A leaked draft of a Democratic plan for the government to negotiate drug prices, curbing surprise billing, and billions of healthcare funds ready to expire: Congress returned from an extended summer break with high stakes for its legislative sprint to the end of the year.

Nearly 8 in 10 Americans support legislation to protect people from surprise medical bills, a new poll from the Kaiser Family Foundation shows. That support persisted no matter which party was asked: 84% of Democrats, 78% of independents and 71% of Republicans said they support surprise billing legislation, according to the poll.

Members of Congress raked in almost $4 million from pharmaceutical manufacturers and their trade groups in the first six months of 2019. Two members — Sen. Chris Coons (D-Del.) and Sen. Thom Tillis (R-N.C.) — each received over $100,000.

It’s an employee’s market, prompting many employers to increase pay and offer richer benefits to keep talented workers from defecting, according to Gallagher’s 2019 Benefits Strategy & Benchmarking Survey.

The drop, despite a strong economy, was the first since 2009 and at least partly caused by efforts to weaken the Affordable Care Act.

The Department of Transportation appointed 13 members to a new advisory committee charged with reviewing issues in the air ambulance industry with a special focus on finding ways to protect consumers from surprise billing.