By Kathryn DiBitetto, Vice President of Congressional Relations
August 2023- The Journal of Healthcare Contracting
In June, more than 100 distributors, along with some of their key manufacturer partners, came to HIDA’s Washington Summit and Fly-In to ask Congressional leaders to support legislation to strengthen the healthcare supply chain. Participants met with the offices of over 80 Senators and Representatives. In these meetings, HIDA stressed the following legislative priorities:
- PAHPA Reauthorization: HIDA urges Congress to reauthorize the Pandemic and All-Hazards Preparedness Act (PAHPA) prior to its September 30, 2023 expiration. PAHPA’s all-hazards approach provides an opportunity to ensure consistency across all disaster response efforts.
- Domestic Manufacturing Incentives: HIDA recommends a package of incentives to sustain the industrial base of critical products – such as government support to reduce capital expenditures through tax incentives, and committed long-term contracts of at least 5 years with federal procurement agencies.
- Fast Pass For Medical Supplies: In 2021 and 2022, transportation delays became a healthcare issue. HIDA research estimates that approximately 31,000-46,000 containers of critical medical supplies were delayed an average of 29 days throughout the transportation system. HIDA supports the creation of a “fast pass” process to expedite medical supplies throughout the nation’s transportation system.
Based on our meetings with elected officials, two encouraging takeaways were present in our conversations on Capitol Hill. First, we found broad areas of bipartisan agreement. Republicans and Democrats both want to ensure that mistakes during the COVID-19 pandemic, especially the shortage of supplies in the Strategic National Stockpile, are not repeated. Congress wants to closely examine how federal preparedness agencies are using their existing legal authority before seeking to expand that authority.
Second, Congress considered a robust role for the private sector to be essential. The value of public-private partnerships and vendor-managed inventory was discussed positively and repeatedly. The Strategic National Stockpile should only be one part of the supply chain continuum, and it should provide a backstop during ramp-up of production during the early stages of a public health emergency.
Efforts such as the Washington Summit and Fly-In are key means of advocacy for our members. As Congress continues to deliberate on preparedness efforts, HIDA will continue to educate our elected officials about the need for strong public-private partnerships that strengthen the medical supply chain.