(C) Iowa Capital Dispatch
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D.C. Dispatch: Medicare changes, pediatric health care and voter ID [1]
['Jay Waagmeester', 'More From Author', '- July']
Date: 2023-07-21
Nearing a month-long break, members of Iowa’s congressional delegation were busy introducing legislation this week, including several bills dealing with health care and agricultural issues.
Feenstra introduces voter ID bill
Rep. Randy Feenstra, alongside House Speaker Kevin McCarthy, introduced a bill to “secure American elections.”
The legislation would require voter ID laws, strengthen access for election observers to promote accountability, prohibit undocumented immigrants from voting, require annual voter list maintenance and stop unsolicited mailing of ballots to unsecure lists, according to Feenstra’s office.
“In Iowa, through commonsense reforms, our elections are the gold standard – conducted with the utmost integrity, precision and speed,” Feenstra said in a news release. “I’m proud to help introduce the American Confidence in Elections Act to replicate Iowa’s success at the federal level while making it easier to vote and harder to cheat.”
Last week, Democrats in the House said they planned to introduce legislation aimed at loosening GOP-passed voting restrictions in states and setting national standards for early voting, mail-in ballots and protection of poll workers and volunteers from harassment.
Miller-Meeks and Grassley join forces for children’s health care
Sen. Chuck Grassley and Rep. Mariannette Miller-Meeks introduced two bills this week to simplify pediatric Medicaid screenings and enrollment processes for out-of-state providers.
The bills, one in the House and one in the Senate, are supported by more than 200 children’s hospitals, patients and research organizations across the nation, including the University of Iowa Stead Family Children’s Hospital, Blank Children’s Hospital and ChildServe, Grassley said.
Introd 2day Accelerating Kids Access 2 Care Act w Sen Bennet Improves health care access 4 kids w complex medical needs & builds onto my ACE Kids Act Glad 2 have support of 200+ stakeholder groups incl UIowa Stead Family Children’s Hospital + Blank Children’s + Childserve — Chuck Grassley (@ChuckGrassley) July 19, 2023
“Families seeking life-saving care for their children should be able to access it quickly and wherever it’s available,” Grassley said in a news release. “Families shouldn’t have to trip over red tape to reach the most effective specialist, treatment or procedure, whether around the corner or across state lines. Our bill makes it easier for kids to get the medical attention they need without imposing extra costs on families.”
The bill would accommodate children who need medical care unavailable in their state by identifying available providers in other states with Medicaid coverage. The bill aims to help families face fewer hurdles seeking care outside their state’s borders, saving time and stress during a hard time.
“The Accelerating Kids’ Access to Care Act is crucial for children battling rare and complex diseases,” Miller-Meeks said in a news release. “This legislation gives children with rare and complex diseases access to health care institutions and research facilities that are in many cases out of state. It also lessens the bureaucracy and significant wait times that bottleneck patient care and risk worsening a child’s health condition.”
Ernst pushes for pediatric research
Sen. Joni Ernst also introduced pediatric-focused legislation this week.
The legislation would develop research priorities to support ongoing research and would identify gaps and opportunities to support new treatments and cures.
“Pediatric research of complex medical conditions is critical to protecting the health and improving the lives of kids in Iowa and across the country,” Ernst said in a news release. “As childhood cancer diagnoses continue to climb, we must ensure that our strongest researchers are working together to find the best cures and treatments available.”
The legislation is also supported by the University of Iowa Children’s Hospital, Blank Children’s Hospital, ChildServe and MercyOne.
Grassley looks to expand Medicare benefits for hearing impaired
Grassley introduced a bipartisan bill to expand audiology assistance for Medicare recipients this week, a companion to 2017 legislation.
The Medicare Audiology Access Improvement Act aims to make hearing and balance health care services accessible to seniors and people with disabilities on Medicare.
Medicare currently covers some hearing health services, but this legislation would update Medicare guidelines to include audiologists as providers and make the full range of services available for reimbursement.
“I’m proud to have helped improve access to high-quality and affordable hearing aids by shepherding the Over-the-Counter Hearing Aids Act through Congress in 2017 and holding the U.S. Food & Drug Administration accountable to implement the law,” Grassley said in a news release. “I’ve seen firsthand the importance of accessing audiology services, which is why I’m glad to support this bill to make it easier for seniors and individuals with disabilities to get help from an audiologist.”
The legislation was introduced with Democratic Sens. Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts, Jeanne Shaheen of New Hampshire, Sherrod Brown of Ohio and Peter Welch of Vermont and Republican Sens. Rand Paul of Kentucky, Roger Wicker of Mississippi and Independent Sens. Kyrsten Sinema of Arizona and Angus King, Jr. of Maine.
The 2017 legislation did not pass through Congress, but over-the-counter hearing aids were made available, with regulations, by the FDA in 2022.
Miller-Meeks advocates for breast cancer survivors
Miller-Meeks introduced legislation to make breast prosthetics eligible for Medicare coverage.
