First Edition: June 27, 2017

Kaiser Health News: CBO Deals Blow To Senate Health Bill With Estimate Of 22 Million More Uninsured
The CBO also analyzed the Senate bill provision that would allow states to use waivers to modify the health law’s essential health benefits that include items like prescription drugs, maternity coverage, mental health and substance abuse. In states where such waivers were granted, consumers could experience substantial cost increases for supplemental premiums or out-of-pocket spending, or choose to forgo services. Nearly half the population, the CBO estimates, would reside in states that seek these waivers.(Carey and Galewitz, 6/26)

Kaiser Health News: Patients With Mental Disorders Get Half Of All Opioid Prescriptions
Adults with a mental illness receive more than 50 percent of the 115 million opioid prescriptions in the United States annually, according to a study released Monday. The results prompted researchers to suggest that improving pain management for people with mental health problems “is critical to reduce national dependency on opioids.” People with mental health disorders represent 16 percent of the U.S. population. (Connor, 6/26)

The New York Times: Senate Health Bill Reels As C.B.O. Predicts 22 Million More Uninsured
The Senate bill to repeal the Affordable Care Act was edging toward collapse on Monday after the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office said it would increase the number of people without health insurance by 22 million by 2026. (Kaplan and Pear, 4/26)

The Washington Post: Senate GOP Health-Care Bill Appears In Deeper Trouble Following New CBO Report
Senate Republicans’ bill to erase major parts of the Affordable Care Act would cause an estimated 22 million more Americans to be uninsured by the end of the coming decade, while reducing federal spending by $321 billion during that time, according to the Congressional Budget Office. (Goldstein and Snell, 6/26)

NPR: CBO Says Senate Health Bill To Repeal Obamacare Would Leave 22 Million More Uninsured
The CBO says low-income Americans in their 50s and early 60s would be disproportionately likely to lose their health care coverage under the Senate bill. Although people buying insurance in the individual market would see lower premiums in many cases, the policies would cover less, and out-of-pocket costs would be higher. (Horsley, 6/26)

Politico: CBO: 22 Million More Uninsured Under Senate Health Bill
The estimated coverage losses are just slightly less than for the House-passed version of the Obamacare repeal bill, which concern Republican moderates who have pushed Senate leaders to craft a more generous bill. (Cancryn, 6/26)

USA Today: CBO: 22 Million More Uninsured Under Senate Health Care Bill
CBO previously estimated that 23 million fewer people would be covered under the bill passed by the House in May. President Trump told senators two weeks ago that the House bill was "mean" and he wanted the Senate bill to have more "heart." (Collins, 6/26)

The Wall Street Journal: Senate Health Bill Raises Uninsured By 22 Million In 2026 Compared With ACA, The CBO Says
[The] assessment threw into doubt whether the bill would make it past an initial procedural hurdle as Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R., Ky.) is engaged in last-minute negotiations with more than a half-dozen GOP lawmakers wavering in their support of the bill. Sen. Susan Collins (R., Maine) said she would vote against the bill, citing the CBO report. (Armour, Peterson and Radnofsky, 6/26)

Los Angeles Times: Senate Healthcare Overhaul Hits Trouble As Republicans Hesitant To Proceed To Vote
Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell hoped to start procedural votes by Wednesday, and President Trump called key senators over the weekend as support splintered. It's the same political dynamic that stalled the House Republican bill last month, as conservative and centrist factions wrestle for dominance. Conservatives want a more complete repeal of the Affordable Care Act, which they hope will lower premium costs, while centrists are trying to avoid leaving millions of Americans without health coverage. (Mascaro, 6/26)

The Associated Press: Budget Office Sees 22 Million Fewer Covered With Senate Bill
The CBO analysis suggested some ammunition GOP leaders could use, saying the Senate bill would cut federal deficits by $202 billion more over the coming decade than the version the House approved in May. Senate leaders could use some of those additional savings to attract moderate votes by making Medicaid and other provisions more generous, though conservatives would rather use that money to reduce red ink. (6/27)

Politico: Republicans Eye Billions In Side Deals To Win Obamacare Repeal Votes
Republicans in the White House and in Congress were pleasantly surprised that the bill included more savings than they expected — and are trying to figure out if they can dole it out for votes. The Senate has about $188 billion to play with. (Dawsey and Everett, 6/26)

