House holds first hearing on HHS budget request for FY 2020

Mar 12, 2019 - 03:25 PM
Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Seal

The House Energy and Commerce Health Subcommittee today held a hearing on the president’s fiscal year 2020 budget request for the Department of Health and Human Services, at which HHS Secretary Alex Azar testified. Released yesterday, the non-binding budget request proposes hundreds of billions of dollars in reductions to Medicare and Medicaid over 10 years. It also contains a number of provisions related to drug pricing, opioids and other health-related issues. In a statement yesterday, AHA President and CEO Rick Pollack said, “Patients should be confident in knowing that their hospital is their lifeline to access care in their community. The cuts proposed today raise serious concerns about how hospitals and health systems can ensure they serve as the safety net for their patients.”  For more on AHA's reaction, see the AHA Stat blog.
 
At today’s hearing, Azar announced that National Cancer Institute Director Norman Sharpless, M.D., will serve as acting Food and Drug Administration commissioner after current commissioner Scott Gottlieb, M.D., departs in about a month.

Related News Articles

Headline
Shutdown expected to continue next week as Senate adjourns
The federal government shutdown is expected to continue into next week as the Senate adjourned Oct. 9 after failing to pass spending legislation; senators plan…
Headline
AHA calls for Senate committee to strengthen supply chain for pharmaceuticals, medical devices
The AHA provided a statement of record to the Senate Special Committee on Aging for a hearing Oct. 8 on the pharmaceutical and medical device supply chains.…
Headline
AHA encourages MedPAC to refine analysis of MA enrollment impacts on patients, providers
The AHA Oct. 3 responded to the Medicare Payment Advisory Commission’s recent analysis on the financial impacts of Medicare Advantage enrollment growth on…
Headline
Senate again fails to pass CR, government shutdown continues
The federal government shutdown will continue as the Senate Oct. 3 failed to adopt a government funding deal. The latest attempt to pass the House-passed…
Headline
Study finds Medicaid beneficiaries most likely to lose coverage due to work requirements have worse health  
A JAMA study published yesterday analyzed the health characteristics of individuals projected to lose Medicaid coverage due to work requirements included in…
Headline
CMS finalizes Medicare Part C Utilization Management Annual Data Submission requirements 
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services Sept. 30 issued a memo, through the Health Plan Management system, finalizing the Medicare Advantage…