Newsletter

Washington Update by John Flink

Happy Saint Patrick’s Day…Ukraine has dominated the news this week in Washington, but that doesn’t mean health care was not part of the week’s agenda. On Tuesday, President Biden signed the omnibus appropriations bill funding the government through September 30. As I reported last week, this measure included several healthcare provisions important to our hospitals.?

First, it ensured that 340B hospitals would not lose their eligibility for the drug discount program due to utilization changes resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic.?

Second, the omnibus extends and expands telehealth flexibilities for 151 days after the end of the COVID-19 public health emergency. These include expanding an originating site to include any site at which the patient is located, extending the ability for rural health clinics to furnish telehealth services, expanding eligible practitioners to furnish telehealth services to include a number of therapies, and extending coverage and payment for audio-only telehealth services.

Additional funding to address the COVID-19 pandemic continues to be a sore point here. The omnibus initially included $15.6 billion in COVID-19 relief for testing, anti-viral treatments, and improved vaccines. But those provisions were pulled after lawmakers objected to using unspent state and local government COVID relief money to offset their cost.

The White House was quick to point out that they have run out of money to continue their efforts to combat COVID-19 and predicted dire consequences unless Congress quickly approves additional funds. There is talk of a separate COVID bill – but it is unclear whether that will happen anytime soon.?

Republicans seem locked into their position that additional COVID relief funding must be offset by spending cuts elsewhere. They also want an accounting of how the funds already appropriated have been spent, voicing concerns that states are sitting on millions of dollars they received under previous COVID relief bills.

Enactment of the omnibus spending bill is probably the last controversial bill to pass through Congress before the election. Lawmakers are now likely to focus on initiatives that can garner bipartisan support.

One of these is the PREVENT Pandemics Act (don’t ask me what the acronym stands for!!) aimed at applying the lessons of the COVID pandemic to future public health crises. The Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee this week approved the measure, developed by its chair and the senior Republican, by a 20 – 2 margin.

The bill would place responsibility for pandemic response in a new White House office, on a similar footing as the National Security Council. Congressional oversight of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention would be strengthened by requiring confirmation of its director. The legislation also calls for an advisory council to instruct health officials on how to get fact-based information across to the public more clearly.?

And the proposal calls for more surveillance of emerging diseases, building capacity to forecast epidemics, and improving data collection. It also calls for closer attention to the medical supply chain.

There is little disagreement in Congress about the merits of the measure. However, Republicans are likely to object to its price tag: an estimated $100 billion in the first year, $20 billion in the second and third years, and $10 billion thereafter.

Mental health legislation is a second potential bipartisan initiative, especially for the Senate Finance Committee. They hope to have a bill put together by early summer.

And third, is drug pricing policy, which the Finance Committee sought to refocus on this week in a hearing.?

It’s unclear how all of this will play out, but as the election nears – and campaigning moves into high gear – these issues are likely to be played out in the prism of election-year politics.?

North Dakota 1915(i) State Plan Amendment

The North Dakota Medicaid 1915(i) State Plan Amendment allows North Dakota Medicaid to pay for additional home and community-based services, such as non-medical transportation, housing, and supported employment to support individuals with behavioral health conditions.?

Please review the flyer for information regarding eligibility and services provided. For additional information, please contact:

Monica Haugen, Administrator, Behavioral Health 1915(I) ND Department of Human Services. Phone: 701-328-8958 | Email: [email protected]?

HHS Announces Funding for Substance Use Treatment and Prevention Programs

Grants to Focus on Increasing Access to Medication-Assisted Treatment for People Battling Opioid Use Disorder

On March 14, the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), through the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), is announcing two grant programs totaling $25.6 million that will expand access to medication-assisted treatment for opioid use disorder and prevent the misuse of prescription drugs. By reducing barriers to accessing the most effective, evidence-based treatments, this funding reflects the priorities of HHS' Overdose Prevention Strategy, as well as its new initiative to strengthen the nation's mental health and crisis care systems.

Read the full news release here.