Telehealth Legislation Passed in the House

On July 27, 2022, the House of Representatives passed H.R. 4040, the Advancing Telehealth Beyond COVID-19 Act. The legislation ensures that many of the telehealth services implemented during the pandemic continue for Medicare beneficiaries. Without the bill, these measures will end five months after the conclusion of the COVID-19 health emergency is declared. We know many myeloma patients have taken advantage of telehealth during the pandemic and we believe that passing legislation to address this is extremely important.

This bill passed with a vote of 416-12 and now must be passed in the Senate before it becomes law. To read more about this bipartisan legislation, click here.

Democrats Release Reconciliation Deal with Health Care Provisions

On July 27, 2022, it was announced that Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) and Senator Joe Manchin (D-WV) came to an agreement on a budget reconciliation deal. This agreement will likely include several healthcare provisions. The bill would cap out-of-pocket costs on Medicare Part D drugs to $2000 in a calendar year, allow Medicare to negotiate prices on a small number of drugs, and extend enhanced Affordable Care Act tax subsidies. The reconciliation package will go before the Senate Parliamentarian before being approved by the Senate and House of Representatives.

President Biden Appoints Doctors to Important Roles

This month, President Biden announced several appointments of importance to cancer patients. First, the President announced that Dr. Monica Bertagnoli would serve as the director of the National Cancer Institute (NCI). She will be the first woman to serve in this role and brings extensive experience to the role as a surgical oncologist.

The President also announced his appointments to the President’s Cancer Panel. These appointees include Dr. Mitchel Berger, Dr. Carol Brown, and Dr. Elizabeth Jaffee. He also announced several key priorities of the panel, which include “(1) close the screening gap, (2) understand and address environmental exposure, (3) decrease the impact of preventable cancers, (4) bring cutting edge research through the pipeline to patients and communities, and (5) support patients and caregivers.”

To read more, please click here.

Want to get involved?

Interested in learning more or taking actions about our federal and/or state priorities? Email the IMF Advocacy Team, [email protected], to find out ways you can help and make your voice heard. Find us on the Twitter and Facebook! We will be sharing the latest news on legislation and policies we are tracking. And follow @Chemoparity for updates on our fight to get oral parity passed at the state and federal levels.

We Thank Our Sponsor:

Bristol-Myers Squibb