HEAR Act of 2024

Draft, Medicare Compare Website (no bill number) - Rep. Guthrie, Brett - improvements to CMS Medicare compare website H.R. 3875 - Expanded Telehealth Access Act - Rep. Sherrill, Mikie - Medicare payment for telehealth services H.R. 4411 - Medicare Advantage Integrity Act - Resident Commissioner Gonzalez-Colon, Jenniffer - disparity in MA benchmark rates H.R. 4818 - Treat and Reduce Obesity Act of 2023 - Rep. Wenstrup, Brad - Medicare Coverage of weight loss treatment H.R. 5526 - Seniors' Access to Critical Medications Act of 2023 - Rep. Harshbarger, Diana - exception for physician self-referral H.R. 5746 - Addressing Whole Health in Medicare Advantage Act - Rep. Bilirakis, Gus - Medicare Advantage supplemental benefits H.R. 5854 - Medicare Advantage Consumer Protection and Transparency Act - Rep. Porter, Katie - Medicare Advantage organization reporting H.R. 6400 - To amend title XVIII of the Social Security Act to extend eligibility for certain payment increases for biosimilar biological products under the Medicare program - Rep. Cardenas, Tony - Medicare payment increase for biosimilars H.R. 7148 - Medicare Home Health Accessibility Act - Rep. Smucker, Lloyd - occupational therapy eligibility for home health coverage under Medicare H.R. 7512 - Real-Time Benefit Tool Implementation Act - Rep. Arrington, Jodey - implementation of real-time benefit tools under part D of under Medicare H.R. 7623 - Telehealth Modernization Act of 2024 - Rep. Carter, Earl L. Buddy - makes certain telehealth flexibilities permanent under Medicare and adds requirements for Part D plan contracts with PBMs including reporting and delinking provisions H.R. 7996 - Improving CARE for Youth Act - Rep. Dunn, Neal - allows for same-day billing for mental health services for youth Medicaid beneficiaries who are being seen for a primary care service H.R. 8064 - Help Extend Auditory Relief Act of 2024- Rep. Cartwright, Matt - Medicare coverage of hearing aids H.R. 8075 - Improving Access to Home Dialysis Act of 2024- Rep. Miller, Carol - Medicare coverage of home dialysis H.R. 8115 - To amend title XIX of the Social Security Act to allow for the deferral or disallowance of portions of payments for certain managed care violations under Medicaid- Rep. Sarbanes, John - Medicaid managed care payment deferral H.R. 8261 - Preserving Telehealth, Hospital, and Ambulance Access Act- Rep. Schweikert, David - extend flexibilities and payment for Medicare H.R. 8702 - Improving Seniors Timely Access to Care Act - Rep. Mike Kelly - prior authorization, transparency, MA S. 838 - Improving Access to Mental Health Act - Sen. Stabenow, Debbie - mental health services in Medicare S. 948 - Healthy Moms and Babies Act - Sen. Grassley, Chuck - establishes programs and requirements to support maternal health services under Medicaid and CHIP S. 1002 - No UPCODE Act - Sen. Cassidy, Bill - modifies certain factors that are used to determine Medicare Advantage (MA) payments, particularly relating to health status and related data S. 2880 - Expanded Telehealth Access Act - Sen. Daines, Steve - Medicare payment for telehealth services S. 3573 - Medicare Advantage Supplemental Benefits Transparency Act- Sen. Warner, Mike - MA, data transparency, supplemental benefits S. 3578 - Protect Medicaid Act - Sen. Cassidy, Bill - prohibits federal payments under Medicaid for noncitizens, requires reporting to HHS of states that provide such health benefits S. 3630 - Medicare Transaction Fraud Prevention Act- Sen. Braun, Mike- pilot program for predictive risk-scoring algorithm, oversight, Medicare S. 3651 - Telemental Health Care Access Act of 2024- Sen. Cassidy, Bill - Medicare, mental health services, telehealth S. 3882 - Helping States Integrate Medicare and Medicaid Act- Sen. Casey, Robert - dual eligibles, quality measures, access, enrollment S. 3934 - Increasing Access to Biosimilars Act of 2023- Sen. Cornyn, John - Medicare drug access S. 3950 - Delivering Unified Access to Lifesaving Services Act of 2024 - Sen. Cassidy, Bill - reforming Integrated Medicare/Medicaid Care Programs for Dually Eligible Individuals S. 4532 - Improving Seniors Timely Access to Care Act - Sen. Marshall, Roger - prior authorization, transparency, MA S. 4767 - Insurance Fraud Accountability Act - Sen. Wyden, Ron - reduces fraudulent enrollments in qualified health plans Issues related to mental health and Medicare; Medicare and Medicaid funding; Medicaid expansion; State innovation waivers; Medicaid and CHIP; Medicaid FMAP; Medicare Supplement Coverage; Medicare Transparency in Coverage; Medicaid Access Final Rule; Medicaid Redeterminations; Medicaid rate actuarial soundness; value of Medicaid Managed Care; Medicare Advantage Health Risk Assessment and chart reviews; Medicare Advantage supplemental benefits and Social Determinants of health; CBO estimates of MA and FFS costs; coverage of weight loss drugs; and Inflation Reduction Act implementation.

