Healthcare Stakeholders Weigh In On State of the Union

President Joseph R. Biden held his first State of the Union address Tuesday night, where he covered a variety of topics including healthcare.

President Joseph R. Biden addressed the nation Tuesday night where he not only covered the Russia invasion of Ukraine, the state of the economy and inflation, but also focused on healthcare issues.

During his first State of the Union address, Biden addressed the following topics about healthcare:

• Healthcare costs, including the cost of insulin
• Medicare directing drug costs
• Nursing home standards
• The COVID-19 pandemic
• The opioid epidemic
• Behavioral health and mental health services
• Veterans healthcare
• An initiative to address cancer, diabetes, and Alzheimer's disease

Several healthcare stakeholders weighed in with their thoughts on the president's address, some applauding his plans while others urge Congress to take larger steps.

American Medical Association

Gerald E. Harmon, MD, the president of the American Medical Association (AMA) released a statement applauding President Biden addressing the mental health crisis and the opioid epidemic which were exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic.

"COVID-19 has had a devastating impact on mental health, especially for school-aged children and for communities that have been historically marginalized or minoritized. Even before the pandemic, however, many patients faced imposing barriers to mental health care. The president is on the right track in trying to make sure everyone who needs help can access care when and where they seek it."

 Harmon says that in order to succeed, the workforce for mental health and substance use disorder must be expanded.

He added, "The AMA has been asking congressional leaders to take steps to address nearly 15 years of repeated failures by health insurance companies to comply with the landmark mental health and substance use disorder parity law. The president was right to draw attention to this critical gap in access to mental health care, and we are pleased he is prioritizing parity, particularly at this challenging time. "

Federation of American Hospitals

President and CEO of the Federation of American Hospitals (FAH), Chip Kahn, released a statement regarding President Biden's focus on the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.

"President Biden spoke of what’s been done and what still needs doing as we continue to fight against COVID-19. FAH greatly appreciates the actions of the Administration and Congress, such as The American Rescue Plan Act (ARP), which ensured the security of health care coverage for millions of Americans and supported access to care for many of the nation’s most vulnerable patients, especially those who live in rural and marginalized communities."

He added, "Yet there is a dangerous health care coverage cliff looming, making it imperative for the President and Congress to come together to make ARP’s enhanced ACA subsidies permanent. The moratorium on the Medicare sequester is also a vital lifeline to providers that needs to be extended until the end of the Public Health Emergency."

CMS Administrator Chiquita Brooks-LaSure

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) administrator, Chiquita Brooks-LaSure, released a statement celebrating President Biden's initiative to improve quality and safety in nursing homes around the country.

“For months, my team and I have met with industry experts, nursing home workers, resident advocates, and – most importantly – nursing home residents and their family members," she said. "I have been deeply moved by these conversations, which informed the vision outlined yesterday. People living in nursing homes deserve to be treated with dignity and to receive the care they need. Tragically, nursing home residents and staff have made up roughly one-fourth of all COVID-19 deaths in the country. Without the hard work, dedication and sacrifices of our frontline care workers, we know the number of deaths from COVID-19 would be even more staggering. I am deeply grateful to the nursing home staff who are doing this critical work every day.

She added,  "COVID-19 has also highlighted the need to address unmet mental health needs that have been exacerbated by the pandemic. At CMS, we are committed to implementing these provisions and engaging Congress and our stakeholders on these essential investments in the mental health of America."

AHIP

President and CEO of AHIP, Matt Eyles, shared his support of bringing down healthcare and drug costs, and increasing the accessibility of healthcare coverage.

"We strongly support making permanent the premium savings provided to hardworking Americans who buy coverage on their own through the American Rescue Plan. Those savings greatly help improve the affordability and accessibility of health care coverage," he said.

Additionally, he shared his support for improved access to behavioral healthcare.

"We need more innovative collaborations and solutions with providers and communities to address this complex issue, including more programs to encourage more behavioral health care providers, and to integrate behavioral and physical health care in the doctor’s office.  We strongly support parity in coverage for physical and behavioral health needs, expanded access to telehealth services, and driving value-based care arrangements that include behavioral health providers and services. We will continue to engage with Congress and the Administration on additional solutions that Americans need now to improve behavioral health care for children, adolescents and adults."

PhRMA

Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America (PhRMA) president and CEO, Stephen J. Ubl, said in a statement that while "innovative treatments can only improve lives," if they are not accessible or affordable, that creates harmful barriers for patients. 

"We urge President Biden and Congress to work on a holistic solution that fixes what’s broken in our health care system," he said, "Allowing the government to set the price of medicines isn’t the answer. We know that story will end with less access to medicines and less future innovation, and we know there’s a better way. Let’s work together on solutions that lower costs for patients, address abusive practices within the insurance system and protect the development of new cures and treatments."

UsAgainstAlzheimers

UsAgainstAlzheimers chair and cofounder, George Vradenburg, applauded President Biden's remarks on the Advanced Research Projects Agency for Health (ARPA-H).

"We applaud the President’s dedication to accelerating research to combat serious illnesses, like Alzheimer’s, that millions of Americans are fighting every day. With new approaches on the horizon, it is critical that this administration eliminate obstacles that prevent getting new treatments into the hands of patients."

He added, "If the Biden Administration is committed to fighting back against diseases like cancer and Alzheimer’s, the President should direct Medicare to cover FDA-Approved medications." 

Related: Fact Check: Biden Sets High Bar in 1st State of the Union Speech