Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Democrats See Window Of Opportunity To Expand Medicare, Medicaid
The Hill: Schumer Now Backing Sanders Plan To Add Dental, Vision And Hearing Coverage To Medicare
Senate Majority Leader Charles Schumer (D-N.Y.) on Sunday threw his support behind a push, led by Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), to add dental, vision and hearing coverage to Medicare. “There is a gaping hole in Medicare that leaves out dental, vision, and hearing coverage. This is a serious problem,” Schumer wrote on Twitter. “I’m working with @SenSanders to push to include dental, vision, and hearing Medicare coverage in the American Jobs and Families Plans,” he added. (Schnell, 6/21)
Modern Healthcare: Congressional Democrats Hope To Expand Coverage In Medicaid, Medicare This Year
Congressional Democrats are hoping to pass a slew of healthcare priorities later this year aimed at expanding access to coverage and making it more affordable for patients. There appears to be a broad agreement on the types of healthcare policies that should be in the package, like closing the Medicaid coverage gap and adding dental and vision benefits to Medicare, but details are still being ironed out by committee staff and congressional offices and nothing is certain .The stakes are high for Democrats who view this as their last chance to accomplish major healthcare reform before the midterms, in which their majorities in the House and Senate are on the line. (Hellmann, 6/18)
AP: Democrats See Springboard For Health Care In High Court Win
With the Affordable Care Act now secure in the framework of the nation’s health care programs, Democrats are eager to leap above and beyond. They want to expand insurance coverage for working-age people and their families, add new benefits to Medicare for older people and reduce prescription drug costs for patients and taxpayers. (Alonso-Zaldivar, 6/19)
The Hill: Democrats Seek New Ways To Expand Medicaid In Holdout States
Congressional Democrats are pushing legislation that would expand Medicaid in states that have so far refused to do so, seeking to fill one of the major remaining holes in the Affordable Care Act. There are currently 12 states where Republicans have refused to accept the expansion of Medicaid eligibility provided under ObamaCare, meaning 2.2 million low-income people are left without coverage they otherwise would have, according to estimates from the Kaiser Family Foundation. (Sullivan, 6/20)
