From Capitol Hill, the Senate late this afternoon agreed by a 74-17 vote to end debate on the Postal Reform Act of 2022 (H.R. 3076). “The Senate stands in recess until 10:30 am on Tuesday, March 8, 2022. Following Leader remarks, the Senate will resume consideration of Calendar #273, H.R. 3076, Postal Service Reform Act, post-cloture.” The time for the final Senate vote on H.R. 3076 is yet to be determined. Senate passage, which requires a simple majority vote, is assured.
Federal News Network calls attention to the fact that a month ago today the White House issued a statement of administration policy on H.R. 3076 which reads in pertinent part
H.R. 3076 would also establish a new, separate Postal Service Health Benefits Program (PSHBP)
within the existing Federal Employees Health Benefits Program (FEHBP), that integratesPostal
employees and annuitants into Medicare. Making these changes would improve the Postal
Service’s long-run financial outlook, without sacrificing quality, affordable healthcoverage for
Postal employees and retirees. The Administration is mindful that these reforms wouldimpose
administrative burdens on the Office of Personnel Management and FEHBP, and further,that
there could be potential challenges with operationalizing Medicare integration and withensuring
ongoing funding to support administration of the new PSHPB. The Administration looks
forward to working with Congress to ensure that the goals of H.R. 3076 are met in anefficient,
equitable, and cost-effective manner, while safeguarding the continued stability of the FEHBP
Roll Call reports
Top appropriators and congressional leaders are aiming to wrap up omnibus negotiations within 24 hours so they can file the massive spending package in the House on Tuesday, vote on it in that chamber Wednesday and get it through the Senate before Friday at midnight when stopgap funding expires.
While so-called open items remained, there was confidence on both sides of the aisle that talks were going well enough on the massive, long-overdue package that a fourth continuing resolution for the fiscal year that began Oct. 1 wouldn’t be necessary.
From the Omicron front, STAT News informs us
A new report released Monday charts a path for the transition out of the Covid-19 pandemic, one that outlines both how the country can deal with the challenge of endemic Covid disease and how to prepare for future biosecurity threats.
The report plots a course to what its authors call the “next normal” — living with the SARS-CoV-2 virus as a continuing threat that needs to be managed. Doing so will require improvements on a number of fronts, from better surveillance for Covid and other pathogens to keeping tabs on how taxed hospitals are; and from efforts to address the air quality in buildings to continued investment in antiviral drugs and better vaccines. The authors also call for offering people sick with respiratory symptoms easy access to testing and, if they are positive for Covid or influenza, a quick prescription for the relevant antiviral drug.
The 136-page report was written by nearly two dozen experts, a number of whom have advised the Biden administration on its Covid-19 policies. Thirty other experts contributed to the report, entitled “Getting to and Sustaining the Next Normal: A Roadmap to Living with Covid.”
Helpful. Speaking of which, the Centers for Disease Control offers advice on how to prepare children and teens for Covid vaccination.
From the healthcare cost front, Healthcare Dive reports
Higher-priced emergency care was associated with lower mortality in hospital markets with less hospital concentration, but survival rates were similar for low- and high-priced hospitals in more concentrated markets, according to a working paper released last week from the nonprofit National Bureau of Economic Research.
The researchers determined that additional spending on quality improvements at expensive hospitals in unconcentrated markets is potentially cost-effective.
However, they found no evidence of better outcomes among patients admitted for emergency care to pricier hospitals in markets with less competition, despite substantially higher costs. “In these concentrated markets, high prices likely reflect patients’ lack of alternative options, not hospital quality,” the study said.
From the healthcare business front, Fierce Healthcare tells us
GoodRx is scooping up vitaCare Prescription Services from TherapeuticsMD to beef up its growing pharma manufacturer solutions business.
VitaCare is a technology and services platform designed to make the complex process of filling prescriptions simple, cost-effective and stress-free for patients.
In recent months, the COVID-19 pandemic has highlighted the value of pharmaceutical companies being able to connect directly with patients, according to TherapeuticsMD in its latest earnings release. This in combination with the rise of interest and investment in other hub service and pharmacy services companies has driven outside interest in vitaCare both from pharmaceutical companies seeking to utilize vitaCare for their products and from potential partners or sponsors seeking to acquire a controlling interest in vitaCare.
GoodRx has agreed to acquire vitaCare for $150 million in cash, with an additional $7 million consideration contingent upon vitaCare’s financial performance through 2023, according to the companies.
The transaction is expected to close in mid-2022.
From the telehealth from, HR Tech shares large employer tips on how to promote employee use of telehealth or as its now called virtual care.
March is Women’s History Month, and the Veterans Administration gives us a chance to virtually meet several VA oncologists, some of the women who are making cancer history.