Rep. Angie Craig

Maddy summaryThe ARC Act of 2023 establishes a national program to address peripheral artery disease (PAD), which disproportionately affects minority populations and leads to avoidable amputations. The bill requires Medicare and Medicaid to cover PAD screening tests (such as ankle-brachial index testing) for at-risk beneficiaries without cost-sharing, including people 65+ or those with diabetes, smoking history, or other risk factors. It authorizes $6 million annually for a CDC-led education program to inform healthcare providers and the public about PAD prevention and treatment. The bill also creates quality measures to encourage alternative treatments to amputation and establishes a pilot program to test amputation prevention services at healthcare facilities. These provisions aim to reduce amputation rates and improve outcomes for millions of Americans with PAD.

Maddy summaryThis bill requires Medicare to cover genetic counseling services provided by licensed genetic counselors at 85% of the physician payment rate. It defines "genetic counselor" as a state-licensed professional (or meeting federal criteria in non-licensing states) and mandates a new billing modifier for these services starting January 1, 2024. Medicare beneficiaries seeking genetic counseling would gain expanded access to these services under this coverage. The policy change applies to services furnished on or after the effective date, with implementation via interim rule.

Maddy summaryHR 3561, the PATIENT Act of 2023, requires hospitals, health insurance plans, and pharmacy benefit managers to publicly disclose detailed pricing information for healthcare services and drugs. Hospitals must publish standard charges for 300+ shoppable services, including gross charges, payer-specific negotiated rates, and discounted cash prices, with updates required annually. Health plans must provide real-time information on in-network rates, cost sharing, deductibles, and prior authorization requirements for covered services. The bill establishes enforcement mechanisms, including civil monetary penalties for non-compliance, with fines ranging from $300 per day for small hospitals to $5 million for large hospitals that fail to comply with the transparency requirements.

Maddy summaryThe Strengthening Tribal Families Act of 2023 requires U.S. states receiving federal child welfare funding to explicitly comply with the Indian Child Welfare Act (ICWA) of 1978. It amends federal law to mandate that state child welfare agencies follow ICWA standards in cases involving Native American children, including timely tribal notice and proper placement decisions. The bill establishes specific metrics for measuring compliance, such as tracking how often courts return cases for insufficient "active efforts" and documenting foster care or adoption placements. States must submit biennial reports to Congress on their progress, and a new federal process will develop standardized compliance assessment tools by 2024. This directly affects state child welfare agencies, tribal organizations, and Native American families involved in custody proceedings.

Maddy summaryHR 3355 reauthorizes a federal program providing loan repayment assistance to healthcare professionals working in substance use disorder (SUD) treatment. It makes these repayments tax-free under the Internal Revenue Code and requires detailed annual reporting on applicants, including those denied due to insufficient funding. The program is funded at $75 million annually for fiscal years 2024-2028. This directly supports clinicians in SUD treatment who have student loan debt, helping address workforce shortages in addiction care.

Maddy summaryHR 3293, the Expediting Federal Broadband Deployment Reviews Act, creates a new interagency team to speed up reviews of broadband projects on federal lands. It directly affects broadband providers needing to place equipment on public lands (like national forests and Bureau of Land Management areas) by requiring federal land agencies to prioritize these requests. The bill establishes an "interagency strike force" led by the Commerce Department's Assistant Secretary, which will hold regular meetings, set review timelines, and report to Congress on progress within 270 days of enactment. This aims to reduce delays in deploying broadband infrastructure across federal lands.

Maddy summaryThe Emergency Access to Insulin Act of 2023 creates a federal grant program for states, tribes, and tribal organizations to help uninsured and underinsured individuals obtain insulin at no cost. Under the program, states would issue insulin cards that allow individuals to get insulin from participating pharmacies without cost, with states required to provide matching funds (1:3 federal to state ratio). The bill also imposes an excise tax on insulin manufacturers for price increases that exceed the inflation rate, with tax rates increasing based on the size of the price spike. The program would be available for five years, with states required to report on program effectiveness annually to Congress.

Maddy summaryHR 3033, the Solidify Iran Sanctions Act of 2023, repeals the expiration date (sunset) from the 1996 Iran Sanctions Act. This permanently maintains existing U.S. sanctions targeting Iran's weapons programs, ballistic missile development, and support for terrorism. The bill directly affects Iran's government and entities involved in these activities by ensuring sanctions remain in effect without needing periodic renewal. It does not impose new sanctions but preserves current policy by removing the automatic expiration provision.

Maddy summaryThe PASTEUR Act establishes a new subscription payment model to incentivize development of new antimicrobial drugs for resistant infections. It creates a Committee on Critical Need Antimicrobials and a Subscription Contract Office to manage payments based on specific drug characteristics like treating multi-drug resistant infections, novel mechanisms of action, and oral administration. Under this model, the government would pay drug developers up to $3 billion over 10 years for qualifying drugs, with payments tied to requirements like ensuring drug availability, reporting resistance data, and developing appropriate use plans. The bill aims to address the lack of new antimicrobial drugs by changing the funding model to reward drugs that meet specific clinical and public health needs.

Maddy summaryThis bill establishes a new workplace violence prevention standard for healthcare and social service workers. It requires employers in covered facilities - including hospitals, nursing homes, mental health clinics, and social service settings - to develop and implement comprehensive prevention plans with specific requirements. These plans must include risk assessments, hazard prevention measures, employee training on violence prevention, and procedures for reporting and investigating violent incidents. The bill also amends Medicare regulations to require compliance with these standards for hospitals and skilled nursing facilities receiving Medicare funds.