Reconciliation Strategy Throws Wrench Into Legislative Efforts To Strip Essential Health Benefits
Under the complicated rules that allow Republicans to try to move legislation through the Senate without a filibuster, any changes to the Affordable Care Act must be related to the budget. That means essential health benefits will be left to regulators.
WBUR:
What Will Happen To 'Essential Health Benefits' If The ACA Is Repealed?
What might happen to the "essential health benefits" the Affordable Care Act currently requires insurers to cover if the law is repealed and replaced? Things like maternity benefits, prescription drugs, preventive services and chronic disease management. Here & Now's Robin Young talks with Sarah Kliff, who covers health policy for Vox, about the current benefits that are mandated under Obamacare. (Young, 3/15)
In other news —
Denver Post:
Poll: Colorado Voters Want To Fix, Not Replace, Obamacare
A majority of Colorado voters think it’s a better idea to keep Obamacare than to replace it with a new healthcare plan, according to a new poll out this week. The survey by Keating Research, in partnership with the left-leaning firm OnSight Public Affairs, found that 54 percent of respondents wanted to save or improve the Affordable Care Act, compared to the 41 percent of active Colorado voters who preferred to eliminate or replace the 2010 law, better known as Obamacare. The support tracks with Colorado’s past support of Democrats and the Affordable Care Act. (Matthews, 3/15)
Kaiser Health News:
Obamacare Pushed Nonprofit Hospitals To Do Good Beyond Their Walls. Now What?
Requiring this “community health needs assessment” was part of a broader package of rules included in the health law to ensure that nonprofit hospitals justify the tax exemption they receive. Another directive was that these facilities establish public, written policies about financial assistance available for medically necessary and emergency care and that they comply with limits on what patients who qualify for the aid can be charged. (Luthra, 3/16)
WBUR:
New Head Of Dana-Farber On AHCA, Boston Roots And Women In Science
Dr. Laurie Glimcher has been the CEO of the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute since last October. She came from Cornell University's medical school, but before that had lived and worked many years in Boston. She spoke to us at her office about the GOP health care bill, the latest cancer innovations, and the Mar-a-Lago controversy the institute became embroiled in earlier this year. (Bruzek and Becker, 3/15)
