Policy Updates: Hill Happenings and Administration Activities
Hill Happenings
FY2025 Appropriations
On August 1, the Senate Appropriations Committee marked up and approved the Labor, Health and Human Services, Education, and Related Agencies (LHHS) Subcommittee spending bill for fiscal year 2025 (FY2025), which starts on October 1, 2024. The Senate’s LHHS bill avoids deep spending cuts proposed by the House of Representatives, maintaining investments in core health programs, including $1.86 billion for Community Health Centers, $2.6 billion for the Ryan White HIV/AIDS Program, and $613 million for the Ending the HIV Epidemic Initiative. Many health programs at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) National Center for HIV, Viral Hepatitis, STIs, and TB Prevention were flat-funded, including the HIV and viral hepatitis prevention programs and the infectious disease and opioids program. The Senate’s overall LHHS package includes a higher total than the House bill, teeing up a fall showdown on budget negotiations ahead of the November election.
On July 10, the House Appropriations Committee (HAC) approved the lower chamber’s LHHS Subcommittee spending bill and released an accompanying report for fiscal year 2025 (FY2025). The House bill proposes major cuts to health programs across the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), totaling a decrease of 7% compared to FY2024 enacted levels. The cuts include the elimination of the CDCcomponent of the Ending the HIV Epidemic Initiative (EHE) and a $190 million cut to the Health Resources and Services (HRSA) Ryan White HIV/AIDS Program (RWHAP). Notably, the subcommittee proposed a $10 million increase for the CDC hepatitis program and a $6.1 million increase for the infectious disease and opioids program.
NASTAD will continue to monitor the congressional appropriations process and advocate for the highest possible funding for HIV, hepatitis, and drug user health programs.
Administration Activities
CDC DHP Publishes Medical Monitoring Project Data for 2022
On August 1, the CDC Division of HIV Prevention (DHP) published data from the 2022 Medical Monitoring Project, which reports nationally representative estimates of behavioral and clinical characteristics of adults with diagnosed HIV infection in the United States from June 2022 – May 2023. The latest MMP report shows that more work is needed to meet National HIV/AIDS Strategy (2022-2025) (NHAS) goals for quality of life and HIV stigma.
CMS Proposes Easing Barriers to HBV Vaccination through the Medicare Mass Immunizer Program
On July 31, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) published a proposed rule that expands hepatitis B virus (HBV) vaccine coverage and payment through the Medicare program. The proposed rule would remove the requirement for a doctor’s order prior to receiving the HBV vaccine and allow mass immunizers to use the roster billing process to submit Medicare Part B claims for HBV vaccines and their administration. Additionally, the rule would align payment for HBV vaccinations in rural health clinics and federally qualified health centers with the payment for pneumococcal, influenza, and COVID-19 vaccinations in those settings, which are covered at 100 percent of reasonable cost. Public comment is open until September 9, 2024.
HRSA Announces $68 Million to Improve HIV Care for Families
On July 31, HHS and HRSA announced more than $68 million in Ryan White HIV/AIDS Program funding to provide family-centered medical care and essential support services for women with low incomes, infants, children, and youth with HIV. The new funding is part of the Enhancing Maternal Health Initiative, which works to accelerate HRSA’s maternal health work to address maternal mortality and maternal health disparities in partnership with women, grant recipients, community organizations, and state and local health officials across the country.
Biden-Harris Administration Announces New Actions to Address Fentanyl Crisis
On August 1, the White House issued a new National Security Memorandum that will take new measures to address the role of fentanyl in the US opioid supply. The memorandum calls on federal agencies to scale up their efforts to disrupt the production and distribution of illicit fentanyl. Additionally, President Biden is calling on Congress to approve legislation that would permanently regulate fentanyl-related substances as Schedule I drugs, the strictest category under the Controlled Substances Act (CSA), and classify xylazine under Schedule III. Advocates panned the legislative proposal, which would impose severe criminal penalties on people who use drugs and block research that could lead to lifesaving overdose interventions.
Resources
“In 2015, 5.4% of adults in Georgia had hepatitis C, more than five times the global average, and 2.8% had hepatitis B. Investigators compiled data on hepatitis B and hepatitis C elimination indicators from multiple sources to summarize Georgia’s progress toward hepatitis elimination efforts.”
“Among 1,331 adults evaluated following a presumed opioid overdose, medetomidine was detected in five people.”
Fenway Institute: Project 2025’s Threat to LGBTQI+ Equality, Safety, and Health, Racial and Gender Equity, and Sexual and Reproductive Health
“The Fenway Institute of Fenway Health released a policy brief outlining the dangers to equality and public health posed by the policies in the Heritage Foundation’s Project 2025 Presidential Transition Project, and urging Americans to make sure they understand the potential impact to health care quality, equity, and access if the policies are implemented.”
HHS OIDP Webinar: A Syndemic Approach: What It Is, Why It Matters, and How It Can Improve Outcomes
Date & Time: Aug 6, 2024 at 1 PM ET
This webinar sets the stage for effective and efficient syndemic approaches. The audience will learn about the HHS definition for syndemics as well as understand what defines a syndemic approach, including the benefits and some of the barriers. The webinar highlights best practices that have delivered results and discusses important issues with a panel of syndemic experts.
