health Funding Restoration Act. HR 3 Elijah E. Cummings Lower Drug Costs Now Act; H.R.4716 I CAN Act; HR 5230 Elijah E. Cummings Family Asthma Act; HR 6201 - Families First Coronavirus Act; HR 6704 - Coronavirus Preparedness and Response Supplemental Appropriations Act, 2020; HR 748 - CARES Act; S. 3548 - CARES Act; S. 1531 - Stopping the Outrageous Practice of Surprise Medical Bills Act of 2019; HR 6408 -- To extend the charitable deduction to all taxpayers regardless of whether a taxpayer itemizes deductions in order to encourage and increase charitable giving, and to provide for loans and loan guarantees to certain public charities; HR 7610 Agriculture, Rural Development, Food and Drug Administration, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act, 2021; HR 7667 Commerce, Justice, Science, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act, 2021; HR 7617 Department of Defense Appropriations Act, 2021; HR 7612 Department of the Interior, Environment, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act, 2021; HR 2468 School-Based Allergies and Asthma Management Program Act; HR 7614 Departments of Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act, 2021; HR 7609 Military Construction, Veterans Affairs, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act, 2021; HR 7616 Transportation, Housing and Urban Development, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act, 2021; HR 7608 Department of State, Foreign Operations, and Related Programs Appropriations Act, 2021; H.R.5076 Protecting Seniors Through Immunization Act of 2019; H.R.6561 Improving Social Determinants of Health Act of 2020; HR 6800 HEROES Act; H.R.6935 Protecting the Health of America's Older Adults During COVID-19 and Beyond Act; HR 7286 Quit Because of COVID-19 Act; S. 4775 Delivering Immediate Relief to Americas Families, Schools and Small Businesses Act; S. 4321 The Continuing Small Business Recovery and Paycheck Protection Program Act; S. 4318 The American Workers, Families, and Employers Assistance Act; S. 4317 SAFE TO WORK Act; S. 4322 The Safely Back to School and Back to Work Act; S. 4320 Coronavirus Response Additional Supplemental Appropriations Act, 2020; ;H.R.8061 Community Immunity During COVID-19 Act of 2020;H.R.8406 The Heroes Act; H.R.925 The Heroes Act; S.4557 COVER Act; S.4740 A bill to support public health infrastructure; H.RES.957 Expressing support for the designation of May as "National Asthma and Allergy Awareness Month"; H.R.7011 Pandemic Risk Insurance Act of 2020; H.R.8261 Presumptive Benefits for War Fighters Exposed to Burn Pits and Other Toxins Act of 2020; S.4572 Presumptive Benefits for War Fighters Exposed to Burn Pits and Other Toxins Act of 2020; S.4355 Katherine's Lung Cancer Early Detection and Survival Act of 2020; H.RES.1192 Expressing support for the goals of November National Lung Cancer Awareness Month and for the early detection of lung cancer; H.R.8158 To amend title XVIII of the Social Security Act to waive budget neutrality for oxygen under the Medicare program, and for other purposes.;H.R.7481 RESTART Act; S.4737 A bill to amend the Public Health Service Act to direct the Secretary of Health and Human Services to make grants to covered health departments to increase the rate of recommended immunizations, and for other purposes;
Client expense: $40,000 · Firm income: Not reported
Government targets: Agency for Healthcare Research & Quality (AHRQ), Centers For Disease Control & Prevention (CDC), Centers For Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS), Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), Federal Reserve System, Food & Drug Administration (FDA), HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES, Health & Human Services, Dept of (HHS), Natl Institutes of Health (NIH), Office of Management & Budget (OMB), Postal Regulatory Commission, SENATE, Small Business Administration (SBA), Treasury, Dept of, White House Office
2020 · third_quarter · Health Issues
Gun violence prevention research funding Child product safety Child passenger safety COVID-19 pandemic response for AI/AN communities Child care supplemental funding Providing Americans Insured Days of Leave Act (HR 6442 / S 3513) Special Diabetes Program for Indians Reauthorization Act (S 3937) Maternal, Infant, and Early Childhood Home Visiting Program funding Sudden Unexpected Infant Death (HR 2271 / S 1130) Infant sleep product safety Lead exposure prevention Regulation of air pollutants Food additive safety Paid family leave Climate change IHS funding Tribal Health Data Improvement Act (HR 7948 / S 4562) Child Abuse Prevention and Treatment Act reauthorization CAPTA Plans of safe care grants Family First Prevention Services Act implementation Issues related to the COVID-19 pandemic and providing supports for the child welfare community Emergency Funding for Child Protection Act (S 3660) Child Welfare Emergency Funding Act (S 4172) Supporting Foster Youth and Families through the Pandemic Act (HR 7947) Health and Economic Recovery Omnibus Emergency Solutions (HEROES) Act (HR 6800) The Informing Grandfamilies Act Standards in CBP Custody, S. 2135 Standards in ICE Family Detention Standards in ORR Custody Public Charge Child Nutrition Reauthorization/WIC SNAP Mental Health for Children OTC Drug Reform H.R. 6, DREAM Act Family Separation and Detention CARE for Families Act HR 3107 WIC Act Keep Families Together Act Breastfeeding Peer Counseling Program Public Health Preparedness and Response Research for Pregnant and Lactating Women Palliative Care and Hospice Education and Training Act (S. 2080) Dietary Guidelines Child Poverty HEROES Act Senate 4.0 Coronavirus Response Legislation Asylum Child Poverty Reduction Act Suicide Prevention Dr Lorna Breen Health Care Provider Protection Act S. 4349 CBP Medical Services Contract Child Nutrition Waivers Eviction Moratorium Quit Because of COVID-19 Act (H.R. 7286/ S. 4524) Pediatric Subspecialty Loan Repayment Program FY 2021 Appropriations 2020 Census Deadline Extensions Act (S. 4571) COVID-19 Relief Legislation Mainstreaming Addiction Treatment Act (H.R. 2482/S. 2074) Regulation of Tobacco Products Research Investment to Spark the Economy (RISE) Act (H.R. 7308) Childhood immunizations, including an amendment by the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) to the PREP Act to allow pharmacists to administer immunizations to children aged three to 18 years old COVID-19 vaccine, the importance of following safety and testing protocols, and the need to include children in clinical vaccine trials FY2021 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA), including support for provisions to halt the reduction or realignment of military medical personnel billets and transformation of the Military Health System/military medical treatment facilities VACCINES Act and related issues around combatting vaccine hesitancy and misinformation Payment for vaccine administration and reform to the Vaccines for Children (VFC) Program Federal funding for K-12 education in response to COVID-19 FY 2021 appropriations Requesting the collection and regular reporting of data on race and ethnicity by the Social Security Administration (SSA) Addressing the needs of students with disabilities in light of COVID-19 12-Month Continuous Medicaid/CHIP Eligibility Medicaid Work Requirements Medicaid Block Grants Medicaid Per Capita Caps Section 1115 Medicaid Waivers Medicaid Payment Parity Increase to Medicaid FMAP During COVID-19 Establish an automatic FMAP increase tied to state economic indicators S. 4108, Coronavirus Medicaid Response Act HR 6159, the Kids Access to Primary Care Act The Ensuring Access for Womens and Childrens Act, S. 4088. Medicaid Maintenance of Effort (MOE) Protections Comprehensive Access to Robust Insurance Now Guaranteed (CARING) for Kids Act (H.R.6151) H.R.6098 to Expand State CHIP Eligibility Delaying the CHIP FMAP Decrease H.R.6797/S.3881 - CHIPPER Act Medicaid Fiscal Accountability Rule Maternal Health H.R. 4995 Helping Moms Act Expanding Medicaid to 12 Months Post-Partum Medicaid Premiums and Cost Sharing Helping Families Access Pediatric Care Act of 2020 Medicaid Payment for Eligibility Workers Expanding the use of Telehealth in Medicaid/CHIP/Private Insurance Allow for the home and other secure locations as originating (patient) and distant (provider) sites in telehealth Waive telehealth cost-sharing for patients in telehealth Pay for telehealth care visits at parity with that of in-person visits Allow telehealth care for both new and established patients Expanding Capacity for Health Outcomes (ECHO) Act of 2019 (S 1618/HR 5199) Including Preventive Medicine Service Codes to be Eligible for Telehealth Increased Access To Broadband to Expand Telehealth Services Financial Relief to Medicaid Providers Financial Relief for Pediatricians Provider Relief Fund Expanding Provider Relief Fund Eligibility to Those Pediatricians Who Received a Small Medicare Allotment COVID-19 Response Targeted allocation of funds to primary care physician practices. Expand existing alternative payment models for primary care Fully implementing the 2021 outpatient E/M changes. Immediately implement the vaccine administration payment increases proposed in the 2021 MPFS. VACCINES Act, H.R. 2862 Expand VFC to separate CHIP Programs
Client expense: $230,000 · Firm income: Not reported
Government targets: Administration for Children & Families (ACF), Agriculture, Dept of (USDA), Bureau of Citizenship & Immigration Services (BCIS), Centers For Disease Control & Prevention (CDC), Centers For Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS), Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC), Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), Food & Drug Administration (FDA), HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES, Health & Human Services, Dept of (HHS), Health Resources & Services Administration (HRSA), Homeland Security, Dept of (DHS), Housing & Urban Development, Dept of (HUD), Indian Health Service, Natl Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), Natl Institutes of Health (NIH), Office of Management & Budget (OMB), SENATE, U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), U.S. Customs & Border Protection, U.S. Immigration & Customs Enforcement (ICE)
2020 · third_quarter · Health Issues
Health Insurance Coverage (general); Health Disparities (general); Breastfeeding (general); Assisted Reproductive Technology (general); Smoking Cessation (general); Substance Use Disorder (general); Gynecologic Cancer (general); Gynecologic Devices (general); Reproductive Health (general); Intimate Partner Violence (general); Gun Violence (general); Immunization (general); Breast Cancer (general); Medical Liability Reform (general); Health IT (general); Patient-Physician Relationship (general); Child Welfare (general); Prematurity (general); Maternal Mortality and Morbidity (general); Graduate Medical Education (general); Contraception (general); Abortion (general); Indian Health (general); Teaching Health Centers Graduate Medical Education (general); Community Health Centers (general); National Health Service Corps (general); Special Diabetes Program (general); Special Diabetes Program for Indians (general); Sexuality Education (general); Teen Pregnancy Prevention Program (general); Personal Responsibility Education Program (general); Research in Pregnant and Breastfeeding Women (general); Health Care Reform (general); Title X Family Planning Program (general); Womens Preventive Services (general); Administrative Burden (general); Surprise Billing (general); Pediatric Loan Repayment Program (general); COVID-19 Response (general); Personal Protective Equipment (general); Risk Evaluation and Mitigation Strategies (general); Data Collection (general); Health Equity (general); Pregnancy Risk Assessment Monitoring System (CDC); Provider Relief Fund (general); Maternal Mental Health (general); Violence Against Women Act (general); Secretarys Advisory Committee on Infant Mortality (general); H.R. 2975/S. 1645, Womens Health Protection Act; S. 1895, Lower Health Care Costs Act; H.R. 2862/S. 1619, VACCINES Act; implementation of P.L. 115-344, Preventing Maternal Deaths Act; implementation of P.L. 115-320, Improving Access to Maternity Care Act; S. 2586, Maternal Outcomes Matter Act; HR 3630, No Surprises Act; HR 3502, Protecting People From Surprise Medical Bills Act; H.R. 4495, Maternal Health Quality Improvement Act of 2019; H.R. 5640/S. 3152, the Data Mapping to Save Moms Lives Act; H.R. 6142/ S. 3424, the Black Maternal Health Momnibus Act of 2020 implementation of P.L. 116-123, the Coronavirus Preparedness and Response Supplemental Appropriations Act of 2020; implementation of P.L. 116-127, the Families First Coronavirus Response Act; implementation of P.L. 116-136, the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act; implementation of P.L. 116-139, Paycheck Protection Program and Health Care Enhancement Act; H.R. 6800, the Heroes Act; H.R. 1425, the Affordable Care Act Enhancement Act; H.R. 7059 the Coronavirus Provider Protection Act; H.R. 6953/ S. 3763 the Pandemic Responder Service Award Act; H.R. 6697, the Local Chamber, Tourism, and 501(c)(6) Protection Act; S.___, the Health, Economic Assistance, Liability Protection, and Schools Act; H.R. 2694, the Pregnant Workers Fairness Act; H.R. 8027, the Maternal Health Pandemic Response Act; S. 4524, the Quit Because of COVID-19 Act; HRes 1069/ SRes 655, Declaring racism a public health crisis; S. 4269 the Mothers and Newborns Success Act; S. 4349, Lorna Breen Health Care Provider Protection Act.
Client expense: $404,940 · Firm income: Not reported
Government targets: Agency for Healthcare Research & Quality (AHRQ), Agriculture, Dept of (USDA), Centers For Disease Control & Prevention (CDC), Centers For Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS), Defense, Dept of (DOD), Executive Office of the President (EOP), Food & Drug Administration (FDA), Government Accountability Office (GAO), HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES, Health & Human Services, Dept of (HHS), Health Resources & Services Administration (HRSA), Homeland Security, Dept of (DHS), Indian Health Service, Justice, Dept of (DOJ), Labor, Dept of (DOL), Natl Institutes of Health (NIH), Office of Management & Budget (OMB), SENATE, Small Business Administration (SBA), State, Dept of (DOS), Substance Abuse & Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), Veterans Affairs, Dept of (VA), White House Office
2020 · third_quarter · Health Issues
H. Res. 480, Acknowledging the racial disparities in diagnosing and treating mental health among youth in communities of color H.R. 1109, the Mental Health Services for Students Act of 2019 H.R. 1554, the Resident Education Deferred Interest Act H.R. 1763 / S. 348, the Resident Physician Shortage Reduction Act of 2019 H.R. 2279/ S. 2546, the Safe Step Act H.R. 2482/ S. 2074, the Mainstreaming Addiction Treatment Act of 2019 H.R. 2734 / S. 1448, the Safer Prescribing of Controlled Substances Act H.R. 3180/ S. 1770, the RISE from Trauma Act H.R. 3239/ S. 2135, the Humanitarian Standards for Individuals in Customs and Border Protection Custody Act H.R. 3253, the Empowering Beneficiaries, Ensuring Access, and Strengthening Accountability Act H.R. 3414/ S. 2892, the Opioid Workforce Act H.R. 3417, BETTER Act of 2019 H.R. 4194/S. 2661, the National Suicide Hotline Designation Act of 2019 H.R. 4309, the Barriers to Suicide Act H.R. 4327, the Enhancing Mental Health and Suicide Prevention Through Campus Planning Act H.R. 4861/ S. 3006, the Effective Suicide Screening and Assessment in the Emergency Department Act H.R. 4932 / S. 2741, the CONNECT for Health Act H.R. 4995, the Maternal Health Quality Improvement Act of 2019 H.R. 4996, the Helping Medicaid Offer Maternity Services Act of 2019 H.R. 5, the Equality Act H.R. 5201, the Telemental Health Expansion Act of 2019 H.R. 5473, the Enhance Access to Support Essential Behavioral Health Services Act H.R.5469, the Pursuing Equity in Mental Health Act of 2019 H.R.5575, the Primary and Behavioral Health Care Access Act of 2020 Out of network billing legislation S. 1227, the Prescription Pricing for the People Act of 2019 S. 2443, the Investment in Tomorrow's Pediatric Health Care Workforce Act S. 824, the Excellence in Mental Health and Addiction Treatment Expansion Act S.1659, the Ensuring Childrens Access to Specialty Care Act of 2019 Title III Sec. 305 Timely Bills to Patients within the Lower Health Care Costs Act of 2019 (S. 1895) Cures 2.0 Title X Family Planning Program Administration Rule Efforts related to psychiatric bed shortages. H.R. 6074, the Coronavirus Preparedness and Response Supplemental Appropriations Act H.R. 6201, the Families First Coronavirus Response Act H.R. 748, the Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security (CARES) Act H.R. 2895/ S. 948, the Conrad State 30 and Physician Access Reauthorization Act H.R. 4996, the Helping Medicaid Offer Maternity Services (MOMS) Act, and Senate efforts. S. 311, the Born-Alive Abortion Survivors Protection Act S. 3275, the Pain-Capable Unborn Child Protection Act H.R. 4056 and S. 2446, the Medicare Audiologist Access and Services Act of 2019 H.R. 5575, the Primary and Behavioral Health Care Access Act Telehealth provisions as related to Covid-19. H.R. 6644, the Health Care at Home Act H.R. 748, the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act (CARES Act), including the Payroll Protection Program (PPP), the Public Health and Social Services Emergency Fund, and more. Medicare Access and CHIP Reauthorization Act (MACRA) of 2015 and related Medicare and Medicaid payment updates. Emergency financial relief and stability funding for 501(c)(6) tax-exempt medical and dental trade associations impacted by the pandemic H.R. 7078, the Evaluating Disparities and Outcomes of Telehealth During the COVID-19 Emergency Act of 2020 (EDOT Act of 2020) H.R. 7255, the Coronavirus Health Care Worker Wellness Act of 2020 S. 3919, the Military Suicide Prevention in the 21st Century Act H.R. 7608, the Legislative Vehicle for the Fiscal 2021 Four-Bill Appropriations Package Recommendations on confidential mental health records sharing. H.R. 7539, the Strengthening Behavioral Health Parity Act H.R. 4564, the Suicide Prevention Lifeline Improvement Act of 2019 H.R. 5619, the Suicide Prevention Act H.R. 4585, the Campaign to Prevent Suicide Act H.R. 1646, the Helping Emergency Responders Overcome (HERO) Act of 2019 H.R. 2519, the Improving Mental Health Access from the Emergency Department Act of 2019 H.R. 7147, the Creating Resources to Improve Situations of Inherent Severity Act (CRISIS Act) H.R. 7159/S. 4282, the Crisis Care Improvement and Suicide Prevention Act of 2020 21st Century Cures Act, RE: Opioid State Targeted Response Grants H.R. 7689, the Improving Data Collection for Adverse Childhood Experiences Act H.R. 8094/S. 4349, the Dr. Lorna Breen Health Care Provider Protection Act H.R. 6561/S. 4440, the Improving Social Determinants of Health Act H.R. 7511/ S. 4211, the Facilitating Reforms that Offer Necessary Telehealth in Every Rural (FRONTIER) Community Act H.R. 884 / S. 2772, the Medicare Mental Health Access Act H.R. 1763, the Resident Physician Shortage Reduction Act of 2019 S. 2661, the National Suicide Hotline Designation Act of 2020 (Sen. Gardner - Energy and Commerce) H.R. 3935, the Protecting Patients Transportation to Care Act H.R. 4564, the Suicide Prevention Lifeline Improvement Act of 2020 S. Res. 738, Recognizing suicide as a serious public health problem and expressing support for the designation of September as National Suicide Prevention Month S. 4113, the Broadband Reform and Investment to Drive Growth in the Economy Act of 2020 (BRIDGE Act) H.R. 7859, the Strengthening Behavioral Health Supports for Schools Act S. 4421, the Temporary Reciprocity to Ensure Access to Treatment (TREAT) Act H.R. 8141, the Strengthening Mental Health Supports for BIPOC Communities Act HR 7510, the Assimilating Health and Equity Assessments into Decision-making Act of 2020 or AHEAD Act H.R. 5469/S.4388, the Mental Health Equity Act of 2020 H.R. 7059, the Coronavirus Provider Protection Act, S. 3792, the Tele-Mental Health Improvement Act of 2020. HR 6810 to provide COBRA subsidies for unemployed and furloughed individuals during COVID H.R. 7593/S. 4103, the Telehealth Response for E-prescribing Addiction Therapy Services (TREATS) Act H.R. 6645, the Mental Health Research Act H.R. 7539, the Strengthening Behavioral Health Parity Act H.R. 5201, the Telemental Health Expansion Act of 2019 H.R. 6561/S. 3595, the Ensuring Understanding for COVID-19 to Protect Public Health Act S. 4524, the Quit Because of COVID-19 Act S. 4486, the Achieving Thorough Transparency & Accessibility for Information Navigation (ATTAIN) on Mental Health Act H.R. 6800/H.R. 8406, the HEROES Act H.R. 7663, the Protecting Access to Post-COVID-19 Telehealth Act of 2020 S. 4230, the Telehealth Expansion Act of 2020 H.R. 7391, the Protect Telehealth Access Act of 2020 H.R. 7760, To make a supplemental appropriation for the COVID-19 Telehealth Program of the Federal Communications Commission for the fiscal year ending September 30, 2020 H.R.8067, the Addressing COVID-19 Health Disparities Act H.R. 2862, the VACCINES Act of 2019 (G6 letter for internal purposes) Efforts related to Collaborative Care Model S. 3197, the Improving Access to Health Care in Rural and Underserved Areas Act H.R. 6139, the COVID-19 Health Care Worker Protection Act of 2020 H.Res. 908 (S.Res. 580) Condemning all forms of Anti-Asian Sentiment as related to COVID-19 H.R. 6585, the Equitable Data Collection and Disclosure on COVID-19 Act H.R. 7078, the EDOT Act of 2020 HR 7077, the Community Solutions for COVID-19 Act S. 4441, the Crisis Assistance Helping Out On The Streets (CAHOOTS) Act
Client expense: $144,000 · Firm income: Not reported
Government targets: Bureau of Citizenship & Immigration Services (BCIS), Centers For Disease Control & Prevention (CDC), Centers For Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS), Defense, Dept of (DOD), Executive Office of the President (EOP), Food & Drug Administration (FDA), HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES, Health & Human Services, Dept of (HHS), Health Resources & Services Administration (HRSA), Homeland Security, Dept of (DHS), Labor, Dept of (DOL), Natl Institutes of Health (NIH), Office of the Vice President of the United States, SENATE, Veterans Affairs, Dept of (VA), White House Office
2020 · third_quarter · Health Issues
The Affordable Care Act (P.L. 111-148, P.L. 111-152): Expanding coverage and improving Medicare benefits; Providing needed protections to guard against insurance practices that unfairly limit, deny or rescind coverage based on health status; public and private health insurers should encourage preventive health care by providing full coverage, with no cost-sharing, for preventive services recommended by an expert advisory group, such as the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force; Ensuring access to primary care physicians; and beginning to bend the cost curve; Prohibiting insurers from excluding or charging excessive rates to children based on pre-existing conditions, which later will be expanded to all persons; Covering young adults on their parents' plans; Eliminating lifetime and annual limits on health insurance coverage; Requiring that health insurers spend more on patient care and less on administration; support enactment of S. 248, the Empowering States to Innovate Act, which amends the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (ACA) to: (1) allow states to apply for waivers of certain health insurance coverage requirements in such Act (including requirements for the establishment of qualified health plans and health insurance exchanges) for plan years beginning on or after January 1, 2014 (currently, January 1, 2017), and (2) require the waiver application process to begin not later than 180 days after the enactment of this Act; Phasing out the Medicare Part D doughnut hole; Eliminating patient cost-sharing for preventive services offered by Medicare or private insurers; Increasing Medicare and Medicaid payments to primary care physicians; Supporting the Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute to help physicians and patients make care decisions based on the best available evidence; Supporting the Center on Medicare and Medicaid Innovation to fund pilots of delivery models to improve outcomes and reduce costs, including patient-centered medical homes; Advocated against a December 2018 ruling by a federal judge in Texas that the entire Affordable Care Act (ACA) is unconstitutional. Access to Primary Care in the Context of Comprehensive Healthcare Reform Legislation (H.R. 3962/H.R. 3590/H.R. 4872): Provide sliding scale subsidies based on income to buy coverage from qualified plans; Qualified plans should: provide evidence-based benefits, including preventive services; and be prohibited from excluding persons with pre-existing conditions, charging them more, cherry-picking enrollees, or cancelling or failing to renew coverage; Expand Medicaid to cover all persons below the Federal Poverty Level and ensure fair payments to participating physicians; As coverage becomes affordable, all persons should participate and coverage should be guaranteed; Responsibility for financing should be shared by individuals, employers and government. Pilot test Medicare payment models that re-align incentives to support effective, efficient, patient-centered, coordinated care. Priority should be given to models designed to support the value of services provided by primary care physicians as well as to models that would create incentives, across physician specialties and sites of services, to improve the quality, effectiveness, and efficiency of care provided. Policy criteria for selecting the most promising models for pilot testing should be developed, in consultation with outside experts; The Patient-Centered Medical Home (PCMH), which has shown great promise in meeting the policy objectives suggested above, should be among the models selected for broader testing on a national pilot basis; the use of the medical home model for treatment or services under private health plans, the requirement of health plans to provide incentives to promote and report on medical home services provided, the establishment of community health teams and a primary care extension program to educate and support primary care practices in the delivery of medical home services, and the establishment of a demonstration project to educate physicians and other clinicians in training in the competencies required to deliver care consistent with the medical home care model. Medicare Payments to Physicians: Urged that Congress provide incentives to physicians who transform their practices into Advanced Alternative Payment Models and continue to provide stability for physicians in the MIPS program. Specifically, Congress should extend the five percent Qualified Alternative Payment Model participant bonus beyond the 2022 performance year, replace the zero percent baseline payment updates under Medicare, to take effect in 2020, with positive updates. Urged congressional committees with jurisdiction over Medicare to exercise their oversight authority and urge CMS to expedite approval of more Advanced APMS, particularly those that work for small and specialty practices and to simplify the scoring structure and reporting requirements under the Merit-Based Incentive Payment System (MIPS) in order to fulfill Congress intent of a more streamlined program that reduces burdens on physicians; Supported S.2648, the Rural ACO Improvement Act, amends title XVIII of the Social Security Act to improve the benchmarking process for the Medicare Shared Savings Program (MSSP) to ensure that all ACOs have an equal opportunity to share in savings regardless of their geographic location; Provided recommendations to CMS on the Merit-based Incentive Payment System Value Pathway (MVP), which aims to reduce reporting burden and complexity within MIPS while improving the accuracy and effectiveness of performance measurement. The College noted specifically that a robust, multi-year transition period will be critical to the success of the MVP, that it does not support making the MVP mandatory, that CMS should continue to support numerous reporting mechanisms, including qualified registries and clinical data registries, which have been instrumental in developing specialty-specific performance measures, among other things. Administrative Tasks on Physicians and Patients: Congress should accelerate its efforts to reduce administrative burdens on clinicians and patients, including: streamlining the prior authorization process, better integrating clinical data into clinicians electronic health records (EHRs), and working with CMS in their effort to overhaul clinical documentation guidelines; Urged Congress to cosponsor and pass the Safe Step Act (H.R. 2279), to require health insurers to provide an exceptions process for any medication step therapy protocol based on clinical decision-making, medical necessity, and other patient needs. Prescription Drug Costs: The College advocated for greater transparency in drug pricing, the elimination of anti-competitive industry practices that create barriers to generics coming to market, the importance of accounting for value in payment and coverage for prescriptions, and providing authority to the federal government to negotiate drug discounts under the Medicare Part D program. Specifically, the College urged Congress to pass the Medicare Prescription Drug Price Negotiation Act of 2019 (H.R. 275/S. 62), which allows the Secretary of Health and Human Services to negotiate covered Part D drug prices on behalf of Medicare beneficiaries, and the Creating and Restoring Equal Access to Equivalent Samples (CREATES) Act of 2019, (H.R. 965/S. 340), which would improve patient access to alternative low-cost prescription drugs and biological products by preventing prescription drug manufacturers from misusing the FDAs Risk Evaluation and Mitigation Strategies (REMS) process to make it difficult for competing generics to be brought to the market. Also urged that Congress pass the Reforming Evergreening and Manipulation that Extends Drug Years, REMEDY Act (S. 1209), to aid in the approval of more generic drug applications by the FDA and therefore improve patient access to those medications. Also urged that Congress pass the Prescription Drug STAR Act (H.R. 2113), and the Fair Accountability and Innovative Research (FAIR) Drug Pricing Act (H.R. 2296/S. 1391), to promote greater drug pricing transparency; Expressed appreciation to the House speaker for introduction of H.R. 3, the Lower Drug Costs Now Act, noting encouragement for its provisions to empower the Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS) to negotiate with drug companies for lower prices and to cap out-of-pocket costs for seniors enrolled in the Medicare Part D program. Commented to the FDA on its prescription drug reimportation proposed rule noting that while the College is generally supportive of drug importation as laid out in the proposed rule as a means to control the cost of prescription drugs, the FDA must guarantee that the design and implementation of the rule includes numerous measures and safeguards to ensure patient safety. By limiting the origin of imported drugs to Canadian-certified and FDA-approved and registered drugs and entities, the College believes the proposed rule meets the required U.S. standards to assure high-quality drugs and patient safety. Any final drug importation system must also be one that is a closed system and has a tightly controlled and documented supply chain to assure authenticity and avoid degradation of the drug. Workforce, Medical and Health Services Research, Public Health Initiatives: Congress should ensure funding in FY 2021 for federal programs/initiatives designed to support primary care including Title VII Health Professions grants and the National Health Service Corps (NHSC). Equally important is the need to fund essential health services and medical research by the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) and the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and public health programs supported by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Firearms-Related Injury and Death: The College advocated for lawmakers to pass measures to strengthen the criminal background check system, ban assault weapons and high capacity magazines, prevent the unlawful transfer of firearms to those who cannot legally purchase them, and remove restrictions on, and provide dedicated funding for, research by federal agencies on prevention of firearms-related injuries and death. Specifically, the College urged passage of the Bipartisan Background Checks Act of 2019 (H.R. 8), which would strengthen the accuracy and reporting of the National Instant Criminal Background Check System (NICS) as well as expand Brady background checks to cover all firearm sales, including unlicensed firearms sellers currently not required to use background checks, and the Gun Violence Prevention Research Act (H.R. 674/S. 184), which would authorize funding for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to study firearms safety and gun violence prevention. Also urged Congress to pass the Violence Against Women (VAWA) Reauthorization Act of 2019 (H.R. 1585), to provide protections for domestic violence victims by restricting access to firearms by those deemed a threat to them. Also urged Congress to pass the Assault Weapons Ban of 2019 (S. 66/H.R. 1296), to ban the sale of semi-automatic weapons and high capacity magazines. Immigration: The College advocated against family separation at the U.S. border. Specifically, the College urged support for H.R. 541 - the Keep Families Together Act, which would help ensure that children are not separated from their parents when families unlawfully cross over the border into the United States and would ensure that the Department of Homeland Security would not be able to implement the zero tolerance policy that separated families at the border last summer; urged congressional oversight of family separation policies. Also urged that Congress pass H.R. 6, the