CQ's Carey Discusses Prescription Drug Reimportation Amendment, CMS Administrator Nomination, Supplemental Spending Bill Veto
According to Carey, the Senate last week voted to invoke cloture on an amendment to Prescription Drug User Fee Act reauthorization legislation that would allow drugs to be reimported from Canada and more than 30 other countries. The amendment has support from Democrats and some Republicans. Bush opposes drug reimportation. A separate amendment to the PDUFA bill would require that the government certify that reimported drugs are safe, which the Bush administration has said it cannot do. If that amendment is approved, it would effectively stop the amendment that would allow reimportation "in its tracks," Carey says.
Carey also discusses Bush's nomination of HHS deputy chief of staff Kerry Weems as the next CMS administrator. The nomination needs approval in the Senate. Carey says that acting CMS Administrator Leslie Norwalk was not considered for the permanent position because she said that she could not commit to holding the position until the end of Bush's term in office and asked not to be a candidate.
Finally, Carey discusses Bush's veto of a supplemental appropriations bill that contained funding for SCHIP because it also mandated withdrawal of most troops from Iraq by March 2008, according to Carey. Carey says the House tried to override the veto but fell 62 votes short of the required two-thirds majority. Negotiations are ongoing for a new bill, which likely will include $750 million in funding for 14 states facing SCHIP shortfalls this year, Carey says. Democrats hope to have another bill to Bush by Memorial Day, but many of them still want to include a troop withdrawal timetable, which Republicans oppose, Carey says. Bush has said that he would veto any measure with an Iraq troop withdrawal timetable (Carey, "Health on the Hill from kaisernetwork.org and CQ," 5/7).
The complete audio version of "Health on the Hill," transcript and resources for further research are available online at kaisernetwork.org.
"Reprinted with permission from http://www.kaisernetwork.org. You can view the entire Kaiser Daily Health Policy Report, search the archives, or sign up for email delivery at http://www.kaisernetwork.org/dailyreports/healthpolicy. The Kaiser Daily Health Policy Report is published for kaisernetwork.org, a free service of The Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation . © 2005 Advisory Board Company and Kaiser Family Foundation. All rights reserved.
CQ's Carey discutã de prescripþie de droguri reimport modificare, Nominaþia CMS administrator, cheltuielile suplimentare Bill veto - CQ's Carey Discusses Prescription Drug Reimportation Amendment, CMS Administrator Nomination, Supplemental Spending Bill Veto - articole medicale engleza - startsanatate