NIH Webinar: Development of New Therapies for Chronic Hepatitis B
Date: August 8 at 10 am ET
As part of the Coalition for Global Hepatitis Elimination’s "Research Advancing Hepatitis Elimination" series with the National Institutes of Health, this webinar will share information about HBV replication and natural history, current treatments, and new treatments in development. Presentations will also include immunomodulatory strategies, public health perspectives, and a community representative panel.
CDC DASH NOFO: Improving Adolescent Health and Well-Being Through School-Based Surveillance and the What Works in Schools Program
Deadline: April 1, 2024 at 11:59 pm ET
“The purpose of DP-24-0139 is to improve the health and well-being of our nation’s youth by implementing CDC’s What Works in Schools program— deliver high-quality health education, increase access to needed health services, and create safe and supportive school environments—and supporting the collection and use of school-based surveillance data.”
OIDP NOFO: Supporting Vaccine Confidence
Deadline: August 21, 2024 at 6.00 pm ET
This initiative seeks to expand, plan, implement, and evaluate promising practices and develop novel approaches to increase vaccine confidence in local communities, particularly partnerships with organizations that work with populations with low vaccination rates (e.g., African Americans and residents in rural communities). Practical solutions at local levels are needed to help support vaccination efforts in communities by healthcare providers, immunization program managers, immunization advocates, vaccine manufacturers, and other stakeholders. OIDP anticipates the availability of approximately $1,000,000 for this funding opportunity to support four awards ranging from $250,000 to $115,000 per year for up to three years. OIDP and ORHO will support activities by public health departments, community organizations, academic institutions, professional or trade organizations, and immunization coalitions, among others, that work with populations with low vaccination rates.
Job Opportunities
Government Affairs Manager – HIV+Hepatitis Policy Institute
The Government Affairs Manager will be responsible for advocating policy positions before the United States Congress, federal agencies, and state officials. Primary focus will be on securing adequate appropriations for domestic HIV and hepatitis prevention and treatment programs. Additional areas of focus include Congressional and federal agency consideration of issues that impact access and affordability of health care, including prescription medications. On occasion, state legislative and agency communication will also be part of the portfolio. For further details and to apply by July 19, 2024 please click here.
Director, HIV Prevention -- Tennessee Department of Health
This role is responsible for overseeing and administering the entire portfolio of HIV Prevention activities supported by TDH and our community-based organization partners statewide. In addition to leading an internal team of eleven direct and shared staff, this role will also be responsible for maintaining strong relationships with a wide variety of external stakeholders, including our CBO partners, metro Health Department leadership, and the United Way of Middle TN.Top of Form
Communicable Disease Epidemiologist – Cheyenne, Wyoming
This position will serve as the Communicable Disease AIDS Drug Assistance Program (ADAP) Coordinator, Wyoming TB Controller, and Disease Intervention Specialist (DIS) for the Communicable Disease (CD) Treatment Program. Assist in outbreak response to ensure the safety of Wyoming residents; by interviewing cases for exposure information, updating news outlets on the progress of outbreak control, analyzing exposure data utilizing epidemiological and statistical methods.
Open Positions – New York State
The New York State Department of Health, in partnership with Health Research, Inc, has various job openings, including some within the AIDS Institute. Please visit this link to learn about their current opportunities.
News Bulletin
Preventive care is under threat: PrEP now or pay later
“A long-awaited court decision has finally arrived, with disturbing health implications: The ruling exempts select employers from fully covering a daily pill that can prevent a person’s chances of getting HIV by up to 99 percent. But the effects of the Braidwood Management v. Becerra case extend beyond HIV care. The case could invalidate a startling range of free preventative services, and lead to a big jump in patient’s payments for cancer screenings, preventive drugs for heart disease, depression screenings, crucial prenatal care and much more.”
Medicaid Urged to Ensure Access to Long-Acting Meds That Treat and Prevent HIV
“A policy brief written by health advocate experts urges Medicaid leadership to capitalize on the promise of long-acting medications to treat and prevent HIV. The brief spells out a series of recommendations to ensure that people eligible for Medicaid have access to these “game-changing” injectable HIV meds.”
World Hepatitis Day: How Scotland Worked With People Who Inject Drugs
“On World Hepatitis Day 2020, Tayside in eastern Scotland announced it had effectively eliminated hep C—the first region in the world to do so. Efforts like the NHS Tayside project focused on making the cure accessible to people who use drugs, especially those who inject, and not requiring abstinence from any substance use while they were on the medication. This is the most effective approach and is practiced by government-funded harm reduction groups outside Scotland, including in the United States.”
Where Kamala Harris stands on health care issues
“Vice President Kamala Harris, who said she will seek the Democratic nomination after President Biden decided not to continue his reelection campaign, has previously staked out health positions to the left of President Biden. But there isn’t expected to be much daylight between her policy priorities and President Biden’s.”