Dream and Promise Act of 2019, which would provide a pathway to U.S. citizenship for undocumented children who came to the United States due to the action of their parents, also known as Dreamers. Expressed concern to the U.S. Department of Homeland Security with the recent U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Service (USCIS) policy change to no longer accept or adjudicate non-military deferred action requests including those for individuals with serious medical conditions; Urged USCIS to reverse this decision immediately and resume consideration of deferred action requests for medical reasons; Advocated with regard to a complaint filed with the Department of Homeland Security Office of the Inspector General (OIG) on September 14, 2020 concerning Lack of Medical Care, Unsafe Work Practices, and Absence of Adequate Protection Against COVID-19 for Detained Immigrants and Employees Alike at the Irwin County Detention Center. The concerns raised in the complaint, if substantiated, would represent an alarming violation of patient autonomy and ethical standards governing informed consent, appropriate access to health care and appropriate protection against COVID-19, causing great harm. The College urged an immediate internal investigation followed by swift and decisive corrective action as warranted should the complaint be substantiated. Graduate Medical Education: Urged that Congress support medical education training and debt relief for primary care physicians and other specialties facing shortages by passing the Resident Physician Shortage Reduction Act of 2019 (S. 348, H.R. 1763), to lift the GME caps as needed to permit training an adequate number of primary care physicians, including internal medicine specialists, and physicians in other specialties facing shortages; passing the Resident Education Deferred Interest Act (H.R. 1554), to save physicians in residency programs thousands of dollars in interest on their loans and help incentivize the opening of practices in underserved areas; pass legislation to combine DGME and IME into a single, more functional payment program, and broaden the GME financing structure to include all payers; support funding for GME/IME and programs within the Veterans Health Administration that provide graduate medical education to ensure that physicians are adequately trained with the skills needed to treat an aging population. Urged Congress to pass the Opioid Workforce Act of 2019 (H.R. 3414), which would provide Medicare support for an additional 1,000 graduate medical education (GME) positions over five years in hospitals that have, or are in the process of establishing, accredited residency programs in addiction medicine, addiction psychiatry, or pain medicine. Urged Congress to pass S. 1203 and H.R. 2441, the What You Can Do For Your Country Act, which would improve and reform the Public Service Loan Forgiveness (PSLF) Program. Vaccines: Urged Congress to pass the Vaccines Act (HR 2862), which would provide federal funding for vaccine hesitancy surveillance at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), and outline a national public messaging campaign informed by this research to help improve vaccination rates; Supported H.R. 592, recognizing the anniversary of the eradication of smallpox and the importance of vaccination in the United States and worldwide; Urged the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to reconsider its decision to not vaccinate families in the custody of U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) against influenza (flu). Urged Congress to support payments for vaccines, as finalized by CMS, and set for implementation on Jan. 1, 2021. Surprise Medical Billing: Urged Congress to pass legislation that would protect patients from surprise out-of-network medical bills in both emergency and non-emergency settings that includes the following principles: hold patients harmless from surprise medical bills for out-of-network services, address narrow insurance networks, abandon efforts to establish an in-network median rate for services in these settings and instead opt for an independent dispute resolution process to determine payment. Appropriations: Urged Congress to fund Title VII, Section 747, Primary Care Training and Enhancement (PCTE) at $71 million for fiscal year 2021; Fund the Agency for Health Care Research and Quality (AHRQ) at $460 million for fiscal year 2021; Fund the National Health Service Corps (NHSC) at $830 million for fiscal year 2021; Fund the Title X Family Planning Program at $400 million for fiscal year 2021 and include language to remove barriers to care that interfere with the patient-physician relationship; Fund Research on Prevention of Firearms-related Injuries and Deaths at $50 million for Fiscal Year 2021; Fund the National Institutes of Health (NIH) at $44.7 billion for fiscal year 2021; Fund the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) at $8.3 billion for fiscal year 2021; Urged the House and Senate Armed Services Committees to support provisions in any final FY2021 National Defense Authorization Act to prevent cuts to the Military Health Service and the military medical workforce without requiring appropriate congressional oversight and review. Physician Fee Schedule: Commented to CMS and to Congress to fully implement payment increases for all evaluation and management codes, as finalized by CMS, and as scheduled for implementation on Jan. 1, 2021. Reduce the documentation burden for E/M services by allowing choice of medical decision making or time, and work to develop additional clarity and guidance on acceptable documentation to operationalize these important proposals; examination room desktop computers should be counted as a direct medical equipment cost; care management should be promoted by increasing the values of services like Transitional Care Management (TCM) and Chronic Care Management and implementing Principle Care Management (PCM) codes; require additional survey and review for any requests to increase non-outpatient E/M or other services; work with the physician community prior to finalizing any policy affecting eligibility to participate in the Medicare program; Urged congressional committees of jurisdiction to support: Higher physician work relative value units (RVUs) for new and established office visit codes, leading to increased payments for them, Reduced documentation requirements for office visit codes, which enables physicians to select and document for each visit based on medical decision-making or total time, Expanded and improved payment for care management services. Urged Congress to support waiving budget neutrality, applicable to the calendar year 2021 physician fee schedule. COVID-19: Urged congressional appropriators to provide the highest possible funding level for research, prevention, control, and treatment of illnesses associated with the virus that is commensurate with the public health emergency that the virus represents. Urged the administration to explore regulatory and other actions that would make COVID-19 testing free-of-charge to patients covered by both public and private insurance plans, including ACA-compliant plans offered through the insurance exchanges, and to waive co-pays and deductibles for patients seeing physicians for symptoms that may be indicative of COVID-19 or who are hospitalized for treatment. Urged CMS to utilize a national disaster recovery program that would pay doctors 110% of Medicare rates for caring for uninsured patients who have been infected with SARS-CoV-2. Expressed support to Congress and the administration for the Families First Coronavirus Response Act, H.R. 6201, and other stimulus reforms related to COVID-19 including: Emergency paid leave benefits, paid sick days for public health emergencies, coverage of testing for COVID-19, waiving of cost sharing under Medicare, Medicare Advantage, Medicaid, and CHIP, increasing the federal FMAP under Medicaid, providing reimbursement for CPT codes 99441 - 99443, which are telephone evaluation and management services, expediting entrance of international medical graduates who are citizens of other nations (non-US IMGs) into the country and ensuring that lawfully present non-U.S. IMGs are not negatively impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic, funding for physician practices under the Public Health and Social Service Emergency Fund (PHSSEF), providing tax relief, grants, and loans to small and medium size practices impacted by COVID-19, increasing funding for personal protective equipment (PPE), ensuring Medicaid pay parity with Medicare for primary care services; Urged HHS and Congress to make a targeted allocation out of the Provider Relief Fund (PRF) to support primary care physicians and their practices, sufficient to keep their doors open, by offsetting lost revenue from the COVID-19 pandemic, similar to the targeted allocation for rural hospitals; Urged support for the Student Loan Forgiveness for Frontline Health Workers Act, H.R. 6720, introduced May 5, 2020 by Representative Carolyn B. Maloney (D-NY) which would eliminate graduate school debt for healthcare workers, including physicians and medical students, who are providing direct patient care in response to the COVID-19 pandemic; Urged support for H.R. 7059, the Coronavirus Provider Protection Act, which extend liability protections to those who provide care in good faith during the COVID-19 public health emergency (plus a reasonable time, such as 60 days, after the emergency declaration ends), and not in situations of gross negligence or willful misconduct. The College also urged that pay parity between telephone claims and in-person visits and between all telehealth and in-person visits be maintained after the PHE is lifted. This extension-either continued by CMS or mandated by Congress-should last at least through the end of 2021, or until such a time when effective vaccines and treatments are widely available, with an option to extend it even further, or consider making permanent, based on the experience and learnings of patients and physicians who are utilizing these visits. Urged Congress to support a targeted allocation from the Provider Relief Fund specifically for primary care services. Health IT and Telehealth: Urged that physicians be able to easily access accurate and reliable COVID-19 testing results from the various testing sites and labs. These results must contain the appropriate flags for review and should be received in standard formats, ideally within physicians existing health IT systems. The current eCase reporting to public health agencies process is time-consuming and duplicative, and EHR functionality to do eCase reporting varies widely across vendors and state public health departments. HHS should take a leadership role in making sure these programs and health IT standards projects are adopted and implemented consistently across the country. Ensure federally qualified health centers and rural health clinics can furnish telehealth services after the public health emergency.
Client expense: $264,513 · Firm income: Not reported
Government targets: Centers For Disease Control & Prevention (CDC), Centers For Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS), Food & Drug Administration (FDA), HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES, Health & Human Services, Dept of (HHS), Homeland Security, Dept of (DHS), President of the U.S., SENATE, State, Dept of (DOS)
2020 · third_quarter · Health Issues
The Affordable Care Act (P.L. 111-148, P.L. 111-152): Expanding coverage and improving Medicare benefits; Providing needed protections to guard against insurance practices that unfairly limit, deny or rescind coverage based on health status; public and private health insurers should encourage preventive health care by providing full coverage, with no cost-sharing, for preventive services recommended by an expert advisory group, such as the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force; Ensuring access to primary care physicians; and beginning to bend the cost curve; Prohibiting insurers from excluding or charging excessive rates to children based on pre-existing conditions, which later will be expanded to all persons; Covering young adults on their parents' plans; Eliminating lifetime and annual limits on health insurance coverage; Requiring that health insurers spend more on patient care and less on administration; support enactment of S. 248, the Empowering States to Innovate Act, which amends the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (ACA) to: (1) allow states to apply for waivers of certain health insurance coverage requirements in such Act (including requirements for the establishment of qualified health plans and health insurance exchanges) for plan years beginning on or after January 1, 2014 (currently, January 1, 2017), and (2) require the waiver application process to begin not later than 180 days after the enactment of this Act; Phasing out the Medicare Part D doughnut hole; Eliminating patient cost-sharing for preventive services offered by Medicare or private insurers; Increasing Medicare and Medicaid payments to primary care physicians; Supporting the Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute to help physicians and patients make care decisions based on the best available evidence; Supporting the Center on Medicare and Medicaid Innovation to fund pilots of delivery models to improve outcomes and reduce costs, including patient-centered medical homes; Advocated against a December 2018 ruling by a federal judge in Texas that the entire Affordable Care Act (ACA) is unconstitutional. Access to Primary Care in the Context of Comprehensive Healthcare Reform Legislation (H.R. 3962/H.R. 3590/H.R. 4872): Provide sliding scale subsidies based on income to buy coverage from qualified plans; Qualified plans should: provide evidence-based benefits, including preventive services; and be prohibited from excluding persons with pre-existing conditions, charging them more, cherry-picking enrollees, or cancelling or failing to renew coverage; Expand Medicaid to cover all persons below the Federal Poverty Level and ensure fair payments to participating physicians; As coverage becomes affordable, all persons should participate and coverage should be guaranteed; Responsibility for financing should be shared by individuals, employers and government. Pilot test Medicare payment models that re-align incentives to support effective, efficient, patient-centered, coordinated care. Priority should be given to models designed to support the value of services provided by primary care physicians as well as to models that would create incentives, across physician specialties and sites of services, to improve the quality, effectiveness, and efficiency of care provided. Policy criteria for selecting the most promising models for pilot testing should be developed, in consultation with outside experts; The Patient-Centered Medical Home (PCMH), which has shown great promise in meeting the policy objectives suggested above, should be among the models selected for broader testing on a national pilot basis; the use of the medical home model for treatment or services under private health plans, the requirement of health plans to provide incentives to promote and report on medical home services provided, the establishment of community health teams and a primary care extension program to educate and support primary care practices in the delivery of medical home services, and the establishment of a demonstration project to educate physicians and other clinicians in training in the competencies required to deliver care consistent with the medical home care model. Medicare Payments to Physicians: Urged that Congress provide incentives to physicians who transform their practices into Advanced Alternative Payment Models and continue to provide stability for physicians in the MIPS program. Specifically, Congress should extend the five percent Qualified Alternative Payment Model participant bonus beyond the 2022 performance year, replace the zero percent baseline payment updates under Medicare, to take effect in 2020, with positive updates. Urged congressional committees with jurisdiction over Medicare to exercise their oversight authority and urge CMS to expedite approval of more Advanced APMS, particularly those that work for small and specialty practices and to simplify the scoring structure and reporting requirements under the Merit-Based Incentive Payment System (MIPS) in order to fulfill Congress intent of a more streamlined program that reduces burdens on physicians; Supported S.2648, the Rural ACO Improvement Act, amends title XVIII of the Social Security Act to improve the benchmarking process for the Medicare Shared Savings Program (MSSP) to ensure that all ACOs have an equal opportunity to share in savings regardless of their geographic location; Provided recommendations to CMS on the Merit-based Incentive Payment System Value Pathway (MVP), which aims to reduce reporting burden and complexity within MIPS while improving the accuracy and effectiveness of performance measurement. The College noted specifically that a robust, multi-year transition period will be critical to the success of the MVP, that it does not support making the MVP mandatory, that CMS should continue to support numerous reporting mechanisms, including qualified registries and clinical data registries, which have been instrumental in developing specialty-specific performance measures, among other things. Administrative Tasks on Physicians and Patients: Congress should accelerate its efforts to reduce administrative burdens on clinicians and patients, including: streamlining the prior authorization process, better integrating clinical data into clinicians electronic health records (EHRs), and working with CMS in their effort to overhaul clinical documentation guidelines; Urged Congress to cosponsor and pass the Safe Step Act (H.R. 2279), to require health insurers to provide an exceptions process for any medication step therapy protocol based on clinical decision-making, medical necessity, and other patient needs. Prescription Drug Costs: The College advocated for greater transparency in drug pricing, the elimination of anti-competitive industry practices that create barriers to generics coming to market, the importance of accounting for value in payment and coverage for prescriptions, and providing authority to the federal government to negotiate drug discounts under the Medicare Part D program. Specifically, the College urged Congress to pass the Medicare Prescription Drug Price Negotiation Act of 2019 (H.R. 275/S. 62), which allows the Secretary of Health and Human Services to negotiate covered Part D drug prices on behalf of Medicare beneficiaries, and the Creating and Restoring Equal Access to Equivalent Samples (CREATES) Act of 2019, (H.R. 965/S. 340), which would improve patient access to alternative low-cost prescription drugs and biological products by preventing prescription drug manufacturers from misusing the FDAs Risk Evaluation and Mitigation Strategies (REMS) process to make it difficult for competing generics to be brought to the market. Also urged that Congress pass the Reforming Evergreening and Manipulation that Extends Drug Years, REMEDY Act (S. 1209), to aid in the approval of more generic drug applications by the FDA and therefore improve patient access to those medications. Also urged that Congress pass the Prescription Drug STAR Act (H.R. 2113), and the Fair Accountability and Innovative Research (FAIR) Drug Pricing Act (H.R. 2296/S. 1391), to promote greater drug pricing transparency; Expressed appreciation to the House speaker for introduction of H.R. 3, the Lower Drug Costs Now Act, noting encouragement for its provisions to empower the Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS) to negotiate with drug companies for lower prices and to cap out-of-pocket costs for seniors enrolled in the Medicare Part D program. Commented to the FDA on its prescription drug reimportation proposed rule noting that while the College is generally supportive of drug importation as laid out in the proposed rule as a means to control the cost of prescription drugs, the FDA must guarantee that the design and implementation of the rule includes numerous measures and safeguards to ensure patient safety. By limiting the origin of imported drugs to Canadian-certified and FDA-approved and registered drugs and entities, the College believes the proposed rule meets the required U.S. standards to assure high-quality drugs and patient safety. Any final drug importation system must also be one that is a closed system and has a tightly controlled and documented supply chain to assure authenticity and avoid degradation of the drug. Workforce, Medical and Health Services Research, Public Health Initiatives: Congress should ensure funding in FY 2021 for federal programs/initiatives designed to support primary care including Title VII Health Professions grants and the National Health Service Corps (NHSC). Equally important is the need to fund essential health services and medical research by the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) and the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and public health programs supported by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Firearms-Related Injury and Death: The College advocated for lawmakers to pass measures to strengthen the criminal background check system, ban assault weapons and high capacity magazines, prevent the unlawful transfer of firearms to those who cannot legally purchase them, and remove restrictions on, and provide dedicated funding for, research by federal agencies on prevention of firearms-related injuries and death. Specifically, the College urged passage of the Bipartisan Background Checks Act of 2019 (H.R. 8), which would strengthen the accuracy and reporting of the National Instant Criminal Background Check System (NICS) as well as expand Brady background checks to cover all firearm sales, including unlicensed firearms sellers currently not required to use background checks, and the Gun Violence Prevention Research Act (H.R. 674/S. 184), which would authorize funding for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to study firearms safety and gun violence prevention. Also urged Congress to pass the Violence Against Women (VAWA) Reauthorization Act of 2019 (H.R. 1585), to provide protections for domestic violence victims by restricting access to firearms by those deemed a threat to them. Also urged Congress to pass the Assault Weapons Ban of 2019 (S. 66/H.R. 1296), to ban the sale of semi-automatic weapons and high capacity magazines. Immigration: The College advocated against family separation at the U.S. border. Specifically, the College urged support for H.R. 541 - the Keep Families Together Act, which would help ensure that children are not separated from their parents when families unlawfully cross over the border into the United States and would ensure that the Department of Homeland Security would not be able to implement the zero tolerance policy that separated families at the border last summer; urged congressional oversight of family separation policies. Also urged that Congress pass H.R. 6, the Dream and Promise Act of 2019, which would provide a pathway to U.S. citizenship for undocumented children who came to the United States due to the action of their parents, also known as Dreamers. Expressed concern to the U.S. Department of Homeland Security with the recent U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Service (USCIS) policy change to no longer accept or adjudicate non-military deferred action requests including those for individuals with serious medical conditions; Urged USCIS to reverse this decision immediately and resume consideration of deferred action requests for medical reasons; Advocated with regard to a complaint filed with the Department of Homeland Security Office of the Inspector General (OIG) on September 14, 2020 concerning Lack of Medical Care, Unsafe Work Practices, and Absence of Adequate Protection Against COVID-19 for Detained Immigrants and Employees Alike at the Irwin County Detention Center. The concerns raised in the complaint, if substantiated, would represent an alarming violation of patient autonomy and ethical standards governing informed consent, appropriate access to health care and appropriate protection against COVID-19, causing great harm. The College urged an immediate internal investigation followed by swift and decisive corrective action as warranted should the complaint be substantiated. Graduate Medical Education: Urged that Congress support medical education training and debt relief for primary care physicians and other specialties facing shortages by passing the Resident Physician Shortage Reduction Act of 2019 (S. 348, H.R. 1763), to lift the GME caps as needed to permit training an adequate number of primary care physicians, including internal medicine specialists, and physicians in other specialties facing shortages; passing the Resident Education Deferred Interest Act (H.R. 1554), to save physicians in residency programs thousands of dollars in interest on their loans and help incentivize the opening of practices in underserved areas; pass legislation to combine DGME and IME into a single, more functional payment program, and broaden the GME financing structure to include all payers; support funding for GME/IME and programs within the Veterans Health Administration that provide graduate medical education to ensure that physicians are adequately trained with the skills needed to treat an aging population. Urged Congress to pass the Opioid Workforce Act of 2019 (H.R. 3414), which would provide Medicare support for an additional 1,000 graduate medical education (GME) positions over five years in hospitals that have, or are in the process of establishing, accredited residency programs in addiction medicine, addiction psychiatry, or pain medicine. Urged Congress to pass S. 1203 and H.R. 2441, the What You Can Do For Your Country Act, which would improve and reform the Public Service Loan Forgiveness (PSLF) Program. Vaccines: Urged Congress to pass the Vaccines Act (HR 2862), which would provide federal funding for vaccine hesitancy surveillance at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), and outline a national public messaging campaign informed by this research to help improve vaccination rates; Supported H.R. 592, recognizing the anniversary of the eradication of smallpox and the importance of vaccination in the United States and worldwide; Urged the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to reconsider its decision to not vaccinate families in the custody of U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) against influenza (flu). Urged Congress to support payments for vaccines, as finalized by CMS, and set for implementation on Jan. 1, 2021. Surprise Medical Billing: Urged Congress to pass legislation that would protect patients from surprise out-of-network medical bills in both emergency and non-emergency settings that includes the following principles: hold patients harmless from surprise medical bills for out-of-network services, address narrow insurance networks, abandon efforts to establish an in-network median rate for services in these settings and instead opt for an independent dispute resolution process to determine payment. Appropriations: Urged Congress to fund Title VII, Section 747, Primary Care Training and Enhancement (PCTE) at $71 million for fiscal year 2021; Fund the Agency for Health Care Research and Quality (AHRQ) at $460 million for fiscal year 2021; Fund the National Health Service Corps (NHSC) at $830 million for fiscal year 2021; Fund the Title X Family Planning Program at $400 million for fiscal year 2021 and include language to remove barriers to care that interfere with the patient-physician relationship; Fund Research on Prevention of Firearms-related Injuries and Deaths at $50 million for Fiscal Year 2021; Fund the National Institutes of Health (NIH) at $44.7 billion for fiscal year 2021; Fund the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) at $8.3 billion for fiscal year 2021; Urged the House and Senate Armed Services Committees to support provisions in any final FY2021 National Defense Authorization Act to prevent cuts to the Military Health Service and the military medical workforce without requiring appropriate congressional oversight and review. Physician Fee Schedule: Commented to CMS and to Congress to fully implement payment increases for all evaluation and management codes, as finalized by CMS, and as scheduled for implementation on Jan. 1, 2021. Reduce the documentation burden for E/M services by allowing choice of medical decision making or time, and work to develop additional clarity and guidance on acceptable documentation to operationalize these important proposals; examination room desktop computers should be counted as a direct medical equipment cost; care management should be promoted by increasing the values of services like Transitional Care Management (TCM) and Chronic Care Management and implementing Principle Care Management (PCM) codes; require additional survey and review for any requests to increase non-outpatient E/M or other services; work with the physician community prior to finalizing any policy affecting eligibility to participate in the Medicare program; Urged congressional committees of jurisdiction to support: Higher physician work relative value units (RVUs) for new and established office visit codes, leading to increased payments for them, Reduced documentation requirements for office visit codes, which enables physicians to select and document for each visit based on medical decision-making or total time, Expanded and improved payment for care management services. Urged Congress to support waiving budget neutrality, applicable to the calendar year 2021 physician fee schedule. COVID-19: Urged congressional appropriators to provide the highest possible funding level for research, prevention, control, and treatment of illnesses associated with the virus that is commensurate with the public health emergency that the virus represents. Urged the administration to explore regulatory and other actions that would make COVID-19 testing free-of-charge to patients covered by both public and private insurance plans, including ACA-compliant plans offered through the insurance exchanges, and to waive co-pays and deductibles for patients seeing physicians for symptoms that may be indicative of COVID-19 or who are hospitalized for treatment. Urged CMS to utilize a national disaster recovery program that would pay doctors 110% of Medicare rates for caring for uninsured patients who have been infected with SARS-CoV-2. Expressed support to Congress and the administration for the Families First Coronavirus Response Act, H.R. 6201, and other stimulus reforms related to COVID-19 including: Emergency paid leave benefits, paid sick days for public health emergencies, coverage of testing for COVID-19, waiving of cost sharing under Medicare, Medicare Advantage, Medicaid, and CHIP, increasing the federal FMAP under Medicaid, providing reimbursement for CPT codes 99441 - 99443, which are telephone evaluation and management services, expediting entrance of international medical graduates who are citizens of other nations (non-US IMGs) into the country and ensuring that lawfully present non-U.S. IMGs are not negatively impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic, funding for physician practices under the Public Health and Social Service Emergency Fund (PHSSEF), providing tax relief, grants, and loans to small and medium size practices impacted by COVID-19, increasing funding for personal protective equipment (PPE), ensuring Medicaid pay parity with Medicare for primary care services; Urged HHS and Congress to make a targeted allocation out of the Provider Relief Fund (PRF) to support primary care physicians and their practices, sufficient to keep their doors open, by offsetting lost revenue from the COVID-19 pandemic, similar to the targeted allocation for rural hospitals; Urged support for the Student Loan Forgiveness for Frontline Health Workers Act, H.R. 6720, introduced May 5, 2020 by Representative Carolyn B. Maloney (D-NY) which would eliminate graduate school debt for healthcare workers, including physicians and medical students, who are providing direct patient care in response to the COVID-19 pandemic; Urged support for H.R. 7059, the Coronavirus Provider Protection Act, which extend liability protections to those who provide care in good faith during the COVID-19 public health emergency (plus a reasonable time, such as 60 days, after the emergency declaration ends), and not in situations of gross negligence or willful misconduct. The College also urged that pay parity between telephone claims and in-person visits and between all telehealth and in-person visits be maintained after the PHE is lifted. This extension-either continued by CMS or mandated by Congress-should last at least through the end of 2021, or until such a time when effective vaccines and treatments are widely available, with an option to extend it even further, or consider making permanent, based on the experience and learnings of patients and physicians who are utilizing these visits. Urged Congress to support a targeted allocation from the Provider Relief Fund specifically for primary care services. Health IT and Telehealth: Urged that physicians be able to easily access accurate and reliable COVID-19 testing results from the various testing sites and labs. These results must contain the appropriate flags for review and should be received in standard formats, ideally within physicians existing health IT systems. The current eCase reporting to public health agencies process is time-consuming and duplicative, and EHR functionality to do eCase reporting varies widely across vendors and state public health departments. HHS should take a leadership role in making sure these programs and health IT standards projects are adopted and implemented consistently across the country. Ensure federally qualified health centers and rural health clinics can furnish telehealth services after the public health emergency.
