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
AHA supports bill expanding in-network providers within MA plans 
The AHA Sept. 15 expressed support for the Ensuring Access to Essential Providers Act, legislation that would require Medicare Advantage plans to cover…
Headline
AHA urges Aetna to rescind ‘level of severity inpatient payment’ policy
The AHA Sept. 15 urged Aetna to rescind its recently announced “level of severity inpatient payment” policy, saying that it “could erode the transparency…
Headline
AHA highlights key health care priorities for House, Senate leaders to address by end of year 
The AHA detailed its key health care priorities for the remainder of the year in comments to House and Senate majority and minority leaders Sept. 15. The AHA…
Perspective
Hospital Outpatient Departments Are Different from Independent Physician Offices
Public
Every health care provider strives to deliver their patients the best possible care, but not all providers offer the same level or complexity of care. Current…
Headline
FDA issues guidance to expand non-opioid treatments for chronic pain
The Food and Drug Administration Sept. 10 released draft guidance on non-opioid treatments for treating chronic pain and reducing prescription opioid misuse.…
Headline
House E&C Health Subcommittee advances workforce legislation
The House Energy and Commerce Subcommittee on Health Sept. 10 advanced the Title VIII Nursing Workforce Reauthorization Act (H.R. 3593), AHA-supported…