Client expense: $2,610,000 · Firm income: Not reported

Government targets: Centers For Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS), Congressional Budget Office (CBO), HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES, SENATE

MMM [House, Senate, HHS, CMS, FDA, Administration on Aging, EOP, DOC] Medicare Observation Stays. The Improving Access to Medicare Coverage Act of 2023 (H.R. 5138 and S. 4137): Proposals to count time spent in observation status toward the three-day prior inpatient stay required under Medicare for coverage of a subsequent stay in a skilled nursing facility. Medicare Drug Prices (No bill): Proposal to have the Biden Administration lower the price of the prostate cancer drug Xtandi through executive action by using so-called march-in rights under the Bayh-Dole Act; to amend the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act to grant eligible researchers access to drugs or biologic products for research purposes at a price no higher than the cost to the manufacturer; to block so-called Dispense-As-Written campaigns where drug manufacturers incentivize health care providers to specify a brand drug on a prescription to block generic substitution at the pharmacy. Medicare Drug Costs. The Pharmaceutical Research Transparency Act of 2023 (S. 1476 and H.R. 3160): Proposal to amend the Public Health Service Act and the Security Exchange Act to require pharmaceutical manufacturers to report their costs related to clinical trials and research and development. Medicare Drug Savings. The Seniors Securing Access to Vital and Essential Prescription Drugs Act (H.R. 2893): Proposals to discount the treatment of eligible retirement plans in determining the eligibility of individuals for premium and cost sharing subsidies under Part D of the Medicare program. (No bills): Proposals to eliminate the Medicare Part D low-income subsidy programs asset test and raise the income eligibility levels to 200 percent of the federal poverty level. Medicare Prescription Drugs. Drug Costs. Inflation Reduction Act (Public Law No: 117-169): Proposal to allow Medicare to negotiate prices with drug makers, cap prices at inflation in Part B and D, cap beneficiary out-of-pocket costs in Part D, eliminate cost-sharing for vaccines, eliminate cost-sharing in the catastrophic phase of Part D, and to raise the income threshold for the Low-Income Subsidy program offering assistance in paying for drugs. Medicare Prescription Drugs. The Affordable Pricing for Taxpayer-Funded Prescription Drugs Act of 2023 (H.R. 3093): Proposals to require companies that receive federal funding for research (or a license of the rights to a patent or regulatory test data) for a biomedical product or service to agree to set reasonable prices for the resulting biomedical product or service and authorize to determine a reasonable price based on a formula that ensures the U.S. price for the product or service is not more than the median price for the product or service in Canada and six other reference countries. Medicare Prescription Drugs. (No bill): A regulatory proposal encouraging the Secretaries of the Departments of Health and Human Services (HHS) and Commerce to exercise march in rights that would aim to better control the pricing of prescription drugs. Medicare Prescription Drugs. (No bill): An HHS regulatory proposal to ensure robust negotiation rules and processes that aim to curtail the cost of certain prescription drugs, as authorized by the Inflation Reduction Act (Public Law No: 117-169). Medicare and Medicaid Prescription Drugs. (No bill): Joined comments with 19 other organizations urging HHS to use its existing authority to license competition in order to lower consumer and taxpayer costs for semaglutide drugs treating diabetes and weight management (e.g., Ozempic and Wegovy). Medicare Prescription Drugs. The PACE Part D Choice Act (H.R. 3549 and S. 1703): Proposal to increase the affordability of the Program of All-Inclusive Care for the Elderly (PACE) for Medicare beneficiaries by lowering the cost of Part D premiums substantially for Medicare-only enrollees, thus opening up the PACE program to this population. Medicare Low-Income Subsidy (LIS) Program. (No bill): Proposal to increase funding for LIS outreach and enrollment, so that low-income beneficiaries can more readily access needed medications at prices they can afford. Medicare Reform. The Assuring Medicares Promise Act (H.R. 34) and The Medicare and Social Security Fair Share Act (S. 1174 and H.R. 4535): Proposals to close the loophole for wealthy individuals who bypass paying net investment income tax (NIIT) and directing the revenue to the Hospital Insurance Trust Fund, which pays for Medicare Part A that covers inpatient care in hospitals, and to the Social Security Trust Funds. Medicare Trustees Report (No bill). Review of the findings on economic, legislative and other developments affecting the actuarial soundness of the Medicare Part A (Hospital Insurance) Trust Fund and the Trust Funds for Parts B and D coverage. Medicare Dental Coverage. The Medicare Dental Benefit Act (S. 2012 and H.R. 4146): Proposal to add a dental benefit to Medicare. Medicare Hearing Coverage. The Help Extend Auditory Relief Act of 2024 (H.R. 8064): Proposal to expand Medicare coverage to include hearing examinations and diagnoses, fittings and hearing aids. Medicare