Client expense: $92,333 · Firm income: Not reported
Government targets: Centers For Disease Control & Prevention (CDC), Centers For Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS), Food & Drug Administration (FDA), HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES, Health & Human Services, Dept of (HHS), Homeland Security, Dept of (DHS), President of the U.S., SENATE, State, Dept of (DOS)
2020 · second_quarter · Health Issues
Legislation and policies relating to: Provisions of the Patient Protection & Affordable Care Act (P.L. 111-148) Reauthorization of funding for the Childrens Health Insurance Program Reauthorization of the Child Nutrition Act Section 2706 of the ACA regarding provider non-discrimination Policies related to health insurance market stabilization Policies affecting nurse practitioner education and workforce Definition, evaluation and enforcement of essential health benefits and provider network adequacy Health information technology and electronic health records Mental health services and violence prevention Human and child trafficking Palliative Care and Hospice Education and Training Act (H.R. 647/S. 2080) Title VIII Nursing Workforce Reauthorization Act of 2019 (H.R. 728/S. 1399) Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act (H.R. 748/S.3548) Emergency Medical Services for Children Program Reauthorization Act of 2019 (H.R. 776/S. 1173) End Surprise Billing Act of 2019 (H.R. 861) Fairness for Breastfeeding Mothers Act (H.R. 866/S. 528) Mental Health Access Improvement Act of 2019 (H.R. 945) Workplace Violence Prevention for Health Care and Social Service Workers Act (H.R. 1309) Patient Protection and Affordable Care Enhancement Act (H.R. 1425) Healthy Families Act (H.R. 1784/S. 840) Mothers and Offspring Mortality and Morbidity Awareness (MOMMAs) Act (H.R. 1897) Community Health Investment, Modernization, and Excellence Act of 2019 (H.R. 2328) Newborn Screening Saves Lives Reauthorization Act of 2019 (H.R. 2507) Pregnant Workers Fairness Act (H.R. 2694) Educating Medical Professionals and Optimizing Workforce Efficiency and Readiness (EMPOWER) for Health Act of 2019 (H.R. 2781) Vaccine Awareness Campaign to Champion Immunization Nationally and Enhance Safety (VACCINES) Act of 2019 (H.R. 2862) Physical Activities Recommendations for Americans Act of 2019 (H.R. 2891) Safe Cribs Act of 2019 (H.R. 3170) Safe Sleep for Babies Act of 2019 (H.R. 3172) Pathways to Health Careers Act (H.R. 3398) Chronic Care Management Improvement Act (H.R. 3436) No Surprises Act (H.R. 3630) Social Determinants Accelerator Act of 2019 (H.R. 4004/S. 2986) United States Public Health Service Modernization Act of 2019 (H.R. 4870/S. 2629) Maternal Health Quality Improvement Act of 2019 (H.R. 4995) Helping Medicaid Offer Maternity Services (MOMS) Act of 2019 (H.R. 4996) Protecting Seniors Through Immunization Act of 2019 (H.R. 5076/S. 1872) Pursuing Equity in Mental Health Act of 2019 (H.R. 5469) Primary and Behavioral Health Care Access Act (H.R. 5575) Ban Surprise Billing Act (H.R. 5800) Consumer Protections Against Surprise Medical Bills Act of 2020 (H.R. 5826) Black Maternal Health Momnibus Act of 2020 (H.R. 6142/S. 3424) Families First Coronavirus Response Act (H.R. 6201) Take Responsibility for Workers and Families Act (H.R. 6379) Health Care at Home Act (H.R. 6644) COVID-19 Mental Health Research Act (H.R. 6645) HEROES Act (H.R. 6800) Protect Telehealth Access Act (H.R. 7391) Community and Public Health Programs Extension Act (S. 192) National Nurse Act of 2019 (S. 696/H.R. 1597) Excellence in Mental Health and Addiction Treatment Expansion Act (S. 824/H.R. 1767) Nursing Where It's Needed Act (S. 1045) Promoting Physical Activity for Americans Act (S. 1608) Lower Health Care Costs Act (S. 1895) Child Care Improvement Act of 2019 (S. 2683) CONNECT for Health Act of 2019(S. 2741/H.R. 4932) CAPTA Reauthorization Act of 2019 (S. 2971) Suicide Prevention Act (S. 3198/H.R. 5619) Eliminating Abusive and Rampant Neglect of Interactive Technologies (EARN IT) Act of 2020 (S. 3398) Tele-Mental Health Improvement Act (S. 3792) Coronavirus Mental Health and Addiction Assistance Act of 2020 (S. 3825/H.R. 6999)
Client expense: Not reported · Firm income: $24,000
Government targets: Bureau of Alcohol Tobacco Firearms & Explosives, Centers For Disease Control & Prevention (CDC), Centers For Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS), Education, Dept of, Food & Drug Administration (FDA), HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES, Health & Human Services, Dept of (HHS), Health Resources & Services Administration (HRSA), Homeland Security, Dept of (DHS), Justice, Dept of (DOJ), Medicare Payment Advisory Commission (MedPAC), Natl Institutes of Health (NIH), Office of Management & Budget (OMB), SENATE, Treasury, Dept of, Veterans Affairs, Dept of (VA), Vice President of the U.S., White House Office
2020 · second_quarter · Health Issues
Lobbying Issues Description: Budget and appropriations for disease and injury prevention, including obesity and related diseases; pandemic influenza and emerging infectious diseases; physical activity; public health bioterrorism preparedness; food safety, environmental health; paid sick days; womens and childrens health; community-based public health interventions, and substance misuse/behavioral health issues. Specific Legislation: 1. Implementation of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (Public Law 111-148) 2. Implementation of Pandemic and All-Hazards Preparedness Reauthorization Act and Pandemic and All-Hazards Preparedness and Advancing Innovation Act (Public Law 113-5, 116-22) 3. Implementation of Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act of 2010 (Public Law 111- 296) 4. Implementation of Every Student Succeeds Act (Public Law 114-95) 5. Implementation of the Comprehensive Addition and Recovery Act (Public Law 114-98) 6. Midnight Rules Relief Act (S.34/H.R. 21) 7. Regulations from the Executive in Need of Scrutiny Act (S. 21/H.R. 26) 8. Regulatory Accountability Act (S.951/H.R. 5/H.R. 45/H.Res.33) 9. Searching for and Cutting Regulations that are Unnecessarily Burdensome (SCRUB) Act (H.R. 998) 10. Regulatory Integrity Act (H.R. 1004) 11. OIRA Insight, Reform, and Accountability Act (S. 676/H.R. 1009) 12. A concurrent resolution setting forth the congressional budget for the United States Government for fiscal year 2017 and setting forth the appropriate budgetary levels for fiscal years 2018 through 2026 (S.Con.Res. 3) 13. American Health Care Act (H.R. 1628/H.Res. 228) 14. Ozone Standards Implementation Act (S. 263/H.R. 806) 15. Providing for congressional disapproval under chapter 8 of title 5, United States Code, of the final rule of the Bureau of Land Management relating to "Waste Prevention, Production Subject to Royalties, and Resource Conservation" (S.J. Res. 11/H.J.Res.36) 16. Common Sense Nutrition Disclosure Act (S. 261/H.R. 772) 17. Reinvigorating Antibiotic and Diagnostic Innovation (READI) Act (H.R. 1840) 18. Preservation of Antibiotics for Medical Treatment Act (H.R. 1587) 19. Preventing Antibiotic Resistance Act (S. 629) 20. Better Care Reconciliation Act (H.R. 1628) and related amendments 21. Public Health Emergency Response Act (S. 196) 22. Recognizing the importance of vaccinations and immunizations in the United States (H.Res.327) 23. Treat and Reduce Obesity Act (S. 830/H.R. 1953) 24. Community Health and Medical Professionals Improve Our Nation (CHAMPION) Act (H.R. 3922) 25. Community Health Investment, Modernization, and Excellence Act of 2017 (S. 1899) 26. Tobacco Tax Equity Act (S. 1837) 27. Healthy Kids Act (S. 1821/H.R. 3921) 28. Implementation of the Drug Quality and Security Act (P.S. 113-54) 29. Continuing Appropriations Act, 2018 and Supplemental Appropriations for Disaster Relief Requirements Act, 2017 (Public Law 115-56) 30. Friendly Airports for Mothers Act (S. 1110/H.R. 2375) 31. Lead-Safe Housing for Kids Act (S. 1845) 32. Supporting Working Moms Act (S. 2122/H.R. 3255) 33. Championing Healthy Kids Act (H.R. 3922) 34. Making further continuing appropriations for fiscal year 2018, and for other purposes (Public Law 115-90) 35. An Act to amend the Homeland Security Act of 2002 to require the Secretary of Homeland Security to issue Department of Homeland Security-wide guidance and develop training programs as part of the Department of Homeland Security Blue Campaign, and for other purposes (Public Law 115- 96) 36. Tax Cuts and Jobs Act (Public Law 115-97) 37. Pandemic and All-Hazards Preparedness Advancing Innovation Act (S. 2852/H.R. 6378/H.R. 7328/S. 1379/H.R. 269) 38. Vaccine Access Improvement Act (H.R. 4993) 39. Relief from New Source Performance Standards Act (H.R. 453) 40. Strategies to Address Antimicrobial Resistance (S. 2469) 41. Opioid Quota Reform Act (S. 2535) 42. Hospital Preparedness Program Reauthorization Act (H.R. 4776) 43. Blocking Regulatory Interference from Closing Kilns Act (H.R. 1917) 44. Opioid Crisis Response Act of 2018 (S. 2680) 45. Agriculture and Nutrition Act (H.R. 2) 46. Agriculture Improvement Act (S. 3042) 47. SECURE Act (H.R. 5998) 48. Trauma-Informed Care for Children and Families Act (S. 774) 49. SUPPORT for Patients and Communities Act (H.R. 6) 50. Centers for Disease Control Emergency Response Act (S. 3161) 51. LABEL Opioids Act (S. 3428) 52. Relief from New Source Performance Standards Act (S. 1857) 53. Outdoors for All Act (S. 3499) 54. The MOMMA Act (H.R. 5977) 55. Preventing Maternal Deaths Act (H.R. 1318) 56. Medicare Access to Vaccines Equity Act (not yet introduced) 57. The Support Act (H.R. 6) 58. Climate Change Health Protection and Promotion Act (S. 529) 59. NURSE Act (H.R. 1597) 60. Investing for the People Act (H.R. 2021) 61. Child Care for Working Families Act (H.R. 365/S. 568) 62. FAMILY Act (H.R. 1185/S. 463) 63. Transportation Alternatives Enhancement Act (S. 1098) 64. Lower Health Care Costs Act (S. 1895) 65. LIFT America Act (H.R 2479) 66. Public Health Funding Restoration Act (H.R. 3447/S. 1944) 67. Supporting Older Americans Act of 2020 (HR 4334) 68. Campus Prevention and Recovery Services for Students Act (H.R. 3591) 69. Healthier Students for Stronger Campuses Act (S. 1281) 70. Saving Lives Through Better Data Act (S. 1793) 71. VACCINES Act (H.R. 2862) 72. DISARM Act (H.R. 4100/S. 1712) 73. Community Access, Resources, and Education for Families Act (H.R. 3117) 74. Protecting Seniors Through Immunization Act (S. 1872) 75. Tobacco-Free Youth Act (S. 1541) 76. Tobacco to 21 Act (H.R. 2411/S. 1258) 77. Investing for People Act (H.R. 2021) 78. School Based Health Centers Reauthorization Act (H.R.2075/S.1013) 79. Reversing the Youth Tobacco Epidemic Act of 2019 (H.R. 2339) 80. Social Determinants Accelerator Act (H.R. 4004) 81. Mental Health Professionals Workforce Shortage Loan Repayment Act (H.R. 2431) 82. The UNDERSTAND Act (S. 1323) 83. Americas Transportation Infrastructure Act (S. 2302) 84. Barriers to Suicide Act of 2019 (H.R. 4309) 85. Promoting Physical Activity for Americans Act (S. 1608/H.R. 2891) 86. Public Health Infrastructure Modernization Act of 2019 (H.R. 5321) 87. Supporting Healthy Mothers and Infants Act (H.R. 5249) 88. Lead-Free Future Act (H.R. 4416) 89. Home Visiting to Reduce Maternal Mortality and Morbidity Act (H.R. 4768) 90. Recognizing the anniversary of the eradication of smallpox and the importance of vaccination in the United States and worldwide (H. Res. 592) 91. Coronavirus Preparedness and Response Supplemental Appropriations Act (H.R. 6074) 92. Families First Coronavirus Response Act (H.R. 6201) 93. Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act (H.R. 748) 94. Connecting Americas Transportation Infrastructure Act (S. 2302) 95. Improving Access to Remote Behavioral Health Treatment Act (S. 2244/H.R. 4131) 96. National Suicide Hotline Designation Act (S. 2661/H.R. 4194) 97. Suicide Prevention Lifeline Improvement Act (H.R. 4564) 98. Campaign to Prevent Suicide Act (H.R. 4585) 99. Medicaid Reentry Act (H.R. 1329) 100. Excellence in Mental Health and Addiction Treatment Expansion Act (S. 824/H.R. 1767) 101. Mental Health Services for Students Act (S. 1122/H.R. 1109) 102. Suicide Training and Awareness Nationally Delivered for Universal Prevention (STANDUP) Act (S. 2492/H.R. 2599) 103. Mental Health Parity Compliance Act (S. 1737/H.R. 3165) 104. Behavioral Health Transparency Act (S. 1576/H.R. 2874) 105. Medicare Mental Health Access Act (S. 2772/H.R. 884) 106. Public Health Emergency Response and Accountability Act (S. 3309) 107. Family Violence Prevention and Services Improvement Act (H.R. 5041) 108. Protecting the Health of Americas Older Adults During COVID-19 and Beyond Act (H.R. 6935) 109. Improving Social Determinants Act (H.R. 6561) 110. Urging the establishment of a United States Commission on Truth, Racial Healing, and Transformation (H.Con.Res.100) 111. FY 2021 Departments of Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education and Related Agencies Appropriations (TBD) 112. Better Tools for Healthy Living Act (S. 1805) 113. The WIC Act (S. 2358) 114. Health Equity and Accountability Act (H.R. 6637) 115. Paycheck Protection Program and Health Care Enhancement Act (H.R. 266) 116. The HEROES Act (H.R.6800) 117. Community Solutions for COVID-19 Act (H.R.7077/S.3877) 118. The Black Maternal Health Momnibus Act of 2020 (H.R. 6142) 119. COVID-19 Bias and Anti-Racism Training Act (S.___) 120. Urging the establishment of a United States Commission on Truth, Racial Healing, and Transformation (H. Con. Res. 100) 121. Community Immunity During COVID-19 Act of 2020 (H.R._____) 122. Public Safety Officer Support Act (H.R. 7568) 123. COVID-19 Behavioral Health Support Act (S. 4059) 124. Public Health Workforce Loan Repayment Act (H.R. 6578) 125. Strengthening the Public Health Workforce Act (S. 3737) House(s) of Congress and Federal Agencies lobbied during the quarter: House, Senate, Exec Office of Pres, HHS, CDC, FDA, CMS, OMB, DOT, HUD, EPA, NIMH, Education, USDA, DHS, FEMA, and SAMHSA
Client expense: $32,208 · Firm income: Not reported
Government targets: Agriculture, Dept of (USDA), Centers For Disease Control & Prevention (CDC), Centers For Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS), Education, Dept of, Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), Executive Office of the President (EOP), Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), Food & Drug Administration (FDA), HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES, Health & Human Services, Dept of (HHS), Homeland Security, Dept of (DHS), Housing & Urban Development, Dept of (HUD), Office of Management & Budget (OMB), SENATE, Substance Abuse & Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), Transportation, Dept of (DOT)
2020 · second_quarter · Health Issues
21st Century Cures Act 2.0 ---RFI from House Energy and Commerce Committee 340B Drug Discount Program ---340B Pause Act (Discussion Draft House/Senate) ---Labor, Health and Human Services, Education, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act for FY 2021 ---Program Implementation & Oversight Biodefense Research, Development and Procurement Issues (Nonfunding) ---H.R.6800: Health and Economic Recovery Omnibus Emergency Solutions Act (HEROES) Act of 2020 ---Executive Order on Modernizing Influenza Vaccines ---Gene editing ---Implementation of 21st Century Cures Act of 2016 ---Implementation of Medical Countermeasure Innovation Act of 2016 ---Implementation of Pandemic and All-Hazards Preparedness and Advancing Innovation (PAHPAI) Act of 2019 ---National Biodefense Strategy ---Tropical Disease Priority Review Voucher (PRV) Program Biosimilars ---H.R.1499: Protecting Consumer Access to Generic Drugs Act of 2019 ---Biosimilar Copay ---Brazil Biologics Regulations ---BSUFA ---Canada Biologics Regulations ---Coding ---Implementation and Reauthorization of the Biosimilar User Fee Act of 2017 ---Implementation of CREATES Act of 2019 ---India Biologics Regulations ---Interchangeability and Pharmacy Substitution ---Mexico Biologics Regulations ---Naming ---Reimbursement Climate Change ---RFI from House Select Committee on the Climate Crisis Coronavirus (COVID-19) Pandemic ---H.R.4100/S.1712: DISARM Act of 2019 ---H.R.5076/S.1872: Protecting Seniors through Immunizations Act of 2019 ---H.R.6206: Pandemic Response and Emergency Preparedness (PREP) Act of 2020 ---H.R.6260/S.3545: Reciprocity Ensures Streamlined Use of Lifesaving Treatments for Coronavirus Patients Act of 2020 ---H.R.6800: Health and Economic Recovery Omnibus Emergency Solutions Act (HEROES) Act of 2020 ---H.R.7288: The Taxpayer Research and Coronavirus Knowledge (TRACK) Act ---COVID-19 Vaccine and Therapeutic Development ---Drug Supply Chain Management ---Healthcare Disparities ---Home Administration of Part B Drugs ---Liability ---Medicare reimbursement policies ---Patient Cost-Sharing and Smoothing ---Pricing-related Provisions ---R&D Funding for Medical Countermeasures ---Restrictions on Intellectual Property Rights ---Senate HELP Pandemic Preparedness White Paper Drug Evaluation and Review ---S.1617: Second Look at Drug Patents Act of 2019 ---S.3872: Promising Pathway Act ---Compassionate Use/Expanded Access ---Expedited Pathways ---Priority Review Voucher Programs Drug Manufacturing, Quality & Distribution ---Drug Shortages ---Drug Supply Chain Management Drug Patenting ---H.R.1046/S.377: Medicare Negotiation and Competitive Licensing Act of 2019 ---S.1416/H.R.4398/H.R.3991/H.R.5133: Affordable Prescriptions for Patients Act of 2019 Drug Pricing ---H.R.1046/S.377: Medicare Negotiation and Competitive Licensing Act of 2019 ---H.R.1093/S.378: Stop Price Gouging Act of 2019 ---H.R.1425: The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Enhancement Act of 2020 ---H.R.2069/S.474: Stopping the Pharmaceutical Industry from Keeping drugs Expensive (SPIKE) Act of 2019 ---H.R.2113: Prescription Drug STAR Act of 2019 ---H.R.2376/S.1227: Prescription Pricing for the People Act of 2019 ---H.R.6800: Health and Economic Recovery Omnibus Emergency Solutions Act (HEROES) Act of 2020 ---H.R.7288: The Taxpayer Research and Coronavirus Knowledge (TRACK) Act ---S.1416/H.R.4398/H.R.3991/H.R.5133: Affordable Prescriptions for Patients Act of 2019 ---S.2543: Prescription Drug Pricing Reduction Act of 2019 ---CMMI Authority ---General ---HHS Blueprint to lower drug prices and reduce out of pocket costs ---Implementation of CREATES Act of 2019 ---International Pricing Index Proposal ---Labor, Health and Human Services, Education, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act for FY 2021 ---Potential Administration Executive Orders ---Pricing-related Provisions Foreign Drug Data Protection Laws ---Regulatory Harmonization Funding for Antimicrobial Resistance Programs ---H.R.6800: Health and Economic Recovery Omnibus Emergency Solutions Act (HEROES) Act of 2020 ---Agriculture, Rural Development, FDA, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act for FY 2021 ---Labor, Health and Human Services, Education, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act for FY 2021 ---Pioneering Antimicrobial Subscriptions to End Upsurging Resistance (PASTEUR) Act of 2020 Funding for Biodefense/Biomedical/Emergency Preparedness Research, Development and Procurement ---H.R.6800: Health and Economic Recovery Omnibus Emergency Solutions Act (HEROES) Act of 2020 ---Health Defense Operations Funding Designation ---Labor, Health and Human Services, Education, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act for FY 2021 Funding for FDA ---Agriculture, Rural Development, FDA, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act for FY 2021 Funding for Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) - Vaccine Injury Compensation Program (VICP) ---Labor, Health and Human Services, Education, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act for FY 2021 Funding for National Institutes of Health ---H.R.6800: Health and Economic Recovery Omnibus Emergency Solutions Act (HEROES) Act of 2020 ---Labor, Health and Human Services, Education, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act for FY 2021 Funding for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Vaccine Programs ---H.R.6800: Health and Economic Recovery Omnibus Emergency Solutions Act (HEROES) Act of 2020 ---Funding for 2020-21 Influenza Season Preparedness and Response ---Funding for Routine Immunization Infrastructure during Pandemic ---Labor, Health and Human Services, Education, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act for FY 2021 Funding for the HHS Office of Infectious Disease and HIV/AIDS Policy ---Labor, Health and Human Services, Education, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act for FY 2021 Medicaid ---H.R.5741: Strengthening Innovation in Medicare and Medicaid Act of 2020 ---S.2543: Prescription Drug Pricing Reduction Act of 2019 ---Alternative payment arrangements for gene therapies ---Average Manufacturer Price Calculations ---Pricing and Rebates Medicare Expansion ---H.R.5741: Strengthening Innovation in Medicare and Medicaid Act of 2020 Orphan Drug Issues ---H.R.4439/S.4010: Creating Hope Reauthorization Act of 2019 ---H.R.4712: Fairness in Orphan Drug Exclusivity Act of 2019 ---Tax Credit Rare Pediatric Disease Priority Review ---H.R.4439/S.4010: Creating Hope Reauthorization Act of 2019 Reimbursement and Coverage of Innovative Products ---H.R.275: Medicare Prescription Drug Price Negotiation Act of 2019 ---H.R.5122: To prohibit further action on the proposed rule regarding testing of Medicare Part B Prescription Drug Models ---H.R.6800: Health and Economic Recovery Omnibus Emergency Solutions Act (HEROES) Act of 2020 ---S.2326: New Opportunities for Value that Extend Lives (NOVEL) Act of 2019 ---S.2543: Prescription Drug Pricing Reduction Act of 2019 ---Administration Rebate Rule ---CMMI Authority ---HHS Blueprint to lower drug prices and reduce out of pocket costs ---Home Administration of Part B Drugs ---International Pricing Index Proposal ---Medicare Part B Physician-Administered Products ---Medicare Part D Prescription Drug Program ---Patient Cost-Sharing and Smoothing ---Protected Classes ---Step Therapy ---Support of Patient Premiums and Cost-Sharing Obligations ---Surprise Billing ---Value-based Contracting and Communications The United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA) ---Implementation of United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA) ---IP Provisions Trade and Foreign Drug Price Controls US-China Trade Agreement ---IP Provisions US-EU Trade Agreement ---IP Provisions US-Japan Trade Agreement ---IP Provisions US-Kenya Trade Agreement ---IP Provisions US-UK Trade Agreement ---IP Provisions Vaccines and Infectious Diseases ---H.R.2862/S.1619: Vaccine Awareness Campaign to Champion Immunization Nationally and Enhance Safety (VACCINES) Act of 2019 ---H.R.4100/S.1712: DISARM Act of 2019 ---H.R.5076/S.1872: Protecting Seniors through Immunizations Act of 2019 ---H.R.6800: Health and Economic Recovery Omnibus Emergency Solutions Act (HEROES) Act of 2020 ---Adult Immunization Education ---Labor, Health and Human Services, Education, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act for FY 2021 ---Maternal Immunization ---Pioneering Antimicrobial Subscriptions to End Upsurging Resistance (PASTEUR) Act of 2020 ---Vaccine and Anti-Microbial Resistance Product Development and Incentives ---Vaccine Injury Compensation Program
