Healthcare will be first on the docket when the 116th Congress convenes in January, according to Rep. Don Beyer, speaker at this month’s gathering of the Northern Virginia Health Policy Forum. Mr. Beyer, who was just reelected to a third term, said he is looking forward to serving in the House majority with the hope of “watching the things that I care about actually get a vote.”
He tempered his enthusiasm with a gentle warning to some of his incoming colleagues, noting that, “The challenge will be keeping the Caucus on message, and trying to find ways to get bills that would get sixty votes in the Senate and that the President would sign.” Beyer cited Medicare for All as a campaign promise that is “easy to campaign on it, and much harder to make happen,” because there is no practical way to pay for it.
Given that many of the Congressman’s colleagues ran on a health care platform, Rep. Beyer spoke to the government’s role in negotiating drug prices; saying that he is “almost certain” the Democrats would not push for international reference pricing or a cap on drug pricing.
Beyer arrived in great spirits at the breakfast meeting, sharing the not-so-secret news that his district will be one of the homes of the new Amazon HQ2. He was a successful businessman, Lieutenant Governor of Virginia, and Ambassador to Switzerland before running for Congress, and he has won easy reelection in his two subsequent races.
Beyer clearly brings a clear-eyed centrist point-of-view to his work, pointing out that while the ACA needs reform, those changes need to be incremental and practical. “It’s not this huge swing to the left. It’s a matter of how you take the Affordable Care Act and make it better in constructive ways.” And, he pointed out that Congress does not hold all the healthcare cards. The Trump Administration and 20 states are supporting a lawsuit lead by the Attorney General of Texas to repeal the ACA and, according to Beyer; the Administration continues to propose regulations that undermine the essential benefit conditions of the ACA. So, while Beyer says that “further retreats” from the Act in Congress are not likely, “there are two other branches of government that could still really move us in the wrong direction.”
When Congress goes to work in January, more than eighty new members of the House will join Beyer, many of whom have never held elective office. Given the influx of newcomers, Beyer warned those in attendance not to expect immediate action, given the time needed for the new members to be acclimated. But, he said, once the election dust settles, “It will be really fascinating to see what it is like to work with a small, more conservative Republican membership in the house.”
Applied Policy looks forward to having a front row seat to watch the healthcare action, and to be a part of it on behalf of our clients.