Grassley Direct
On my weekly "Capitol Hill Report," I spoke with Nikki Thunder of KCHE in Cherokee and Seth Boyes of the Dickinson County News about prescription drug pricing and U.S.-China trade.
Q&A: Post-Mortem: Misspent Medicaid Dollars
Q. Why is it so difficult to stop federal benefits flowing for deceased Medicaid recipients?
Q. What will it take to fix improper Medicaid payments?
Quick Links
As the only two farmers in the U.S. Senate, I partnered with Senator Jon Tester from Montana to introduce a bill to address the rising rate of farmer suicides across the country. The Seeding Rural Resilience Act works to curb growing rates of suicide in rural America by implementing a voluntary stress management training program, launching a PSA campaign to bring awareness to this issue and directing the Secretary of Agriculture to work with state and local groups to determine best practices for responding to farm and ranch mental stress. Americans in rural communities face isolation, distance from basic health care services, lack of broadband access, stigmas against receiving counseling and financial burdens. These factors cause higher rates of stress for American farmers, making it even harder for people in rural communities to get by.
Drug prices have become a top issue for people of every region, demographic and ideology. One in four seniors say it’s difficult to afford their medicines, and 80% of Americans consider prescription drug costs unreasonable. Price hikes year after year exceed any justifiable metric. To address this growing problem, along with Senator Ron Wyden of Oregon, I introduced the Prescription Drug Pricing Reduction Act (PDPRA) of 2019. The PDPRA, which passed over the summer by a bipartisan two-thirds majority of our committee, would lower beneficiaries’ premiums by $6 billion, reduce their out-of-pocket costs by $25 billion and lower drug prices in the commercial market. Read more in my joint op-ed with Senator Wyden here.
As part of my continued oversight work on the Senate Finance Committee, I sent a letter to the Department of Health and Human Services Secretary seeking information on Graduate Medical Education (GME) programs. Specifically, how the money is spent and what oversight processes are currently in place to prevent waste, fraud and abuse of the programs. With three separate reports by non-partisan institutes highlighting potential waste of these funds, Congress must take a closer look at the GME program to increase oversight and transparency and ensure that taxpayer money is being spent in a manner that accords with congressional intent and achieves the highest public good.
Congress observed National Adoption Week, a time reserved for raising awareness of the urgent need for increased adoption in our country. There are thousands of children in Iowa and nationwide in foster care waiting to be adopted, and it’s critical we don’t forget about these deserving kids and do what we can to help and support them. Foster parents also play an important role in our society. A loving and nurturing home is essential for future generations to learn, grow and become productive members of society. Whether it’s providing school supplies to families in need, opening your heart and home to foster youth or, giving a child their forever home, you can be the one to make a difference in a child’s life. Read more in my op-ed here.
Post of the Week
Met w the Iowa Association of Business and Industry on USMCA immigration infrastructure etc
|