Client expense: $3,320,000 · Firm income: Not reported
Government targets: Agriculture, Dept of (USDA), Centers For Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS), Commerce, Dept of (DOC), Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), Food & Drug Administration (FDA), HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES, Health & Human Services, Dept of (HHS), Natl Economic Council (NEC), Natl Security Council (NSC), Office of Management & Budget (OMB), Office of the Vice President of the United States, Patent & Trademark Office (PTO), SENATE, Securities & Exchange Commission (SEC), Small Business Administration (SBA), State, Dept of (DOS), Treasury, Dept of, U.S. Trade Representative (USTR), White House Office
2020 · second_quarter · Health Issues
Medicare Access and CHIP Reauthorization Act of 2015 implementation, Medicare physician payment reform, MEDPAC, surgical global payments, ACA implementation, health care reform, health care quality improvement, physician workforce issues, comparative clinical effectiveness research, health information technology, EHR meaningful use, EHR data blocking, Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute, MEDCAC, Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Innovation, registry access to Medicare claims data, lung cancer screenings, Agency for Healthcare Research & Quality, graduate medical education, electronic cigarette and cigar regulation, PTAC, meaningful use, congenital heart disease funding, unique device identifiers, medical liability reform, tobacco riders in appropriations bills, tobacco regulation in the FDA, price transparency, ECMO coding, Prohibit Smoking in VA Facilities Act (S.2106/HR3700) Resident Physician Shortage Reduction Act (S.348/HR1763), Congenital Heart Futures Reauthorization Act, surprise billing, prior authorization, Women and Lung Cancer Research and Preventive Services Act (S.1107/HR2222), T21 bills, Transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR), Increasing Access to Quality Cardiac Rehabilitation Act (HR.3911), Smoke-Free Schools Act of 2019 (HR.4019/S.1832), Protection for Veterans Burn Pits Exposure Act (HR.4086), The Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act (H.R.748), Coronavirus Provider Protection Act (H.R.7059), Resident Physician Shortage Reduction Act of 2019 (S. 348/H.R. 1763), Quit Because of COVID-19 Act (H.R.7286), Tobacco to 21 Act (S.1258/H.R.2411), The Local Chamber, Tourism, and 501(c)(6) Protection Act (H.R.6697), Immediate Relief for Rural Facilities and Providers Act (S.3559/H.R.6365), Reversing the Youth Tobacco Epidemic Act of 2019 (H.R.2339), Vaccines Act of 2019 (H.R.2862), Investment in Tomorrow's Pediatric Health Care Workforce Act (S.2443), Protecting People from Surprise Medical Bills Act (H.R.3502), Stopping Appealing Flavors in E-Cigarettes for Kids Act (H.R.1498), Resident Education Deferred Interest (REDI) Act (H.R.1554), Improving Access to Medicare Coverage Act (H.R.1682), Traditional Cigar Manufacturing and Small Business Jobs Preservation Act of 2019 (H.R.1854), Women & Lung Cancer Research & Preventive Services Act (H.R.2222), Prevent BLEEDing Act of 2019 (H.R.2550), Educating Medical Professionals and Optimizing Workforce Efficiency and Readiness (EMPOWER) for Health Act (H.R.2781), PCORI Reauthorization (H.R.3030), Improving Seniors Timely Access to Care Act (H.R.3107), Keep Physicians Serving Patients Act (H.R.3302), Stopping Appealing Flavors in E-Cigarettes for Kids Act (S.655), Improving Access to Medicare Coverage Act (S.753)
Client expense: $186,000 · Firm income: Not reported
Government targets: Agency for Healthcare Research & Quality (AHRQ), Centers For Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS), Food & Drug Administration (FDA), HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES, Health & Human Services, Dept of (HHS), Health Resources & Services Administration (HRSA), Medicare Payment Advisory Commission (MedPAC), SENATE, Social Security Administration (SSA)
2020 · second_quarter · Health Issues
Issues related to lung disease treatment, prevention and research; public health; Issues related asthma; COPD; influenza; lung cancer; pneumonia; tuberculosis and other lung diseases; Issues related to tobacco cessation; Issues related to the Affordable Care Act; Issues related to the Childrens Health Insurance Program; Issues related to the President's Budget; Issues related to telehealth; Issues related to changing federal poverty line calculation; Issues related to COVID-19 Response; H.R.965 CREATES Act of 2019; H.R.986 Protecting Americans with Preexisting Conditions Act of 2019 H.R.987 Strengthening Health Care and Lowering Prescription Drug Costs Act H.R.1010 To provide that the rule entitled "Short-Term, Limited Duration Insurance" shall have no force or effect. H.R.1385 SAVE Act H.R.1386 ENROLL Act of 2019 H.R.1425 State Health Care Premium Reduction Act H.R.1499 Protecting Consumer Access to Generic Drugs Act of 2019 H.R.1884 Protecting Pre-Existing Conditions and Making Health Care More Affordable Act of 2019 H.R.2508 Better Respiration through Expanding Access to Tele-Health Act;H.R.2862 VACCINES Act of 2019; H.R.3630 No Surprises Act H.R.4622 Family Asthma Act S.340 CREATES Act of 2019 S.466 Protecting Americans with Pre-existing Conditions Act of 2019 S.946 Henrietta Lacks Enhancing Cancer Research Act of 2019 S.1125 Protect Act S.1895 Lower Health Care Costs Act S.1944 Public Health Funding Restoration Act. HR 3 Elijah E. Cummings Lower Drug Costs Now Act; H.R.4716 I CAN Act; HR 5230 Elijah E. Cummings Family Asthma Act; HR 6201 - Families First Coronavirus Act; HR 6704 - Coronavirus Preparedness and Response Supplemental Appropriations Act, 2020; HR 748 - CARES Act; S. 3548 - CARES Act; S. 1531 - Stopping the Outrageous Practice of Surprise Medical Bills Act of 2019; HR 6408 -- To extend the charitable deduction to all taxpayers regardless of whether a taxpayer itemizes deductions in order to encourage and increase charitable giving, and to provide for loans and loan guarantees to certain public charities; HR 7610 Agriculture, Rural Development, Food and Drug Administration, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act, 2021; HR 7667 Commerce, Justice, Science, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act, 2021; HR 7617 Department of Defense Appropriations Act, 2021; HR 7612 Department of the Interior, Environment, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act, 2021; HR 2468 School-Based Allergies and Asthma Management Program Act; HR 7614 Departments of Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act, 2021; HR 7609 Military Construction, Veterans Affairs, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act, 2021; HR 7616 Transportation, Housing and Urban Development, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act, 2021; HR 7608 Department of State, Foreign Operations, and Related Programs Appropriations Act, 2021; H.R.5076 Protecting Seniors Through Immunization Act of 2019; H.R.6561 Improving Social Determinants of Health Act of 2020; HR 6800 HEROES Act; H.R.6935 Protecting the Health of America's Older Adults During COVID-19 and Beyond Act; HR 7286 Quit Because of COVID-19 Act;
Client expense: $50,000 · Firm income: Not reported
Government targets: Centers For Disease Control & Prevention (CDC), Centers For Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS), Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), Federal Reserve System, Food & Drug Administration (FDA), HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES, Health & Human Services, Dept of (HHS), Natl Institutes of Health (NIH), Office of Management & Budget (OMB), Postal Regulatory Commission, SENATE, Small Business Administration (SBA), Treasury, Dept of, White House Office
2020 · second_quarter · Health Issues
Health Insurance Coverage (general); Health Disparities (general); Breastfeeding (general); Assisted Reproductive Technology (general); Smoking Cessation (general); Substance Use Disorder (general); Gynecologic Cancer (general); Gynecologic Devices (general); Reproductive Health (general); Intimate Partner Violence (general); Gun Violence (general); Immunization (general); Breast Cancer (general); E-Cigarettes (general); Medical Liability Reform (general); Health IT (general); Patient-Physician Relationship (general); Conscience Refusals (general); Child Welfare (general); Prematurity (general); Maternal Mortality and Morbidity (general); Graduate Medical Education (general); Contraception (general); Abortion (general); Indian Health (general); Teaching Health Centers Graduate Medical Education (general); Community Health Centers (general); National Health Service Corps (general); Special Diabetes Program (general); Special Diabetes Program for Indians (general); Sexuality Education (general); Teen Pregnancy Prevention Program (general); Personal Responsibility Education Program (general); Research in Pregnant and Breastfeeding Women (general); Health Care Reform (general); Title X Family Planning Program (general); Womens Preventive Services (general); Drug Pricing (general); Administrative Burden (general); Surprise Billing (general); Pediatric Loan Repayment Program (general);COVID-19 Response (general); Personal Protective Equipment (general); Risk Evaluation and Mitigation Strategies (general); Data Collection (general); Health Equity (general); Maternal Mental Health (general);; Violence Against Women Act (general); Secretarys Advisory Committee on Infant Mortality (general); H.R. 2975/S. 1645, Womens Health Protection Act; S. 1895, Lower Health Care Costs Act; H.R. 2862/S. 1619, VACCINES Act; implementation of P.L. 115-344, Preventing Maternal Deaths Act; implementation of P.L. 115-320, Improving Access to Maternity Care Act; S. 2586, Maternal Outcomes Matter Act; HR 3630, No Surprises Act; HR 3502, Protecting People From Surprise Medical Bills Act; H.R. 4495, Maternal Health Quality Improvement Act of 2019; H.R. 5640/S. 3152, the Data Mapping to Save Moms Lives Act; H.R. 6142/ S. 3424, the Black Maternal Health Momnibus Act of 2020; H.R. 6159, Kids Access to Primary Care Act of 2020; S. 4088, Ensuring Access to Primary Care for Women & Children Act; H.R. 6383, Uterine Fibroid Research and Education Act of 2020; implementation of P.L. 116-123, the Coronavirus Preparedness and Response Supplemental Appropriations Act of 2020; implementation of P.L. 116-127, the Families First Coronavirus Response Act; implementation of P.L. 116-136, the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act; H.R. 266, Paycheck Protection Program and Health Care Enhancement Act; H.R. 6800, the Heroes Act; H.R. 1425, the Affordable Care Act Enhancement Act; H.R. 7059 the Coronavirus Provider Protection Act; H.R. 6953/ S. 3763 the Pandemic Responder Service Award Act; H.R. 6697, the Local Chamber, Tourism, and 501(c)(6) Protection Act; H.Res 137/ S. Res 154, Supporting the designation of the week of April 11 through April 17, 2019 as "Black Maternal Health Week".
Client expense: $416,756 · Firm income: Not reported
Government targets: Agency for Healthcare Research & Quality (AHRQ), Centers For Disease Control & Prevention (CDC), Centers For Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS), Defense, Dept of (DOD), Executive Office of the President (EOP), Food & Drug Administration (FDA), Government Accountability Office (GAO), HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES, Health & Human Services, Dept of (HHS), Health Resources & Services Administration (HRSA), Homeland Security, Dept of (DHS), Indian Health Service, Justice, Dept of (DOJ), Labor, Dept of (DOL), Natl Institutes of Health (NIH), Office of Management & Budget (OMB), SENATE, Small Business Administration (SBA), State, Dept of (DOS), Substance Abuse & Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), Veterans Affairs, Dept of (VA), White House Office
2020 · second_quarter · Health Issues
H. Res. 480, Acknowledging the racial disparities in diagnosing and treating mental health among youth in communities of color H.R. 1109, the Mental Health Services for Students Act of 2019 H.R. 1554, the Resident Education Deferred Interest Act H.R. 1763 / S. 348, the Resident Physician Shortage Reduction Act of 2019 H.R. 2062 / S. 1012 (42 CFR Part 2) H.R. 2279/ S. 2546, the Safe Step Act H.R. 2482/ S. 2074, the Mainstreaming Addiction Treatment Act of 2019 H.R. 2734 / S. 1448, the Safer Prescribing of Controlled Substances Act H.R. 2862, the VACCINES Act of 2019 H.R. 3, Lower Drug Costs Now Act of 2019 H.R. 3180/ S. 1770, the RISE from Trauma Act H.R. 3239/ S. 2135, the Humanitarian Standards for Individuals in Customs and Border Protection Custody Act H.R. 3253, the Empowering Beneficiaries, Ensuring Access, and Strengthening Accountability Act H.R. 3414/ S. 2892, the Opioid Workforce Act H.R. 3417, BETTER Act of 2019 H.R. 4194, S. 2661, the National Suicide Hotline Designation Act of 2019 H.R. 4309, the Barriers to Suicide Act H.R. 4327, the Enhancing Mental Health and Suicide Prevention Through Campus Planning Act H.R. 4861/ S. 3006, the Effective Suicide Screening and Assessment in the Emergency Department Act H.R. 4932 / S. 2741, the CONNECT for Health Act H.R. 4995, the Maternal Health Quality Improvement Act of 2019 H.R. 4996, the Helping Medicaid Offer Maternity Services Act of 2019 H.R. 5, the Equality Act H.R. 5201, the Telemental Health Expansion Act of 2019 H.R. 5473, the Enhance Access to Support Essential Behavioral Health Services Act H.R.5469, the Pursuing Equity in Mental Health Act of 2019 H.R.5575, the Primary and Behavioral Health Care Access Act of 2020 Out of network billing legislation S. 1227, the Prescription Pricing for the People Act of 2019 S. 2443, the Investment in Tomorrow's Pediatric Health Care Workforce Act S. 824, the Excellence in Mental Health and Addiction Treatment Expansion Act S.1659, the Ensuring Childrens Access to Specialty Care Act of 2019 Title III Sec. 305 Timely Bills to Patients within the Lower Health Care Costs Act of 2019 (S. 1895) Cures 2.0 Suggestions related to addressing mental health in rural communities. Title X Family Planning Program Administration Rule Efforts related to psychiatric bed shortages. H.R. 6074, the Coronavirus Preparedness and Response Supplemental Appropriations Act H.R. 6201, the Families First Coronavirus Response Act H.R. 748, the Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security (CARES) Act H.R. 2895, S. 948, the Conrad State 30 and Physician Access Reauthorization Act H.R. 4996, the Helping Medicaid Offer Maternity Services (MOMS) Act, and Senate efforts. S. 311, the Born-Alive Abortion Survivors Protection Act S. 3275, the Pain-Capable Unborn Child Protection Act H.R. 4056 and S. 2446, the Medicare Audiologist Access and Services Act of 2019 H.R. 5575, the Primary and Behavioral Health Care Access Act Telehealth provisions as related to Covid-19. H.R. 6644, the Health Care at Home Act H.R. 748, the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act (CARES Act), including the Payroll Protection Program (PPP), the Public Health and Social Services Emergency Fund, the provider fund (for MH funding), and more. Medicare Access and CHIP Reauthorization Act (MACRA) of 2015 and related Medicare and Medicaid payment updates. Emergency financial relief and stability funding for 501(c)(6) tax-exempt medical and dental trade associations impacted by the pandemic H.R.7078 , the Evaluating Disparities and Outcomes of Telehealth During the COVID-19 Emergency Act of 2020 (EDOT Act of 2020) H.R. 7255, the Coronavirus Health Care Worker Wellness Act of 2020 S.3919, Military Suicide Prevention in the 21st Century Act H.R. 7608, Legislative Vehicle for the Fiscal 2021 Four-Bill Appropriations Package H.R. 6788/S. 3599, Healthcare Workforce Resilience Act Recommendations on confidential mental health records sharing. H.R. 4564, the Suicide Prevention Lifeline Improvement Act of 2019 H.R. 5619, the Suicide Prevention Act H.R. 4585, the Campaign to Prevent Suicide Act H.R. 1646, the Helping Emergency Responders Overcome (HERO) Act of 2019 H.R.884/S. 2772, the Medicare Mental Health Access Act H.R. 2519, the Improving Mental Health Access from the Emergency Department Act of 2019 H.R. 7147, the Creating Resources to Improve Situations of Inherent Severity Act (CRISIS Act) H.R. 7159, the Crisis Care Improvement and Suicide Prevention Act of 2020 21st Century Cures Act, RE: Opioid State Targeted Response Grants S.4088, the Ensuring Access to Primary Care for Women & Children Act H.R. 6159, the KIDS Access to Primary Care Act S. 3741, the Health Care at Home Act S. 3792, the Tele-mental Health Improvement Act H.R. 6697, the Local Chamber, Tourism, and 501(c)(6) Protection Act
Client expense: $162,000 · Firm income: Not reported
Government targets: Bureau of Citizenship & Immigration Services (BCIS), Centers For Disease Control & Prevention (CDC), Centers For Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS), Defense, Dept of (DOD), Executive Office of the President (EOP), Food & Drug Administration (FDA), HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES, Health & Human Services, Dept of (HHS), Health Resources & Services Administration (HRSA), Homeland Security, Dept of (DHS), Labor, Dept of (DOL), Natl Institutes of Health (NIH), Office of the Vice President of the United States, SENATE, Veterans Affairs, Dept of (VA), White House Office
2020 · second_quarter · Health Issues
Access to immunizations; Maternal immunizations; Health information technology/IIS; Quality measures; HHS Healthy People 2030 Process; H.R. 2862, VACCINES Act; S. 1872/H.R. 5076, Protecting Seniors Through Immunization Act; CARES Act - Public Law No: 116-136; Families First Coronavirus Response Act - Public Law No: 116-127; Coronavirus Preparedness and Response Supplemental Appropriations Act, 2020 - Public Law No: 116-123; HR 6800, Health and Economic Recovery Omnibus Emergency Solutions Act or the HEROES Act.
