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Congress on Thursday passed a short-term spending bill, which includes several healthcare measures, to avert a looming government shutdown, in today's bite-sized hospital and health industry news from the District of Columbia, Maryland, and New Jersey.
- District of Columbia: Congress on Thursday passed a short-term spending bill that would avert a government shutdown and fund government agencies until March. The Senate first approved the bill in a 77-18 vote, and the House later approved it in a 314-108 vote. The bill then went to President Joe Biden, who signed it on Friday. The measure allows funding for some government agencies to continue until March 1, while other government operations will be funded until March 8. The bill includes several healthcare provisions, including funding for HHS, FDA, and the Department of Veterans Affairs. It also extends community health centers, special diabetes programs, National Health Service Corps, the Teaching Health Center Graduate Medical Education program, and certain flexibilities for health emergencies until March 8. The bill also delays $8 billion in Medicaid Disproportionate Share Hospital cuts to the same date. However, other healthcare measures from previous funding discussions, such as legislation for greater healthcare pricing transparency and broadening access to telehealth services, were not included. According to the bill's supporters, the temporary funding will give Congress time to advance all 12 full-year appropriations bills. "Passing this measure will allow us the time we need to hammer out those funding bills for fiscal year '24, after many months of needless delays," said Senate Appropriations Committee Chair Patty Murray (D-Wash.). "We all want this to be a drama-free and reliable process." (Jalonick/Freking, Associated Press, 1/18; Hubbard/Yilek, CBS News, 1/18; Hughes et al., Wall Street Journal, 1/18; McAuliff, Modern Healthcare, 1/18; Samuels, The Hill, 1/19)
- Maryland: HHS on Thursday announced that CMS is testing a new community-based behavioral health services model, with a goal of improving access and quality. The new model, which is called the Innovation in Beahvioral Health Model, will partner physical and mental healthcare providers with community organizations to form interprofessional care teams. These teams will coordinate care for Medicare and Medicaid enrollees with mental illnesses and substance use disorders. They will also help enrollees access social needs, such as food, transporation, and housing. The model is scheduled to launch in up to eight states this fall and will run for eight years. States will be able to apply to be a part of the model in the spring. "We recognize that behavioral health is health, that there's no separating the two and that there really should be no wrong door for the American people who are seeking treatment for either a mental health issue or a substance-use disorder," said HHS Deputy Secretary Andrea Palm. (Bennett, Modern Healthcare, 1/18)
- New Jersey: Earlier this month, Johnson & Johnson (J&J) announced it will acquire cancer treatment developer Ambrx Biopharma in a roughly $2 billion cash deal. According to J&J, the deal allows the company to "design, develop and commercialize targeted oncology therapeutics." Currently, Ambrx is developing treatments for multiple types of cancer, including renal cell carcinoma, metastatic breast cancer, and metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer. Under the deal, J&J will acquire all shares of Ambrx for $28 each, for a total estimated cash value of $1.9 billion. The deal is expected to be finalized in the first half of the year after it is approved by Ambrx shareholders. (Glickman, Wall Street Journal, 1/8)
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