April 1, 2025
Health Policy Report – April 1, 2025
Representatives Diana Harshbarger (R-TN) and Debbie Wasserman-Schultz (D-FL) Introduce Seniors’ Access to Critical Medications Act
On March 31, Diana Harshbarger (R-TN) and Debbie Wasserman Schultz (D-FL) introduced H.R. 2484, the Seniors’ Access to Critical Medications Act. If passed, the bill would clarify that patients can access medications through mail delivery, courier, or pickup by a family member or caregiver.
In 2023, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) issued a Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) document, which created a new interpretation that the Physician Self-Referral Law, or Stark Law, requires patients to pick up their medications in person. This has severely limited cancer patients’ access to treatment, as many are too sick to travel and rely on mail delivery services or family members to receive their medications.
This legislation, however, would reinstate practices’ ability to use mail, courier, or other services and allow family members or caregivers to pick up medications on behalf of a patient.”The ability to be able to mail these crucial medications to our most vulnerable was one of the few silver linings that came out of the COVID-19 pandemic, and it’s our responsibility as lawmakers to make the lives of our most vulnerable easier, not more difficult. This legislation accomplishes just that,” Representative Harshbarger said in a statement.
H.R. 2484 is now scheduled to be marked up in the Energy and Commerce Committee on Wednesday, April 2 at 10 a.m. as part of a full committee markup of 26 bills, an important first step in the legislative process.
The Seniors’ Access to Critical Medications Act gained significant momentum in the 118th Congress, where it passed the Energy and Commerce Committee and the full House of Representatives on the heels of The Network’s annual fly-in. The Network looks forward to working closely with lawmakers to advance this bill in the 119th Congress.
To read the bill, CLICK HERE.
To read Rep. Harshbarger’s statement, CLICK HERE.
To read about the Energy and Commerce Markup, CLICK HERE.
Trump Administration Announces Plans to Significantly Downsize the Department of Health and Human Services
In a plan released on March 27, the Department of Health & Human Services announced plans to restructure the department as part of broader Trump administration efforts to reduce the federal workforce and cut costs.
Under the plan, HHS would cut 10,000 federal workers across its divisions. According to The Wall Street Journal, the layoffs would affect 3,500 Food and Drug Administration employees, or about 19% of the agency’s workforce; 2,400 CDC employees, or about 18% of its workforce; 1,200 at the National Institutes of Health, or about 6% of its workforce; and 300 employees of the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS), or about 4% of its workforce. It is expected that CMS will be impacted in a lesser way than other HHS agencies.
With this announcement, the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Innovation (CMMI) shared it intends to create a new strategic vision for the center including “modifications to models to improve their potential for certification and expansion and new models that empower Americans to live healthier lives while protecting taxpayers.” It is expected that CMMI may focus in the future on models that may not directly incorporate providers but address initiatives important to the Administration, including drug pricing, healthy living, and addressing chronic disease.
Overall, HHS would go from 28 divisions to 15, while several departments would be combined in a new agency – the Administration for a Healthy America (AHA) – that focuses on chronic disease. The new AHA would include the office of the Assistant Secretary for Health, the Health Resources and Services Administration, and HHS’ substance use and occupational health offices.
To read more, CLICK HERE.
Senate Finance Committee Votes to Advance Dr. Mehmet Oz as CMS Administrator
On March 25,the Senate Finance Committee voted 14-13 to advance Dr. Mehmet Oz’s nomination as Administrator of the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) to the full Senate.
As CMS Administrator, Oz would oversee nearly $1.5 trillion in federal healthcare spending for Medicare and Medicaid health plans. In a statement, Senator Mike Crapo (R-ID), Chairman of the Senate Finance Committee, said “Dr. Oz’s years of experience as an acclaimed physician and public health advocate have prepared him well to manage the intricacies of CMS. He will work tirelessly to deliver on the promise of much-needed change at CMS that ensures Americans receive the best care possible. I look forward to working with him as Administrator.”
Dr. Oz’s nomination now advances to the full Senate, where he is expected to be confirmed.
To read more, CLICK HERE.
To read Senator Crapo’s statement, CLICK HERE.
Policy Experts Predict New Challenges for Community Oncology
After Congress failed to include a fix to the Medicare Physician Fee Schedule (MPFS) in the Continuing Resolution (CR) passed in early March, policy experts are noting that community oncology has reached a tipping point.