Client expense: Not reported · Firm income: $50,000
Government targets: Centers For Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS), HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES, Health & Human Services, Dept of (HHS), SENATE
2020 · second_quarter · Health Issues
Vaccines Act - HR 2862 Flu Vaccine Act - HR 1371/S 570 Vaccines Access Act - HR 1973 Disarm Act - S 1712 COVID-19 PL 116-136: CARES Act PL 116-127: Family First Coronavirus Response Act PL 116-123: Coronavirus Preparedness and Response Supplemental PL 116-139: PPP and Health Care Enhancement Act
Client expense: Not reported · Firm income: $30,000
Government targets: HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES, SENATE
2020 · second_quarter · Health Issues
The Affordable Care Act (P.L. 111-148, P.L. 111-152): Expanding coverage and improving Medicare benefits; Providing needed protections to guard against insurance practices that unfairly limit, deny or rescind coverage based on health status; public and private health insurers should encourage preventive health care by providing full coverage, with no cost-sharing, for preventive services recommended by an expert advisory group, such as the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force; Ensuring access to primary care physicians; and beginning to bend the cost curve; Prohibiting insurers from excluding or charging excessive rates to children based on pre-existing conditions, which later will be expanded to all persons; Covering young adults on their parents' plans; Eliminating lifetime and annual limits on health insurance coverage; Requiring that health insurers spend more on patient care and less on administration; support enactment of S. 248, the Empowering States to Innovate Act, which amends the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (ACA) to: (1) allow states to apply for waivers of certain health insurance coverage requirements in such Act (including requirements for the establishment of qualified health plans and health insurance exchanges) for plan years beginning on or after January 1, 2014 (currently, January 1, 2017), and (2) require the waiver application process to begin not later than 180 days after the enactment of this Act; Phasing out the Medicare Part D doughnut hole; Eliminating patient cost-sharing for preventive services offered by Medicare or private insurers; Increasing Medicare and Medicaid payments to primary care physicians; Supporting the Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute to help physicians and patients make care decisions based on the best available evidence; Supporting the Center on Medicare and Medicaid Innovation to fund pilots of delivery models to improve outcomes and reduce costs, including patient-centered medical homes; Advocated against a December 2018 ruling by a federal judge in Texas that the entire Affordable Care Act (ACA) is unconstitutional. Access to Primary Care in the Context of Comprehensive Healthcare Reform Legislation (H.R. 3962/H.R. 3590/H.R. 4872): Provide sliding scale subsidies based on income to buy coverage from qualified plans; Qualified plans should: provide evidence-based benefits, including preventive services; and be prohibited from excluding persons with pre-existing conditions, charging them more, cherry-picking enrollees, or cancelling or failing to renew coverage; Expand Medicaid to cover all persons below the Federal Poverty Level and ensure fair payments to participating physicians; As coverage becomes affordable, all persons should participate and coverage should be guaranteed; Responsibility for financing should be shared by individuals, employers and government. Pilot test Medicare payment models that re-align incentives to support effective, efficient, patient-centered, coordinated care. Priority should be given to models designed to support the value of services provided by primary care physicians as well as to models that would create incentives, across physician specialties and sites of services, to improve the quality, effectiveness, and efficiency of care provided. Policy criteria for selecting the most promising models for pilot testing should be developed, in consultation with outside experts; The Patient-Centered Medical Home (PCMH), which has shown great promise in meeting the policy objectives suggested above, should be among the models selected for broader testing on a national pilot basis; the use of the medical home model for treatment or services under private health plans, the requirement of health plans to provide incentives to promote and report on medical home services provided, the establishment of community health teams and a primary care extension program to educate and support primary care practices in the delivery of medical home services, and the establishment of a demonstration project to educate physicians and other clinicians in training in the competencies required to deliver care consistent with the medical home care model. Medicare Payments to Physicians: Urged that Congress provide incentives to physicians who transform their practices into Advanced Alternative Payment Models and continue to provide stability for physicians in the MIPS program. Specifically, Congress should extend the five percent Qualified Alternative Payment Model participant bonus beyond the 2022 performance year, replace the zero percent baseline payment updates under Medicare, to take effect in 2020, with positive updates. Urged congressional committees with jurisdiction over Medicare to exercise their oversight authority and urge CMS to expedite approval of more Advanced APMS, particularly those that work for small and specialty practices and to simplify the scoring structure and reporting requirements under the Merit-Based Incentive Payment System (MIPS) in order to fulfill Congress intent of a more streamlined program that reduces burdens on physicians; Supported S.2648, the Rural ACO Improvement Act, amends title XVIII of the Social Security Act to improve the benchmarking process for the Medicare Shared Savings Program (MSSP) to ensure that all ACOs have an equal opportunity to share in savings regardless of their geographic location; Provided recommendations to CMS on the Merit-based Incentive Payment System Value Pathway (MVP), which aims to reduce reporting burden and complexity within MIPS while improving the accuracy and effectiveness of performance measurement. The College noted specifically that a robust, multi-year transition period will be critical to the success of the MVP, that it does not support making the MVP mandatory, that CMS should continue to support numerous reporting mechanisms, including qualified registries and clinical data registries, which have been instrumental in developing specialty-specific performance measures, among other things. Expand Coverage and Stabilizing the Insurance Market: Congress should work to help stabilize the individual health insurance market and expand coverage. Specifically, the College urged Congress to develop and introduce comprehensive market stabilization legislation that includes reinsurance options to help stabilize the markets; Expand cost-sharing assistance eligibility to purchase insurance in the exchanges as well as increase the level of premium tax credits and cost sharing subsidies offered to purchase a qualified health plan; Introduce legislation that would block the expansion of access to short-term health plans or Association Health Plans that allow insurers to charge more to individuals with pre-existing conditions and permit them to exclude from coverage essential medical care. Urged that Congress pass the Protecting Pre-existing Conditions and Making Health Care More Affordable Act of 2019 (H.R. 1884), which strengthens and expands tax credits; stops skimpy health plans that do not cover essential benefits and that discriminate against people with pre-existing conditions; and provides funding for reinsurance programs. Administrative Tasks on Physicians and Patients: Congress should accelerate its efforts to reduce administrative burdens on clinicians and patients, including: streamlining the prior authorization process, better integrating clinical data into clinicians electronic health records (EHRs), and working with CMS in their effort to overhaul clinical documentation guidelines; Urged Congress to cosponsor and pass the Safe Step Act (H.R. 2279), to require health insurers to provide an exceptions process for any medication step therapy protocol based on clinical decision-making, medical necessity, and other patient needs; Urged that the E/M documentation requirements in the FY2019 Physician Fee Schedule should be implemented immediately and not coupled with the E/M payment policy reforms planned for 2021. Prescription Drug Costs: The College advocated for greater transparency in drug pricing, the elimination of anti-competitive industry practices that create barriers to generics coming to market, the importance of accounting for value in payment and coverage for prescriptions, and providing authority to the federal government to negotiate drug discounts under the Medicare Part D program. Specifically, the College urged Congress to pass the Medicare Prescription Drug Price Negotiation Act of 2019 (H.R. 275/S. 62), which allows the Secretary of Health and Human Services to negotiate covered Part D drug prices on behalf of Medicare beneficiaries, and the Creating and Restoring Equal Access to Equivalent Samples (CREATES) Act of 2019, (H.R. 965/S. 340), which would improve patient access to alternative low-cost prescription drugs and biological products by preventing prescription drug manufacturers from misusing the FDAs Risk Evaluation and Mitigation Strategies (REMS) process to make it difficult for competing generics to be brought to the market. Also urged that Congress pass the Reforming Evergreening and Manipulation that Extends Drug Years, REMEDY Act (S. 1209), to aid in the approval of more generic drug applications by the FDA and therefore improve patient access to those medications. Also urged that Congress pass the Prescription Drug STAR Act (H.R. 2113), and the Fair Accountability and Innovative Research (FAIR) Drug Pricing Act (H.R. 2296/S. 1391), to promote greater drug pricing transparency; Expressed appreciation to the House speaker for introduction of H.R. 3, the Lower Drug Costs Now Act, noting encouragement for its provisions to empower the Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS) to negotiate with drug companies for lower prices and to cap out-of-pocket costs for seniors enrolled in the Medicare Part D program. Commented to the FDA on its prescription drug reimportation proposed rule noting that while the College is generally supportive of drug importation as laid out in the proposed rule as a means to control the cost of prescription drugs, the FDA must guarantee that the design and implementation of the rule includes numerous measures and safeguards to ensure patient safety. By limiting the origin of imported drugs to Canadian-certified and FDA-approved and registered drugs and entities, the College believes the proposed rule meets the required U.S. standards to assure high-quality drugs and patient safety. Any final drug importation system must also be one that is a closed system and has a tightly controlled and documented supply chain to assure authenticity and avoid degradation of the drug. Workforce, Medical and Health Services Research, Public Health Initiatives: Congress should ensure funding in FY 2021 for federal programs/initiatives designed to support primary care including Title VII Health Professions grants and the National Health Service Corps (NHSC). Equally important is the need to fund essential health services and medical research by the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) and the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and public health programs supported by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Firearms-Related Injury and Death: The College advocated for lawmakers to pass measures to strengthen the criminal background check system, ban assault weapons and high capacity magazines, prevent the unlawful transfer of firearms to those who cannot legally purchase them, and remove restrictions on, and provide dedicated funding for, research by federal agencies on prevention of firearms-related injuries and death. Specifically, the College urged passage of the Bipartisan Background Checks Act of 2019 (H.R. 8), which would strengthen the accuracy and reporting of the National Instant Criminal Background Check System (NICS) as well as expand Brady background checks to cover all firearm sales, including unlicensed firearms sellers currently not required to use background checks, and the Gun Violence Prevention Research Act (H.R. 674/S. 184), which would authorize funding for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to study firearms safety and gun violence prevention. Also urged Congress to pass the Violence Against Women (VAWA) Reauthorization Act of 2019 (H.R. 1585), to provide protections for domestic violence victims by restricting access to firearms by those deemed a threat to them. Also urged Congress to pass the Assault Weapons Ban of 2019 (S. 66/H.R. 1296), to ban the sale of semi-automatic weapons and high capacity magazines. Immigration: The College advocated against family separation at the U.S. border. Specifically, the College urged support for H.R. 541 - the Keep Families Together Act, which would help ensure that children are not separated from their parents when families unlawfully cross over the border into the United States and would ensure that the Department of Homeland Security would not be able to implement the zero tolerance policy that separated families at the border last summer; urged congressional oversight of family separation policies. Also urged that Congress pass H.R. 6, the Dream and Promise Act of 2019, which would provide a pathway to U.S. citizenship for undocumented children who came to the United States due to the action of their parents, also known as Dreamers. Expressed concern to the U.S. Department of Homeland Security with the recent U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Service (USCIS) policy change to no longer accept or adjudicate non-military deferred action requests including those for individuals with serious medical conditions; Urged USCIS to reverse this decision immediately and resume consideration of deferred action requests for medical reasons. Graduate Medical Education: Urged that Congress support medical education training and debt relief for primary care physicians and other specialties facing shortages by passing the Resident Physician Shortage Reduction Act of 2019 (S. 348, H.R. 1763), to lift the GME caps as needed to permit training an adequate number of primary care physicians, including internal medicine specialists, and physicians in other specialties facing shortages; passing the Resident Education Deferred Interest Act (H.R. 1554), to save physicians in residency programs thousands of dollars in interest on their loans and help incentivize the opening of practices in underserved areas; pass legislation to combine DGME and IME into a single, more functional payment program, and broaden the GME financing structure to include all payers; support funding for GME/IME and programs within the Veterans Health Administration that provide graduate medical education to ensure that physicians are adequately trained with the skills needed to treat an aging population. Urged Congress to pass the Opioid Workforce Act of 2019 (H.R. 3414), which would provide Medicare support for an additional 1,000 graduate medical education (GME) positions over five years in hospitals that have, or are in the process of establishing, accredited residency programs in addiction medicine, addiction psychiatry, or pain medicine. Urged Congress to pass S. 1203 and H.R. 2441, the What You Can Do For Your Country Act, which would improve and reform the Public Service Loan Forgiveness (PSLF) Program. Vaccines: Urged Congress to pass the Vaccines Act (HR 2862), which would provide federal funding for vaccine hesitancy surveillance at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), and outline a national public messaging campaign informed by this research to help improve vaccination rates; Supported H.R. 592, recognizing the anniversary of the eradication of smallpox and the importance of vaccination in the United States and worldwide; Urged the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to reconsider its decision to not vaccinate families in the custody of U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) against influenza (flu). Surprise Medical Billing: Urged Congress to pass legislation that would protect patients from surprise out-of-network medical bills in both emergency and non-emergency settings that includes the following principles: hold patients harmless from surprise medical bills for out-of-network services, address narrow insurance networks, abandon efforts to establish an in-network median rate for services in these settings and instead opt for an independent dispute resolution process to determine payment. Appropriations: Urged Congress to fund Title VII, Section 747, Primary Care Training and Enhancement (PCTE) at $71 million for fiscal year 2021; Fund the Agency for Health Care Research and Quality (AHRQ) at $460 million for fiscal year 2021; Fund the National Health Service Corps (NHSC) at $830 million for fiscal year 2021; Fund the Title X Family Planning Program at $400 million for fiscal year 2021 and include language to remove barriers to care that interfere with the patient-physician relationship; Fund Research on Prevention of Firearms-related Injuries and Deaths at $50 million for Fiscal Year 2021; Fund the National Institutes of Health (NIH) at $44.7 billion for fiscal year 2021; Fund the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) at $8.3 billion for fiscal year 2021. Physician Fee Schedule: Commented to CMS on its 2020 fee schedule final rule to: finalize E/M codes, current Procedural Terminology (CPT) guidelines, and RUC recommended values exactly as implemented by the CPT Editorial Panel and submitted by the RUC; finalize proposals to reduce the documentation burden for E/M services by allowing choice of medical decision making or time, and work to develop additional clarity and guidance on acceptable documentation to operationalize these important proposals; examination room desktop computers should be counted as a direct medical equipment cost; care management should be promoted by increasing the values of services like Transitional Care Management (TCM) and Chronic Care Management and implementing Principle Care Management (PCM) codes; require additional survey and review for any requests to increase non-outpatient E/M or other services; work with the physician community prior to finalizing any policy affecting eligibility to participate in the Medicare program; Urged congressional committees of jurisdiction to support: Higher physician work relative value units (RVUs) for new and established office visit codes, leading to increased payments for them, Reduced documentation requirements for office visit codes, which enables physicians to select and document for each visit based on medical decision-making or total time, Expanded and improved payment for care management services. COVID-19: Urged congressional appropriators to provide the highest possible funding level for research, prevention, control, and treatment of illnesses associated with the virus that is commensurate with the public health emergency that the virus represents. Urged the administration to explore regulatory and other actions that would make COVID-19 testing free-of-charge to patients covered by both public and private insurance plans, including ACA-compliant plans offered through the insurance exchanges, and to waive co-pays and deductibles for patients seeing physicians for symptoms that may be indicative of COVID-19 or who are hospitalized for treatment. Urged CMS to utilize a national disaster recovery program that would pay doctors 110% of Medicare rates for caring for uninsured patients who have been infected with SARS-CoV-2. Expressed support to Congress and the administration for the Families First Coronavirus Response Act, H.R. 6201, and other stimulus reforms related to COVID-19 including: Emergency paid leave benefits, paid sick days for public health emergencies, coverage of testing for COVID-19, waiving of cost sharing under Medicare, Medicare Advantage, Medicaid, and CHIP, increasing the federal FMAP under Medicaid, providing reimbursement for CPT codes 99441 - 99443, which are telephone evaluation and management services, expediting entrance of international medical graduates who are citizens of other nations (non-US IMGs) into the country and ensuring that lawfully present non-U.S. IMGs are not negatively impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic, funding for physician practices under the Public Health and Social Service Emergency Fund (PHSSEF), providing tax relief, grants, and loans to small and medium size practices impacted by COVID-19, increasing funding for personal protective equipment (PPE), ensuring Medicaid pay parity with Medicare for primary care services; Urged HHS and Congress to make a targeted allocation out of the Provider Relief Fund (PRF) to support primary care physicians and their practices, sufficient to keep their doors open, by offsetting lost revenue from the COVID-19 pandemic, similar to the targeted allocation for rural hospitals; Urged support for the Student Loan Forgiveness for Frontline Health Workers Act, H.R. 6720, introduced May 5, 2020 by Representative Carolyn B. Maloney (D-NY) which would eliminate graduate school debt for healthcare workers, including physicians and medical students, who are providing direct patient care in response to the COVID-19 pandemic; Urged support for H.R. 7059, the Coronavirus Provider Protection Act, which extend liability protections to those who provide care in good faith during the COVID-19 public health emergency (plus a reasonable time, such as 60 days, after the emergency declaration ends), and not in situations of gross negligence or willful misconduct. The College also urged that pay parity between telephone claims and in-person visits and between all telehealth and in-person visits be maintained after the PHE is lifted. This extension-either continued by CMS or mandated by Congress-should last at least through the end of 2021, or until such a time when effective vaccines and treatments are widely available, with an option to extend it even further, or consider making permanent, based on the experience and learnings of patients and physicians who are utilizing these visits. Health IT and Telehealth: Urged that physicians be able to easily access accurate and reliable COVID-19 testing results from the various testing sites and labs. These results must contain the appropriate flags for review and should be received in standard formats, ideally within physicians existing health IT systems. The current eCase reporting to public health agencies process is time-consuming and duplicative, and EHR functionality to do eCase reporting varies widely across vendors and state public health departments. HHS should take a leadership role in making sure these programs and health IT standards projects are adopted and implemented consistently across the country. Ensure federally qualified health centers and rural health clinics can furnish telehealth services after the public health emergency. Veterans Issues: Urged the Secretary of the VA to amend Directive 1899 as it relates to allowing non-physician healthcare professionals in 32 specialties to operate within the full scope of their license, registration, or certification and rescind the Memorandum as it relates to encouraging all VA medical facilities to allow CRNAs to practice without physician oversight during the national health emergency.
