Markup: #SubHealth to Vote on Two Medicaid Bills

WASHINGTON, Feb. 3 -- Rep. Greg Walden, R-Ore., chairman of the House Energy and Commerce Committee, issued the following news release:

The Subcommittee on Health, chaired by Rep. Michael C. Burgess, M.D. (R-TX), has scheduled a markup convening on Tuesday, January 7, 2017, at 10 a.m., in room 2123 of the Rayburn House Office Building.

The subcommittee will review the following bills:

* H.R. 181, Close Annuity Loopholes in Medicaid (CALM) Act, authored by Rep. Markwayne Mullin (R-OK), would ensure individuals with significant means are not burdening taxpayers instead of paying for their own care. The CALM Act will ensure Medicaid coverage is truly for the needy and not those masking their income.

* H.R. 829, The Prioritizing the Most Vulnerable Over Lottery Winners Act of 2017, authored by Rep. Fred Upton (R-MI), would alter how Medicaid eligibility is determined for lottery jackpot winners, so the program can prioritize the low-income population the program is meant to serve.

"The Health Subcommittee reviewed both of these commonsense proposals this week and held a productive discussion. I look forward to discussing these bills further next week as we continue to advance ways to rebuild our health care system," said Chairman Burgess.

Full committee Chairman Greg Walden (R-OR) also announced that the Health Subcommittee will consider H.R. 749, a bill to increase competition in the pharmaceutical industry, later this month.

"Following up on the president's call to make prescription drugs more affordable for Americans, the Energy and Commerce Committee is eager to move forward with consideration of bipartisan legislation, H.R. 749, offered by Reps. Kurt Schrader and Gus Bilirakis. This bill will increase competition in the pharmaceutical industry and will play an important role in our efforts to lower the high cost of some medicines," said Chairman Walden. "However, to accommodate a formal request from our Democrat colleagues to slow down consideration of this measure, I have agreed to consider it at a future hearing."

Electronic copies of the legislation and a background memo can be found on the Energy and Commerce Committee's website here. Amendment text and votes will be available at the same link as they are posted.

30FurigayJof-5767790 30FurigayJof