From Capitol Hill, overnight, the FY 2022 onmnibus appropriations bill language was released. The bill is over twenty one hundred pages long. The American Hospital Association has taken the time to summarize the bill’s healthcare provisions. Federal News Network discusses the bill’s federal workforce provisions. The Wall Street Journal notes
Democratic House leaders said they would remove a contentious $15.6 billion Covid-19 aid provision from the omnibus spending bill to try to get it over the finish line, after angry rank-and-file members rejected clawing back states’ unused coronavirus money to fund the proposal.
The decision to drop the Covid-19 aid was a dramatic setback for both House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D., Calif.), who negotiated the plan, and President Biden, whose administration originally asked for $22.5 billion for Covid-19 aid and now will get nothing from the bill.
The House of Representative currently is considering the bill and a fourth continuing resolution that would last the four days beyond March 11 that the Senate needs to pass the bill. The House is expected to vote on the bill around 9:15 pm ET. Passage of the bill and the brief continuing resolution is expected.
From the Rx coverage front, Fierce Healthcare informs us
Amazon Pharmacy is partnering with Blue Plans in five states and Prime Therapeutics to tackle the affordability of prescription medications.
The online retail giant’s pharmacy arm is rolling out a prescription discount savings card that’s available to some Blue Plans members.
Integrating this discount card pricing into the shopping experience lets eligible customers compare their co-pay or discount price upfront and then apply purchases for eligible medications to the out-of-pocket maximums and deductibles associated with their insurance plan, according to Nworah Ayogu, M.D., chief medical officer for Amazon Pharmacy. * * *
Eligible plans now include Horizon Blue Cross Blue Shield of New Jersey, Blue Cross Blue Shield of Nebraska, Blue Cross Blue Shield of Alabama, Florida Blue and Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Kansas.
From the miscellany department —
- The National Committee for Quality Assurance has created a health equity website.
- America’s Health Insurance Plans celebrated International Womens’ Day yesterday with remarks from healthcare leaders on how health plans can improve healthcare for women.
- The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services issued new guidance for group health plans on submitting a valid documented defense to Medicare overpayment recovery demands.
- Plan Sponsor tells us about a new Employee Benefit Research Institute/Greenwald Research report titled “Consumer Engagement in Health Care Survey.” Check it out.