Wyden Hails Health Policies in Year-End Legislation
Bill Includes Major Provisions on PBMs, Ghost Networks, Telehealth Championed by Finance Committee on a Bipartisan Basis
Washington, D.C. – Senate Finance Committee Chair Ron Wyden, D-Ore., today issued a statement after legislative text was released for year-end spending legislation, which includes several health care policies championed by Wyden and the Finance Committee.
“Health care is far and away the leading political issue for many American families, and it’s the reason I went into public service. If you or a loved one don’t have your health, everything else falls by the wayside,” Wyden said. “The health policies in the bill Congress is about to vote on represent modest but important steps towards a health care system that favors seniors and families over big corporations and middlemen that manipulate the system to maximize profit. I plan to continue working in the year ahead for a more just and affordable health care system in America, and I hope there is room to do so on a bipartisan basis.”
“I’m particularly pleased that Ranking Member Crapo and I successfully fought to include much of the Finance Committee’s pharmacy benefit manager reforms into this bill. For too long, PBMs have operated with little scrutiny or accountability, and the result has been disastrous for seniors and families trying to afford their medicine. These policies are an important start to bringing more common sense to the way Medicare and Medicaid pay for prescription drugs. I hope to build on PBM reforms in the days ahead, especially as it relates to independent community pharmacies that have suffered at the hands of these behemoth health care middlemen.”
“The legislation includes improvements to Medicare, especially cracking down on ghost networks in Medicare Advantage that prevented seniors from finding a physician or psychiatrist in their health plan. There’s a lot more work to be done to improve mental health care for all Americans, but making sure you can find a doctor when you need care is step one. I’m also pleased that the bill extends telehealth flexibilities for seniors and Americans with disabilities who count on Medicare. The Finance Committee, beginning with Chairman Orrin Hatch, championed telehealth even before the pandemic demonstrated how essential it can be for Americans, and I’m proud to continue his legacy. The bill contains important improvements to the Medicaid program that will benefit moms, kids, seniors, and Americans with disabilities who count on Medicaid coverage for their health care.”
“Finally, I am also proud that this package includes the bipartisan Supporting America’s Children and Families Act to reauthorize, modernize, and strengthen Title IV-B, so that state child welfare systems can do even more to protect children from maltreatment, help families in crisis, reunify families who experience foster care, and support foster, kinship, and adoptive families. In addition to increased funding, I’m particularly encouraged by a provision that will bring more transparency around youth residential treatment facilities (RTFs). In June 2024, I released the findings of my two-year investigation into RTF providers and I’m committed as ever to ensuring that all children whose needs are best served by residential care receive the highest quality of care.”
The Finance Committee has worked on a bipartisan basis throughout the 118th Congress to advance policies that improve health care for Americans with Medicare and Medicaid. Last year, the committee passed two bills that contain a number of policies represented in the year-end legislation, particularly related to PBM reform, ghost networks and mental health care.
More information on the legislation can be found here.
###
Next Article Previous Article