Health
WASHINGTON, DC – At an Energy and Commerce Health Subcommittee hearing this week, Congresswoman Kim Schrier, M.D. (WA-08), grilled health insurance CEOs for their companies’ repeated abuse of prior authorization to delay and deny patients' health care, especially those on Medicare Advantage.
WASHINGTON — Lawmakers on both sides of the aisle pressed health insurance CEOs on premium hikes, prior authorization rules and claim denials in back-to-back House committee hearings Thursday, zeroing in on how the insurers’ decisions are affecting patients right now.
UnitedHealth Group will rebate its profits this year to the 1 million people who receive healthcare coverage through its Affordable Care Act (ACA) exchange plans, Chairman and CEO Stephen J. Hemsley told Congress during a hearing today.
In response to palpable, bipartisan frustration among lawmakers over soaring costs for medical care, the chief executives of the country’s largest health insurers on Thursday attempted to place the blame on others, namely hospitals and drug makers.
But the executives, summoned to appear at back-to-back House hearings on the affordability of health care, said little that seemed to appease congressional representatives seeking ways to hold the insurance industry accountable.
WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Representatives Kim Schrier, M.D. (WA-08), and Nikki Budzinski (IL-13) introduced the Capping Costs for Consumers Act, legislation aimed at lowering out-of-pocket costs amid continued Republican inaction on extending critical tax credits that lower healthcare costs.
Years of legislative effort ended with victory for schoolchildren, dairy farmers and their cooperatives as Congress passed and a presidential signature is imminent for the Whole Milk for Healthy Kids Act, a landmark restoration of choice in school meals.
Today, Congresswoman Kim Schrier, M.D. (WA-08), the first pediatrician elected to Congress, released the following statement after the CDC announced it will overhaul the childhood vaccine schedule to recommend fewer immunizations:
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Representatives Kim Schrier, M.D. (WA-08), Jeff Van Drew (NJ-02), and Suzanne Bonamici (OR-01) introduced the Expanding Access to (EAT) Healthy Foods from Local Farmers Act, bipartisan legislation that aims to improve Americans’ access to nutritious food by making commonsense updates to The Emergency Food Assistance Program (TEFAP).
WASHINGTON, DC – Today, the United States House of Representatives voted to pass Congresswoman Kim Schrier’s, M.D. (WA-08), bipartisan legislation to improve the quality and nutrition of school lunches by allowing public schools to serve reduced-fat and whole milk. The Whole Milk for Healthy Kids Act was unanimously passed by the Senate last month and now heads to the president’s desk to be signed into law.