In a column in Oncology News Central, Dr. Harsha Vyas, a medical oncologist and hematologist, noted that independent medical practices are buckling under outdated Medicare reimbursement models, as well as the ever-growing influence of insurers and pharmacy benefit managers (PBMs). Together, he noted, these trends have led many independent oncology practices to close or merge with larger hospital systems.
“The demand for oncology services continues to grow; however, the number of practicing oncologists is not keeping pace,” he wrote, an issue that is exacerbated by recent reports that the United States will have a shortage of more than 2,000 oncologists and hematologists in 2025.
To add to this challenge, policy experts predict that radiation oncology could face devastating cuts in this year’s physician fee schedule. Although the expected reimbursement decrease will affect all radiation oncology providers, community-based practices will be disproportionately affected.
Amid these headwinds, it’s more important than ever to make sure that community oncology’s voice is heard. If you are interested in hosting a site visit with policymakers, please contact Angela.Storseth@usoncology.com.
To read Dr. Vyas’s op-ed, CLICK HERE.
To read more about the predicted shortage of oncologists, CLICK HERE.
To read more about radiation oncology cuts, CLICK HERE.
President Trump Taps Susan Monarez as CDC Director
On March 24, the Trump administration announced that it is nominating Susan Monarez as Center for Disease Control (CDC) director. The move comes after the administration abruptly withdrew its nomination for Dave Weldon, a former Florida State Representative, the original pick for the position.
Monarez has served as acting CDC director since January 23. Monarez has worked in the federal government for nearly 20 years, mostly recently serving as deputy director at the Advanced Research Projects Agency for Health (ARPA-H) as well as several roles at the White House in the Office of Science and Technology Policy, the National Security Council and the Department of Homeland Security.
If confirmed, she will be the first CDC director confirmed by the Senate – a new requirement for the position – and the first director to not be an M.D.
Trump has praised Monarez for her decades of experience championing innovation, transparency, and strong public health systems. Monarez has also expressed support for integrating AI in healthcare settings to reduce administrative burden.
To read more about the nomination, CLICK HERE.
MedPAC Recommends Inflation Adjustment for Medicare Physician Pay
In its March report, the Medicare Payment Advisory Commission (MedPAC), the agency that advises Congress on Medicare pay, again recommended that Congress align physician pay with inflation in 2025. Specifically, MedPAC recommended that physician payment rates be tied to the Medicare Economic Index (MEI), a measure of inflation, minus 1% next year.
“Given recent high inflation, cost increases in 2026—which are currently projected to be 2.3 percent— could be difficult for clinicians to absorb. Yet current payments to clinicians appear to be adequate, based on many of our indicators,” the report read.
The agency found that with its recommended updates, the average clinician would see a 3% increase in fee schedule revenue. However, not all specialties would see the same results. Primary care doctors could see a 5.7% increase, while others may receive only 2.5%.
The American Medical Association (AMA) welcomed the recommendations, urging lawmakers to take the commission’s recommendations into account. “As these cuts pile up year after year, more and more physicians are closing their practices, leaving patients without access. It just makes sense that payment must keep pace with increasing costs. Other providers already have automatic, yearly updates, and physicians are the foundation of health care,” said Bruce Scott, MD, President of the AMA.
To read more, CLICK HERE.
To read the full report, CLICK HERE.
To read the AMA’s statement, CLICK HERE.
America First Policy Institute Releases Policy Paper on Drug Prices
In a new report, the America First Policy Institute – a think tank founded and staffed by Trump administration officials – reveals that the United States pays significantly more for prescription drugs than other countries. Specifically, the paper focused on the fact that other wealthy nations institute price controls that reduce global drug sales revenue, stifling innovation and drug development worldwide.
“This phenomenon, known as global freeloading, allows other wealthy countries to have their cake and eat it too—to get lifesaving drugs for their citizens without paying the necessary costs to develop them,” the report reads.
The authors specifically focus on the need to accelerate development of prescription drugs to treat chronic diseases. The paper calls on US policymakers to find ways to prevent other countries from “freeloading” from American investment in research and development.
To read the report, CLICK HERE.
To read more, CLICK HERE.