Illustration: Lindsey Bailey / Axios
The Senate HELP Committee at a Thursday hearing will preview steps Congress could take after recess to address health care costs.
Why it matters: The session on health care affordability will give a sense of which proposals will get aired in the run-up to the midterms as lawmakers look to revive some of last year's collapsed health care package.
Driving the news: The hearing is expected to highlight a grab bag of plans to control rising health costs, sources said.
- Those include long-running panel efforts to overhaul PBM business practices, price transparency and site-neutral hospital payment policies. And it will likely cover prospective changes to the 340B discount drug program, a priority of HELP Chair Bill Cassidy.
- HELP members John Hickenlooper and Roger Marshall have a new bipartisan price transparency measure that could get airtime. It would require providers to post the confidential rates they negotiate with insurers.
What we're watching: Whether senators have any appetite for another helping of health policy after the grinding Medicaid reconciliation debate and fights over rescissions and individual spending bills.
- Although many health priorities have been long delayed, notably PBM changes, the larger environment is not necessarily welcoming for a major health package.
- Congress could be headed for a continuing resolution or even a government shutdown, which would not be conducive to attaching major health measures.
- A strong push from both parties would be needed to get a health package done by year's end, so this hearing will help set the tone.
Yes, but: Democrats are certain to also hit Republicans over Medicaid cuts and will highlight the enhanced ACA subsidies that expire at the end of this year.
- We'll also watch to see whether any GOP senators voice support for those subsidies beyond HELP panel member Lisa Murkowski, who already has.
- Health insurers also could take a beating given that one witness is Wendell Potter, a former industry executive turned fierce critic.
- HELP Ranking Member Bernie Sanders also could seek to highlight Medicare for All, with another witness, Adam Gaffney, a former president of Physicians for a National Health Program, a single-payer group.
