House Lawmakers Push to Revive Previously Killed Health Package

bgov.com

January 17, 2025 10:24 am

  • Rep. Carter says discussions continuing over legislation
  • Key health provisions stripped from December stopgap bill

Health-minded lawmakers are in conversations with House leadership on reviving health legislation that failed to make it into a December government funding bill.

Rep. Buddy Carter (R-Ga.), chair of the Health subcommittee on Energy and Commerce, told reporters on Thursday he’s in conversations with leadership to pass the more than 500-page health package, either in a stand-alone vote or included in a reconciliation package.

“I’d like to do it as a standalone, get it done, and have it behind us, personally,” Carter said. “If we did it through suspension, we could probably put it on the floor. I mean, it was an agreement. It was bipartisan, bicameral.”

The large health care package that was eventually stripped out of the end-of-the-year government spending deal held a number of notable provisions, including language that would rein in pharmacy benefit managers for the first time, boost Medicare doctor payments, and extend telehealth services for multiple years. However, the package was ultimately stripped out and replaced with a standard three-month extension of funding after President-elect Donald Trump rejected the bipartisan deal with Democrats, and made additional demands.

Rep. Greg Murphy (R-N.C.), chair of the Doctors Caucus, confirmed there have been conversations about putting the package up for a suspension vote.

“Given the bipartisan nature of” PBM reform, “and a few other things, I think it would pass,” Murphy told Bloomberg Government in a written statement Thursday. “Obviously, it will be up to the Speaker.”

The December-passed government funding deal extended existing health authorities for three months, but stripped out principal health provisions, such as a regular “doc pay fix” provision that would’ve staved off a 2.8% Medicare payment cut for doctors that took place at the beginning of January. Murphy had previously told Bloomberg Government he secured an agreement with the Trump transition team to include a retroactive “fix” in the next government funding deal.

A spokesperson for Speaker Mike Johnson did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

House Energy and Commerce Chair Rep. Brett Guthrie (R-Ky.) had told reporters Jan. 3 the policies in the killed health package are “alive again.” Lawmakers, however, are still trying to find the right vehicle for it, with reconciliation measures being a possibility.