OVERNIGHT HEALTHCARE: NIH funding holds up medical cures bill

Leaders of the House Energy and Commerce Committee are still trying to reach a consensus on a landmark medical innovation bill, the 21st Century Cures initiative.

Chairman Fred Upton (R-Mich.) and ranking member Diana DeGette (D-Col.) on Tuesday again held off on releasing details of the latest version of their bill, which was slated to be released as early as last Wednesday.

The draft will now be released early Wednesday morning, according to a committee aide, one day before a high-profile hearing on Thursday. Both Upton and DeGette have been under intense pressure from advocacy groups to release details of the bill – which will likely be hundreds of pages – as early as possible ahead of the hearing.

{mosads}A funding increase for the National Institutes of Health is one of the major sticking points for the group, which also includes Rep. Frank Pallone (D-N.J.).

“At the end of the day, they’re still trying to figure out if there will be an increase in funding for NIH,” Marc Boutin, CEO of the nonprofit National Health Council, said Tuesday.

Chairman Fred Upton (R-Mich.) told a local news station earlier this week that he believes there will be a “pretty significant increase” to the NIH’s research budget – a key goal for Democrats.

The committee has been working four months to narrow down a 400-page draft document into a final version of the 21st Century Cures bill. Upton said he hopes to formally introduce the bill by the end of April or the “very beginning” or May, with the bill advancing to the House floor by June.

“The leadership tells us they’re going to be ready as soon as we are, which probably looks as June,” Upton, who met with House leaders last week, added. Read more here.

CONSERVATIVES TO RELEASE OBAMACARE PLAN: Conservative House members are putting the final touches on a new ObamaCare replacement plan, which they plan to release just before a key Supreme Court ruling on the healthcare law.

Rep. Bill Flores (R-Texas), the chairman of the Republican Study Committee (RSC), said in an interview that the group will publicly release its latest healthcare alternative plan by early June, less than one month before the Supreme Court decides whether three-quarters of states can keep their ObamaCare subsidies.

The plan will not specifically say how the GOP should respond to the King v. Burwell case, which threatens to erase healthcare subsidies for 7.5 million people in 34 states. Read more here.

MURRAY SAYS INSURERS ARE IGNORING OBAMACARE MANDATE: Sen. Patty Murray (D-Wash.) is calling on health insurance companies to follow the requirements for contraceptive coverage under ObamaCare.

Murray wrote to eight insurance companies offering coverage on the ObamaCare marketplace in her home state of Washington on Tuesday raising concerns about the results of a report from Northwest Health Law Advocates and NARAL Pro-Choice Washington.

Under ObamaCare, contraception is required to be free for enrollees. But the report found that customer service representatives for insurance companies often gave customers incorrect information about the cost of contraceptives.

“A lack of consumer awareness and transparency about what is covered for women is unacceptable,” Murray wrote in the letter. “A benefit that’s hidden from consumers is the same as having no benefit at all. Insurers must do their part to provide accurate information to all Washingtonians.” Read more here. 

Wednesday’s schedule

Sen. Patty Murray (D-Wash.) will speak at a press conference led by the National Women’s Law Center on contraceptive coverage under ObamaCare.

The Senate Small Business and Entrepreneurship Committee will hold a hearing on the impact of the Supreme Court case King v. Burwell.

State by state

Hospitals offer to share cost of Medicare expansion in Louisiana

Hawaii could be the first state to raise smoking age to 21

Texas looks at more abortion restrictions after clinic closures 

Florida lawmakers: Impasse over Medicare is insurmountable

What we’re reading

Merck measles vaccine sales surged as California outbreak grew

Rand Paul missed Ebola hearings

Aetna more bullish on ObamaCare, raises 2015 profit forecast

Most employers unprepared for healthcare law reporting

What you might have missed from The Hill

Senators look to streamline approval of new cures

Senators warn Medicare appeals system ‘buckling under its own weight’

Please send tips and comments to Sarah Ferris, sferris@digital-staging.thehill.com, and Peter Sullivan, psullivan@digital-staging.thehill.com. Follow on Twitter: @thehill, @sarahnferris, @PeterSullivan4