Client expense: $251,379 · Firm income: Not reported
Government targets: Centers For Disease Control & Prevention (CDC), Centers For Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS), Food & Drug Administration (FDA), HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES, Health & Human Services, Dept of (HHS), Homeland Security, Dept of (DHS), President of the U.S., SENATE, State, Dept of (DOS), Veterans Affairs, Dept of (VA)
2020 · second_quarter · Health Issues
The Affordable Care Act (P.L. 111-148, P.L. 111-152): Expanding coverage and improving Medicare benefits; Providing needed protections to guard against insurance practices that unfairly limit, deny or rescind coverage based on health status; public and private health insurers should encourage preventive health care by providing full coverage, with no cost-sharing, for preventive services recommended by an expert advisory group, such as the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force; Ensuring access to primary care physicians; and beginning to bend the cost curve; Prohibiting insurers from excluding or charging excessive rates to children based on pre-existing conditions, which later will be expanded to all persons; Covering young adults on their parents' plans; Eliminating lifetime and annual limits on health insurance coverage; Requiring that health insurers spend more on patient care and less on administration; support enactment of S. 248, the Empowering States to Innovate Act, which amends the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (ACA) to: (1) allow states to apply for waivers of certain health insurance coverage requirements in such Act (including requirements for the establishment of qualified health plans and health insurance exchanges) for plan years beginning on or after January 1, 2014 (currently, January 1, 2017), and (2) require the waiver application process to begin not later than 180 days after the enactment of this Act; Phasing out the Medicare Part D doughnut hole; Eliminating patient cost-sharing for preventive services offered by Medicare or private insurers; Increasing Medicare and Medicaid payments to primary care physicians; Supporting the Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute to help physicians and patients make care decisions based on the best available evidence; Supporting the Center on Medicare and Medicaid Innovation to fund pilots of delivery models to improve outcomes and reduce costs, including patient-centered medical homes; Advocated against a December 2018 ruling by a federal judge in Texas that the entire Affordable Care Act (ACA) is unconstitutional. Access to Primary Care in the Context of Comprehensive Healthcare Reform Legislation (H.R. 3962/H.R. 3590/H.R. 4872): Provide sliding scale subsidies based on income to buy coverage from qualified plans; Qualified plans should: provide evidence-based benefits, including preventive services; and be prohibited from excluding persons with pre-existing conditions, charging them more, cherry-picking enrollees, or cancelling or failing to renew coverage; Expand Medicaid to cover all persons below the Federal Poverty Level and ensure fair payments to participating physicians; As coverage becomes affordable, all persons should participate and coverage should be guaranteed; Responsibility for financing should be shared by individuals, employers and government. Pilot test Medicare payment models that re-align incentives to support effective, efficient, patient-centered, coordinated care. Priority should be given to models designed to support the value of services provided by primary care physicians as well as to models that would create incentives, across physician specialties and sites of services, to improve the quality, effectiveness, and efficiency of care provided. Policy criteria for selecting the most promising models for pilot testing should be developed, in consultation with outside experts; The Patient-Centered Medical Home (PCMH), which has shown great promise in meeting the policy objectives suggested above, should be among the models selected for broader testing on a national pilot basis; the use of the medical home model for treatment or services under private health plans, the requirement of health plans to provide incentives to promote and report on medical home services provided, the establishment of community health teams and a primary care extension program to educate and support primary care practices in the delivery of medical home services, and the establishment of a demonstration project to educate physicians and other clinicians in training in the competencies required to deliver care consistent with the medical home care model. Medicare Payments to Physicians: Urged that Congress provide incentives to physicians who transform their practices into Advanced Alternative Payment Models and continue to provide stability for physicians in the MIPS program. Specifically, Congress should extend the five percent Qualified Alternative Payment Model participant bonus beyond the 2022 performance year, replace the zero percent baseline payment updates under Medicare, to take effect in 2020, with positive updates. Urged congressional committees with jurisdiction over Medicare to exercise their oversight authority and urge CMS to expedite approval of more Advanced APMS, particularly those that work for small and specialty practices and to simplify the scoring structure and reporting requirements under the Merit-Based Incentive Payment System (MIPS) in order to fulfill Congress intent of a more streamlined program that reduces burdens on physicians; Supported S.2648, the Rural ACO Improvement Act, amends title XVIII of the Social Security Act to improve the benchmarking process for the Medicare Shared Savings Program (MSSP) to ensure that all ACOs have an equal opportunity to share in savings regardless of their geographic location; Provided recommendations to CMS on the Merit-based Incentive Payment System Value Pathway (MVP), which aims to reduce reporting burden and complexity within MIPS while improving the accuracy and effectiveness of performance measurement. The College noted specifically that a robust, multi-year transition period will be critical to the success of the MVP, that it does not support making the MVP mandatory, that CMS should continue to support numerous reporting mechanisms, including qualified registries and clinical data registries, which have been instrumental in developing specialty-specific performance measures, among other things. Expand Coverage and Stabilizing the Insurance Market: Congress should work to help stabilize the individual health insurance market and expand coverage. Specifically, the College urged Congress to develop and introduce comprehensive market stabilization legislation that includes reinsurance options to help stabilize the markets; Expand cost-sharing assistance eligibility to purchase insurance in the exchanges as well as increase the level of premium tax credits and cost sharing subsidies offered to purchase a qualified health plan; Introduce legislation that would block the expansion of access to short-term health plans or Association Health Plans that allow insurers to charge more to individuals with pre-existing conditions and permit them to exclude from coverage essential medical care. Urged that Congress pass the Protecting Pre-existing Conditions and Making Health Care More Affordable Act of 2019 (H.R. 1884), which strengthens and expands tax credits; stops skimpy health plans that do not cover essential benefits and that discriminate against people with pre-existing conditions; and provides funding for reinsurance programs. Administrative Tasks on Physicians and Patients: Congress should accelerate its efforts to reduce administrative burdens on clinicians and patients, including: streamlining the prior authorization process, better integrating clinical data into clinicians electronic health records (EHRs), and working with CMS in their effort to overhaul clinical documentation guidelines; Urged Congress to cosponsor and pass the Safe Step Act (H.R. 2279), to require health insurers to provide an exceptions process for any medication step therapy protocol based on clinical decision-making, medical necessity, and other patient needs; Urged that the E/M documentation requirements in the FY2019 Physician Fee Schedule should be implemented immediately and not coupled with the E/M payment policy reforms planned for 2021. Prescription Drug Costs: The College advocated for greater transparency in drug pricing, the elimination of anti-competitive industry practices that create barriers to generics coming to market, the importance of accounting for value in payment and coverage for prescriptions, and providing authority to the federal government to negotiate drug discounts under the Medicare Part D program. Specifically, the College urged Congress to pass the Medicare Prescription Drug Price Negotiation Act of 2019 (H.R. 275/S. 62), which allows the Secretary of Health and Human Services to negotiate covered Part D drug prices on behalf of Medicare beneficiaries, and the Creating and Restoring Equal Access to Equivalent Samples (CREATES) Act of 2019, (H.R. 965/S. 340), which would improve patient access to alternative low-cost prescription drugs and biological products by preventing prescription drug manufacturers from misusing the FDAs Risk Evaluation and Mitigation Strategies (REMS) process to make it difficult for competing generics to be brought to the market. Also urged that Congress pass the Reforming Evergreening and Manipulation that Extends Drug Years, REMEDY Act (S. 1209), to aid in the approval of more generic drug applications by the FDA and therefore improve patient access to those medications. Also urged that Congress pass the Prescription Drug STAR Act (H.R. 2113), and the Fair Accountability and Innovative Research (FAIR) Drug Pricing Act (H.R. 2296/S. 1391), to promote greater drug pricing transparency; Expressed appreciation to the House speaker for introduction of H.R. 3, the Lower Drug Costs Now Act, noting encouragement for its provisions to empower the Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS) to negotiate with drug companies for lower prices and to cap out-of-pocket costs for seniors enrolled in the Medicare Part D program. Commented to the FDA on its prescription drug reimportation proposed rule noting that while the College is generally supportive of drug importation as laid out in the proposed rule as a means to control the cost of prescription drugs, the FDA must guarantee that the design and implementation of the rule includes numerous measures and safeguards to ensure patient safety. By limiting the origin of imported drugs to Canadian-certified and FDA-approved and registered drugs and entities, the College believes the proposed rule meets the required U.S. standards to assure high-quality drugs and patient safety. Any final drug importation system must also be one that is a closed system and has a tightly controlled and documented supply chain to assure authenticity and avoid degradation of the drug. Workforce, Medical and Health Services Research, Public Health Initiatives: Congress should ensure funding in FY 2021 for federal programs/initiatives designed to support primary care including Title VII Health Professions grants and the National Health Service Corps (NHSC). Equally important is the need to fund essential health services and medical research by the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) and the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and public health programs supported by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Firearms-Related Injury and Death: The College advocated for lawmakers to pass measures to strengthen the criminal background check system, ban assault weapons and high capacity magazines, prevent the unlawful transfer of firearms to those who cannot legally purchase them, and remove restrictions on, and provide dedicated funding for, research by federal agencies on prevention of firearms-related injuries and death. Specifically, the College urged passage of the Bipartisan Background Checks Act of 2019 (H.R. 8), which would strengthen the accuracy and reporting of the National Instant Criminal Background Check System (NICS) as well as expand Brady background checks to cover all firearm sales, including unlicensed firearms sellers currently not required to use background checks, and the Gun Violence Prevention Research Act (H.R. 674/S. 184), which would authorize funding for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to study firearms safety and gun violence prevention. Also urged Congress to pass the Violence Against Women (VAWA) Reauthorization Act of 2019 (H.R. 1585), to provide protections for domestic violence victims by restricting access to firearms by those deemed a threat to them. Also urged Congress to pass the Assault Weapons Ban of 2019 (S. 66/H.R. 1296), to ban the sale of semi-automatic weapons and high capacity magazines. Immigration: The College advocated against family separation at the U.S. border. Specifically, the College urged support for H.R. 541 - the Keep Families Together Act, which would help ensure that children are not separated from their parents when families unlawfully cross over the border into the United States and would ensure that the Department of Homeland Security would not be able to implement the zero tolerance policy that separated families at the border last summer; urged congressional oversight of family separation policies. Also urged that Congress pass H.R. 6, the Dream and Promise Act of 2019, which would provide a pathway to U.S. citizenship for undocumented children who came to the United States due to the action of their parents, also known as Dreamers. Expressed concern to the U.S. Department of Homeland Security with the recent U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Service (USCIS) policy change to no longer accept or adjudicate non-military deferred action requests including those for individuals with serious medical conditions; Urged USCIS to reverse this decision immediately and resume consideration of deferred action requests for medical reasons. Graduate Medical Education: Urged that Congress support medical education training and debt relief for primary care physicians and other specialties facing shortages by passing the Resident Physician Shortage Reduction Act of 2019 (S. 348, H.R. 1763), to lift the GME caps as needed to permit training an adequate number of primary care physicians, including internal medicine specialists, and physicians in other specialties facing shortages; passing the Resident Education Deferred Interest Act (H.R. 1554), to save physicians in residency programs thousands of dollars in interest on their loans and help incentivize the opening of practices in underserved areas; pass legislation to combine DGME and IME into a single, more functional payment program, and broaden the GME financing structure to include all payers; support funding for GME/IME and programs within the Veterans Health Administration that provide graduate medical education to ensure that physicians are adequately trained with the skills needed to treat an aging population. Urged Congress to pass the Opioid Workforce Act of 2019 (H.R. 3414), which would provide Medicare support for an additional 1,000 graduate medical education (GME) positions over five years in hospitals that have, or are in the process of establishing, accredited residency programs in addiction medicine, addiction psychiatry, or pain medicine. Urged Congress to pass S. 1203 and H.R. 2441, the What You Can Do For Your Country Act, which would improve and reform the Public Service Loan Forgiveness (PSLF) Program. Vaccines: Urged Congress to pass the Vaccines Act (HR 2862), which would provide federal funding for vaccine hesitancy surveillance at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), and outline a national public messaging campaign informed by this research to help improve vaccination rates; Supported H.R. 592, recognizing the anniversary of the eradication of smallpox and the importance of vaccination in the United States and worldwide; Urged the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to reconsider its decision to not vaccinate families in the custody of U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) against influenza (flu). Surprise Medical Billing: Urged Congress to pass legislation that would protect patients from surprise out-of-network medical bills in both emergency and non-emergency settings that includes the following principles: hold patients harmless from surprise medical bills for out-of-network services, address narrow insurance networks, abandon efforts to establish an in-network median rate for services in these settings and instead opt for an independent dispute resolution process to determine payment. Appropriations: Urged Congress to fund Title VII, Section 747, Primary Care Training and Enhancement (PCTE) at $71 million for fiscal year 2021; Fund the Agency for Health Care Research and Quality (AHRQ) at $460 million for fiscal year 2021; Fund the National Health Service Corps (NHSC) at $830 million for fiscal year 2021; Fund the Title X Family Planning Program at $400 million for fiscal year 2021 and include language to remove barriers to care that interfere with the patient-physician relationship; Fund Research on Prevention of Firearms-related Injuries and Deaths at $50 million for Fiscal Year 2021; Fund the National Institutes of Health (NIH) at $44.7 billion for fiscal year 2021; Fund the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) at $8.3 billion for fiscal year 2021. Physician Fee Schedule: Commented to CMS on its 2020 fee schedule final rule to: finalize E/M codes, current Procedural Terminology (CPT) guidelines, and RUC recommended values exactly as implemented by the CPT Editorial Panel and submitted by the RUC; finalize proposals to reduce the documentation burden for E/M services by allowing choice of medical decision making or time, and work to develop additional clarity and guidance on acceptable documentation to operationalize these important proposals; examination room desktop computers should be counted as a direct medical equipment cost; care management should be promoted by increasing the values of services like Transitional Care Management (TCM) and Chronic Care Management and implementing Principle Care Management (PCM) codes; require additional survey and review for any requests to increase non-outpatient E/M or other services; work with the physician community prior to finalizing any policy affecting eligibility to participate in the Medicare program; Urged congressional committees of jurisdiction to support: Higher physician work relative value units (RVUs) for new and established office visit codes, leading to increased payments for them, Reduced documentation requirements for office visit codes, which enables physicians to select and document for each visit based on medical decision-making or total time, Expanded and improved payment for care management services. COVID-19: Urged congressional appropriators to provide the highest possible funding level for research, prevention, control, and treatment of illnesses associated with the virus that is commensurate with the public health emergency that the virus represents. Urged the administration to explore regulatory and other actions that would make COVID-19 testing free-of-charge to patients covered by both public and private insurance plans, including ACA-compliant plans offered through the insurance exchanges, and to waive co-pays and deductibles for patients seeing physicians for symptoms that may be indicative of COVID-19 or who are hospitalized for treatment. Urged CMS to utilize a national disaster recovery program that would pay doctors 110% of Medicare rates for caring for uninsured patients who have been infected with SARS-CoV-2. Expressed support to Congress and the administration for the Families First Coronavirus Response Act, H.R. 6201, and other stimulus reforms related to COVID-19 including: Emergency paid leave benefits, paid sick days for public health emergencies, coverage of testing for COVID-19, waiving of cost sharing under Medicare, Medicare Advantage, Medicaid, and CHIP, increasing the federal FMAP under Medicaid, providing reimbursement for CPT codes 99441 - 99443, which are telephone evaluation and management services, expediting entrance of international medical graduates who are citizens of other nations (non-US IMGs) into the country and ensuring that lawfully present non-U.S. IMGs are not negatively impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic, funding for physician practices under the Public Health and Social Service Emergency Fund (PHSSEF), providing tax relief, grants, and loans to small and medium size practices impacted by COVID-19, increasing funding for personal protective equipment (PPE), ensuring Medicaid pay parity with Medicare for primary care services; Urged HHS and Congress to make a targeted allocation out of the Provider Relief Fund (PRF) to support primary care physicians and their practices, sufficient to keep their doors open, by offsetting lost revenue from the COVID-19 pandemic, similar to the targeted allocation for rural hospitals; Urged support for the Student Loan Forgiveness for Frontline Health Workers Act, H.R. 6720, introduced May 5, 2020 by Representative Carolyn B. Maloney (D-NY) which would eliminate graduate school debt for healthcare workers, including physicians and medical students, who are providing direct patient care in response to the COVID-19 pandemic; Urged support for H.R. 7059, the Coronavirus Provider Protection Act, which extend liability protections to those who provide care in good faith during the COVID-19 public health emergency (plus a reasonable time, such as 60 days, after the emergency declaration ends), and not in situations of gross negligence or willful misconduct. The College also urged that pay parity between telephone claims and in-person visits and between all telehealth and in-person visits be maintained after the PHE is lifted. This extension-either continued by CMS or mandated by Congress-should last at least through the end of 2021, or until such a time when effective vaccines and treatments are widely available, with an option to extend it even further, or consider making permanent, based on the experience and learnings of patients and physicians who are utilizing these visits. Health IT and Telehealth: Urged that physicians be able to easily access accurate and reliable COVID-19 testing results from the various testing sites and labs. These results must contain the appropriate flags for review and should be received in standard formats, ideally within physicians existing health IT systems. The current eCase reporting to public health agencies process is time-consuming and duplicative, and EHR functionality to do eCase reporting varies widely across vendors and state public health departments. HHS should take a leadership role in making sure these programs and health IT standards projects are adopted and implemented consistently across the country. Ensure federally qualified health centers and rural health clinics can furnish telehealth services after the public health emergency. Veterans Issues: Urged the Secretary of the VA to amend Directive 1899 as it relates to allowing non-physician healthcare professionals in 32 specialties to operate within the full scope of their license, registration, or certification and rescind the Memorandum as it relates to encouraging all VA medical facilities to allow CRNAs to practice without physician oversight during the national health emergency.
Client expense: $94,771 · Firm income: Not reported
Government targets: Centers For Disease Control & Prevention (CDC), Centers For Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS), Food & Drug Administration (FDA), HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES, Health & Human Services, Dept of (HHS), Homeland Security, Dept of (DHS), President of the U.S., SENATE, State, Dept of (DOS), Veterans Affairs, Dept of (VA)
2020 · first_quarter · Health Issues
Legislation and policies relating to: Provisions of the Patient Protection & Affordable Care Act (P.L. 111-148) Reauthorization of funding for the Childrens Health Insurance Program Reauthorization of the Child Nutrition Act Section 2706 of the ACA regarding provider non-discrimination Policies related to health insurance market stabilization Policies affecting nurse practitioner education and workforce Definition, evaluation and enforcement of essential health benefits and provider network adequacy Health information technology and electronic health records Mental health services and violence prevention Human and child trafficking Draft 21st Century Cures 2.0 legislation Palliative Care and Hospice Education and Training Act (H.R. 647/S. 2080) Title VIII Nursing Workforce Reauthorization Act of 2019 (H.R. 728/S. 1399) Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act (H.R. 748/S.3548) Emergency Medical Services for Children Program Reauthorization Act of 2019 (H.R. 776/S. 1173) End Surprise Billing Act of 2019 (H.R. 861) Fairness for Breastfeeding Mothers Act (H.R. 866/S. 528) Workplace Violence Prevention for Health Care and Social Service Workers Act (H.R. 1309) Healthy Families Act (H.R. 1784/S. 840) Mothers and Offspring Mortality and Morbidity Awareness (MOMMAs) Act (H.R. 1897) Community Health Investment, Modernization, and Excellence Act of 2019 (H.R. 2328) Newborn Screening Saves Lives Reauthorization Act of 2019 (H.R. 2507) Pregnant Workers Fairness Act (H.R. 2694) Educating Medical Professionals and Optimizing Workforce Efficiency and Readiness (EMPOWER) for Health Act of 2019 (H.R. 2781) VACCINES Act of 2019 (H.R. 2862) Physical Activities Recommendations for Americans Act of 2019 (H.R. 2891) Safe Cribs Act of 2019 (H.R. 3170) Safe Sleep for Babies Act of 2019 (H.R. 3172) Pathways to Health Careers Act (H.R. 3398) Chronic Care Management Improvement Act (H.R. 3436) No Surprises Act (H.R. 3630) Midwives for Maximizing Optimal Maternity Services (Midwives for MOMS) Act of 2019 (H.R. 3849) Social Determinants Accelerator Act of 2019 (H.R. 4004/S. 2986) Developing an Innovative Strategy for Antimicrobial Resistant Microorganisms (DISARM) Act of 2019 (H.R. 3328/H.R. 4100/S. 1712) Effective Suicide Screening and Assessment in the Emergency Department Act of 2019 (H.R. 4861/S. 3006) United States Public Health Service Modernization Act of 2019 (H.R. 4870/S. 2629) Medication Access and Training Expansion (MATE) Act (H.R. 4974) Maternal Health Quality Improvement Act of 2019 (H.R. 4995) Helping Medicaid Offer Maternity Services (MOMS) Act of 2019 (H.R. 4996) Protecting Seniors Through Immunization Act of 2019 (H.R. 5076/S. 1872) Pursuing Equity in Mental Health Act of 2019 (H.R. 5469) Primary and Behavioral Health Care Access Act (H.R. 5575) Ban Surprise Billing Act (H.R. 5800) Consumer Protections Against Surprise Medical Bills Act of 2020 (H.R. 5826) Black Maternal Health Momnibus Act of 2020 (H.R. 6142/S. 3424) Families First Coronavirus Response Act (H.R. 6201) Take Responsibility for Workers and Families Act (H.R. 6379) Community and Public Health Programs Extension Act (S. 192) National Nurse Act of 2019 (S. 696/H.R. 1597) Excellence in Mental Health and Addiction Treatment Expansion Act (S. 824/H.R. 1767) Nursing Where It's Needed Act (S. 1045) Promoting Physical Activity for Americans Act (S. 1608) Lower Health Care Costs Act (S. 1895) Child Care Improvement Act of 2019 (S. 2683) CAPTA Reauthorization Act of 2019 (S. 2971) Suicide Prevention Act (S. 3198/H.R. 5619)
Client expense: Not reported · Firm income: $24,000
Government targets: Bureau of Alcohol Tobacco Firearms & Explosives, Centers For Disease Control & Prevention (CDC), Centers For Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS), Education, Dept of, Food & Drug Administration (FDA), HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES, Health & Human Services, Dept of (HHS), Health Resources & Services Administration (HRSA), Homeland Security, Dept of (DHS), Justice, Dept of (DOJ), Medicare Payment Advisory Commission (MedPAC), Natl Institutes of Health (NIH), Office of Management & Budget (OMB), SENATE, Veterans Affairs, Dept of (VA)
2020 · first_quarter · Health Issues
Access to immunizations; Health information technology/IIS; Quality measures; HHS Healthy People 2030 Process; H.R. 2862, VACCINES Act; S. 1872/H.R. 5076, Protecting Seniors Through Immunization Act; CARES Act - Public Law No: 116-136; Families First Coronavirus Response Act - Public Law No: 116-127.
Client expense: Not reported · Firm income: $50,000
Government targets: Centers For Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS), HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES, Health & Human Services, Dept of (HHS), SENATE
2020 · first_quarter · Health Issues
Lobbying Issues Description: Budget and appropriations for disease and injury prevention, including obesity and related diseases; pandemic influenza and emerging infectious diseases; physical activity; public health bioterrorism preparedness; food safety, environmental health; paid sick days; womens and childrens health; community-based public health interventions, and substance misuse/behavioral health issues. Specific Legislation: 1. Implementation of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (Public Law 111-148) 2. Implementation of the FDA Food Safety Modernization Act (Public Law 111353) 3. Implementation of Pandemic and All-Hazards Preparedness Reauthorization Act and Pandemic and All-Hazards Preparedness and Advancing Innovation Act (Public Law 113-5, 116-22) 4. Implementation of Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act of 2010 (Public Law 111296) 5. Implementation of Child Care and Development Block Grant Act of 2014 (Public Law 113-186) 6. Implementation of Every Student Succeeds Act (Public Law 114-95) 7. Implementation of the Comprehensive Addition and Recovery Act (Public Law 114-98) 8. FY 2020 Departments of Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education and Related Agencies Appropriations (H.R. 2740/Not Yet Introduced)) 9. FY 2020 Departments of Agriculture, Rural Development, Food and Drug Administration and Related Agencies Appropriations (H.R. 3164/Not yet introduced) 10. FY2020 Departments of Transportation, HUD and related agencies Appropriations (H.R. 3163/Not Yet Introduced) 11. FY2020 Further Consolidated Appropriations Act (H.R. 1865/P.L. 116-94) 12. Midnight Rules Relief Act (S.34/H.R. 21) 13. Regulations from the Executive in Need of Scrutiny Act (S. 21/H.R. 26) 14. Regulatory Accountability Act (S.951/H.R. 5/H.R. 45/H.Res.33) 15. Searching for and Cutting Regulations that are Unnecessarily Burdensome (SCRUB) Act (H.R. 998) 16. Regulatory Integrity Act (H.R. 1004) 17. OIRA Insight, Reform, and Accountability Act (S. 676/H.R. 1009) 18. A concurrent resolution setting forth the congressional budget for the United States Government for fiscal year 2017 and setting forth the appropriate budgetary levels for fiscal years 2018 through 2026 (S.Con.Res. 3) 19. American Health Care Act (H.R. 1628/H.Res. 228) 20. Ozone Standards Implementation Act (S. 263/H.R. 806) 21. Providing for congressional disapproval under chapter 8 of title 5, United States Code, of the final rule of the Bureau of Land Management relating to "Waste Prevention, Production Subject to Royalties, and Resource Conservation" (S.J. Res. 11/H.J.Res.36) 22. Common Sense Nutrition Disclosure Act (S. 261/H.R. 772) 23. Reinvigorating Antibiotic and Diagnostic Innovation (READI) Act (H.R. 1840) 24. Preservation of Antibiotics for Medical Treatment Act (H.R. 1587) 25. Preventing Antibiotic Resistance Act (S. 629) 26. Better Care Reconciliation Act (H.R. 1628) and related amendments 27. Public Health Emergency Response Act (S. 196) 28. Recognizing the importance of vaccinations and immunizations in the United States (H.Res.327) 29. Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2017 (Public Law 115-31) 30. Treat and Reduce Obesity Act (S. 830/H.R. 1953) 31. Community Health and Medical Professionals Improve Our Nation (CHAMPION) Act (H.R. 3922) 32. Community Health Investment, Modernization, and Excellence Act of 2017 (S. 1899) 33. Tobacco Tax Equity Act (S. 1837) 34. Healthy Kids Act (S. 1821/H.R. 3921) 35. Implementation of the Drug Quality and Security Act (P.S. 113-54) 36. Continuing Appropriations Act, 2018 and Supplemental Appropriations for Disaster Relief Requirements Act, 2017 (Public Law 115-56) 37. Friendly Airports for Mothers Act (S. 1110/H.R. 2375) 38. Lead-Safe Housing for Kids Act (S. 1845) 39. Supporting Working Moms Act (S. 2122/H.R. 3255) 40. Championing Healthy Kids Act (H.R. 3922) 41. Making further continuing appropriations for fiscal year 2018, and for other purposes (Public Law 115-90) 42. An Act to amend the Homeland Security Act of 2002 to require the Secretary of Homeland Security to issue Department of Homeland Security-wide guidance and develop training programs as part of the Department of Homeland Security Blue Campaign, and for other purposes (Public Law 11596) 43. Tax Cuts and Jobs Act (Public Law 115-97) 44. Pandemic and All-Hazards Preparedness Advancing Innovation Act (S. 2852/H.R. 6378/H.R. 7328/S. 1379/H.R. 269) 45. Vaccine Access Improvement Act (H.R. 4993) 46. Relief from New Source Performance Standards Act (H.R. 453) 47. Strategies to Address Antimicrobial Resistance (S. 2469) 48. Opioid Quota Reform Act (S. 2535) 49. Hospital Preparedness Program Reauthorization Act (H.R. 4776) 50. Blocking Regulatory Interference from Closing Kilns Act (H.R. 1917) 51. Opioid Crisis Response Act of 2018 (S. 2680) 52. Agriculture and Nutrition Act (H.R. 2) 53. Agriculture Improvement Act (S. 3042) 54. SECURE Act (H.R. 5998) 55. Trauma-Informed Care for Children and Families Act (S. 774) 56. SUPPORT for Patients and Communities Act (H.R. 6) 57. Centers for Disease Control Emergency Response Act (S. 3161) 58. LABEL Opioids Act (S. 3428) 59. Relief from New Source Performance Standards Act (S. 1857) 60. Outdoors for All Act (S. 3499) 61. The MOMMA Act (H.R. 5977) 62. Preventing Maternal Deaths Act (H.R. 1318) 63. Medicare Access to Vaccines Equity Act (note yet introduced) 64. The Support Act (H.R. 6) 65. Climate Change Health Protection and Promotion Act (S. 529) 66. FY 2020 Departments of the Interior, Environment, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act (H.R. 3052/Not Yet Introduced) 67. NURSE Act (H.R. 1597) 68. Investing for the People Act (H.R. 2021) 69. Child Care for Working Families Act (H.R. 365/S. 568) 70. FAMILY Act (H.R. 1185/S. 463) 71. Transportation Alternatives Enhancement Act (S. 1098) 72. Lower Health Care Costs Act (S. 1895) 73. LIFT America Act (H.R 2479) 74. Public Health Funding Restoration Act (H.R. 3447/S. 1944) 75. Older Americans Act reauthorization (not yet introduced) 76. Campus Prevention and Recovery Services for Students Act (H.R. 3591) 77. Healthier Students for Stronger Campuses Act (S. 1281) 78. Saving Lives Through Better Data Act (S. 1793) 79. VACCINES Act (H.R. 2862) 80. DISARM Act (H.R. 4100/S. 1712) 81. Community Access, Resources, and Education for Families Act (H.R. 3117) 82. Protecting Seniors Through Immunization Act (S. 1872) 83. Tobacco-Free Youth Act (S. 1541) 84. Tobacco to 21 Act (H.R. 2411/S. 1258) 85. Investing for People Act (H.R. 2021) 86. School Based Health Centers Reauthorization Act (H.R.2075/S.1013) 87. Reversing the Youth Tobacco Epidemic Act of 2019 (H.R. 2339) 88. Social Determinants Accelerator Act (H.R. 4004) 89. Mental Health Professionals Workforce Shortage Loan Repayment Act (H.R. 2431) 90. The UNDERSTAND Act (S. 1323) 91. Americas Transportation Infrastructure Act (S. 2302) 92. Health Equity and Accountability Act (Not yet introduced) 93. Barriers to Suicide Act of 2019 (H.R. 4309) 94. Promoting Physical Activity for Americans Act (S. 1608/H.R. 2891) 95. Public Health Infrastructure Modernization Act of 2019 (H.R. 5321) 96. Supporting Healthy Mothers and Infants Act (H.R. 5249) 97. Lead-Free Future Act (H.R. 4416) 98. Home Visiting to Reduce Maternal Mortality and Morbidity Act (H.R. 4768) 99. Recognizing the anniversary of the eradication of smallpox and the importance of vaccination in the United States and worldwide (H. Res. 592) 100. Coronavirus Preparedness and Response Supplemental Appropriations Act (H.R. 6074) 101. Families First Coronavirus Response Act (H.R. 6201) 102. Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act (H.R. 748) 103. Connecting Americas Transportation Infrastructure Act (S. 2302) 104. Improving Access to Remote Behavioral Health Treatment Act (S. 2244/H.R. 4131) 105. National Suicide Hotline Designation Act (S. 2661/H.R. 4194) 106. Suicide Prevention Lifeline Improvement Act (H.R. 4564) 107. Campaign to Prevent Suicide Act (H.R. 4585) 108. Medicaid Reentry Act (H.R. 1329) 109. Excellence in Mental Health and Addiction Treatment Expansion Act (S. 824/H.R. 1767) 110. Mental Health Services for Students Act (S. 1122/H.R. 1109) 111. Suicide Training and Awareness Nationally Delivered for Universal Prevention (STANDUP) Act (S. 2492/H.R. 2599) 112. Mental Health Parity Compliance Act (S. 1737/H.R. 3165) 113. Behavioral Health Transparency Act (S. 1576/H.R. 2874) 114. Medicare Mental Health Access Act (S. 2772/H.R. 884) 115. Public Health Emergency Response and Accountability Act (S. 3309) 116. Family Violence Prevention and Services Improvement Act (H.R. 5041) House(s) of Congress and Federal Agencies lobbied during the quarter: House, Senate, Exec Office of Pres, HHS, CDC, FDA, CMS, OMB, DOT, HUD, EPA, NIMH, Education, USDA, DHS, FEMA, and SAMHSA
Client expense: $35,610 · Firm income: Not reported
Government targets: Agriculture, Dept of (USDA), Centers For Disease Control & Prevention (CDC), Centers For Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS), Education, Dept of, Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), Executive Office of the President (EOP), Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), Food & Drug Administration (FDA), HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES, Health & Human Services, Dept of (HHS), Homeland Security, Dept of (DHS), Housing & Urban Development, Dept of (HUD), Office of Management & Budget (OMB), SENATE, Substance Abuse & Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), Transportation, Dept of (DOT)
2020 · first_quarter · Health Issues
Health Insurance Coverage (general); Health Disparities (general); Breastfeeding (general); Assisted Reproductive Technology (general); Smoking Cessation (general); Substance Use Disorder (general); Gynecologic Cancer (general); Gynecologic Devices (general); Reproductive Health (general); Intimate Partner Violence (general); Gun Violence (general); Immunization (general); Breast Cancer (general); E-Cigarettes (general); Medical Liability Reform (general); Health IT (general); Patient-Physician Relationship (general); Conscience Refusals (general); Child Welfare (general); Prematurity (general); Maternal Mortality and Morbidity (general); Graduate Medical Education (general); Contraception (general); Abortion (general); Indian Health (general); Teaching Health Centers Graduate Medical Education (general); Community Health Centers (general); National Health Service Corps (general); Special Diabetes Program (general); Special Diabetes Program for Indians (general); Sexuality Education (general); Teen Pregnancy Prevention Program (general); Personal Responsibility Education Program (general); Research in Pregnant and Breastfeeding Women (general); Health Care Reform (general); Title X Family Planning Program (general); Womens Preventive Services (general); Drug Pricing (general); Administrative Burden (general); Surprise Billing (general); Pediatric Loan Repayment Program (general); S. 130/S. 311, Born-Alive Abortion Survivors Protection Act; H.R. 2975/S. 1645, Womens Health Protection Act;; S. 1895, Lower Health Care Costs Act; H.R. 2862/S. 1619, VACCINES Act; implementation of P.L. 115-344, Preventing Maternal Deaths Act; implementation of P.L. 115-320, Improving Access to Maternity Care Act; S. 2586, Maternal Outcomes Matter Act; HR 3630, No Surprises Act; HR 3502, Protecting People From Surprise Medical Bills Act; Cures 2.0; H.R. 4495, Maternal Health Quality Improvement Act of 2019; H.R. 4996, Helping MOMS Act; H.R. 5640/S. 3152, the Data Mapping to Save Moms Lives Act; H.R. 6142/ S. 3424, the Black Maternal Health Momnibus Act of 2020; H.R. 6159, Kids Access to Primary Care Act of 2020; H.R.6074, the Coronavirus Preparedness and Response Supplemental Appropriations Act of 2020; H.R. 6201, the Families First Coronavirus Response Act; H.R. 748/ S. 3548, the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act.