The Washington Post: A Person Making $11,400 In 2026 Will Face A Deductible That’s More Than Half Their Income
Most people are focused on how many people would lose insurance under the Senate health-care bill compared with current law: an estimated 22 million, according to the new Congressional Budget Office analysis. But the report digs deeper into the kind of insurance that people, especially poor people, would be able to access -- and finds that it would be so financially burdensome with high deductibles that many people would choose not to sign up. (Johnson, 6/26)

The New York Times: The C.B.O. Did The Math. These Are The Key Takeaways From The Senate Health Care Bill.
[Here] are the four big numbers from the Congressional Budget Office’s analysis of the Senate Republican plan to repeal and replace the Affordable Care Act. (Park and Andrews, 6/26)

The Wall Street Journal: Five Findings Of The CBO On Senate Health Plan
Here are five of the CBO’s top-line findings. (Hackman, 6/26)

The Washington Post: Here's How Well The CBO Did At Forecasting Obamacare
The Congressional Budget Office on Monday projected Senate Republicans' bill to repeal the Affordable Care Act would leave an estimated 22 million additional Americans without health insurance in the coming decade, as well as cut federal spending by $321 billion by 2026. That insurance prediction apparently didn't sit well with the White House, as the Trump administration put out a statement questioning the CBO's credibility, arguing that its analysis of the Affordable Care Act -- Democrats' 2010 health-care law also known as Obamacare -- was so flawed it proved the agency can't be trusted. (Ehrenfreund, 6/26)

The New York Times: Hate The Individual Health Mandate? The G.O.P. Tries A ‘Lockout’
Senate Republicans made only one big change in a new version of their Senate health bill released Monday: They added a penalty for Americans who let their insurance lapse for 63 days or more. Under the new provision, those who go without insurance will be locked out of getting coverage for at least six months after they sign up. (Margot Sanger-Katz, 6/26)

Reuters: U.S. Senate Republicans Release Changes To Healthcare Proposal
U.S. Senate Republicans on Monday released changes to their healthcare bill, including a six-month waiting period for people who have let their insurance coverage lapse for over 63 days - about two months - and want to get insured again. (Cornwell, 6/26)

The Washington Post: Senate Leaders Try To Bolster GOP Health-Care Bill With Incentive For Consumers To Stay Insured
The change, intended to satisfy insurers and minimize the number of Americans who may drop their plans if the bill becomes law, received measured praise from some industry officials but sharp criticism from patient advocates. The move — the first in a series of changes Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) plans to make in the next few days — underscores the degree to which Republicans need to retool their health bill if they hope to pass it this week. (Eilperin and Sullivan, 6/26)

The Wall Street Journal: Republican Senators Add Waiting-Period Penalty To Health-Care Bill
The Senate GOP health bill would repeal large portions of the Affordable Care Act, including a requirement that most people have coverage or pay a penalty. Without that mandate, insurers have been concerned that young and healthy people, who help offset the costs of older and sicker consumers, wouldn’t obtain coverage. That would push premium costs higher because the Senate legislation also requires insurers to cover people with pre-existing health conditions. Senate Health Bill's CBO Score Complicates PathThe Congressional Budget Office estimates that the Senate Republican health bill would leave 22 million more uninsured but cut $321 billion from federal deficit. WSJ's Shelby Holliday reports.The addition of the waiting period aims to fix that gap, mandating that people wait six months before getting coverage on the individual market. (Armour and Peterson, 6/26)

Reuters: Obamacare Taxes Stand If Senate Fails To Adopt Health Bill: Brady
Nearly $1 trillion of taxes imposed by the Affordable Care Act will remain in place if the Senate fails to adopt legislation to dismantle the law known as Obamacare, the top Republican on tax policy in the House of Representatives said on Monday. House Ways and Means Committee Chairman Kevin Brady told reporters there are no plans to use future tax reform legislation as a secondary route for abolishing the Obamacare levies, should the Senate healthcare effort stall. (Morgan, 6/26)

Politico: How The GOP Health Care Plans Stack Up To Obamacare In 4 Charts
The Senate’s Obamacare repeal bill would drive up the uninsured rate across all demographics, CBO estimates, but hit low-income Americans the hardest. (Cancryn, Fisher, Frostenson and McClure, 6/26)

The Associated Press: These Senators Will Make Or Break The GOP's Health Care Push
President Donald Trump's campaign promise to repeal and replace "Obamacare" is now in the hands of a key group of GOP senators who are opposing —or not yet supporting — legislation Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell is pushing to bring to a vote this week. These lawmakers range from moderate to conservative Republicans, and include senators who were just re-elected and a couple facing tough re-election fights. (6/27)

