The Health Care Reform Corner – From the editors of "The Pink Sheet"
What are policymakers and stakeholders in Washington saying and doing about health care reform? In this periodic BioPharma Today feature, the editors of "The Pink Sheet" and "The Pink Sheet" DAILY highlight some of the major developments chronicled in those publications.
Read today's features...
WASINGTON, D.C. – The House health care reform bill contains a number of provisions that would greatly expand the market for pharmaceuticals, but the bill seeks a number of financial concessions from pharmaceutical manufacturers, prompting a statement of protest from the industry association.
The House introduced its complete "America's Affordable Health Choices Act," H.R. 3200, on July 14, and the three committees of jurisdiction - Ways and Means, Energy and Commerce, and Education and Labor - began marking it up within the next two days. Read the story here...
The Senate Health, Education Labor and Pensions Committee's health reform bill was the first major piece of health care reform legislation to emerge from the committee stage when it was approved by the HELP panel July 15 in a party-line 13-10 vote. No Republicans on the committee supported the bill.
It will be merged with health reform legislation under development in the Senate Finance Committee and the combined bill will then go to the Senate floor for a vote and ultimately will be reconciled with legislation moving through the House. Read the story here...
A fundamental change in Medicare's approach to provider payments could help the government move closer to the cost savings it needs to lower an unsustainable health care cost trajectory, Congressional Budget Office Director Douglas Elmendorf told the Senate Budget Committee July 16.
In comments regarding CBO's long-term budget outlook and pending legislation on health care reform, he suggested more is needed in the area of cost control than is included in legislation on health care reform released so far in either the House or Senate. Read the story here...
- Scott Steinke
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