This week, senators introduced a bipartisan bill that would make it a federal crime to assault hospital workers. Even though nearly 40 states have passed laws to intensify penalties for violent acts committed against healthcare personnel, there is currently no federal law protecting hospital employees from assault or intimidation. 

Legislation introduced by Utah Senator Mike Lee would eliminate testing to show a biosimilar can be substituted for a reference biologic product. Lee contends the current testing requirement adds costs and delays market access for these lower-cost biological medicines.

The Senate Finance Committee voted 26-1 to advance the Modernizing and Ensuring PBM Accountability Act. The bill has several provisions, including delinking PBM income from prescription drug prices under Medicare Part D and banning spread pricing in Medicaid.

During a Monday hearing, the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions discussed which changes to telehealth coverage made during the Covid-19 pandemic should stay.

Congressional Democrats and Republicans introduced privacy bills that attempt to rein in what companies can do with data collected during the Covid-19 pandemic.

Senators Chuck Grassley and Ron Wyden are demanding that Cigna turn over documents on insulin pricing, as part of a larger probe on rising insulin costs. The lawmakers claim that large pharmacy benefit manager Express Scripts, which Cigna acquired in 2018, is failing to comply with the investigation.

Nine senators sent a letter to FTC Chairman Joseph Simons urging greater scrutiny over like the one between BMS and Celgene, expressing concern over antitrust issues, innovation and drug pricing.

Five Democratic senators – two running for president – wrote in a letter to the FDA’s acting commissioner that the scandal highlighted industry “privilege and greed.”

The Senate Finance Committee grilled executives from seven of the biggest drugmakers about the dramatic rise in drug costs.

Novartis spokesperson says company cooperated with inquiries and disputes conclusions in the report.

The legislation, which has drawn criticism from researchers, patient advocates and industry, would enable patients to request experimental drugs while bypassing the FDA.

A bill introduced by Sens. Elizabeth Warren (D-Massachusetts) and Rand Paul (R-Kentucky) in March would allow patients to visit an audiologist to get a hearing test to diagnose a hearing problem without first being referred by a physician or nurse practitioner.

In a 55-43 vote, the Senate has confirmed Alex Azar as the new secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services. President Donald Trump nominated Azar in November following the resignation of Tom Price.

CHIP has had a dramatic effect in lower income states like Alabama, where the childhood uninsured rate dropped from 20 percent in 1997 to under 3 percent in 2015.

At a hearing held by the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee, experts made nine proposals to lower drug prices. Here’s an analysis on the likelihood of action being taken on each of them.

It turns out the tax bills in the House and Senate also aim to reshape healthcare. Here are five ways these bills are trying to achieve that.

As HHS secretary, Alex Azar would oversee a trillion-dollar budget, over 90,000 employees, and a healthcare system that is ground-zero for heated bipartisan politics. So where does Trump’s new nominee stand on the major issues?

The proposed legislation seeks to provide funding for subsidies to insurance companies to support lower-income Americans and more flexibility for states without doing away with core Obamacare provisions. It drew a mixed response from Republicans.

The CBO said that fewer people would be covered because subsidies that help people pay premiums and other financial aid would be eliminated, and individuals would no longer be required to have insurance or pay a fine.

It would authorize Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services Innovation Center to give incentive payments to behavioral health care providers to adopt EHRs.

Senator John McCain (R-Arizona) who flew to Washington, DC after being diagnosed with brain cancer, sided with Sens. Susan Collins (R-Maine) and Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska) and Democrats to reject the bill. His no vote took the Senate by surprise.

Senate Republicans eke out a procedural win to begin debate the contents of an ACA repeal and replace a bill whose contents remain a mystery, but it’s not looking good with the first late night vote failing to pass.

In retrospect, Republicans’ inability to overhaul the health law should not come as much of a surprise. Many ACA provisions have proved popular and lack of presidential leadership on this issue has hobbled Republicans.

Without McCain, and with at least two senators opposed to the current bill, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell doesn’t have the 50 votes he needs to move the measure.

Insurers were struggling last week to grasp the implications of the legislation, studded with ambiguous language. One big takeaway: The Senate’s version of health care would undermine historical assumptions and drastically shift risk in the individual market.

Hospitals in sparsely populated areas, particularly in states that did not opt to expand the Medicaid program, have been cutting back services like maternity care or closing altogether in recent years.

CBO is expected to offer its score of the bill next week, but some Senate Republicans on Thursday said that rather than wait for that, they might ask the Department of Health and Human Services to do it instead with the hope of producing more favorable numbers.

Although Better Care Reconciliation Act would increase hospital beds for psychiatric patients, some mental health groups say they see no reason to celebrate.

Elizabeth MacDonough can decide what pieces of the emerging Senate overhaul of the Affordable Care Act can be included under the budget reconciliation process senators are using

A vote on the Better Care Reconciliation Act has been delayed until after politicians return from the Independence Day holiday.