“During such fragile times when women are dealing with the stress and toll of invasive breast cancer, line items of their insurance coverage are the furthest things from their minds,” Miller-Meeks said in a news release. “The Breast Cancer Patient Equity Act takes away the burden of calculating the coverage for custom prosthetics and gives access to higher quality implants for patients diagnosed with invasive breast cancer that undergo a mastectomy, regardless of their income.”
According to the bill, Medicare provides coverage and reimbursement for custom fabrication of any lost body part, with the exception of breasts. The bill aims to remove that inequity.
Medicare currently covers off-the-shelf inserts and complete reconstruction. The bill would allow for a third option, custom inserts.
More Medicare from Miller-Meeks
Miller-Meeks introduced legislation this week to expand Medicare provider options for intensive behavioral therapy related to obesity.
The bill would allow clinical psychologists, registered dietitians and nutrition professionals to care for patients treating obesity if referred by a physician.
The legislation would also allow Medicare Part D patients to be covered for FDA approved medications for obesity.
“As a physician, I believe we must support and utilize available medical breakthroughs,” Miller-Meeks said in a news release. “This legislation combats the obesity epidemic through increasing access to ground-breaking medical treatments and screenings.”
Grassley addresses high prescription drug prices
Grassley introduced legislation to reduce the price of prescription drugs by adjusting the functions of the pharmacy and therapeutics committee.
The legislation would add pharmacy benefit managers to conflict-of-interest restrictions for certain pharmacy and therapeutics committee members, according to Grassley’s office.
“Iowans consistently raise concerns about the high prices they’re paying for prescription drugs,” Grassley said in a news release. “Pharmacy benefit managers, which operate in the shadows between drug companies and insurance plans, use complex and opaque schemes to push up the prices of drugs for consumers. This bill shines a light on these practices and prioritizes patients over PBM profits.”
Additionally, the legislation would require the Government Accountability Office to track how often pharmacy benefit managers override committee recommendations for pricing and report the findings to Congress.
Feenstra and Nunn introduce crop genetic research bill
Feenstra and Rep. Zach Nunn introduced legislation to continue funding genome and phenome research to increase crop yields.
The bill would reauthorize a grant program included in the 2018 Farm Bill, allowing for $40 million to be granted for researching genomes and phenomes of crops and animals, according to Feenstra’s office.
“By reauthorizing this program, we will ensure Iowa State University and other land-grant universities can continue their vital research to improve the way we grow and raise America’s food supply,” Nunn said in a news release.
The program, the National Institute of Food and Agriculture’s Agricultural Genome to Phenome Initiative, focuses on collaborative science engagement that intends to develop a community of researchers across both crops and animals, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture.
“Continued investment in agricultural research at land-grant universities like Iowa State is vital to the success of our farmers, producers and rural communities,” Feenstra said. “We’ve seen China surpass our agricultural research funding by a two-to-one margin, and we cannot afford to fall behind. Scientific advancements in cutting-edge research – especially corn genetics – has helped our producers feed and fuel our country and the world at lower costs and with fewer inputs.”
Grassley continues foreign land ownership fight
Grassley is looking to build on a current law, one he co-sponsored, with the Farmland Security Act of 2023.
The legislation would require foreign farmland investors to report their holdings, and would increase penalties for those who evade filing.
The bill would also support research on domestic food supply and how it is affected by foreign farmland ownership.
“The world’s best farmland is located in America,” Grassley said in a news release. “Our foreign competitors recognize this and continue to invest in American agricultural land, increasing competition for young and beginning farmers and threatening our national security.
Grassley led the Farmland Security Act of 2022, which was passed, and requires the USDA to digitally file all foreign farmland purchases and create a database.
The 2023 legislation would impose new financial penalties for failing to report and would direct the USDA to conduct an annual compliance audit.
Ernst looks to normalize relations in the Middle East
Ernst introduced legislation this week in attempt to normalize relations between Israel and surrounding, Arab and Islamic countries.
The legislation would build on the Abraham Accords and other organizations, aiming to expand ties between members of those organizations.
The legislation would also “designate a special presidential envoy empowered to coordinate a whole-of-government approach to normalization and regional integration,” according to Ernst’s office.
“As co-chair of the Abraham Accords Caucus, I’m committed to building upon this historic model and strengthening regional cooperation to bring peace in the Middle East,” Ernst said in a news release. “Through this bipartisan effort, we can promote interfaith and intercultural dialogue, develop innovative projects across the Accords members, strengthen security cooperation with our partners, and increase economic prosperity.”
Ernst met with Israel’s President Isaac Herzog this week after he addressed Congress.
Twitter check in
One thing to take away from this week’s D.C. Dispatch, if nothing else, is Grassley’s informational video on corn pollination.
Rep. Ashley Hinson took “bring your child to work day” to another level, and brought her son to D.C. for the week.
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