MEDICARE, HOSPITAL STAFFING UNDER SCRUTINY — Congress, albeit the House without a permanent speaker, is in session this week. The lawmakers’ agenda includes considering a new NIH director and reviewing several Medicare enrollment and payment issues. The most pressing concern: About five weeks remain for Congress to strike a funding deal before a government shutdown, but it’s unclear what that deal could look like ahead of a Nov. 17 deadline. The continuing resolution funding the government until then didn’t reauthorize key health programs. What to expect in the Senate: — The Finance Committee will hold a hearing on Medicare Advantage marketing practices Wednesday amid new, more stringent marketing rules for plans. Expected to testify are an Ohio health insurance regulator, a third-party broker for MA plans and a Wisconsin health plan that manages MA plans. The Biden administration has accused insurers of deceptive marketing tactics that confuse consumers about their plans. — The HELP Committee will consider President Joe Biden’s pick to lead the National Institutes of Health on Wednesay. The hearing for Dr. Monica Bertagnolli, who heads the National Cancer Institute, has been on hold since May after chair Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) demanded the White House act to more aggressively slash drug costs. — The HELP Committee plans a hearing on hospital understaffing in New Jersey, where 1,700 nurses at Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital have been on strike. Ranking member Sen.Bill Cassidy (R-La.), however, has objected to the hearing, raising concerns that Sanders is using committee resources to support unions during a labor dispute, which Cassidy said in a letter Friday is a violation of Senate rules. Sanders’ office declined to comment. What to expect in the House: — The Energy and Commerce Health Subcommittee plans to review Medicare’s physician reimbursement policy at a hearing Thursday with witnesses from CMS, the Government Accountability Office and the Medicare Payment Advisory Commission. It comes as lawmakers and lobbyists have pushed for reforms to the way CMS pays doctors. As POLITICO previously reported, the GOP Doctors Caucus released a discussion draft of legislation that would have added more leeway for how much physicians are paid through Medicare. — The Ways and Means Committee travels to North Carolina on Tuesday to hold a hearing on health care access in rural and underserved areas, — The Select Subcommittee on the Coronavirus Pandemic holds a hearing Wednesday on tightening regulation of the U.S.-funded laboratories after the Covid-19 pandemic. — The Energy and Commerce Committee holds a Wednesday hearing on EPA regulatory actions that leaders say limit materials for medical devices. — The Veterans’ Affairs Committee holds a hearing Thursday on methods to combat veteran suicide. WELCOME TO MONDAY PULSE. It’s now officially open enrollment season for Medicare, running through Dec. 7. Send your tips, scoops and feedback to [email protected] and [email protected] and follow along @_BenLeonard_ and @ChelseaCirruzzo. TODAY ON OUR PULSE CHECK PODCAST, host Daniel Payne talks with POLITICO health care reporter Erin Schumaker about what to expect this week as the Senate HELP Committee considers the next NIH director — and what's behind the monthslong delay of the confirmation hearing.
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