Two Congressional committees are holding hearings this week on health policy issues. First, the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions (HELP) Committee has scheduled a September 16, 2015 hearing on "Achieving the Promise of Health Information Technology: Improving Care Through Patient Access to Their Records." The HELP Committee also will hold a September 17 hearing on "Biosimilar Implementation: A Progress Report from FDA."
Second, on September 18 the House Energy and Commerce Health Subcommittee will examine four Medicaid bills:
- The Medicaid Directory of Caregivers Act, to require state Medicaid programs that operate fee-for-service and/or primary care case management programs to include on the Medicaid program's website a directory of physicians who served Medicaid patients in the prior six months;
- HR 209, the Ensuring Access to Clinical Trials Act, to allow individuals to participate in clinical trials for rare diseases without counting the income earned from these trials against their eligibility for Medicaid and Supplemental Security Income;
- HR 670, the Special Needs Trust Fairness Act, to amend the Social Security Act to allow individuals to set up their own special needs trust; and
- HR 3243, the PACE Innovation Act, to develop pilot programs using the Programs of All-Inclusive Care for the Elderly (PACE) Model of Care to serve individuals under age 55 and those at risk of needing a nursing home.
This article is presented for informational purposes only and is not intended to constitute legal advice.
