THE JOHNS AND SCOTT ON HEALTH CARE — With Congress returning this week, many eyes will be on leadership elections for the next Congress, including who Senate Republicans will elect as their new majority leader. Sens. John Thune (R-S.D.), John Cornyn (R-Texas) and Rick Scott (R-Fla.) are in the running, with Thune and Cornyn seen as front-runners. Some conservatives and people in President-elect Donald Trump’s orbit like Elon Musk have gotten behind Scott, though Trump hasn’t endorsed a candidate. Whoever wins the race will have tremendous power to set a health care agenda. Here’s what health care observers should know about each candidate, POLITICO’s Sophie Gardner reports: Thune: Thune has been a major telehealth proponent and favored bolstering transparency requirements for pharmacy benefit managers, which negotiate drug prices for insurers. He’s also a member of the bipartisan working group investigating doctor payment reforms in Medicare. Thune has called the Inflation Reduction Act’s drug pricing negotiations “price controls” that will hurt innovation. Cornyn: Cornyn has been an advocate for drug patent reform and has worked across the aisle on several bipartisan bills intended to reduce drug costs for older adults. He’s expressed skepticism about the IRA’s drug pricing negotiation provisions. Scott: Scott, as governor of Florida, opposed Medicaid expansion. He’s also been a loud critic of the Affordable Care Act and, during the Trump administration, was among the Republican senators who Trump asked to find alternatives to the policy. He's been critical of the IRA, pointing to rising Medicare premiums. RACES TO WATCH — The races to lead two prominent House committees will significantly impact health care. Although some races haven’t been called yet, the House is expected to have a narrow GOP majority. Here’s what to know about the key races: Energy and Commerce: Reps. Brett Guthrie (R-Ky.) and Bob Latta (R-Ohio) are running to lead the committee in a two-person race after Rep. Richard Hudson (R-N.C.), who was weighing a run, said he’d seek a second term as NRCC chair instead. E&C Chair Cathy McMorris Rodgers (R-Wash.) isn’t seeking reelection. Latta has the edge in seniority, but Guthrie has a significant fundraising advantage and two significant public endorsements and is considered to have an edge. You can read more about their priorities here. E&C Health Subcommittee: Reps. Gus Bilirakis (R-Fla.), Buddy Carter (R-Ga.) and Morgan Griffith (R-Va.) have all said they’re interested in the subcommittee chair position. Carter and Bilirakis have backed Guthrie to lead the full panel. Committee chairs generally have the latitude to pick their subcommittee leaders. Education and the Workforce: Reps. Burgess Owens (R-Utah) and Tim Walberg (R-Mich.) are running to replace Rep. Virginia Foxx of North Carolina as the top Republican on the House Committee on Education and the Workforce. They share some health care priorities and want to restore the Trump-era association health plan rules that made it easier for small businesses to team up to buy health insurance and avoid some regulations.
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