Long-awaited legislation to speed up the approval for medical treatments is headed to a markup by the full House Energy and Commerce Committee next week.
The landmark 21st Century Cures bill, which includes an overhaul of the Food and Drug Administration’s regulatory authority as well as a burst of new funding for the National Institutes of Health (NIH), has been in the works for more than a year.
The bill was easily approved by a Health subcommittee on Thursday, in keeping with its chairman’s ambitious timeline of getting the bill signed “later this year.”
{mosads}Chairman Fred Upton (R-Mich.) and Rep. Diana DeGette (D-Colo.), who have spearheaded the process, say the bill will pass the House by June — and hope to hold a markup on Wednesday.
Their careful maneuvering so far this spring has alleviated nearly all of the concerns of fellow House lawmakers. Legislative text unveiled this week showed lawmakers striking a deal to meet both Democrats’ demand for more NIH funding and Republican calls for stronger exclusivity rights for drug companies.
Still, questions linger about how the bill’s authors plan to offset the its costs — particularly $10 billion in NIH funding. Upton’s office says the bill will be fully paid for and more details on that will come in the week ahead.
Its future in the Senate remains unclear, however, with several senators indicating this week that their version of the legislation will move on a far slower timeline.
Around Capitol Hill, things will be much quieter on healthcare issues as lawmakers prepare for the Memorial Day recess.
Before they go, the Committee on Education and the Workforce will hold a subcommittee hearing to address the “waste, fraud and abuse” in federal child nutrition programs.
And with the Supreme Court’s ruling on ObamaCare subsidies fast approaching, Sen. Bill Cassidy (R-La.) will announce the latest GOP healthcare alternative in a speech Thursday at the Hudson Institute.
Cassidy says his plan would kick in after Republicans decide on a “temporary assistance” program to help people who could lose their subsidies under the upcoming ruling in the case King v. Burwell. His plan would let states opt out of ObamaCare mandates and instead receive tax credits for health savings accounts.
Legislative language will be released later this month, with the court’s ruling expected in late June.
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