NAHU's Washington Update October 2, 2020

Fast Facts

§  Just days after the first presidential debate, President Trump and First Lady Melania Trump tested positive for coronavirus. §  President Trump nominated federal judge Amy Coney Barrett to the Supreme Court last week. Who is Barrett and what does her nomination mean for Texas v. U.S. and healthcare overall in the United States? §  Congress passed a stopgap spending measure on Tuesday to avoid a government shutdown and keep federal agencies open and operating through December 11, while the House passed yet another coronavirus-response bill that is not expected to be taken up in the Senate. §  Following an executive order, CMS has promoted a new Senior Savings Model for beneficiaries on Medicare who take insulin and have it covered through the Medicare Part D and the Medicare Advantage programs. There are some important factors concerning this program that agents need to know to serve their clients during the Annual Election Period. §  The House Oversight and Reform Committee held two hearings this week focused on pharmaceutical prices, which featured the CEOs of Celgene Corporation, Bristol Myers Squibb, Teva Pharmaceuticals, Amgen, Novartis AG and Mallinckrodt Pharmaceuticals. §  Are you interested in learning more about pharmacy benefit managers? Join Prescription Drug Task Force members Mindy Anderson and Ross Carmichael on Thursday, October 15, at 1:00 p.m. Eastern, when they will provide a general overall review of PBMs, what they are, what they do and how they impact pharmacy spending. Register for the webinar here. §  NAHU’s new podcast, the President’s Perspective hosted by NAHU President Dane Rianhard, is now on iTunes,Stitcher and Spotify. Subscribe on your preferred platform today! If you use iTunes, please rate us five stars. §  Do you follow HUPAC on social media? Follow the PAC today on Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn.

President Trump Nominates Amy Coney Barrett to the Supreme Court

Barrett has been critical of the Court’s previous rulings on the ACA, including a criticism of Chief Justice Roberts’ 2012 opinion sustaining the law’s individual mandate. "Chief Justice Roberts pushed the Affordable Care Act beyond its plausible meaning to save the statute," she wrote in... Read More

Senate Passes Continuing Resolution to Keep Government Funded; House Passes New COVID-19 Measure

December 11 has now become an important date, as stopgap funding measures can be opportunities to get NAHU’s legislative priorities passed. For example, the full repeal of the HIT and Cadillac Tax were passed through a government-funding bill. This means... Read More

Important Information Regarding CMS' Senior Savings Model and Medicare Beneficiaries on Insulin

The program is not universal among all Medicare Advantage and stand-alone Part D Prescription Drug Plans. Any insurance company that wished to participate for the 2021 plan year had to submit a request for consideration for each plan which they wanted to be approved. As a result... Read More

House Committee Holds Hearing on Prescription Drug Prices Featuring Pharmaceutical Executives

All of the executives questioned defended their companies’ decisions to raise prices of their blockbuster drugs in order to fund research and development of their other products, while also offsetting the cost of... Read More

NAHU's Relief Fund Helps Those Affected by COVID-19

We introduced a program designed to provide financial support to members and their families who have been most impacted by the COVID-19 outbreak... Read More

State Spotlight: Maryland Reports Zero Coronavirus Deaths as Wisconsin Sees Record-Breaking Hospitalizations

The White House coronavirus task force recently warned Wisconsin of a "rapid worsening" and an "intense period of viral surge," and urged the state to increase social distancing as much as possible. Wisconsin Governor Tony Evers declared a... Read More