Davis, Ways and Means Committee Working on Health Care This Week

• Tomorrow morning, October 23, 2019 at 9:30 a.m., Ways & Means will mark up H.R. 3398, the Pathways to Health Careers Act; H.R. 3, the Lower Drug Costs Now Act; H.R. 4650, the Medicare Dental Act; H.R. 4665, the Medicare Vision Act; and H.R. 4618, the Medicare Hearing Act.
• These are all bills which Representative Davis either sponsored or co-sponsored
• Livestream of the hearing is available HERE.

H.R. 3:

U.S. Drug Prices Are Too High

• On average, U.S. consumers pay four times more for the same drugs than consumers in other countries pay. In some cases, U.S. consumers are paying 67 times more for the very same product.
• While pharmaceutical companies charge much less for the same drugs in other countries, they still make profits in those nations.

H.R. 3 Will Lower Americans’ Drug Costs and Help Them Save Money

• Under H.R. 3, American families will save $158 billion in lower premiums and out-of-pocket costs. That’s $1,920 for every American family of four.
• H.R. 3 will allow the Secretary of Health and Human Services to negotiate for better prices on prescription drugs in Medicare and lower prices for patients and taxpayers.
• The bill also caps Medicare beneficiaries’ out-of-pocket spending on prescription drugs at $2,000.
• With lower drug prices, Americans can actually take the drugs they need, saving $42 billion in other health care costs like physician and hospital visits because of improved health.

Drug Companies Make Huge Profits, but Choose Not to Invest in Lower Prices or Innovation

• Drug companies saw a huge windfall from the Republican tax law, and not one of those companies committed to lowering drug prices for families. All while Americans are rationing their medications, like insulin.
• The Republican tax law gave seven drug companies $34 billion in tax cuts in just one year. Five pharmaceutical companies announced $45 billion in stock buybacks as a result of the tax bill.
• Meanwhile, Americans pay over 1,000 percent more for insulin than consumers in other countries pay.

H.R. 3 Will Use Savings to Improve Medicare and U.S. Innovation

• Savings from H.R. 3 will be reinvested into a number of key policies, like adding dental, vision, and hearing benefits to Medicare, meaning the program will cover basic needs like eyeglasses, dentures, and hearing aids.
• The legislation will also reinvest in the National Institutes of Health to support research that finds new breakthrough treatments and cures.

HPOGs:

• H.R. 3398 bill extends current Health Profession Opportunity Grant (HPOG) demonstration grants, which bundle education and training with key support services like child care, transportation, and career coaching to provide a supportive pathway to a career in a well-paid and in-demand health profession.
• The HPOG approach increases the number of qualified health professionals in both rural and urban areas in need of more workers.
• This bill fully incorporates 16 bills introduced by Ways and Means Democrats.

Medicare Vision, Dental, and Hearing:

• H.R. 4650 provides vital dental preventative and screening services as well as coverage for basic and major treatment services. It also provides coverage for dentures.
  • In 2016, a fifth of Medicare beneficiaries who used dental services spent more than $1,000 out of pocket.
• H.R. 4665 adds a vision benefit to Medicare Part B, which currently only covers vision services related to certain eye diseases such as glaucoma or diabetic retinopathy.
  • An estimated 20.5 million Medicare beneficiaries have vision problems, yet only 57 percent said they had received an eye examination during the previous year.
• H.R. 4618 adds a hearing benefit to Medicare Part B, which currently covers hearing and balance exams but excludes coverage for most other hearing services and hearing aids.
  • An estimated 5 million Americans over age 60 have severe to profound hearing loss in at least one ear.