Disaster Readiness

State of Play: The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) announced the COVID-19 public health emergency (PHE) would end on May 11. President Biden’s proposed fiscal year 2024 budget continues to invest funding into public health as well as the Strategic National Stockpile, supply chain, U.S. manufacturing, and the National Disaster Medical System. The House Energy and Commerce (E&C) Committee and the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP) Committee both issued requests for information (RFI) on the reauthorization of the Pandemics and All-Hazards Preparedness Act (PAHPA). The House E&C Committee has held two hearings on the origins of COVID-19 and passed legislation that would classify fentanyl substances as Schedule 1 drugs and use Title 42 to stop the importation of fentanyl substances. Health Affairs published two articles describing how the nation is not yet ready for the next pandemic with the exodus of public health officials and a level of distrust of public health officials among the public. Congress has passed legislation to declassify COVID-19 origin intelligence. House Republicans have asked the administration about virus research that might pose biosafety or biosecurity risks. The International Trade Commission (ITC) is in the midst of a probe to inform the U.S. Trade Representative’s (USTR) consideration of whether World Trade Organization members should expand intellectual property-related benefits for COVID-19 vaccines to include tests and treatments. The Administration for Strategic Preparedness and Response (ASPR) released a framework developed in cooperation with the private sector to help prevent cybersecurity incidents. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is in the initial stages of implementing its Data Modernization Initiative (DMI), a multiyear, multibillion-dollar effort to modernize public health data.

HLC Position: HLC continues to play a leadership role on disaster readiness and response. It speaks to the far-sightedness of this organization and its members that concerns over the adequacy of our country’s disaster readiness and response capabilities were discussed at HLC meetings with HHS executives early in 2019 before anyone had heard of COVID-19. Our work in developing recommendations to improve the status quo in three areas – care delivery, data and evidence generation, supply chain innovation – has drawn attention from many quarters. Several of our recommendations have already been integrated into public policy efforts. The HHS leadership in the Biden administration has engaged with HLC in this critical work, as have key members of Congress. HLC members are committed to constructing a systemic private-public approach to disaster preparedness.

HLC 2023 Activity:

• HLC continues to advocate to Congress on recommendations to include in the PAHPA reauthorization. These efforts include:
  • Collaborating with the Duke-Margolis Center for Health Policy on a report on disaster readiness and response recommendations that should be included in the PAHPA reauthorization legislation. This report includes policy recommendations that are feasible and high priority for this year.
  • Submitting comments to the Senate HELP Committee and the Energy and Commerce Committee’s request for information on PAHPA reauthorization.
  • Joining a group letter to committees of jurisdiction over PAHPA to include the PASTEUR Act in any moving legislative vehicle this year, including the reauthorization of PAHPA. The PASTEUR Act would increase our nation’s resilience by strengthening the antibacterial and antifungal pipeline to ensure clinicians and other medical professionals have the innovative products they need to treat patients and ensuring appropriate use of antimicrobials.
• Participants in HLC’s Executive Meeting on Patient Safety and Quality agreed to begin work on a health data interoperability and disaster readiness initiative. Through this initiative, HLC will bring together decisionmakers and subject matter experts from the private and public sectors to determine the steps necessary to improve public health data standardization, disaster readiness reporting and interoperability. HLC will also highlight industry best practices of data exchange during public health crises.
• HLC participates as a key external advisor to the National Emerging Special Pathogens Training and Education Center and ASPR’s core advisory group on the creation of a new 501(c)(3) entity, which will serve as the private-public partnership National Special Pathogen System of Care.
• On May 4, HLC wrote the S. International Trade Commission to express concerns over proposals to limit intellectual property protections for COVID-19 diagnostic tools and therapeutics under the World Trade Organization’s TRIPS agreement. HLC wrote that doing so could have devastating implications for the future of biopharmaceutical research and development. HLC noted that evidence indicates such a TRIPS waiver would not meaningfully expand access to COVID-19 diagnostics and therapeutics.
• In March, HLC’s Confidentiality Coalition hosted Greg Garcia, Executive Director, Cybersecurity, Healthcare and Public Health Sector Coordinating Council (HSCC). Mr. Garcia highlighted the work of the HSCC to better prepare the healthcare industry for cyberattacks.
• On February 22, HLC’s Confidentiality Coalition hosted a webinar for Hill staff, titled “Cybersecurity Playbook for Healthcare.” Panelists included experts from AHIP, Atrium Health, and United Health.