Bills to reauthorize PAHPA, CHGME, SUPPORT Act programs advance in House

The House Energy and Commerce Health Subcommittee yesterday passed 17 health-related bills, including legislation that would reauthorize the Pandemic and All-Hazards Preparedness Act, Children’s Hospitals Graduate Medical Education Program, and key programs within the Substance Use-Disorder Prevention that Promotes Opioid Recovery and Treatment for Patients and Communities (SUPPORT) Act, as well as other health-related bills.  
 
The PAHPA reauthorization bills (H.R. 4421 and H.R. 4420) passed along party lines, with Democrats objecting to a lack of provisions to address drug shortages. The CHGME bill (H.R. 3887), also passed without Democratic support, would reauthorize payments to children’s hospitals that operate Graduate Medical Education programs for fiscal years 2024 through 2028 and prohibit payments to children’s hospitals that furnish gender-affirming procedures or drugs for minors. The Support for Patients and Communities Reauthorization Act (H.R. 4531), passed by voice vote, would reauthorize key SUPPORT Act programs for patients with substance use disorder and permanently extend required Medicaid coverage for medication-assisted treatments.
 
The full committee could vote on the bills before recessing in August.