Content about House of Representatives

WASHINGTON — The Council for Responsible Nutrition and the Natural Products Association on Wednesday announced they have met with the entire freshman class of the 113th Congress, including 83 offices in the House of Representatives and 14 offices in the Senate, as part of their educational efforts to ensure that newly elected members of Congress have accurate information about dietary supplements and their role in good health. 

WASHINGTON — A bill that would expand the pool of patients who qualify for medication therapy management under Medicare was introduced to the House of Representatives Thursday with broad industry support. 

Health policy research group NEHI cites that only 50% of patients take their medications properly as prescribed by their doctor, which costs the nation more than $290 billion annually in avoidable health spending annually. 

WASHINGTON — More than seven dozen members of the House of Representatives are urging the U.S. Postal Service to continue delivering medications to all Americans six days a week.

It looks like health reform is for keeps.

WASHINGTON — Legislation proposed in the House of Representatives would speed up Food and Drug Administration approval of knock-off versions of vaccines and other biologics while requiring the agency to conduct more inspections of drug factories overseas, according to published reports.

WASHINGTON — The House of Representatives on Thursday passed the Protect Medical Innovation Act of 2012 by a vote of 270-to-146, which will reinstate over-the-counter medicines as eligible expenses under flexible spending accounts without the requisite prescription established by the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act last year.

WASHINGTON — The House of Representatives will be debating H.R. 5651 Wednesday afternoon — a bill that, if passed, will reauthorize the Prescription Drug User Fee Act. 

The Senate passed a similar measure last week by a vote of 96-to-1 with three senators not voting.

NEW YORK — Legislation proposed in the House of Representatives would speed up Food and Drug Administration approval of knock-off versions of vaccines and other biologics while requiring the agency to conduct more inspections of drug factories overseas, according to published reports.

The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reported that the bills, sponsored by Republican Rep. Tim Murphy of Pennsylvania, would create an expedited FDA approval pathway for follow-on versions of biogenetic medications such as vaccines and drugs made from human tissue and plasma.

WASHINGTON — Industry-supported legislation designed to improve pharmacy benefits manager standards under the Medicare prescription drug program — standards that will further provide fair audits of and payments to pharmacies — was presented before the House of Representatives on Tuesday.

NEW YORK — Two members of Congress are looking for co-sponsors for a bill that would strengthen the medication therapy management benefit in the Medicare prescription drug program.

Last year, Rep. Mike Ross, D-Ala.; and Cathy McMorris Rodgers, R-Wash., introduced H.R. 891, the Medication Therapy Management Benefits Act, which would allow elderly people with at least one chronic condition access to Medicare Part D coverage for MTM. Currently, only those with multiple conditions are eligible.

WASHINGTON — Four legislators on Thursday introduced legislation that would restore over-the-counter medicines as qualified reimbursements under health spending accounts and flexible spending accounts without a prescription. A provision in the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act enacted in January had created a prescription requirement in order for OTC medicines to qualify for pre-tax reimbursements. 

WHAT IT MEANS AND WHY IT'S IMPORTANT — The Louisiana State Senate has given the green light to legislation that would expand pharmacy's ability to administer immunizations, and now the House of Representatives is slated to vote on the legislation in the coming days. The passage of SB 60 is important because expanding the pharmacist's ability to administer vaccinations is a relatively low-cost way to expand access and ultimately improve outcomes.