Sweeping changes to the House’s healthcare agenda could be in store if the new House Ways and Means Health Subcommittee chairman has his way.
Rep. Fortney “Pete” Stark (D-CA) said the House should pass legislation this month that allows the government to negotiate with drug makers for lower Medicare Part D drug prices. He also wants to end Medicare’s so-called “doughtnut hole.”
Stark added that the federal government must allocate funding to providers to spread the development of health information technology. Under his plan, providers would have five years to adopt IT, after which time they would not be paid if they were not using it.