Politico: Senate Obamacare Repeal On Brink Of Defeat
The GOP is well short of the votes needed to bring its bill to the floor, and party leaders and President Donald Trump are kicking into overdrive to save their imperiled health care overhaul. (Everett and Haberkorn, 6/26)

Politico: Senate Democrats Rally Against GOP Health-Care Bill
It’s time again for Senate Democrats to burn the midnight oil. Senate Democrats launched yet another night of floor speeches on Monday night castigating the GOP’s plan to repeal and replace Obamacare — a talk-a-thon led by Sens. Patty Murray of Washington and Mazie Hirono of Hawaii that ran several hours after the Senate’s 5:30 p.m. votes. (Kim, 6/26)

The Washington Post: Senators Take The Health-Care Debate To Capitol Steps
On Monday night, Sen. Cory Booker (D-N.J.) gathered colleagues on the steps outside the Senate, where they talked for hours into a Facebook feed as activists filed in and out to watch the debate. The tone alternated between grim stories of people who would lose access to Medicaid, and in-jokes between the senators. “We've brought in Papa Smurf!” said Booker when Sen. Charles E. Schumer (D-N.Y.) arrived to join the Facebook Live talk. (David Weigel, 6/26)

The Associated Press: Donors To GOP: No Cash Until Action On Health Care, Taxes
At least one influential donor has informed congressional Republicans that the "Dallas piggy bank" is closed until he sees major action on health care and taxes. Texas-based donor Doug Deason has already refused to host a fundraiser for two members of Congress and informed House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., his checkbook is closed as well. (6/26)

The Wall Street Journal: Anthem Says Senate Health Bill Will Bolster Individual Insurance Market
Anthem Inc. said it believes that the Senate Republicans’ health bill will bolster the individual insurance market, an endorsement for the legislation as many other insurers have suggested it could undermine the marketplaces created by the Affordable Care Act. In a statement, Anthem said it believed the bill “will markedly improve the stability of the individual market and moderate premium increases,” because it allots billions to help stabilize the markets, eliminates a tax on health insurance plans and works on “aligning premium subsidies with premium costs.” (Wilde Mathews, 6/26)

The New York Times: Senate Health Bill Gets A Wary Reception, From Coast To Coast
The health care bill unveiled Thursday by Senate Republicans has been out in the open for less than a week, and there are many obstacles to clear before it can become law: an uncertain Senate vote, a return to the House for final approval, a presidential signature. But in newspapers and on radios and TV stations from Anchorage to Miami, the effects of the bill are already being contemplated. These could vary considerably from region to region, state to state, even family to family. (Robertson, 6/26)

NPR: Ohio Hospitals Fear Republican Health Care Plan Will Lead To Job Losses
When people talk about jobs in Ohio, they often talk about the ones that got away. "Ten years ago, we had steel. Ten years ago, we had coal. Ten years ago, we had plentiful jobs," says Mike McGlumphy, who runs the job center in Steubenville, Ohio, the Jefferson County seat. (Siegel and Cheung, 6/26)

NPR: Why Medicaid Takes Up One-Tenth Of The Federal Budget
Medicaid is the government health care program for the poor. That's the shorthand explanation. But Medicaid is so much more than that — which is why it's become the focal point of the battle in Washington to repeal and replace the Affordable Care Act. President Obama expanded Medicaid under his signature health care law to cover 11 million more people, bringing the total number of people covered up to 69 million. (Kodjak, 6/27)

The Associated Press: Medicaid Mission Creep Threatens GOP's 'Obamacare' Repeal
Somewhere along the way, the Republican crusade to repeal "Obamacare" also turned into an effort to limit the future growth of Medicaid. That bit of mission creep is complicating prospects for the GOP, and could lead to deadlock. (Alonso-Zaldivar, 6/27)

The Associated Press: Analysis: Senate Bill Worse For Virginia’s Medicaid Program
An analysis of the Senate health care bill shows its changes to the way Medicaid is funded would cost Virginia’s program at least $1.4 billion over seven years. The Virginia Department of Medical Assistance Services released the estimate Monday. It says the Senate bill would cost Virginia almost double what the House version would from 2020 to 2026. (6/26)

The New York Times: Unauthorized Immigrants Steer Clear Of Medical Care
Dr. Luke Smith drove slowly through the unlit streets of a neighborhood filled with immigrants, searching for an address among small houses with windows ribbed by iron bars. Pharmacy bags lay at his feet.His mission: to deliver medication to patients too frightened to pick up their prescriptions. (Hoffman, 6/26)