Client expense: $240,223 · Firm income: Not reported
Government targets: Agency for Healthcare Research & Quality (AHRQ), Centers For Disease Control & Prevention (CDC), Centers For Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS), Defense, Dept of (DOD), Executive Office of the President (EOP), Food & Drug Administration (FDA), HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES, Health & Human Services, Dept of (HHS), Health Resources & Services Administration (HRSA), Homeland Security, Dept of (DHS), Indian Health Service, Justice, Dept of (DOJ), Labor, Dept of (DOL), Natl Institutes of Health (NIH), Office of Management & Budget (OMB), Office of Natl Drug Control Policy (NDCP), SENATE, Small Business Administration (SBA), State, Dept of (DOS), Substance Abuse & Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), Veterans Affairs, Dept of (VA), White House Office
2020 · first_quarter · Health Issues
Issues related to lung disease treatment, prevention and research; public health; Issues related asthma; COPD; influenza; lung cancer; pneumonia; tuberculosis and other lung diseases; Issues related to tobacco cessation; Issues related to the Affordable Care Act; Issues related to the Childrens Health Insurance Program; Issues related to the President's Budget; Issues related to telehealth; Issues related to changing federal poverty line calculation; Issues related to COVID-19 Response; Issues related to FY21 appropriations including Labor, Health and Human Services, Education and Related Agencies; H.R.965 CREATES Act of 2019; H.R.986 Protecting Americans with Preexisting Conditions Act of 2019 H.R.987 Strengthening Health Care and Lowering Prescription Drug Costs Act H.R.1010 To provide that the rule entitled "Short-Term, Limited Duration Insurance" shall have no force or effect. H.R.1385 SAVE Act H.R.1386 ENROLL Act of 2019 H.R.1425 State Health Care Premium Reduction Act H.R.1499 Protecting Consumer Access to Generic Drugs Act of 2019 H.R.1884 Protecting Pre-Existing Conditions and Making Health Care More Affordable Act of 2019 H.R.2508 Better Respiration through Expanding Access to Tele-Health Act;H.R.2862 VACCINES Act of 2019; H.R.3630 No Surprises Act H.R.4622 Family Asthma Act S.340 CREATES Act of 2019 S.466 Protecting Americans with Pre-existing Conditions Act of 2019 S.946 Henrietta Lacks Enhancing Cancer Research Act of 2019 S.1125 Protect Act S.1895 Lower Health Care Costs Act S.1944 Public Health Funding Restoration Act. HR 3 Elijah E. Cummings Lower Drug Costs Now Act; H.R.4716 I CAN Act; HR 5230 Elijah E. Cummings Family Asthma Act; HR 6201 - Families First Coronavirus Act; HR 6704 - Coronavirus Preparedness and Response Supplemental Appropriations Act, 2020; HR 748 - CARES Act; S. 3548 - CARES Act; S. 1531 - Stopping the Outrageous Practice of Surprise Medical Bills Act of 2019; HR 6408 -- To extend the charitable deduction to all taxpayers regardless of whether a taxpayer itemizes deductions in order to encourage and increase charitable giving, and to provide for loans and loan guarantees to certain public charities;
Client expense: $50,000 · Firm income: Not reported
Government targets: Centers For Disease Control & Prevention (CDC), Centers For Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS), Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), Food & Drug Administration (FDA), HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES, Health & Human Services, Dept of (HHS), Natl Institutes of Health (NIH), Office of Management & Budget (OMB), Postal Regulatory Commission, SENATE, Treasury, Dept of, White House Office
2020 · first_quarter · Health Issues
Vaccines Act - HR 2862 Flu Vaccine Act - HR 1371/S 570 Vaccines Access Act - HR 1973/S 1654 Disarm Act - S 1712 COVID-19 PL 116-136: CARES Act PL 116-127: Family First Coronavirus Response Act PL 116-127: Coronavirus Preparedness and Response Supplemental Appropriations Act, 2020
Client expense: Not reported · Firm income: $30,000
Government targets: HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES, SENATE
2020 · first_quarter · Health Issues
H. Res. 480, Acknowledging the racial disparities in diagnosing and treating mental health among youth in communities of color H.R. 1109, the Mental Health Services for Students Act of 2019 H.R. 1554, the Resident Education Deferred Interest Act H.R. 1763 / S. 348, the Resident Physician Shortage Reduction Act of 2019 H.R. 2062 / S. 1012 (42 CFR Part 2) and S. 3374, the Protecting Jessica Grubb's Legacy Act H.R. 2279/ S. 2546, the Safe Step Act H.R. 2482/ S. 2074, the Mainstreaming Addiction Treatment Act of 2019 H.R. 2734 / S. 1448, the Safer Prescribing of Controlled Substances Act H.R. 2862, the VACCINES Act of 2019 H.R. 3, Lower Drug Costs Now Act of 2019 H.R. 3180/ S. 1770, the RISE from Trauma Act H.R. 3239/ S. 2135, the Humanitarian Standards for Individuals in Customs and Border Protection Custody Act H.R. 3253, the Empowering Beneficiaries, Ensuring Access, and Strengthening Accountability Act H.R. 3414/ S. 2892, the Opioid Workforce Act H.R. 3417, BETTER Act of 2019 H.R. 4194, S. 2661, the National Suicide Hotline Designation Act of 2019 H.R. 4309, the Barriers to Suicide Act H.R. 4327, the Enhancing Mental Health and Suicide Prevention Through Campus Planning Act H.R. 4861/ S. 3006, the Effective Suicide Screening and Assessment in the Emergency Department Act H.R. 4932 / S. 2741, the CONNECT for Health Act H.R. 4995, the Maternal Health Quality Improvement Act of 2019 H.R. 4996, the Helping Medicaid Offer Maternity Services Act of 2019 H.R. 5, the Equality Act H.R. 5201, the Telemental Health Expansion Act of 2019 H.R. 5473, the Enhance Access to Support Essential Behavioral Health Services Act H.R.5469, the Pursuing Equity in Mental Health Act of 2019 H.R.5575, the Primary and Behavioral Health Care Access Act of 2020 Out of network billing legislation S. 1227, the Prescription Pricing for the People Act of 2019 S. 2443, the Investment in Tomorrow's Pediatric Health Care Workforce Act S. 824, the Excellence in Mental Health and Addiction Treatment Expansion Act S.1659, the Ensuring Childrens Access to Specialty Care Act of 2019 Title III Sec. 305 Timely Bills to Patients within the Lower Health Care Costs Act of 2019 (S. 1895) Cures 2.0 Suggestions related to addressing mental health in rural communities. Title X Family Planning Program Administration Rule Efforts related to psychiatric bed shortages. H.R. 6074, the Coronavirus Preparedness and Response Supplemental Appropriations Act H.R. 6201, the Families First Coronavirus Response Act H.R. 748, the Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security (CARES) Act H.R. 2895, S. 948, the Conrad State 30 and Physician Access Reauthorization Act H.R. 4996, the Helping Medicaid Offer Maternity Services (MOMS) Act, and Senate efforts. S. 311, the Born-Alive Abortion Survivors Protection Act S. 3275, the Pain-Capable Unborn Child Protection Act H.R. 4056 and S. 2446, the Medicare Audiologist Access and Services Act of 2019 H.R. 5575, the Primary and Behavioral Health Care Access Act H.R. 6143, the MOMS Matter Act H.R. 1309, the Workplace Violence Prevention for Health Care and Social Service Workers Act
Client expense: $210,000 · Firm income: Not reported
Government targets: Administration for Children & Families (ACF), Centers For Disease Control & Prevention (CDC), Centers For Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS), Defense, Dept of (DOD), Executive Office of the President (EOP), Food & Drug Administration (FDA), HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES, Health & Human Services, Dept of (HHS), Health Resources & Services Administration (HRSA), Homeland Security, Dept of (DHS), Labor, Dept of (DOL), Natl Institutes of Health (NIH), Office of the Vice President of the United States, President of the U.S., SENATE, U.S. Immigration & Customs Enforcement (ICE), Veterans Affairs, Dept of (VA), White House Office
2020 · first_quarter · Health Issues
Support increased funding for CDC 317 Immunization Program; Support H.R. 2862, the Vaccine Awareness Campaign to Champion Immunization Nationally and Enhance Safety Act.
Client expense: Not reported · Firm income: $20,000
Government targets: HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES, SENATE
2020 · first_quarter · Health Issues
The Affordable Care Act (P.L. 111-148, P.L. 111-152): Expanding coverage and improving Medicare benefits; Providing needed protections to guard against insurance practices that unfairly limit, deny or rescind coverage based on health status; public and private health insurers should encourage preventive health care by providing full coverage, with no cost-sharing, for preventive services recommended by an expert advisory group, such as the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force; Ensuring access to primary care physicians; and beginning to bend the cost curve; Prohibiting insurers from excluding or charging excessive rates to children based on pre-existing conditions, which later will be expanded to all persons; Covering young adults on their parents' plans; Eliminating lifetime and annual limits on health insurance coverage; Requiring that health insurers spend more on patient care and less on administration; support enactment of S. 248, the Empowering States to Innovate Act, which amends the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (ACA) to: (1) allow states to apply for waivers of certain health insurance coverage requirements in such Act (including requirements for the establishment of qualified health plans and health insurance exchanges) for plan years beginning on or after January 1, 2014 (currently, January 1, 2017), and (2) require the waiver application process to begin not later than 180 days after the enactment of this Act; Phasing out the Medicare Part D doughnut hole; Eliminating patient cost-sharing for preventive services offered by Medicare or private insurers; Increasing Medicare and Medicaid payments to primary care physicians; Supporting the Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute to help physicians and patients make care decisions based on the best available evidence; Supporting the Center on Medicare and Medicaid Innovation to fund pilots of delivery models to improve outcomes and reduce costs, including patient-centered medical homes; Advocated against a December 2018 ruling by a federal judge in Texas that the entire Affordable Care Act (ACA) is unconstitutional. Access to Primary Care in the Context of Comprehensive Healthcare Reform Legislation (H.R. 3962/H.R. 3590/H.R. 4872): Provide sliding scale subsidies based on income to buy coverage from qualified plans; Qualified plans should: provide evidence-based benefits, including preventive services; and be prohibited from excluding persons with pre-existing conditions, charging them more, cherry-picking enrollees, or cancelling or failing to renew coverage; Expand Medicaid to cover all persons below the Federal Poverty Level and ensure fair payments to participating physicians; As coverage becomes affordable, all persons should participate and coverage should be guaranteed; Responsibility for financing should be shared by individuals, employers and government. Pilot test Medicare payment models that re-align incentives to support effective, efficient, patient-centered, coordinated care. Priority should be given to models designed to support the value of services provided by primary care physicians as well as to models that would create incentives, across physician specialties and sites of services, to improve the quality, effectiveness, and efficiency of care provided. Policy criteria for selecting the most promising models for pilot testing should be developed, in consultation with outside experts; The Patient-Centered Medical Home (PCMH), which has shown great promise in meeting the policy objectives suggested above, should be among the models selected for broader testing on a national pilot basis; the use of the medical home model for treatment or services under private health plans, the requirement of health plans to provide incentives to promote and report on medical home services provided, the establishment of community health teams and a primary care extension program to educate and support primary care practices in the delivery of medical home services, and the establishment of a demonstration project to educate physicians and other clinicians in training in the competencies required to deliver care consistent with the medical home care model. Medicare Payments to Physicians: Urged that Congress provide incentives to physicians who transform their practices into Advanced Alternative Payment Models and continue to provide stability for physicians in the MIPS program. Specifically, Congress should extend the five percent Qualified Alternative Payment Model participant bonus beyond the 2022 performance year, replace the zero percent baseline payment updates under Medicare, to take effect in 2020, with positive updates. Urged congressional committees with jurisdiction over Medicare to exercise their oversight authority and urge CMS to expedite approval of more Advanced APMS, particularly those that work for small and specialty practices and to simplify the scoring structure and reporting requirements under the Merit-Based Incentive Payment System (MIPS) in order to fulfill Congress intent of a more streamlined program that reduces burdens on physicians; Supported S.2648, the Rural ACO Improvement Act, amends title XVIII of the Social Security Act to improve the benchmarking process for the Medicare Shared Savings Program (MSSP) to ensure that all ACOs have an equal opportunity to share in savings regardless of their geographic location; Provided recommendations to CMS on the Merit-based Incentive Payment System Value Pathway (MVP), which aims to reduce reporting burden and complexity within MIPS while improving the accuracy and effectiveness of performance measurement. The College noted specifically that a robust, multi-year transition period will be critical to the success of the MVP, that it does not support making the MVP mandatory, that CMS should continue to support numerous reporting mechanisms, including qualified registries and clinical data registries, which have been instrumental in developing specialty-specific performance measures, among other things. Expand Coverage and Stabilizing the Insurance Market: Congress should work to help stabilize the individual health insurance market and expand coverage. Specifically, the College urged Congress to develop and introduce comprehensive market stabilization legislation that includes reinsurance options to help stabilize the markets; Expand cost-sharing assistance eligibility to purchase insurance in the exchanges as well as increase the level of premium tax credits and cost sharing subsidies offered to purchase a qualified health plan; Introduce legislation that would block the expansion of access to short-term health plans or Association Health Plans that allow insurers to charge more to individuals with pre-existing conditions and permit them to exclude from coverage essential medical care. Urged that Congress pass the Protecting Pre-existing Conditions and Making Health Care More Affordable Act of 2019 (H.R. 1884), which strengthens and expands tax credits; stops skimpy health plans that do not cover essential benefits and that discriminate against people with pre-existing conditions; and provides funding for reinsurance programs. Administrative Tasks on Physicians and Patients: Congress should accelerate its efforts to reduce administrative burdens on clinicians and patients, including: streamlining the prior authorization process, better integrating clinical data into clinicians electronic health records (EHRs), and working with CMS in their effort to overhaul clinical documentation guidelines; Urged Congress to cosponsor and pass the Safe Step Act (H.R. 2279), to require health insurers to provide an exceptions process for any medication step therapy protocol based on clinical decision-making, medical necessity, and other patient needs; Urged that the E/M documentation requirements in the FY2019 Physician Fee Schedule should be implemented immediately and not coupled with the E/M payment policy reforms planned for 2021. Prescription Drug Costs: The College advocated for greater transparency in drug pricing, the elimination of anti-competitive industry practices that create barriers to generics coming to market, the importance of accounting for value in payment and coverage for prescriptions, and providing authority to the federal government to negotiate drug discounts under the Medicare Part D program. Specifically, the College urged Congress to pass the Medicare Prescription Drug Price Negotiation Act of 2019 (H.R. 275/S. 62), which allows the Secretary of Health and Human Services to negotiate covered Part D drug prices on behalf of Medicare beneficiaries, and the Creating and Restoring Equal Access to Equivalent Samples (CREATES) Act of 2019, (H.R. 965/S. 340), which would improve patient access to alternative low-cost prescription drugs and biological products by preventing prescription drug manufacturers from misusing the FDAs Risk Evaluation and Mitigation Strategies (REMS) process to make it difficult for competing generics to be brought to the market. Also urged that Congress pass the Reforming Evergreening and Manipulation that Extends Drug Years, REMEDY Act (S. 1209), to aid in the approval of more generic drug applications by the FDA and therefore improve patient access to those medications. Also urged that Congress pass the Prescription Drug STAR Act (H.R. 2113), and the Fair Accountability and Innovative Research (FAIR) Drug Pricing Act (H.R. 2296/S. 1391), to promote greater drug pricing transparency; Expressed appreciation to the House speaker for introduction of H.R. 3, the Lower Drug Costs Now Act, noting encouragement for its provisions to empower the Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS) to negotiate with drug companies for lower prices and to cap out-of-pocket costs for seniors enrolled in the Medicare Part D program. Commented to the FDA on its prescription drug reimportation proposed rule noting that while the College is generally supportive of drug importation as laid out in the proposed rule as a means to control the cost of prescription drugs, the FDA must guarantee that the design and implementation of the rule includes numerous measures and safeguards to ensure patient safety. By limiting the origin of imported drugs to Canadian-certified and FDA-approved and registered drugs and entities, the College believes the proposed rule meets the required U.S. standards to assure high-quality drugs and patient safety. Any final drug importation system must also be one that is a closed system and has a tightly controlled and documented supply chain to assure authenticity and avoid degradation of the drug. Workforce, Medical and Health Services Research, Public Health Initiatives: Congress should ensure funding in FY 2021 for federal programs/initiatives designed to support primary care including Title VII Health Professions grants and the National Health Service Corps (NHSC). Equally important is the need to fund essential health services and medical research by the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) and the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and public health programs supported by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Firearms-Related Injury and Death: The College advocated for lawmakers to pass measures to strengthen the criminal background check system, ban assault weapons and high capacity magazines, prevent the unlawful transfer of firearms to those who cannot legally purchase them, and remove restrictions on, and provide dedicated funding for, research by federal agencies on prevention of firearms-related injuries and death. Specifically, the College urged passage of the Bipartisan Background Checks Act of 2019 (H.R. 8), which would strengthen the accuracy and reporting of the National Instant Criminal Background Check System (NICS) as well as expand Brady background checks to cover all firearm sales, including unlicensed firearms sellers currently not required to use background checks, and the Gun Violence Prevention Research Act (H.R. 674/S. 184), which would authorize funding for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to study firearms safety and gun violence prevention. Also urged Congress to pass the Violence Against Women (VAWA) Reauthorization Act of 2019 (H.R. 1585), to provide protections for domestic violence victims by restricting access to firearms by those deemed a threat to them. Also urged Congress to pass the Assault Weapons Ban of 2019 (S. 66/H.R. 1296), to ban the sale of semi-automatic weapons and high capacity magazines. Immigration: The College advocated against family separation at the U.S. border. Specifically, the College urged support for H.R. 541 - the Keep Families Together Act, which would help ensure that children are not separated from their parents when families unlawfully cross over the border into the United States and would ensure that the Department of Homeland Security would not be able to implement the zero tolerance policy that separated families at the border last summer; urged congressional oversight of family separation policies. Also urged that Congress pass H.R. 6, the Dream and Promise Act of 2019, which would provide a pathway to U.S. citizenship for undocumented children who came to the United States due to the action of their parents, also known as Dreamers. Expressed concern to the U.S. Department of Homeland Security with the recent U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Service (USCIS) policy change to no longer accept or adjudicate non-military deferred action requests including those for individuals with serious medical conditions; Urged USCIS to reverse this decision immediately and resume consideration of deferred action requests for medical reasons. Climate Change: The College educated Congress on the harmful health impacts of climate change. Climate change adaptation strategies must be established, and mitigation measures, like switching to clean, renewable energy and promoting active transportation, must be adopted. The College opposed the United States withdrawal from the Paris Agreement and urged Congress to pass the Climate Action Now Act, HR 9, which would reinstitute the U.S. in the agreement. Governments should commit to providing substantial and sufficient climate change research funding to understand, adapt to, and mitigate the human health effects of climate change. The College opposes weakening the limits on carbon emissions from new and reconstructed sources, which would open the door for more greenhouse gas emissions. Urged Congress to support the goal of a 100% clean energy economy by 2050 to protect health from the impacts of climate change. Urged congressional appropriators to increase funding for the Centers for Disease Control and Preventions Climate and Health Program to $15 million in FY 2021. Graduate Medical Education: Urged that Congress support medical education training and debt relief for primary care physicians and other specialties facing shortages by passing the Resident Physician Shortage Reduction Act of 2019 (S. 348, H.R. 1763), to lift the GME caps as needed to permit training an adequate number of primary care physicians, including internal medicine specialists, and physicians in other specialties facing shortages; passing the Resident Education Deferred Interest Act (H.R. 1554), to save physicians in residency programs thousands of dollars in interest on their loans and help incentivize the opening of practices in underserved areas; pass legislation to combine DGME and IME into a single, more functional payment program, and broaden the GME financing structure to include all payers; support funding for GME/IME and programs within the Veterans Health Administration that provide graduate medical education to ensure that physicians are adequately trained with the skills needed to treat an aging population. Urged Congress to pass the Opioid Workforce Act of 2019 (H.R. 3414), which would provide Medicare support for an additional 1,000 graduate medical education (GME) positions over five years in hospitals that have, or are in the process of establishing, accredited residency programs in addiction medicine, addiction psychiatry, or pain medicine. Urged Congress to pass S. 1203 and H.R. 2441, the What You Can Do For Your Country Act, which would improve and reform the Public Service Loan Forgiveness (PSLF) Program. Women and Families: Urged that Congress improve care and services for women and families by removing barriers to care that interfere with the physician-patient relationship. Urged $400 million in funding for the Title X program, and rolling back the harmful final regulations on Title X, as included in the House FY2020 Labor-HHS-Education appropriations bill. Urged that Congress pass the Family and Medical Insurance Leave (FAMILY) Act (H.R.1185/S. 463) to establish a federal paid family leave program. Vaccines: Urged Congress to pass the Vaccines Act (HR 2862), which would provide federal funding for vaccine hesitancy surveillance at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), and outline a national public messaging campaign informed by this research to help improve vaccination rates; Supported H.R. 592, recognizing the anniversary of the eradication of smallpox and the importance of vaccination in the United States and worldwide; Urged the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to reconsider its decision to not vaccinate families in the custody of U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) against influenza (flu). Surprise Medical Billing: Urged Congress to pass legislation that would protect patients from surprise out-of-network medical bills in both emergency and non-emergency settings that includes the following principles: hold patients harmless from surprise medical bills for out-of-network services, address narrow insurance networks, abandon efforts to establish an in-network median rate for services in these settings and instead opt for an independent dispute resolution process to determine payment. Appropriations: Urged Congress to fund Title VII, Section 747, Primary Care Training and Enhancement (PCTE) at $71 million for fiscal year 2021; Fund the Agency for Health Care Research and Quality (AHRQ) at $460 million for fiscal year 2021; Fund the National Health Service Corps (NHSC) at $830 million for fiscal year 2021; Fund the Title X Family Planning Program at $400 million for fiscal year 2021 and include language to remove barriers to care that interfere with the patient-physician relationship; Fund Research on Prevention of Firearms-related Injuries and Deaths at $50 million for Fiscal Year 2021; Fund the National Institutes of Health (NIH) at $44.7 billion for fiscal year 2021; Fund the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) at $8.3 billion for fiscal year 2021. Physician Fee Schedule: Commented to CMS on its 2020 fee schedule final rule to: finalize E/M codes, current Procedural Terminology (CPT) guidelines, and RUC recommended values exactly as implemented by the CPT Editorial Panel and submitted by the RUC; finalize proposals to reduce the documentation burden for E/M services by allowing choice of medical decision making or time, and work to develop additional clarity and guidance on acceptable documentation to operationalize these important proposals; examination room desktop computers should be counted as a direct medical equipment cost; care management should be promoted by increasing the values of services like Transitional Care Management (TCM) and Chronic Care Management and implementing Principle Care Management (PCM) codes; require additional survey and review for any requests to increase non-outpatient E/M or other services; work with the physician community prior to finalizing any policy affecting eligibility to participate in the Medicare program; Urged congressional committees of jurisdiction to support: Higher physician work relative value units (RVUs) for new and established office visit codes, leading to increased payments for them, Reduced documentation requirements for office visit codes, which enables physicians to select and document for each visit based on medical decision-making or total time, Expanded and improved payment for care management services. COVID-19: Urged congressional appropriators to provide the highest possible funding level for research, prevention, control, and treatment of illnesses associated with the virus that is commensurate with the public health emergency that the virus represents. Urged the administration to explore regulatory and other actions that would make COVID-19 testing free-of-charge to patients covered by both public and private insurance plans, including ACA-compliant plans offered through the insurance exchanges, and to waive co-pays and deductibles for patients seeing physicians for symptoms that may be indicative of COVID-19 or who are hospitalized for treatment. Urged CMS to utilize a national disaster recovery program that would pay doctors 110% of Medicare rates for caring for uninsured patients who have been infected with SARS-CoV-2. Expressed support to Congress and the administration for the Families First Coronavirus Response Act, H.R. 6201, and other stimulus reforms related to COVID-19 including: Emergency paid leave benefits, paid sick days for public health emergencies, coverage of testing for COVID-19, waiving of cost sharing under Medicare, Medicare Advantage, Medicaid, and CHIP, increasing the federal FMAP under Medicaid, providing reimbursement for CPT codes 99441 - 99443, which are telephone evaluation and management services, expediting entrance of international medical graduates who are citizens of other nations (non-US IMGs) into the country and ensuring that lawfully present non-U.S. IMGs are not negatively impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic, funding for physician practices under the Public Health and Social Service Emergency Fund (PHSSEF), providing tax relief, grants, and loans to small and medium size practices impacted by COVID-19, increasing funding for personal protective equipment (PPE), ensuring Medicaid pay parity with Medicare for primary care services.
