What, from the budget, might actually become law?
If you’re looking for an answer to that question, you might want to tune in to today’s Energy & Commerce Committee hearing. HHS Secretary Alex Azar is set to testify about the budget today — and he'll replay the fun before two other committees later this week. Today's his first time coming before Energy and Commerce since Democrats took the House — and perhaps more importantly, since he refused to attend a hearing on the Trump administration's family separation policy.
So be warned, the budget is not the only thing on the docket. The hearings will also be an opportunity for lawmakers to chat with — or chastise — the secretary. And if you're still wondering whether there will be any fireworks at today’s hearing, the Democrats called the meeting a chance to ask Azar about the administration’s “half-hearted attempts to lower the cost of prescription drugs,” and a whole host of other controversial topics. Looks like Azar’s in for some fun.
One policy I think you should keep an eye on: Trump’s idea to create a cap for how much Medicare beneficiaries can spend on drugs in a given year. It’s a costly idea (Trump’s budget estimates it’ll cost taxpayers $14 billion) but it’s also an issue that has bipartisan support on Capitol Hill. I’m left wondering: Why hasn’t this seemingly bipartisan policy gotten across the finish line? And will this year be any different, especially given the widespread interest in doing something on drug pricing?
Those are the questions I posed to lawmakers Monday. And while no one told me it was the very next thing on the agenda, two well-placed lawmakers who specialize in Medicare policy were both cautiously optimistic about the idea.
“While it will take some work, I think there is some bipartisan room to work together,” Rep. Kevin Brady (R-Texas), the ranking member on the House Ways & Means Committee, told me. Brady added that he’d like to couple any cap with a change to some separate Medicare reinsurance policies.
Sen. Ron Wyden (D-Ore.), who sponsored legislation to do just what the Trump administration is proposing, told me he hopes the Trump administration will “work with us on the details.”
While I couldn’t find Senate Finance Chairman Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) Monday night, his spokesperson told me that the he, too, has expressed interest in the cap.
And one cautionary note: The idea of creating a cap on Medicare out-of-pocket costs still doesn’t seem to be well known on Capitol Hill. Even some of Congress’ biggest wonks gave me some funny looks when I started asking them about the policy, so it’ll take some time before this becomes something lawmakers are touting on the floor of the Senate and in their town halls.
So be warned, the budget is not the only thing on the docket. The hearings will also be an opportunity for lawmakers to chat with — or chastise — the secretary. And if you're still wondering whether there will be any fireworks at today’s hearing, the Democrats called the meeting a chance to ask Azar about the administration’s “half-hearted attempts to lower the cost of prescription drugs,” and a whole host of other controversial topics. Looks like Azar’s in for some fun.
One policy I think you should keep an eye on: Trump’s idea to create a cap for how much Medicare beneficiaries can spend on drugs in a given year. It’s a costly idea (Trump’s budget estimates it’ll cost taxpayers $14 billion) but it’s also an issue that has bipartisan support on Capitol Hill. I’m left wondering: Why hasn’t this seemingly bipartisan policy gotten across the finish line? And will this year be any different, especially given the widespread interest in doing something on drug pricing?
Those are the questions I posed to lawmakers Monday. And while no one told me it was the very next thing on the agenda, two well-placed lawmakers who specialize in Medicare policy were both cautiously optimistic about the idea.
“While it will take some work, I think there is some bipartisan room to work together,” Rep. Kevin Brady (R-Texas), the ranking member on the House Ways & Means Committee, told me. Brady added that he’d like to couple any cap with a change to some separate Medicare reinsurance policies.
Sen. Ron Wyden (D-Ore.), who sponsored legislation to do just what the Trump administration is proposing, told me he hopes the Trump administration will “work with us on the details.”
While I couldn’t find Senate Finance Chairman Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) Monday night, his spokesperson told me that the he, too, has expressed interest in the cap.
And one cautionary note: The idea of creating a cap on Medicare out-of-pocket costs still doesn’t seem to be well known on Capitol Hill. Even some of Congress’ biggest wonks gave me some funny looks when I started asking them about the policy, so it’ll take some time before this becomes something lawmakers are touting on the floor of the Senate and in their town halls.
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