House oversight panel to probe growth of copycat fentanyl

WEEK OF JULY 15: One week after a federal appeals court considered the future of the Affordable Care Act, the House will vote this week to repeal the law’s unpopular “Cadillac” tax. The 40% excise tax on high-cost employer plans has been pushed back several times over the years, and lawmakers are looking to delay implementation once again.

JULY 15-16: As Oscar Health has proven, there’s a healthy appetite to shop online for insurance in today’s high-tech world. Insurer, broker and tech company reps will be in Chicago for the Digital Insurance Summit to discuss consumer trends shaping the industry. Look for Modern Healthcare reporter Jessica Kim Cohen’s takes on the confab in our newsletters.

JULY 15: The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention closes the comment period for updates to guidelines on assessing cancer clusters. The CDC and the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry are working on the guidelines to help public health agencies better respond to clusters.

JULY 16: A House Energy and Commerce subcommittee will delve into the federal government’s “efforts to combat the spread of illicit fentanyl.” There appears to be a division within the Trump administration on what steps to take. Legislation being pushed by Wisconsin Republicans Sen. Ron Johnson and Rep. Jim Sensenbrenner would give the Drug Enforcement Administration power to classify illicit fentanyl as a Schedule I drug. Currently, the DEA and the Food and Drug Administration work in tandem on these reviews. The DEA supports the bill; HHS has concerns, Reuters reported last week.

JULY 18: UnitedHealth Group will release Q2 financial results, the first to include its $4.3 billion purchase of DaVita Medical Group. Results are expected to be solid, as usual. Zacks Investment Research predicted revenue will hit $60.67 billion, up 8.2% from the same period in 2018.