Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Congress Irons Out A Deal To Fund HHS, But There Still Could Be Wrinkles
Stat: Congress Reaches Deal To Avoid Trump Cuts, Boost HHS Spending
Congress has reached a deal on several health care policies, including a crackdown on drug-industry middlemen, transparency measures for hospital billing, pediatric cancer research measures, and Medicare coverage of multi-cancer screening tests. (Wilkerson and Payne, 1/20)
Politico: Republicans Will Be Hard-Pressed To Pass Trump’s ‘Great Healthcare Plan’
President Donald Trump announced his “Great Healthcare Plan” to little fanfare on Capitol Hill last week. The question now is how willing and able congressional Republicans will be to actually pass any of it into law after stumbling for years over politically toxic plans to undo Obamacare. The prognosis is not encouraging for the White House. (Lee Hill, Guggenheim and Carney, 1/20)
More on health care costs and coverage —
San Francisco Chronicle: Covered California Policyholders Downgrade Plans As Prices Spike
The number of new Covered California enrollees has plunged about 32% compared with where it stood a year ago, and the state’s Affordable Care Act marketplace is bracing for the eventual loss of 400,000 policyholders, most of whom will be priced out. Tens of thousands of Covered California policyholders are facing skyrocketing costs to maintain the health insurance coverage they held last year, following the end of enhanced federal health care tax credits that the Republican-led Congress and President Donald Trump allowed to expire. (DiNatale, 1/20)
MedPage Today: CMS Paying More For Medicare Advantage Patients Compared To Traditional Enrollees
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) is continuing to pay Medicare Advantage (MA) plans more -- $76 billion more in 2026 -- than if those same patients were enrolled in traditional fee-for-service Medicare. That higher cost comes despite a policy CMS redesigned in 2024 to limit MA plans' ability to exaggerate patients' health risks to garner higher monthly payments. (Clark, 1/20)
KFF Health News: Medicaid Tries New Approach With Sickle Cell: Companies Get Paid Only If Costly Gene Therapies Work
Serenity Cole enjoyed Christmas last month relaxing with her family near her St. Louis home, making crafts and visiting friends. It was a contrast to how Cole, 18, spent part of the 2024 holiday season. She was in the hospital — a frequent occurrence with sickle cell disease, a genetic condition that damages oxygen-carrying red blood cells and for years caused debilitating pain in her arms and legs. Flare-ups often would force her to cancel plans or miss school.“With sickle cell it hurts every day,” she said. “It might be more tolerable some days, but it’s a constant thing.” (Galewitz, 1/21)
