As we have previously reported, prescription drug pricing is an early focus for Congressional hearings this year. This week the Senate Finance Committee held its second hearing on drug pricing, and the following hearings are on the schedule next week:
- On March 7, 2019, the Ways and Means Health Subcommittee is holding a hearing entitled " Promoting Competition to Lower Medicare Drug Prices."
- The Senate Aging Committee is holding a two-part hearing on "The Complex Web of Prescription Drug Prices," with a March 6 hearing focusing on Patients Struggling with Rising Costs, and a March 7 entitled Untangling the Web and Paths Forward.
Other planned health policy committee hearings for the week of March 4 include the following:
- A March 5 Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee hearing on vaccines and preventable disease outbreaks.
- A March 6 House Energy and Commerce Committee hearing on “ Strengthening Our Health Care System: Legislation to Lower Consumer Costs and Expand Access.”
- A March 6 Senate Finance Committee hearing entitled, " Not Forgotten: Protecting Americans from Abuse and Neglect in Nursing Homes."
- A March 6 House Appropriations Military Construction and Veterans Affairs Subcommittee hearing on " Electronic Health Record Modernization and Information Technology Oversight."
- A March 7 House Judiciary Antirust Subcommittee hearing entitled "Diagnosing the Problem: Exploring the Effects of Consolidation and Anticompetitive Conduct in Health Care Markets."
In other Congressional action, earlier this week the Senate Appropriations Committee held a hearing on the opioid epidemic, focusing on prevention, treatment, and recovery at the state and local level.
This article is presented for informational purposes only and is not intended to constitute legal advice.
