Rep. Jared Moskowitz

Maddy summaryHR 2630, the Safe Step Act, requires group health plans and health insurance issuers to establish a clear, transparent process for patients or their doctors to request exceptions to medication step therapy protocols. These protocols typically force patients to try cheaper drugs first before covering more expensive alternatives. The bill mandates that plans must approve exceptions when prior treatments failed, delay would cause serious harm, a treatment is unsafe, or a patient is stable on a previously approved drug, with strict 72-hour (or 24-hour in emergencies) decision timelines. It also requires plans to publish the exception process online and limit documentation requests to only necessary medical information. This law directly affects health insurers, employers offering health plans, and patients using step therapy for prescription drugs.

Maddy summaryThis bill requires the Census Bureau to create a new separate category in the Current Population Survey for "Postsecondary Nondegree Awardees" within one year of enactment. It directly affects individuals who hold a high school diploma plus a recognized non-degree credential (like a trade certificate), but not an associate or bachelor's degree, by changing how their educational attainment is tracked. The key mechanism is mandating this specific data category to better measure vocational education outcomes. This change impacts how workforce data is collected and reported, not the vocational programs themselves.

Maddy summaryHR 2439, the Ally’s Act, requires most private health insurance plans to cover hearing-related services and devices for qualifying individuals. It mandates coverage for cochlear implants, bone conduction devices, maintenance, upgrades every five years, hearing assessments, surgery, and rehabilitation, without separate cost-sharing or medical necessity reviews. This directly affects people with hearing loss who need implantable devices, as defined by a physician or audiologist. The law applies to group health plans under the Public Health Service Act, ERISA, and Internal Revenue Code, taking effect for plan years beginning January 1, 2025.

Helping Kids Cope Act This bill establishes programs within the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) to support pediatric behavioral health care. Specifically, HRSA must award grants, contracts, or cooperative agreements to eligible health care providers for (1) integrating and coordinating pediatric behavioral health care within communities, and (2) pediatric mental health and substance use disorder workforce training. Additionally, HRSA must award grants, contracts, or cooperative agreements to hospitals or rural health clinics that predominately treat individuals under age 21 for expanding their capacity to provide pediatric behavioral health services. Recipients may use awards for constructing or modernizing sites of care and enhancing digital infrastructure, telehealth capabilities, or other improvements to patient care infrastructure.

Resident Physician Shortage Reduction Act of 2023 This bill increases the number of residency positions eligible for graduate medical education payments under Medicare for qualifying hospitals, including hospitals in rural areas and health professional shortage areas. Current law provides for an increase of up to 200 positions per fiscal year beginning in FY2023, with a total increase of 1,000 positions; each hospital may receive up to 25 additional positions. Current law also provides for an additional increase of up to 200 positions for FY2026, with at least 100 of these positions for psychiatry or related specialties; each hospital may receive up to 10 additional positions. The bill provides for an additional increase of 2,000 positions per fiscal year from FY2025-FY2031; during this period, each hospital may receive up to 75 additional positions in total under the bill and current law. Additionally, one-third of the positions that are made available under the bill must be allocated to hospitals that are already operating above applicable resident limits. The bill also requires the Government Accountability Office to report on strategies to increase the diversity of the health professional workforce, including with respect to representation from rural, low-income, and minority communities.

Maddy summaryThe Real Emergency Access for Aging and Disability Inclusion for Disasters Act (REAADI for Disasters Act) requires that individuals with disabilities and older adults be included in decision-making for all phases of disaster management. It mandates accessible communication methods (including American Sign Language, captions, and plain language), ensures disaster shelters and services are accessible without segregation, and requires compliance with civil rights laws in crisis standards of care. The bill also establishes training centers to support disability-inclusive disaster management and creates a national commission to review past settlement agreements related to disability rights in disasters. This legislation directly affects individuals with disabilities and older adults, as well as government agencies responsible for disaster planning and response.

Maddy summaryHR 1839, the Combating Illicit Xylazine Act, makes the illicit use and distribution of xylazine a federal crime by adding it to the Controlled Substances Act. The bill broadly defines xylazine to cover numerous chemical variants and prohibits human use or non-licit distribution, while preserving legitimate veterinary and pharmaceutical uses. It requires tracking xylazine in drug supply chains and mandates two reports to Congress within 1 and 4 years on its prevalence, sources, and whether it should be rescheduled. The bill directly affects individuals distributing or using xylazine illicitly, including as an additive to drugs like fentanyl, and aims to address its public health risks. Congress declared illicit xylazine an "emerging drug threat" under existing law.

Maddy summaryThe Women's Health Protection Act of 2023 would protect access to abortion services by prohibiting states from imposing restrictions that are more burdensome than those for comparable medical procedures. The bill would ensure people can obtain abortion services before fetal viability without unnecessary limitations like mandatory waiting periods or biased counseling, and after viability when necessary to protect the patient's life or health. It would preempt state laws that conflict with these protections and allow for civil enforcement actions to challenge restrictive state laws. This bill directly affects people seeking abortion services (including transgender and nonbinary individuals who can become pregnant), health care providers, and states that have implemented abortion restrictions.

Emergency Preparedness in Higher Education Act This bill directs the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) to establish a grant program to support activities at institutions of higher education related to emergency management.

Maddy summaryHR 1465, "Violet’s Law," requires federal research facilities to establish standards for placing eligible animals (dogs, cats, primates, guinea pigs, hamsters, rabbits) no longer needed for research with animal rescue organizations, sanctuaries, shelters, or individuals. Federal departments and agencies operating such facilities must create these placement standards within one year of the law's enactment. The law mandates that animals must be vet-certified as healthy (free of infectious disease or physical issues) before placement and prohibits facilities from using animals for commercial trade, breeding, or public exhibitions. This policy directly affects federal research facilities and aims to provide permanent homes for research animals through defined, safe pathways.