The Medical Nutrition Equity Act of 2023 requires Medicare, Medicaid, CHIP, TRICARE, FEHBP, and private health insurance plans to cover medically necessary food for patients with specific digestive and inherited metabolic disorders. The bill defines "medically necessary food" as specialized formulas, vitamins, or amino acids prescribed by a physician for conditions including inherited metabolic disorders, malabsorption syndromes, food allergies, and inflammatory bowel diseases. It mandates coverage for both the food and necessary equipment/supplies to administer it, specifically prohibiting insurers from requiring feeding tubes when oral administration is possible. The bill also establishes that Medicare coverage will be 80% of the cost for these items. This legislation aims to ensure patients with these conditions can access the specialized nutrition therapies they need to prevent serious health complications like malnutrition, hospitalization, or developmental issues.
The Black Lung Benefits Improvement Act of 2023 makes key changes to improve benefits for coal miners with black lung disease (pneumoconiosis) and their families. It clarifies eligibility using medical evidence like chest scans and biopsies, creates a program to pay attorneys' fees and medical expenses for qualifying claims, and restores cost-of-living adjustments to benefits that had been frozen for years. The bill also requires a strategy to reduce delays in processing claims and improves how employment and earnings information is shared to support claims. These changes aim to make it easier for miners and their families to access the benefits they're entitled to under the Black Lung Benefits Act.
This bill adds audiology services to Medicare's covered benefits under Section 1861(s)(2)(KK), effective January 1, 2025. It allows qualified audiologists to provide hearing and balance assessments and diagnostic/treatment services without requiring a physician referral or supervision, directly affecting Medicare beneficiaries seeking these services and audiologists practicing under state law. Payment will be 80% of the lower of actual charge or the Medicare fee schedule. The bill does not expand the types of audiology services covered but changes how they are accessed and paid for under Medicare.
The ARCC Act provides $100 million in federal funding to help apprentices and pre-apprentices in job training programs cover childcare costs. It authorizes competitive grants to 10 states, which must distribute monthly stipends of at least $500 per dependent child directly to eligible childcare providers on behalf of participants in these programs. The bill prioritizes individuals from historically underrepresented groups (based on race, ethnicity, or gender) and ensures stipends are tax-free while not affecting eligibility for other federal benefits. States must report on participation, program completion rates, and demographic data, with the Secretary later summarizing program impacts for Congress.
The Maximum Pressure Act (HR 6114) is a legislative proposal that would maintain and expand U.S. sanctions against Iran. The bill would codify existing sanctions, require Iran to meet 12 specific conditions before sanctions could be lifted (including ending support for terrorism, releasing hostages, and ending nuclear enrichment), and expand sanctions on Iran's Revolutionary Guard Corps and missile programs. It also establishes new reporting requirements for the U.S. government to monitor Iran's activities and the impact of sanctions. The legislation would require congressional review before any sanctions could be lifted or modified, preventing the executive branch from unilaterally easing restrictions.
HR 5713, the Homeland Security Fentanyl Enforcement Act, authorizes Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) agents and designated state/local officers to enforce drug laws related to fentanyl trafficking under the Controlled Substances Act for five years. It requires the Government Accountability Office (GAO) to review and report on coordination between the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) and HSI in drug investigations within 18 months, including whether investigations followed established coordination policies. The bill mandates the Homeland Security Secretary and Attorney General to address any coordination failures found in the GAO report, prioritizing existing interagency task forces. This bill focuses on improving interagency coordination to combat fentanyl smuggling by transnational criminal organizations, without altering DEA's core authorities or creating new drug penalties.
The MORE Act (HR 5601) would federally decriminalize cannabis by removing it from the Schedule I list of controlled substances under the Controlled Substances Act. It requires federal courts to expunge non-violent cannabis convictions and associated arrests, with a focus on addressing racial disparities in cannabis enforcement. The bill creates an Opportunity Trust Fund that would allocate 50% of funds to criminal justice programs, 20% to small business assistance for minority cannabis entrepreneurs, and 20% to community reinvestment grants for individuals impacted by the War on Drugs. It also prohibits federal agencies from denying benefits or security clearances based on cannabis use or past cannabis convictions, and establishes a Cannabis Justice Office to administer these programs.
The CARE for Moms Act aims to reduce maternal mortality in the United States by improving healthcare access and quality for pregnant and postpartum women, with specific attention to racial disparities. Key provisions include requiring 12-month continuous Medicaid coverage for postpartum individuals (up from 60 days), expanding oral health coverage during pregnancy, and funding State-Based Perinatal Quality Collaboratives through $35 million annual grants. The bill specifically targets the higher maternal mortality rates faced by Black women, who are about 3 times more likely to die from pregnancy-related causes than White women. It also includes provisions for doula services, rural mobile health units, and improved data collection on maternal health outcomes.
The Cutting Copays Act lowers prescription drug costs for low-income Medicare Part D beneficiaries. Starting in 2024, generic drugs will have a $0 copay, while other drugs will have a copay set at the 2023 level (adjusted for prior changes) and then increased annually by the consumer price index. For 2023 and earlier, the maximum copay for generic drugs was $1 and for other drugs was $3. This directly reduces out-of-pocket expenses for millions of low-income seniors and people with disabilities enrolled in Medicare Part D.
This bill requires Medicare to improve transparency in its national coverage decision process for medical treatments and devices. It mandates that Medicare (through the Secretary of Health and Human Services) must determine within 30 days if a submission is a complete request for a coverage decision, and if not, provide specific feedback on missing information. Complete requests must be posted publicly on a government website within two business days, and annual reports must include the time between submission and the point when the request was deemed complete. This directly affects healthcare providers, pharmaceutical companies, and medical device manufacturers seeking Medicare coverage for new treatments.
The Preserving Access to Home Health Act of 2023 repeals a 2018 payment adjustment for Medicare home health agencies, restoring prior payment rates for 2024 and subsequent years. It requires the Medicare Payment Advisory Commission (MedPAC) to analyze how home health agencies' financial performance affects access to care, including reviewing spending and utilization data across Medicare, Medicaid, and other payers. Starting in 2025, the bill mandates home health agencies to report detailed data on visit volumes and payments by payer source (Medicare, Medicaid, private insurers) through updated cost reports. This data will help MedPAC assess payment policy impacts on access to home health services for Medicare beneficiaries.
HR 4712, the Patient Right to Shop Act, prohibits group health plans and health insurance issuers from including contract terms that block third-party tools helping patients compare prescription drug costs. The bill specifically targets contracts with pharmacy benefit managers (PBMs), requiring that plans cannot restrict access to information needed for tools showing all patient costs - like copays, coinsurance, cash prices, or mail-order options. It directly affects patients (who gain clearer cost comparisons), health plans, insurers, and PBMs. The law does not create new tools but ensures existing cost-comparison tools can function by preventing contractual barriers, while clarifying it doesn’t override existing privacy rules like HIPAA.
