U.S. House Energy and Commerce Committee Ranking Member Greg Walden (R-OR) and U.S. Rep. Michael Burgess (R-TX) commended markup by the Energy and Commerce Subcommittee on Health of 10 healthcare-related bills last week.
“As I have said before, reauthorizing these programs in a timely manner is imperative. Once these bills advance through the full Energy and Commerce Committee, I hope that we can, in a bipartisan fashion, communicate to the Speaker and our respective leadership just how vital these reauthorizations are,” said Rep. Burgess, ranking member of the health subcommittee.
“Today marks another step forward in this committee’s bipartisan work to strengthen critical public health services for Americans,” Rep. Walden said on July 11 following the subcommittee’s action.
Specifically, Rep. Walden applauded two approvals by the health subcommittee of both the No Surprises Act, H.R. 3630, and the Community Health Investment, Modernization, and Excellence Act of 2019, H.R. 2328.
H.R. 3630, which Rep. Walden cosponsored on July 9 with U.S. Rep. Frank Pallone Jr. (D-NJ), would amend the Public Health Service Act to protect healthcare consumers from surprise billing practices.
H.R. 3630 “prohibits surprise medical bills and resolves the payment disputes with a market-based approach – dependent on where people live and the type of care they receive,” Rep. Walden said. “I’m encouraged by the substantial progress we’ve made and I commit to continuing to work with my colleagues to get this done.”
H.R. 2328, introduced in April by U.S. Reps. Elise Stefanik (R-NY) and Tom O’Halleran (D-AZ), would reauthorize and extend funding for community health centers and the National Health Service Corps.
“We are moving forward with legislation to eliminate two years of Obamacare cuts to our disproportionate share hospitals,” said Rep. Walden. “This will provide certainty to hospitals that serve our at-need communities as we work on a long-term solution, and includes important transparency measures to strengthen the integrity of the program.”
Eight other measures also received subcommittee approval, including legislation that Rep. Burgess said would reauthorize Title VII physician and other health professions workforce funding.
“When I was the chairman of the health subcommittee last Congress, we moved both Title VII and Title VIII reauthorizations through the committee and the House,” he said. “Unfortunately, the Senate did not take up either of our bills. I hope that the Senate will show interest in reauthorizing these vital programs this year.”