BLUE CROSS AND BLUE SHIELD ASSOCIATION for BLUE CROSS AND BLUE SHIELD ASSOCIATION

Budget/Appropriations BUD

Budget Reform

Contacted: SENATE; Office of Personnel Management (OPM); White House Office; HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES; Centers For Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS); Office of Management & Budget (OMB); Office of the Vice President of the United States; Health & Human Services, Dept of (HHS); Executive Office of the President (EOP); Vice President of the U.S.

Medicare/Medicaid MMM

Medicare Advantage; Medicare Prior Authorization; Medicaid Rebates; Medicaid Expansion; Medicaid General; CHIP Reform; Medicare Access & CHIP Reauthorization Act of 2015 (MACRA); Rate Notice and Call Letter; Medicare Part D; Medicaid Alignment; NBPP, Part D Donut Hole, Rx Rebates, Patient's Act (Dialysis), ACE Kid's Act; Medicare Data Sharing HR 6 SUPPORT for Patients and Communities Act Introduced June 13, 2018 by Greg Walden (R-OR) includes Medicaid, Medicare, and public health reforms to combat the opioid crisis by advancing treatment and recovery initiatives, improving prevention, protecting communities, and bolstering efforts to combat illicit synthetic drugs like fentanyl. The policies contained in the legislation were advanced through regular order by the House Energy and Commerce Committee and the Ways and Means Committee. HR 3325 ACE Kids Act Introduced July 20, 2017 by Joe Barton (R-TX) To amend title XIX of the Social Security Act to provide States with the option of providing coordinated care for children with complex medical conditions through a health home, and for other purposes. HR 4143 Dialysis Patients Demonstration Act of 2017 Introduced October 26, 2017 by Jason Smith (R-MO) To establish a demonstration program to provide integrated care for Medicare beneficiaries with end-stage renal disease, and for other purposes. HR 6478 Biosimilars Competition Act of 2018 Introduced July 23, 2018 by John Sarbanes (D-MD) To enhance competition for prescription drugs by increasing the ability of the Department of Justice and Federal Trade Commission to enforce existing antitrust laws regarding biologic and biosimilar products, and for other purposes. S 2554 Patient Right to Know Drug Price Act of 2018 Introduced March 14, 2018 by Susan Collins (R-ME) Americans overspend by an estimated $135 million on prescriptions through their insurance, in cases when they would cost less out of pocket. Yet pharmacists are often under gag orders from telling customers about that discrepancy. A new bill introduced in the Senate would end this practice.

Contacted: HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES; Health & Human Services, Dept of (HHS); Office of the Vice President of the United States; White House Office; Executive Office of the President (EOP); Office of Management & Budget (OMB); Office of Personnel Management (OPM); Vice President of the U.S.; Centers For Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS); SENATE

Bills named: H.R. 4143 (115th), H.R. 6 (115th), H.R. 3325 (115th), H.R. 6478 (115th)

Taxation/Internal Revenue Code TAX

Health Insurance Tax (HIT Tax); Tax Credits; Cadillac Tax HR 173 Middle Class Health Benefit Tax Repeal Act Introduced January 3, 2-17 by Mike Kelly (R-PA) To amend the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 to repeal the excise tax on high cost employer-sponsored health coverage. HR 246 Introduced January 4, 2017 by Kristi Noem (R-SD) This bill repeals a provision of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act that imposes an annual fee on a health insurance provider based on its net premium income. S.3063 Introduced June 13, 2018 by John Barrasso (R-WY), A bill to delay the reimposition of the annual fee on health insurance providers until after 2020.

Contacted: Office of Personnel Management (OPM); Centers For Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS); Office of Management & Budget (OMB); SENATE; HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES; Health & Human Services, Dept of (HHS); Office of the Vice President of the United States; White House Office; Executive Office of the President (EOP); Vice President of the U.S.

Bills named: H.R. 246 (115th), H.R. 173 (115th), S. 3063 (115th)

Health Issues HCR

Affordable Care Act (ACA); ACA Regulations; ACA Stabilization; Health Reform; Rural Healthcare; Risk Adjustment; State Flexibility; Point of Sale; Fall Priorities; Opioids; Sober Homes; Marketplace Stability; Individual Market Reform; FAA (Air Ambulance); CREATES Act; Sec. 1332 Waivers; Short Term Limited Duration (STLD): AHPs; Value-based Care; Health Care Costs; Mental Health; Small Business Plans; Single Payer; Reinsurance; CSRs; SNPs; Health Savings Accounts (HSAs); Postal Reform; FEHBP Options; 42 CFR Part 2; Transparency; Silverloading; Health IT Interoperability; Urban Affairs/Deterrence (Opioid epidemic); Texas lawsuit; Air Ambulance; Surprise billing, Transparency, Small Business, State Flexibility; Lyme Disease HR 6 SUPPORT for Patients and Communities Act Introduced June 13, 2018 by Greg Walden (R-OR) includes Medicaid, Medicare, and public health reforms to combat the opioid crisis by advancing treatment and recovery initiatives, improving prevention, protecting communities, and bolstering efforts to combat illicit synthetic drugs like fentanyl. The policies contained in the legislation were advanced through regular order by the House Energy and Commerce Committee and the Ways and Means Committee. HR 2051 FAST Generics Act Introduced April 6, 2017 by David McKinley (R-WV) To amend the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act to ensure that eligible product developers have competitive access to approved drugs and licensed biological products, so as to enable eligible product developers to develop and test new products, and for other purposes. HR 2212 CREATES Act Introduced April 27, 2017 by Tom Marino (R-PA) To promote competition in the market for drugs and biological products by facilitating the timely entry of lower-cost generic and biosimilar versions of those drugs and biological products. HR 3325 ACE Kids Act Introduced July 20, 2017 by Joe Barton (R-TX) To amend title XIX of the Social Security Act to provide States with the option of providing coordinated care for children with complex medical conditions through a health home, and for other purposes. HR 6294 REVAMP Act Introduced June 28, 2018 by John Shimkus (R-IL) To amend the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act to encourage the development of priority antimicrobial products through the award of a transferable exclusivity extension period, and for other purposes. HR 6733 Know the Cost Act of 2018 Introduced September 7, 2018 by Buddy Carter (R-GA) To amend title XXVII of the Public Health Service Act and title XVIII of the Social Security Act to prohibit group health plans, health insurance issuers, prescription drug plan sponsors, and Medicare Advantage organizations from limiting certain information on drug prices.

Contacted: White House Office; Centers For Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS); Executive Office of the President (EOP); Office of Management & Budget (OMB); SENATE; Office of the Vice President of the United States; Health & Human Services, Dept of (HHS); Vice President of the U.S.; Office of Personnel Management (OPM); HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

Bills named: H.R. 6294 (115th), H.R. 6 (115th), H.R. 2212 (115th), H.R. 6733 (115th), H.R. 2051 (115th), H.R. 3325 (115th)

Pharmacy PHA

Opioids (Epidemic, Deterrence, Economic Impact Zones); CREATES Act;Drug Pricing; PBM/Prescription Drug Costs Rx Rebates; Direct-to-Consumer Rx Advertising;Rx Rebates

Contacted: Office of the Vice President of the United States; Executive Office of the President (EOP); HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES; White House Office; Office of Management & Budget (OMB); Vice President of the U.S.; Office of Personnel Management (OPM); Centers For Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS); SENATE; Health & Human Services, Dept of (HHS)