Health care issues take Capitol Hill stage

Representatives from both sides of the aisle focused on various issues including "dual eligibles," veterans' health care, drug-tracking laws and the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force.

CQ HealthBeat: California Democrats Concerned Whether Duals Demo Will Improve Patient Care
Fourteen House Democrats from California questioned Tuesday whether the hundreds of thousands of people eligible for both Medicare and Medicaid who will be moved into managed care plans in January will get enough access to providers. The shift is part of a three-year demonstration project designed to better coordinate care for this frail population and to save health care dollars (Adams, 6/4).

The Associated Press/Washington Post: House Debates Measure Boosting Veterans' Programs, But Cuts Loom To Other Domestic Spending
The GOP-controlled House advanced the first of 12 spending bills for the budget year beginning Oct. 1, a popular measure providing more money for veterans' programs, including health care. The measure was likely to pass Tuesday. The boost for veterans came even as the House marched ahead with a plan that would require most other domestic programs to absorb even deeper cuts next year than those in place now after the imposition of across-the-board spending cuts (6/4).

Modern Healthcare: House Democrats Want Tougher Drug-Tracing Legislation
A U.S. House-passed bill to establish a national system for tracking pharmaceutical drugs through the supply chain to thwart counterfeit medicines faces opposition from some Democrats, who say they want a tougher bill. "The Safeguarding America's Pharmaceuticals Act of 2013 (PDF)," (H.R. 1919) sponsored by Rep. Bob Latta (R-Ohio) and Rep. Jim Matheson (D-Utah), passed the House on Monday and now goes to the Senate, which is considering its own traceability bill, S. 957 (Block, 6/4).

CQ HealthBeat: Blackburn Says Preventive Task Force Needs Broader Representation
Specialists who have objected to some high-profile recommendations from the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force have a champion in Rep. Marsha Blackburn, who is trying again this year to get a bill passed that would broaden the panel's membership. The task force issues recommendations for primary care doctors on which preventive screenings and other tests to suggest to their patients (Bunis, 6/4).