H.R. 751: Healthy Equipping And Lending Technical Help Panel Act

The bill, known as the Healthy Equipping And Lending Technical Help Panel Act, aims to establish a new entity called the Panel of Health Advisors within the Congressional Budget Office (CBO). This Panel would serve various functions related to health care analysis and policy recommendations. The main components of the bill are as follows:

Establishment of the Panel

The bill amends existing legislation to formally create the Panel of Health Advisors, which will provide guidance and expertise to improve the CBO's work regarding health and health care issues.

Duties of the Panel

The Panel is tasked with:

• Providing technical expertise and recommendations to enhance the CBO's studies and estimates related to health care policies.
• Meeting at least once a year.
• Issuing an annual report detailing its activities and recommendations, including how these recommendations were utilized by the CBO.

Focus Areas

The expertise provided by the Panel will specifically cover:

• Economic and non-economic studies on health and health care issues.
• Cost estimates for proposed health care legislation.
• Models used by the CBO to project the impacts of health care policy changes.
• Components of various official publications related to health by the CBO.

Report Publication

The annual report produced by the Panel will be made available on the CBO's public website to ensure transparency regarding its findings and recommendations.

Membership and Appointment

The Panel will consist of 15 members, appointed as follows:

• 3 members appointed by the chair of the House Budget Committee.
• 3 members appointed by the ranking minority member of the House Budget Committee.
• 3 members appointed by the chair of the Senate Budget Committee.
• 3 members appointed by the ranking minority member of the Senate Budget Committee.
• 3 members appointed by the Director of the Congressional Budget Office.

Qualifications

Members of the Panel should possess national recognition for their expertise in fields such as:

• Health finance and economics
• Actuarial science
• Health facility management
• Life sciences and drug development
• Investment in health care companies
• Health plans and integrated delivery systems
• Medicare, Medicaid, and related fields

Terms and Leadership

Members will serve staggered terms of three years and may be reappointed for one additional term. The Director of the CBO will designate a chair and a vice chair from among the members.

Ethical Considerations

The CBO may establish regulations for ethical disclosures to prevent conflicts of interest and confidentiality agreements to protect sensitive information used in analysis and reporting.

Clerical Amendment

The bill includes a clerical amendment to update the table of contents of the Congressional Budget and Impoundment Control Act to reflect the establishment of the Panel.

Relevant Companies

• HCA Healthcare (HCA) - As a major provider of healthcare services, HCA may be impacted by any changes in cost estimates or healthcare policy recommendations that arise from the analyses provided by the Panel.
• Centene Corporation (CMS) - This company specializes in managed care, and new insights or recommendations from the Panel could influence operational strategies and financial planning.
• UnitedHealth Group (UNH) - As a leading healthcare company, changes in health policy forecasts and economic studies may drive business strategies and investment decisions based on findings from the Panel.