| Congress is back in Washington for its final stretch before Democrats take control in January, and the health care industry has a short window to get unfinished business across the finish line. The biggest hurdle is government funding. A Dec. 11 deadline gives lawmakers a potential vehicle for a broader year-end package, but negotiations could also consume much of the time available for other priorities. There are potential roadblocks, including a debate over more funding for the Iran war and consternation over no longer having a stockpile of cash in the Medicare Improvement Fund that lawmakers often draw from when funding initiatives. President Donald Trump pulled $2 billion from the fund to send $90 checks to more than 20 million Americans on Medicare. Here are some health topics to watch in the coming weeks: - Community health centers and other extenders: Beyond the overall debate over government funding, there is a collection of health programs and policies that expire without reauthorization known as “extenders.” This includes billions of dollars in Community Health Center Program funding, which represents about 70 percent of federal funding for health centers. The National Association of Community Health Centers is having its next fly-in in about a month, bringing executives and doctors to Washington.
- Hemp: The clock is ticking on a temporary delay of federal restrictions on hemp-derived products, which some in the industry have argued amounts to a ban. Congress pushed the deadline to Dec. 11, giving lawmakers another chance to strike a regulatory compromise before certain products face new restrictions.
Hemp industry advocates, including the National Hemp Association, are pushing lawmakers to enact a legal pathway for these products — which include CBD gummies and drinks — with consumer safeguards and regulatory standards. The National Compassionate Care Council, a coalition of consumers and physicians, is urging lawmakers to consider “continuity of care” for people already taking hemp-derived products — and the “potential unintended consequences” for both patients and research if a ban is enacted. Meanwhile, proponents of the restrictions are urging Congress to let the restrictions take effect. The American Trade Association for Cannabis and Hemp, whose membership includes state cannabis associations and regulated cannabis operators, is holding a Capitol Hill fly-in next Tuesday. They’ll be meeting with members of the House and Senate in both parties, including leadership, to urge lawmakers to keep what they call the intoxicating hemp loophole closed. The US Cannabis Roundtable, which also represents the regulated cannabis industry, will also be holding a Capitol Hill briefing next Tuesday. - Medicaid overhaul: Democrats have made it clear that a top priority for the new Congress will be to reverse the GOP cuts to Medicaid. A dozen Democratic senators are already getting that push started, asking congressional leadership to include a two-year delay, according to a letter first reported by Punchbowl. This would likely be a costly addition to a year-end spending package.
- Physician pay: Doctors are pressing Congress to prevent another Medicare payment cut in 2027. The American Medical Association and other physician groups want lawmakers to extend the 2.5 percent payment increase Congress approved for 2026, along with other changes to stabilize Medicare reimbursement — but the moves also come with a hefty price tag.
The latest payment rule (which I covered in Health Brief last week) has put fresh pressure on Congress to act before the end of the year. Doctors are also pushing Congress to delay one of the provisions in the newly released Medicare payment rules that reduces payment for the lower-cost service by 20 percent when doctors bill a separate office visit alongside certain minor procedures. - Health nominees: Republicans have a shrinking window to confirm roughly a half-dozen of Trump’s health care nominees before Democrats take control of the Senate.
Pending picks include Chris Klomp to serve as deputy health secretary, Nicole Saphier to serve as surgeon general and Sean Kaufman to serve as the assistant secretary for preparedness and response. Heidi Overton, who’s been picked to lead the Food and Drug Administration, is still awaiting a Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee vote to advance her nomination. No word on when that will be scheduled. Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. says Senate Republicans have used the threat of blocking his nominees to limit his agenda, but he believes that leverage is disappearing after the midterm elections, Rachel Roubein reports in The Post’s newsroom. “Every time I tried to do something robust, I would get calls saying, ‘If you do that, we’re not going to confirm your appointees,’” Kennedy said Monday at a Make America Healthy Again Action event. He did not pinpoint which senators he was referring to, but the outgoing leader of the Senate health committee, Bill Cassidy (R-Louisiana), had frequently sparred with Kennedy and sharply questioned several political nominees about their vaccine views. Other Republicans had opposed parts of Kennedy’s agenda, including on vaccine policy and research funding. With Democrats set to take control of the Senate, Kennedy said he informed senior staff after the election that Republicans would no longer be able to use confirmations to pressure him. “The Senate no longer has any leverage over me. And that’s a big deal,” he said. But, but, but: Prominent Democrats are preparing to ramp up scrutiny of the Department of Health and Human Services, with some lawmakers already calling for Kennedy’s resignation or dismissal — and vowing congressional inquiries into his tenure once Democrats take charge in January. Read more: “RFK Jr. says Senate GOP blocked his agenda, has lost ‘leverage’ post-midterms.” — Former GOP leader Eric Cantor has started his role as president and CEO at the Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America, the industry’s most influential lobbying group. Cantor brought with him a top staffer from his prior gig at investment bank Moelis & Company, and appointed the PhRMA’s top federal lobbyist. - Kristi Way, who served as Cantor’s chief of staff and senior adviser at Moelis, has joined PhRMA as senior executive vice president and head of strategy and operations, which I’m told is a newly created position.
- Mike Woody has been named executive vice president of federal advocacy, a role he’s been holding in an acting capacity following the departure of Steve Tilton to PhRMA member BMS in April. Woody is a PhRMA veteran who previously worked for then-Sen. Tom Harkin (D-Iowa) on the Senate HELP Committee.
— Danielle Carnival has been named CEO of patient group UsAgainstAlzheimer’s, effective Jan. 4. Carnival most recently served as leader of the Undiagnosed Diseases Network Foundation. Her resume also includes serving as chief executive of patient group I AM ALS and leading the White House Cancer Moonshot during the Biden administration. “Death penalty support at lowest point in 50 years, new Gallup poll finds,” reports The Post’s Katie Mettler. “Measles Forges a Deadly Trail Across America, Exposing Fractured Health System,” Bloomberg’s Jessica Nix and Avril Silva report. “Nebraska Rushed Medicaid Work Rules. Then a Cancer Patient Was Told He’d Lost Coverage.,” reports Rachana Pradhan at KFF Health News. “Trump’s Plan to Lower Drug Prices in U.S. Is Leading to Fewer New Drugs in Europe,” Lizzy Lawrence reports at the Wall Street Journal. “Paul may be Senate’s next Republican health leader,” reports Semafor’s David Lim.
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