POLISCOPE
Back to feed
FEDERALhearing transcript

Congressional Hearing on Medicare Prescription Drug Coverage

Original title: PRESCRIPTION DRUG COVERAGE IN THE MEDICARE PROGRAM

January 1, 2022

Track this bill to get notified when it advances a stage. One tap to stop, anytime.

The Frame

What this does

This hearing serves as a formal record of legislative inquiry into how Medicare manages and pays for prescription drugs, which directly impacts the coverage and costs for millions of Medicare beneficiaries.

Who is mentioned in the record

Potentially affected actors named in the source documents. Mention is not a position.

Medicare beneficiaries

The policies discussed regarding prescription drug coverage directly determine the accessibility and cost of medications for Medicare enrollees.

Medicare Payment Advisory Commission

The commission provides formal analysis and recommendations to Congress regarding the Medicare program.

What changed

Last recorded activity January 1, 2022.

What's next

Next step not available in the current record.

Summary

This document is a transcript record of a House on Health hearing held on April 30, 2019, regarding prescription drug coverage within the Medicare program. It lists the members of the committee, the staff present, and identifies the primary witness as the Executive Director of the Medicare Payment Advisory Commission.

Key Facts

  • The hearing took place on April 30, 2019, in room 2322 of the Rayburn House Office Building.
  • The hearing was titled 'Prescription Drug Coverage in the Medicare Program'.
  • The hearing was conducted by the Subcommittee on Health of the House Committee on Energy and Commerce.
  • James E. Matthews, Ph.D., Executive Director of the Medicare Payment Advisory Commission, served as the primary witness.
  • The document includes opening statements from Representatives Anna G. Eshoo, Larry Bucshon, Frank Pallone, Jr., and Greg Walden.
  • The hearing record includes written testimony and responses to submitted questions from the witness.

Frequently Asked Questions

What was the purpose of this hearing?
The hearing was held to discuss and examine prescription drug coverage within the Medicare program.
Who provided expert testimony at this hearing?
James E. Matthews, Ph.D., the Executive Director of the Medicare Payment Advisory Commission, provided testimony.

Why It Matters

This hearing serves as a formal record of legislative inquiry into how Medicare manages and pays for prescription drugs, which directly impacts the coverage and costs for millions of Medicare beneficiaries.

News Coverage

No news coverage found yet. Articles are indexed twice daily.

Lobbying Activity

AARP

$4,110,000

2026

HEALTH ISSUESMEDICARE/MEDICAIDLAW ENFORCEMENT/CRIME/CRIMINAL JUSTICEPHARMACY

P.L. 119-21, One Big Beautiful Bill Act H.R. 8867, Planning for Long-term Aging Needs (PLAN) Act H.R. 5861, Legacy Act of 2025 H.R. 9393, the Lower Costs, More Transparency Act. H.R. 9396, the Prior Authorization Accountability Act. S. 4916, the Aging with Artificial Intelligence Act. H.R. 8100, Safe Staffing Saves Lives Act. S. 3886, Nurses Belong in Nursing Homes Act. H.R. 6766/S. 3492, the Essential Caregivers Act of 2025. H.R. 7966/S. 4118, Hospice Care Accountability, Reform, and Enforcement (Hospice CARE) Act. S. 2120, the Older Americans Act Reauthorization Act of 2025 H.R. 5575, the Firefighters Assisting Seniors to Emergency Response (FASTER) Act of 2025. H.R. 3954/S. 4641, Improving Access to Medicare Coverage Act. H.R.5554/S.2831, Stand Strong for Medicare Act. S. 3439/H.R. 6735, Connecting Caregivers to Medicare Act and efforts related to the bill S. 1227/H.R. 2491, Alleviating Barriers for Caregivers Act S. 668/H.R. 3183, Supporting Access to Falls Education and Prevention and Strengthening Training Efforts and Promoting Safety Initiatives (SAFE STEPS) for Veterans Act of 2025 CMS-1851-P, Hospice Proposed rule. CMS-1843-P, Skilled Nursing Facility Proposed rule. CMS-1844-P, Home Health Proposed rule. No bill number. Health care transparency. No bill number. Discussed use of artificial intelligence and health data technology. No bill number. Discussed health-related policies and activities around the fall respiratory virus season. No bill number. Discussed health insurance affordability proposals. No bill number. Discussed Nursing Home staffing standards, safety, and quality. No bill number. Discussed Nursing home transparency and ownership requirements. No bill number. Discussed home health, hospice, and long-term care. No bill number. Discussed falls prevention. No bill number. Discussed social isolation. No bill number. Discussed HUD Assisted Living Requirements No bill number. Discussed family caregiving. No bill number. Discussed AARP paper on Medicare Caregiver Training Services. No bill number. Discussed Medicaid community engagement interim final rule, including the family caregiver exemption. No bill number. Discussed the paid direct care workforce in long-term care. No bill number. Discussed the unaffordability of long-term care. No bill number. Discussed Money Follows the Person Rebalancing Demonstration Program and Medicaid HCBS spousal impoverishment protections. No bill number. Discussed Medicaid fraud and family caregivers, Medicaid self-direction programs. No bill number. Discussed sandwich generation family caregiver hearing and submitted a statement for the record discussing family caregivers and sandwich generation caregivers, programs that support them, AARP caregiving resources, and federal policies to support sandwich generation caregivers and caregivers more broadly. No bill number. Discussed long-term care. No bill number. CMS-2453-NC; Medicaid Program; 2028 Medicaid Home and Community-Based Services Quality Measure Set Submitted comments No bill number. Discussed expanding access to home care. No bill number. Discussed the increasing cost of home care No bill number. Discussed HSA use for telehealth chronic care management services/subscriptions. No bill number. Discussed artificial intelligence and technology

Sponsors

Discoveries

Patterns POLISCOPE noticed across the record. These are observations to investigate, not conclusions.

cross reference100% confidence

Historical Hearing Record

The document is a retrospective record of a 2019 hearing, published by the Government Publishing Office in 2022.

Connected Entities

organizationHouse Subcommittee on HealthThe body conducting the hearingMap →
organizationCommittee on Energy and CommerceParent committee of the subcommitteeMap →
organizationMedicare Payment Advisory CommissionIndependent congressional agency that advises on Medicare issuesMap →
personJames E. MatthewsExecutive Director of the Medicare Payment Advisory Commission (Witness)Map →
personAnna G. EshooChairwoman of the Subcommittee on HealthMap →

Sources

Open source document

www.govinfo.gov

Analysis Score

0–100
  • Significance60
    How much this matters to a regular citizen
  • Controversy40
    Intensity of disagreement among stakeholders
  • Entertainment10
    Compellingness for a non-policy-wonk reader
  • Buzz15
    Current news / social attention level

Publisher tools

Share or embed this record

POLISCOPE publisher tools

Share or embed this record