USA Today: Best Children's Hospitals Ranked By U.S. News & World Report
An annual report by U.S. News & World Report ranks the nation's top 50 children's medical centers by 10 pediatric categories including cancer, neurology, diabetes and endocrinology. U.S. News has ranked children's hospitals since 2006, and awards rankings based on measures such as clinical outcomes, patient volume, staffing adequacy and compliance with best practices, to name a few. (Bowerman, 6/27)

NPR: Whole Genome Tests' Risks And Benefits
Advances in technology have made it much easier, faster and less expensive to do whole genome sequencing — to spell out all three billion letters in a person's genetic code. Falling costs have given rise to speculation that it could soon become a routine part of medical care, perhaps as routine as checking your blood pressure. But will such tests, which can be done for as little as $1,000, prove useful, or needlessly scary? (Stein, 6/26)

The New York Times: The Lab Says It’s Cancer. But Sometimes The Lab Is Wrong.
It was the sort of bad news every patient fears. Merlin Erickson, a 69-year-old retired engineer in Abingdon, Md., was told last year that a biopsy of his prostate was positive for cancer. Mr. Erickson, worried, began investigating the options: whether to have his prostate removed, or perhaps to have radiation treatment. But a few days later, the doctor called again. (Kolata, 6/26)

The New York Times: Pharmacist Gets 9-Year Prison Term In Deadly Meningitis Outbreak
The tainted injection left Rachelle Shuff with pain that requires 15 medications to manage and, she said, perhaps only two years to live. Scott Shaw and Anna Shaw Allred had to bury their mother, Elwina Shaw, who at 77 was healthy, they said, until she got a tainted injection of a steroid and a debilitating illness followed. (Bidgood, 6/26)

The Wall Street Journal: Boston Judge Sentences Former Compounding Pharmacist To Nine Years
Mr. Cadden co-owned the New England Compounding Center, a now-closed Framingham, Mass., pharmacy that made injected steroid pain medication that caused 750 cases of fungal meningitis in 20 states, including at least 64 deaths, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (Levitz, 6/26)

NPR: More Health Problems Reported With Skin And Hair Products
We rub, pour, sprinkle and spray them all over our bodies, so you'd hope cosmetics would undergo serious safety oversight before they get into our hands. But in fact, the cosmetics industry is largely self-regulated, with no requirements for approval before going on the market. And once on the market, there are few systems in place to monitor the safety of personal care products. (Higa, 6/26)

The New York Times: U.S. Malaria Donations Saved Almost 2 Million African Children
Over the last decade, American donations to fight malaria in Africa have saved the lives of nearly two million children, according to a new analysis of mortality rates in 32 countries there. The study, published by PLOS Medicine this month, looked at the long-term effects of the President’s Malaria Initiative, a program started by President George W. Bush in 2005 that has spent over $500 million a year since 2010. (McNeil, 6/26)

The Associated Press: US Does Not Need Warrant To Subpoena Oregon Drug Data
The 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals ruled Monday that the U.S. Drug Enforcement Agency does not need a court order to subpoena a prescription drug database kept by the state of Oregon, but the ruling did not specify whether those subpoenas would violate constitutional protections. The ruling reverses a 2014 judge's ruling finding that the agency must obtain warrants to access the database, which Oregon uses to help healthcare providers identify abuse. (6/26)

The Washington Post: Greater Opioid Use And Mental Health Disorders Are Linked In A New Study
A new study suggests that people with anxiety and depression are consuming a disproportionate share of prescription painkillers, a finding that could add a new wrinkle to the epidemic of opioid use in the United States. Researchers at Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center and the University of Michigan found that nearly 19 percent of the estimated 38.6 million people with those two most common mental health disorders received at least two prescriptions for opioids during a year. And more than half the prescriptions for the powerful, highly addictive painkillers went to individuals in that group, the researchers asserted. (Bernstein, 6/26)

The New York Times: California To List Glyphosate As Cancer-Causing; Monsanto Vows Fight
Glyphosate, an herbicide and the active ingredient in Monsanto Co's popular Roundup weed killer, will be added to California's list of chemicals known to cause cancer effective July 7, the state's Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment (OEHHA) said on Monday. (Plume, 6/27)

The Washington Post: Teenagers Are As Sedentary As 60-Year-Olds By Age 19
The adolescent years are when people's bodies are supposed to start the ascent to their physical peak. Teenagers are growing like beanstalks. Their hormones are raging. They're eager for new experiences. By all accounts, this should be among the most active periods in a person's lifetime. Except it turns out it's not. (Cha, 6/26)