call center (No bill): Proposal to address the poor working conditions of the call center workers employed by Maximus, a federal contractor with the Department of Health and Humans Services/Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services) HHS/CMS. Public Health Emergency (No bill): Proposals to ensure the transition out of the public health emergency doesnt create enrollment or coverage gaps for Medicare eligible individuals. Medicare Advantage (MA). (No bill): Proposals to create transparency around Medicare Advantage plans using prior authorization and supplemental benefits that are not offered under traditional Medicare. Medicare Advantage. (No bill): Proposals to apply a higher coding adjustment factor to fully account for intensive upcoding by MA plans and to exclude certain information for MA risk adjustment scores and payments; to use two years of traditional Medicare and MA diagnostic data for calculating MA risk-adjusted payments; and to promulgate more fundamental changes to the Hierarchical Condition Category (HCC) risk adjustment model. Medicare Privatization (No bill): Proposals to create reimbursement policies in traditional Medicare that mimic those used by private health insurance plans. Medicaid Home and Community-Based Services. The HCBS Access Act (H.R. 1493 and S. 762): Proposals to make home and community-based services (HCBS) a mandatory benefit within Medicaid, and to ensure eligible older adults and people with disabilities have the option to choose between home care and institutional care. Caregiving. The Alleviating Barriers to Caregiving Act (H.R. 8018 and S. 3109): Proposal to require the Secretaries of HHS and SSA to review and streamline enrollment in coverage and benefits for family caregivers in Medicare, Medicaid, CHIP and Social Security. Medicare and Medicaid Nursing Homes. The Nursing Home Disclosure Act (H.R. 177): Proposal to direct HHS to establish a national registry of medical directors. Medicare, Medicaid Nursing Homes. The Protecting Americas Seniors Access to Care Act (H.R. 7513 and S. 3410): Proposal to prohibit the HHS Secretary from promulgating national staffing standards in nursing homes. Medicare, Medicaid Nursing Homes. (H.J. Res. 139 and S.J. Res. 91): Proposal to use the Congressional Review Act to disapprove the HHS Secretarys final rule promulgating national staffing standards in nursing homes Medicare, Medicaid Nursing Homes. The Building Americas Health Care Workforce Act (H.R. 9067): Proposal to allow time spent working in a nursing home (prior to any formal training, and permitted during the COVID-19 pandemic) to count toward a 75-hour minimum federal training standard that is required for certified nursing assistants. Medicare, Medicaid Nursing Homes. The Ensuring Seniors Access to Quality Care Act (H.R. 3227): Proposal to repeal regulations that prohibit certified nursing assistant training and competency evaluation programs in skilled nursing facilities that have a record of health and safety deficiencies and have incurred penalties (e.g., civil monetary penalties for substandard quality of care). Medicare, Medicaid Nursing Homes, Assisted Living and Other Long Term Care Services and Supports (LTSS) Settings. The Long-Term Care Workforce Support Act (H.R. 7994 and S. 4120): Proposals to increase the number of direct care professionals, including in rural communities; pathways to enter and be supported in the workforce for women, people of color, and people with disabilities; and to improve compensation for direct care professionals to reduce vacancies and turnover. Medicare and Medicaid Nursing Home Ownership. (No bill): A final HHS regulation for comprehensive ownership disclosure in the nursing home sector issued on November 17th, 2023. Rule calls for strengthened cost reporting requirements, together with ongoing national analyses and monitoring of the performance of the nursing home sector that uses ownership, staffing, cost report data and inspection data. Medicare and Medicaid Nursing Home Staffing. (No bill): Final regulations establishing national staffing standards in nursing homes that would safeguard the health and safety of all elderly and disabled residents. Medicaid Long-Term Services and Supports (LTSS). (No bill): Proposals to request that CMS collect standardized LTSS expenditure data annually from every state and across all LTSS programs and for disaggregation of expenditure data by the delivery system and demographic characteristics in order to identify disparities in access and use of LTSS and help states and CMS deploy targeted strategies to meet the needs of older adults and people with disabilities. Oversight of Health Care Industry Owned by Private Equity Firms. (No bill): Joined with other organizations in submitting comments (April 2024) to HHS, the Federal Trade Commission and the Department of Justice urging sustained, stepped up and rigorous oversight be extended to health care industry transactions that are financed by private equity company companies and other types of private investors. Medicaid Eligibility and Beneficiary Assets. Medicaid Estate Recovery Act (H.R. 7573): Proposals to provide financial protection to the families of Medicaid beneficiaries, including ending Medicaid estate claims and Medicaid liens, except in cases when benefits had been incorrectly paid, as determined by a court.

