on 04-Oct-2018 (Thu)

List the congressional committees and government agencies that regulate health care in the United States. 2. Identify the regulatory and oversight bodies with jurisdiction over health system delivery of care. 3. Explain recent federal legislative and regulatory activity that affects the delivery of health care. 4. Describe the regulatory actions that govern the prescription drug approval process and the conduct of human subjects’ research. 5. Describe national quality initiatives aimed at improving health care delivery and patient health outcomes. 6. Explain medication policy implications at an insti- tutional level.

Congress is bicameral, with two legislative chambers: the Senate and the House of Representatives.

Appropriations Committee writes the legislation that allocates federal funds to the many government agencies, departments, and organizations on an annual basis and, in particular, funds discretionary programs. b. Finance Committee has jurisdiction over issues that pertain to taxation and health programs under the Social Security Act including Medicare, Medicaid, and the Children’s Health Insurance Program. c. Health, Education, Labor and Pensions (HELP) Committee, as it pertains to health, authorizes agencies, institutes, and programs under the Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS), which includes the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), National Institutes of Health (NIH), and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). d. Committee on Veterans’ Affairs oversees issues related to veterans’ affairs (VA), including the VA health system. e. Aging Committee was initially established as a temporary committee but transitioned to a permanent, special committee without legislative authority for matters relating to older Americans. f. Legislation is reviewed by the committee with the most jurisdiction over the provisions in the bill. For example, the Pharmacy and Medically Underserved Areas Enhancement Act (S. 314) introduced in the Senate in 2015 was referred to the Committee on Finance because it amends the Medicare program.

Senate is composed of 100 elected, voting members. Legislation and tasks are divided into 20 stand- ing committees, 68 subcommittees, and 4 joint committees. The committees that have jurisdiction over health-related policy include the following: a. Appropriations Committee writes the legislation that allocates federal funds to the many government agencies, departments, and organizations on an annual basis and, in particular, funds discretionary programs. b. Finance Committee has jurisdiction over issues that pertain to taxation and health programs under the Social Security Act including Medicare, Medicaid, and the Children’s Health Insurance Program. c. Health, Education, Labor and Pensions (HELP) Committee, as it pertains to health, authorizes agencies, institutes, and programs under the Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS), which includes the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), National Institutes of Health (NIH), and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). d. Committee on Veterans’ Affairs oversees issues related to veterans’ affairs (VA), including the VA health system. e. Aging Committee was initially established as a temporary committee but transitioned to a permanent, special committee without legislative authority for matters relating to older Americans. f. Legislation is reviewed by the committee with the most jurisdiction over the provisions in the bill. For example, the Pharmacy and Medically Underserved Areas Enhancement Act (S. 314) introduced in the Senate in 2015 was referred to the Committee on Finance because it amends the Medicare program

House of Representatives is composed of 435 elected, voting members and six delegates from the U.S. territories or from Washington, D.C., with nonvoting privileges. Legislation and tasks are divided into 20 standing committees, 4 joint committees, and 1 select committee. The committees with jurisdiction over health-related policy include the following: a. Appropriations has jurisdiction similar to that listed above. b. Ways and Means has jurisdiction over taxation and most programs authorized by the Social Security Act, similar to the Senate Finance Committee. c. Energy and Commerce is the oldest standing committee of the House of Representatives. It has over- sight of the DHHS and is similar to the Senate HELP committee. d. Veterans’ Affairs oversees issues related to VA. e. Legislation is sent to any committee that has jurisdiction over any of the provisions in the bill. For example, the companion bill to S. 314, the Pharmacy and Medically Underserved Areas Enhancement Act (H.R. 592) introduced in the House in 2015, was referred to the Subcommittees on Health in both the Energy and Commerce and Ways and Means committees.