Client expense: $252,903 · Firm income: Not reported
Government targets: Centers For Disease Control & Prevention (CDC), Centers For Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS), Food & Drug Administration (FDA), HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES, Health & Human Services, Dept of (HHS), Homeland Security, Dept of (DHS), President of the U.S., SENATE, State, Dept of (DOS)
2020 · first_quarter · Health Issues
The Affordable Care Act (P.L. 111-148, P.L. 111-152): Expanding coverage and improving Medicare benefits; Providing needed protections to guard against insurance practices that unfairly limit, deny or rescind coverage based on health status; public and private health insurers should encourage preventive health care by providing full coverage, with no cost-sharing, for preventive services recommended by an expert advisory group, such as the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force; Ensuring access to primary care physicians; and beginning to bend the cost curve; Prohibiting insurers from excluding or charging excessive rates to children based on pre-existing conditions, which later will be expanded to all persons; Covering young adults on their parents' plans; Eliminating lifetime and annual limits on health insurance coverage; Requiring that health insurers spend more on patient care and less on administration; support enactment of S. 248, the Empowering States to Innovate Act, which amends the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (ACA) to: (1) allow states to apply for waivers of certain health insurance coverage requirements in such Act (including requirements for the establishment of qualified health plans and health insurance exchanges) for plan years beginning on or after January 1, 2014 (currently, January 1, 2017), and (2) require the waiver application process to begin not later than 180 days after the enactment of this Act; Phasing out the Medicare Part D doughnut hole; Eliminating patient cost-sharing for preventive services offered by Medicare or private insurers; Increasing Medicare and Medicaid payments to primary care physicians; Supporting the Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute to help physicians and patients make care decisions based on the best available evidence; Supporting the Center on Medicare and Medicaid Innovation to fund pilots of delivery models to improve outcomes and reduce costs, including patient-centered medical homes; Advocated against a December 2018 ruling by a federal judge in Texas that the entire Affordable Care Act (ACA) is unconstitutional. Access to Primary Care in the Context of Comprehensive Healthcare Reform Legislation (H.R. 3962/H.R. 3590/H.R. 4872): Provide sliding scale subsidies based on income to buy coverage from qualified plans; Qualified plans should: provide evidence-based benefits, including preventive services; and be prohibited from excluding persons with pre-existing conditions, charging them more, cherry-picking enrollees, or cancelling or failing to renew coverage; Expand Medicaid to cover all persons below the Federal Poverty Level and ensure fair payments to participating physicians; As coverage becomes affordable, all persons should participate and coverage should be guaranteed; Responsibility for financing should be shared by individuals, employers and government. Pilot test Medicare payment models that re-align incentives to support effective, efficient, patient-centered, coordinated care. Priority should be given to models designed to support the value of services provided by primary care physicians as well as to models that would create incentives, across physician specialties and sites of services, to improve the quality, effectiveness, and efficiency of care provided. Policy criteria for selecting the most promising models for pilot testing should be developed, in consultation with outside experts; The Patient-Centered Medical Home (PCMH), which has shown great promise in meeting the policy objectives suggested above, should be among the models selected for broader testing on a national pilot basis; the use of the medical home model for treatment or services under private health plans, the requirement of health plans to provide incentives to promote and report on medical home services provided, the establishment of community health teams and a primary care extension program to educate and support primary care practices in the delivery of medical home services, and the establishment of a demonstration project to educate physicians and other clinicians in training in the competencies required to deliver care consistent with the medical home care model. Medicare Payments to Physicians: Urged that Congress provide incentives to physicians who transform their practices into Advanced Alternative Payment Models and continue to provide stability for physicians in the MIPS program. Specifically, Congress should extend the five percent Qualified Alternative Payment Model participant bonus beyond the 2022 performance year, replace the zero percent baseline payment updates under Medicare, to take effect in 2020, with positive updates. Urged congressional committees with jurisdiction over Medicare to exercise their oversight authority and urge CMS to expedite approval of more Advanced APMS, particularly those that work for small and specialty practices and to simplify the scoring structure and reporting requirements under the Merit-Based Incentive Payment System (MIPS) in order to fulfill Congress intent of a more streamlined program that reduces burdens on physicians; Supported S.2648, the Rural ACO Improvement Act, amends title XVIII of the Social Security Act to improve the benchmarking process for the Medicare Shared Savings Program (MSSP) to ensure that all ACOs have an equal opportunity to share in savings regardless of their geographic location; Provided recommendations to CMS on the Merit-based Incentive Payment System Value Pathway (MVP), which aims to reduce reporting burden and complexity within MIPS while improving the accuracy and effectiveness of performance measurement. The College noted specifically that a robust, multi-year transition period will be critical to the success of the MVP, that it does not support making the MVP mandatory, that CMS should continue to support numerous reporting mechanisms, including qualified registries and clinical data registries, which have been instrumental in developing specialty-specific performance measures, among other things. Expand Coverage and Stabilizing the Insurance Market: Congress should work to help stabilize the individual health insurance market and expand coverage. Specifically, the College urged Congress to develop and introduce comprehensive market stabilization legislation that includes reinsurance options to help stabilize the markets; Expand cost-sharing assistance eligibility to purchase insurance in the exchanges as well as increase the level of premium tax credits and cost sharing subsidies offered to purchase a qualified health plan; Introduce legislation that would block the expansion of access to short-term health plans or Association Health Plans that allow insurers to charge more to individuals with pre-existing conditions and permit them to exclude from coverage essential medical care. Urged that Congress pass the Protecting Pre-existing Conditions and Making Health Care More Affordable Act of 2019 (H.R. 1884), which strengthens and expands tax credits; stops skimpy health plans that do not cover essential benefits and that discriminate against people with pre-existing conditions; and provides funding for reinsurance programs. Administrative Tasks on Physicians and Patients: Congress should accelerate its efforts to reduce administrative burdens on clinicians and patients, including: streamlining the prior authorization process, better integrating clinical data into clinicians electronic health records (EHRs), and working with CMS in their effort to overhaul clinical documentation guidelines; Urged Congress to cosponsor and pass the Safe Step Act (H.R. 2279), to require health insurers to provide an exceptions process for any medication step therapy protocol based on clinical decision-making, medical necessity, and other patient needs; Urged that the E/M documentation requirements in the FY2019 Physician Fee Schedule should be implemented immediately and not coupled with the E/M payment policy reforms planned for 2021. Prescription Drug Costs: The College advocated for greater transparency in drug pricing, the elimination of anti-competitive industry practices that create barriers to generics coming to market, the importance of accounting for value in payment and coverage for prescriptions, and providing authority to the federal government to negotiate drug discounts under the Medicare Part D program. Specifically, the College urged Congress to pass the Medicare Prescription Drug Price Negotiation Act of 2019 (H.R. 275/S. 62), which allows the Secretary of Health and Human Services to negotiate covered Part D drug prices on behalf of Medicare beneficiaries, and the Creating and Restoring Equal Access to Equivalent Samples (CREATES) Act of 2019, (H.R. 965/S. 340), which would improve patient access to alternative low-cost prescription drugs and biological products by preventing prescription drug manufacturers from misusing the FDAs Risk Evaluation and Mitigation Strategies (REMS) process to make it difficult for competing generics to be brought to the market. Also urged that Congress pass the Reforming Evergreening and Manipulation that Extends Drug Years, REMEDY Act (S. 1209), to aid in the approval of more generic drug applications by the FDA and therefore improve patient access to those medications. Also urged that Congress pass the Prescription Drug STAR Act (H.R. 2113), and the Fair Accountability and Innovative Research (FAIR) Drug Pricing Act (H.R. 2296/S. 1391), to promote greater drug pricing transparency; Expressed appreciation to the House speaker for introduction of H.R. 3, the Lower Drug Costs Now Act, noting encouragement for its provisions to empower the Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS) to negotiate with drug companies for lower prices and to cap out-of-pocket costs for seniors enrolled in the Medicare Part D program. Commented to the FDA on its prescription drug reimportation proposed rule noting that while the College is generally supportive of drug importation as laid out in the proposed rule as a means to control the cost of prescription drugs, the FDA must guarantee that the design and implementation of the rule includes numerous measures and safeguards to ensure patient safety. By limiting the origin of imported drugs to Canadian-certified and FDA-approved and registered drugs and entities, the College believes the proposed rule meets the required U.S. standards to assure high-quality drugs and patient safety. Any final drug importation system must also be one that is a closed system and has a tightly controlled and documented supply chain to assure authenticity and avoid degradation of the drug. Workforce, Medical and Health Services Research, Public Health Initiatives: Congress should ensure funding in FY 2021 for federal programs/initiatives designed to support primary care including Title VII Health Professions grants and the National Health Service Corps (NHSC). Equally important is the need to fund essential health services and medical research by the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) and the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and public health programs supported by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Firearms-Related Injury and Death: The College advocated for lawmakers to pass measures to strengthen the criminal background check system, ban assault weapons and high capacity magazines, prevent the unlawful transfer of firearms to those who cannot legally purchase them, and remove restrictions on, and provide dedicated funding for, research by federal agencies on prevention of firearms-related injuries and death. Specifically, the College urged passage of the Bipartisan Background Checks Act of 2019 (H.R. 8), which would strengthen the accuracy and reporting of the National Instant Criminal Background Check System (NICS) as well as expand Brady background checks to cover all firearm sales, including unlicensed firearms sellers currently not required to use background checks, and the Gun Violence Prevention Research Act (H.R. 674/S. 184), which would authorize funding for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to study firearms safety and gun violence prevention. Also urged Congress to pass the Violence Against Women (VAWA) Reauthorization Act of 2019 (H.R. 1585), to provide protections for domestic violence victims by restricting access to firearms by those deemed a threat to them. Also urged Congress to pass the Assault Weapons Ban of 2019 (S. 66/H.R. 1296), to ban the sale of semi-automatic weapons and high capacity magazines. Immigration: The College advocated against family separation at the U.S. border. Specifically, the College urged support for H.R. 541 - the Keep Families Together Act, which would help ensure that children are not separated from their parents when families unlawfully cross over the border into the United States and would ensure that the Department of Homeland Security would not be able to implement the zero tolerance policy that separated families at the border last summer; urged congressional oversight of family separation policies. Also urged that Congress pass H.R. 6, the Dream and Promise Act of 2019, which would provide a pathway to U.S. citizenship for undocumented children who came to the United States due to the action of their parents, also known as Dreamers. Expressed concern to the U.S. Department of Homeland Security with the recent U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Service (USCIS) policy change to no longer accept or adjudicate non-military deferred action requests including those for individuals with serious medical conditions; Urged USCIS to reverse this decision immediately and resume consideration of deferred action requests for medical reasons. Climate Change: The College educated Congress on the harmful health impacts of climate change. Climate change adaptation strategies must be established, and mitigation measures, like switching to clean, renewable energy and promoting active transportation, must be adopted. The College opposed the United States withdrawal from the Paris Agreement and urged Congress to pass the Climate Action Now Act, HR 9, which would reinstitute the U.S. in the agreement. Governments should commit to providing substantial and sufficient climate change research funding to understand, adapt to, and mitigate the human health effects of climate change. The College opposes weakening the limits on carbon emissions from new and reconstructed sources, which would open the door for more greenhouse gas emissions. Urged Congress to support the goal of a 100% clean energy economy by 2050 to protect health from the impacts of climate change. Urged congressional appropriators to increase funding for the Centers for Disease Control and Preventions Climate and Health Program to $15 million in FY 2021. Graduate Medical Education: Urged that Congress support medical education training and debt relief for primary care physicians and other specialties facing shortages by passing the Resident Physician Shortage Reduction Act of 2019 (S. 348, H.R. 1763), to lift the GME caps as needed to permit training an adequate number of primary care physicians, including internal medicine specialists, and physicians in other specialties facing shortages; passing the Resident Education Deferred Interest Act (H.R. 1554), to save physicians in residency programs thousands of dollars in interest on their loans and help incentivize the opening of practices in underserved areas; pass legislation to combine DGME and IME into a single, more functional payment program, and broaden the GME financing structure to include all payers; support funding for GME/IME and programs within the Veterans Health Administration that provide graduate medical education to ensure that physicians are adequately trained with the skills needed to treat an aging population. Urged Congress to pass the Opioid Workforce Act of 2019 (H.R. 3414), which would provide Medicare support for an additional 1,000 graduate medical education (GME) positions over five years in hospitals that have, or are in the process of establishing, accredited residency programs in addiction medicine, addiction psychiatry, or pain medicine. Urged Congress to pass S. 1203 and H.R. 2441, the What You Can Do For Your Country Act, which would improve and reform the Public Service Loan Forgiveness (PSLF) Program. Women and Families: Urged that Congress improve care and services for women and families by removing barriers to care that interfere with the physician-patient relationship. Urged $400 million in funding for the Title X program, and rolling back the harmful final regulations on Title X, as included in the House FY2020 Labor-HHS-Education appropriations bill. Urged that Congress pass the Family and Medical Insurance Leave (FAMILY) Act (H.R.1185/S. 463) to establish a federal paid family leave program. Vaccines: Urged Congress to pass the Vaccines Act (HR 2862), which would provide federal funding for vaccine hesitancy surveillance at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), and outline a national public messaging campaign informed by this research to help improve vaccination rates; Supported H.R. 592, recognizing the anniversary of the eradication of smallpox and the importance of vaccination in the United States and worldwide; Urged the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to reconsider its decision to not vaccinate families in the custody of U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) against influenza (flu). Surprise Medical Billing: Urged Congress to pass legislation that would protect patients from surprise out-of-network medical bills in both emergency and non-emergency settings that includes the following principles: hold patients harmless from surprise medical bills for out-of-network services, address narrow insurance networks, abandon efforts to establish an in-network median rate for services in these settings and instead opt for an independent dispute resolution process to determine payment. Appropriations: Urged Congress to fund Title VII, Section 747, Primary Care Training and Enhancement (PCTE) at $71 million for fiscal year 2021; Fund the Agency for Health Care Research and Quality (AHRQ) at $460 million for fiscal year 2021; Fund the National Health Service Corps (NHSC) at $830 million for fiscal year 2021; Fund the Title X Family Planning Program at $400 million for fiscal year 2021 and include language to remove barriers to care that interfere with the patient-physician relationship; Fund Research on Prevention of Firearms-related Injuries and Deaths at $50 million for Fiscal Year 2021; Fund the National Institutes of Health (NIH) at $44.7 billion for fiscal year 2021; Fund the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) at $8.3 billion for fiscal year 2021. Physician Fee Schedule: Commented to CMS on its 2020 fee schedule final rule to: finalize E/M codes, current Procedural Terminology (CPT) guidelines, and RUC recommended values exactly as implemented by the CPT Editorial Panel and submitted by the RUC; finalize proposals to reduce the documentation burden for E/M services by allowing choice of medical decision making or time, and work to develop additional clarity and guidance on acceptable documentation to operationalize these important proposals; examination room desktop computers should be counted as a direct medical equipment cost; care management should be promoted by increasing the values of services like Transitional Care Management (TCM) and Chronic Care Management and implementing Principle Care Management (PCM) codes; require additional survey and review for any requests to increase non-outpatient E/M or other services; work with the physician community prior to finalizing any policy affecting eligibility to participate in the Medicare program; Urged congressional committees of jurisdiction to support: Higher physician work relative value units (RVUs) for new and established office visit codes, leading to increased payments for them, Reduced documentation requirements for office visit codes, which enables physicians to select and document for each visit based on medical decision-making or total time, Expanded and improved payment for care management services. COVID-19: Urged congressional appropriators to provide the highest possible funding level for research, prevention, control, and treatment of illnesses associated with the virus that is commensurate with the public health emergency that the virus represents. Urged the administration to explore regulatory and other actions that would make COVID-19 testing free-of-charge to patients covered by both public and private insurance plans, including ACA-compliant plans offered through the insurance exchanges, and to waive co-pays and deductibles for patients seeing physicians for symptoms that may be indicative of COVID-19 or who are hospitalized for treatment. Urged CMS to utilize a national disaster recovery program that would pay doctors 110% of Medicare rates for caring for uninsured patients who have been infected with SARS-CoV-2. Expressed support to Congress and the administration for the Families First Coronavirus Response Act, H.R. 6201, and other stimulus reforms related to COVID-19 including: Emergency paid leave benefits, paid sick days for public health emergencies, coverage of testing for COVID-19, waiving of cost sharing under Medicare, Medicare Advantage, Medicaid, and CHIP, increasing the federal FMAP under Medicaid, providing reimbursement for CPT codes 99441 - 99443, which are telephone evaluation and management services, expediting entrance of international medical graduates who are citizens of other nations (non-US IMGs) into the country and ensuring that lawfully present non-U.S. IMGs are not negatively impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic, funding for physician practices under the Public Health and Social Service Emergency Fund (PHSSEF), providing tax relief, grants, and loans to small and medium size practices impacted by COVID-19, increasing funding for personal protective equipment (PPE), ensuring Medicaid pay parity with Medicare for primary care services.
Client expense: $94,046 · Firm income: Not reported
Government targets: Centers For Disease Control & Prevention (CDC), Centers For Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS), Food & Drug Administration (FDA), HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES, Health & Human Services, Dept of (HHS), Homeland Security, Dept of (DHS), President of the U.S., SENATE, State, Dept of (DOS)
2019 · second_quarter · Health Issues
Health Insurance Coverage (general); Health Disparities (general); Breastfeeding (general); Assisted Reproductive Technology (general); Smoking Cessation (general); Substance Use Disorder (general); Gynecologic Cancer (general); Gynecologic Devices (general); Reproductive Health (general); Intimate Partner Violence (general); Gun Violence (general); Immunization (general); Breast Cancer (general); E-Cigarettes (general); Medical Liability Reform (general); Health IT (general); Patient-Physician Relationship (general); Conscience Refusals (general); Child Welfare (general); Prematurity (general); Maternal Mortality and Morbidity (general); Graduate Medical Education (general); Contraception (general); Abortion (general); Indian Health (general); Teaching Health Centers (general); Sexuality Education (general); Teen Pregnancy Prevention Program (general); Personal Responsibility Education Program (general); Research in Pregnant and Breastfeeding Women (general); Health Care Reform (general); Title X Family Planning Program (general); Womens Preventive Services (general); Drug Pricing (general); Administrative Burden (general); Surprise Billing (general); Pediatric Loan Repayment Program (general); H.R. 1551/S.1960, Quality Care for Moms and Babies Act; H.R. 1897/S. 916, MOMMAs Act; H.R. 1763/S. 348, Resident Physician Shortage Reduction Act of 2019; H.R. 1554, Resident Education Deferred Interest Act; H.R.___/S. 116, MOMS Act; S.___, Rural MOMS Act; H.R. 2778/S. 1481, Healthy MOM Act; H.R. 2902/S. 1600, Maternal CARE Act; H.R. 2602/S. 1343, MOMMIES Act; H.R. 1585/S.___, Violence Against Women Reauthorization Act of 2019; S. 130/S. 311, Born-Alive Abortion Survivors Protection Act; H.R. 784/S. 160, Pain-Capable Unborn Child Protection Act; H.R. 2975/S. 1645, Womens Health Protection Act; H.R. 986/S. 466, Protecting Americans with Preexisting Conditions Act; H.R. 1010, To provide that the rule entitled "Short-Term, Limited Duration Insurance" shall have no force or effect; H.R. 1143, Educating Consumers on the Risks of Short-Term Plans Act of 2019; S.Res. 29, A resolution expressing support for the designation of a Womens Health Research Day; H.R. 2815/S. 304/S. 1191, Training the Next Generation of Primary Care Doctors Act of 2019; H.R.__/S.__, Wise Investment in our Children Act; H.Res. 317/S.Res. 154, A resolution recognizing Black Maternal Health Week; H.R. 2689/S. 1438, Breast Cancer Research Stamp Reauthorization Act; S. 1895, Lower Health Care Costs Act; H.R. 2862/S. 1619, VACCINES Act; H.R. 3296/S. 1847, Affordability is Access Act; H.R. 2777/S. 1936, Protecting Access to Lifesaving Screenings Act; H.R. 3109, GEDI Act; H.R. 2803/S. 1461, Access to Infertility Treatment and Care Act; H.R. 2411/S. 1258, Tobacco to 21 Act; implementation of P.L. 115-344, Preventing Maternal Deaths Act; implementation of P.L. 115-320, Improving Access to Maternity Care Act
Client expense: $420,234 · Firm income: Not reported
Government targets: Agency for Healthcare Research & Quality (AHRQ), Centers For Disease Control & Prevention (CDC), Centers For Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS), Defense, Dept of (DOD), Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), Executive Office of the President (EOP), Food & Drug Administration (FDA), HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES, Health & Human Services, Dept of (HHS), Health Resources & Services Administration (HRSA), Homeland Security, Dept of (DHS), Indian Health Service, Justice, Dept of (DOJ), Natl Institutes of Health (NIH), Office of Management & Budget (OMB), Office of Natl Drug Control Policy (NDCP), SENATE, State, Dept of (DOS), Substance Abuse & Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), Veterans Affairs, Dept of (VA), White House Office