Client expense: $200,000 · Firm income: Not reported

Government targets: Administration on Aging, Centers For Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS), Commerce, Dept of (DOC), Executive Office of the President (EOP), Food & Drug Administration (FDA), HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES, Health & Human Services, Dept of (HHS), SENATE

Draft, Medicare Compare Website (no bill number) - Rep. Guthrie, Brett - improvements to CMS Medicare compare website H.R. 35 - Close the Medigap Act of 2023 - Rep. Doggett, Lloyd - Medigap policies H.R. 3746 - Fiscal Responsibility Act of 2023 - Rep. McHenry, Patrick - work requirements for federal programs H.R. 3875 - Expanded Telehealth Access Act - Rep. Sherrill, Mikie - Medicare payment for telehealth services H.R. 4411 - Medicare Advantage Integrity Act - Resident Commissioner Gonzalez-Colon, Jenniffer - disparity in MA benchmark rates H.R. 4818 - Treat and Reduce Obesity Act of 2023 - Rep. Wenstrup, Brad -Medicare Coverage of weight loss treatment H.R. 5526 - Seniors' Access to Critical Medications Act of 2023 - Rep. Harshbarger, Diana - exception for physician self-referral H.R. 5584 - Medicaid Third Party Liability Act - Rep. Burgess, Michael - amends Medicaid Third Party liability requirements H.R. 5746 - Addressing Whole Health in Medicare Advantage Act - Rep. Bilirakis, Gus - Medicare Advantage supplemental benefits H.R. 5854 - Medicare Advantage Consumer Protection and Transparency Act - Rep. Porter, Katie - Medicare Advantage organization reporting H.R. 6364 - Medicare Telehealth Privacy Act of 2023 - Rep. Balderson, Troy - Provider privacy provisions for telehealth under Medicare H.R. 6400 - To amend title XVIII of the Social Security Act to extend eligibility for certain payment increases for biosimilar biological products under the Medicare program - Rep. Cardenas, Tony - Medicare payment increase for biosimilars H.R. 6445 - Medicare Audiology Access Improvement Act of 2023 - Rep. Bilirakis, Gus - Medicare Audiology Coverage H.R. 7147 - Medicare Transaction Fraud Prevention Act - Rep. Schweikert, David - oversight of payments for medical equipment & clinical DLTs under Medicare H.R. 7148 - Medicare Home Health Accessibility Act - Rep. Smucker, Lloyd - occupational therapy eligibility for home health coverage under Medicare H.R. 7254 - Hearing Device Coverage Clarification Act - Rep. Fischbach, Michelle - excludes fully implanted active middle ear hearing devices from the hearing aid coverage exclusion under Medicare H.R. 7274 - Connecting Caregivers to Medicare Act of 2024 - Rep. Carey, Mike - outreach, education, and simplify information for family caregivers on Medicare benefits H.R. 7432 - Sickle Cell Disease Comprehensive Care Act - Rep. Burgess, Michael - enables State Medicaid programs to provide coordinated care through health home to individuals with sickle cell disease H.R. 7512 - Real-Time Benefit Tool Implementation Act - Rep. Arrington, Jodey - implementation of real-time benefit tools under part D of under Medicare H.R. 7573 - Stop Unfair Medicaid Recoveries Act - Rep. Schakowsky, Janice - Medicaid Estate Recovery Program H.R. 7619 - Expand the Behavioral Health Workforce Now Act - Rep. Neguse, Joe - education, training, recruitment, and retention of mental health and substance use disorder providers under Medicaid and CHIP H.R. 7623 - Telehealth Modernization Act of 2024 - Rep. Carter, Earl L. Buddy - makes certain telehealth flexibilities permanent under Medicare and adds requirements for Part D plan contracts with PBMs including reporting and delinking provisions H.R. 7856 - Promoting Responsible and Effective Virtual Experiences through Novel Technology to Deliver Improved Access and Better Engagement with Tested and Evidence-based Strategies Act (PREVENT DIABETES Act)- Rep. DeGette, Diana - Medicare, coverage, preventive care, chronic care H.R. 7863 - To require the Secretary of Health and Human Services to issue guidance on furnishing behavioral health services via telehealth to individuals with limited English proficiency under Medicare program. - Rep. Steel, Michelle - Medicare, behavioral health, telehealth, accessibility H.R. 7939 - Patient Access to Innovative New Technologies Act of 2024 - Rep. Carey, Mike - Medicare, quality, medical devices, coverage H.R. 7996 - Improving CARE for Youth Act - Rep. Dunn, Neal - allows for same-day billing for mental health services for youth Medicaid beneficiaries who are being seen for a primary care service H.R. 8018 - Alleviating Barriers for Caregivers Act- Rep. Cammack, Kat - review and simplify caregiver paperwork, CHIP, Medicare, Medicaid H.R. 8064 - Help Extend Auditory Relief Act of 2024- Rep. Cartwright, Matt - Medicare coverage of hearing aids H.R. 8075 - Improving Access to Home Dialysis Act of 2024- Rep. Miller, Carol - Medicare coverage of home dialysis H.R. 8115 - To amend title XIX of the Social Security Act to allow for the deferral or disallowance of portions of payments for certain managed care violations under Medicaid- Rep. Sarbanes, John - Medicaid managed care payment deferral H.R. 8261 - Preserving Telehealth, Hospital, and Ambulance Access Act- Rep. Schweikert, David - extend flexibilities and payment for Medicare H.R. 8702 - Improving Seniors Timely Access to Care Act - Rep. Mike Kelly - prior authorization, transparency, MA S. 838 - Improving Access to Mental Health Act - Sen. Stabenow, Debbie - mental health services in Medicare S. 948 - Healthy Moms and Babies Act - Sen. Grassley, Chuck - establishes programs and requirements to support maternal health services under Medicaid and CHIP S. 1002 - No UPCODE Act - Sen. Cassidy, Bill - modifies certain factors that are used to determine Medicare Advantage (MA) payments, particularly relating to health status and related data S. 2880 - Expanded Telehealth Access Act - Sen. Daines, Steve - Medicare payment for telehealth services S. 3573 - Medicare Advantage Supplemental Benefits Transparency Act- Sen. Warner, Mike - MA, data transparency, supplemental benefits S. 3578 - Protect Medicaid Act - Sen. Cassidy, Bill - prohibits federal payments under Medicaid for noncitizens, requires reporting to HHS of states that provide such health benefits S. 3630 - Medicare Transaction Fraud Prevention Act- Sen. Braun, Mike- pilot program for predictive risk-scoring algorithm, oversight, Medicare S. 3651 - Telemental Health Care Access Act of 2024- Sen. Cassidy, Bill - Medicare, mental health services, telehealth S. 3766 - Connecting Caregivers to Medicare Act of 2024- Sen. Tillis, Thomas - Medicare, outreach and education, caregivers S. 3882 - Helping States Integrate Medicare and Medicaid Act- Sen. Casey, Robert - dual eligibles, quality measures, access, enrollment S. 3934 - Increasing Access to Biosimilars Act of 2023- Sen. Cornyn, John - Medicare drug access S. 3950 - Delivering Unified Access to Lifesaving Services Act of 2024 - Sen. Cassidy, Bill - reforming Integrated Medicare/Medicaid Care Programs for Dually Eligible Individuals S. 4094 - PREVENT DIABETES Act - Sen. Scott, Tim - Medicare, coverage, preventive care, chronic care S. 4532 - Improving Seniors Timely Access to Care Act - Sen. Marshall, Roger - prior authorization, transparency, MA S. 4767 - Insurance Fraud Accountability Act - Sen. Wyden, Ron - reduces fraudulent enrollments in qualified health plans Issues related to mental health and Medicare; Medicare and Medicaid funding; Medicaid expansion; State innovation waivers; Medicaid and CHIP; Medicaid FMAP; Medicare Supplement Coverage; Medicare Transparency in Coverage; Medicaid Access Final Rule; Medicaid Redeterminations; Medicaid rate actuarial soundness; value of Medicaid Managed Care; Medicare Advantage Health Risk Assessment and chart reviews; Medicare Advantage supplemental benefits and Social Determinants of health; coverage of weight loss drugs; and Inflation Reduction Act implementation.

Client expense: $2,560,000 · Firm income: Not reported

Government targets: Centers For Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS), Executive Office of the President (EOP), HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES, Health & Human Services, Dept of (HHS), SENATE, White House Office