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

Health Issues HCR

Affordable Care Act (ACA) Regulations; Postal Reform; American Health Care Act (ACHA); Health Care Reform; Health Savings Accounts (HSAs); Reinsurance; Cost Sharing Reductions (CSRs); Implementation; Special Needs Plans (SNP); Third Party Payment of Premiums (TPP); Repeal and Replace; Drug Pricing; Risk Ratios; Individual Market Reform; Market Stability; Marketplace Certainty Act; Mental Health Parity; 2017 Notice of Benefit and Payment Parameters; Grace Periods; SEPs; Senate Health Reform Bill 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. HR 314 Introduced January 5, 2017 by Marsha Blackburn (R-TN) To repeal title I of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act and to amend the Public Health Service Act to provide for cooperative governing of individual health insurance coverage offered in interstate commerce. HR 756 Postal Service Reform Act of 2017 Introduced January 31, 2017 by Jason Chaffetz (R-UT) To restore the financial solvency and improve the governance of the United States Postal Service in order to ensure the efficient and affordable nationwide delivery of mail, and for other purposes. HR 1101 Small Business Health Fairness Act of 2017 Introduced February 16, 2017 by Sam Johnson (R-TX) To amend title I of the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974 to improve access and choice for entrepreneurs with small businesses with respect to medical care for their employees. HR 1628 American Health Care Act Introduced March 20, 2017 by Diane Black (R-TN) The American Health Care Act of 2017 (AHCA), also known as the Better Care Reconciliation Act of 2017 (BCRA), is the leading proposal to "repeal and replace" the Affordable Care Act (aka Obamacare, but we'll abbreviate it ACA) and "defund" Planned Parenthood. HR 1703 Introduced March 23, 2017 by Morgan Griffith (R-VA) To amend the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act with respect to determining the intended use of drugs and devices. HR 2026 Pharmaceutical Information Exchange Act Introduced April 6, 2017 by Brett Guthrie (R-VA) To improve patient access to emerging medication therapies by clarifying the scope of permitted health care economic and scientific information communications between biopharmaceutical manufacturers and population health decision makers. 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 2400 Introduced May 8, 2017 by Darrell Issa (R-CA) To amend title 5, United States Code, to allow individuals who are not Federal employees to enroll in the Federal Employees Health Benefits Program, and for other purposes. HR 2430 Introduced May 10, 2017 by Greg Walden (R-OR) To amend the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act to revise and extend the user-fee programs for prescription drugs, medical devices, generic drugs, and biosimilar biological products, and for other purposes. S 1354 Individual Health Insurance Marketplace Improvement Act introduced June 14, 2017 by Thomas Carper (D-DE) A bill to establish an Individual Market Reinsurance fund to provide funding for State individual market stabilization reinsurance programs.

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

Bills named: H.R. 2051 (115th), H.R. 246 (115th), H.R. 1703 (115th), H.R. 756 (115th), H.R. 314 (115th), H.R. 2430 (115th), H.R. 2026 (115th), H.R. 1628 (115th), H.R. 1101 (115th), H.R. 2400 (115th)

Budget/Appropriations BUD

No Issues in Budget/Appropriations this period

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

Taxation/Internal Revenue Code TAX

833; Health Insurance Tax (HIT Tax); Cadillac Tax; Tax Credits 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.

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

Bills named: H.R. 173 (115th)

Medicare/Medicaid MMM

CHIP Reform; Medicare Access & CHIP Reauthorization Act of 2015 (MACRA); Rate Notice and Call Letter; Postal Reform; Medigap; Site Neutral Payments; HR 756 Postal Service Reform Act of 2017 Introduced January 31, 2017by Jason Chaffetz (R-UT) To restore the financial solvency and improve the governance of the United States Postal Service in order to ensure the efficient and affordable nationwide delivery of mail, and for other purposes. HR 2575 Introduced May 19, 2017 by Raul Ruiz (R-CA) To amend title XVIII of the Social Security Act to establish a system to educate individuals approaching Medicare eligibility, to simplify and modernize the eligibility enrollment process, and for other purposes.

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

Bills named: H.R. 2575 (115th), H.R. 756 (115th)

Pharmacy PHA

Opioid Abuse; Drug Pricing; HR 2026 Pharmaceutical Information Exchange Act Introduced April 6, 2017 by Brett Guthrie (R-VA) To improve patient access to emerging medication therapies by clarifying the scope of permitted health care economic and scientific information communications between biopharmaceutical manufacturers and population health decision makers. 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.

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

Bills named: H.R. 2051 (115th), H.R. 2026 (115th)