Different Takes: Lessons On John Roberts’ Efforts To Save The Health Law; Count The Ways ‘Medicare For All’ Makes Sense

Bloomberg: John Roberts And Trump's Obamacare Rematch
News about a current lawsuit against Obamacare has come out within a few days of news about an old one from which it grew. The Donald Trump administration put itself on record urging the courts to strike down the entire Affordable Care Act. And a new book by Supreme Court reporter Joan Biskupic revealed details about the curious path that Chief Justice John Roberts took in the 2012 case. (Ramesh Ponnuru, 3/28)

The Wall Street Journal: The Case For Medicare For All
A single-payer health-insurance system can finance good-quality coverage for all U.S. residents while still reducing overall health-care spending by roughly 10%, according to a study I co-authored last November. All Americans would be able to get care from their chosen providers without having to pay premiums, deductibles or copayments. Other countries currently provide good health care to residents at a fraction of the U.S. cost. As of 2017, the U.S. spent $3.3 trillion on health care—17% of gross domestic product. Germany, France, Japan, Canada, the U.K., Australia, Spain and Italy spent between 9% and 11% of GDP on health care. Yet some measures—like those based on the amenable mortality rate, which tracks medically preventable deaths—rank the U.S. well below those countries. (Robert Pollin, 3/28)

The Washington Post: If The GOP Built Their Ideal Health-Care System . . . It’d Be Obamacare
Wanna know the reason Republicans have had so much trouble coming up with a “replacement” plan for Obamacare? Because if Republicans actually tried to devise a health-care system that fulfilled both conservative principles and their public promises, they’d probably propose something that looks too much like . . . Obamacare. For reasons few can fathom, President Trump has revived the GOP’s disastrous, nearly decade-long effort to destroy the Affordable Care Act. (Catherine Rampell, 3/28)

The New York Times: G.O.P. Cruelty Is A Pre-Existing Condition
It’s already clear how the 2020 election campaign will be waged. Republicans will claim, falsely, that Democrats want to take away your hamburgers. Democrats will assert, truthfully, that Republicans want to take away your health care.I guess we’ll see which argument wins. On Monday, the Trump administration adopted a new position on a lawsuit over the Affordable Care Act, telling a federal appeals court that it now supported the complete elimination of the law, which has made health insurance available to many Americans who wouldn’t have it otherwise. (Paul Krugman, 3/28)

The Washington Post: So Trump Wants To Make The GOP The ‘Party Of Health Care’? Here’s How To Do It.
President Trump says he wants to make the Republican Party “the party of health care.” There’s reason to be skeptical Republicans want that given their failure to reform or replace Obamacare after nearly a decade loudly opposing it. But if they do, there’s one principle they need remember: Put care above cost. Republican health-care policy almost always comes back to cost control. Former House speaker Paul Ryan (R-Wis.) rose to fame in part for his proposal to turn Medicare into a “premium support” program. In simple terms, that meant the federal government would no longer ensure that seniors received care when they need it; rather, it would ensure the payment of a certain amount of money that each senior would use to purchase an insurance plan that, in theory, would provide the same or a better level of care. (Henry Olsen, 3/28)

New England Journal of Medicine: Building On The ACA To Achieve Universal Coverage
U.S. universal coverage can be achieved by expanding Medicaid in all states, increasing assistance for buying coverage in the marketplace, ensuring that people enroll in affordable coverage for which they’re eligible, and addressing coverage for undocumented immigrants. (Matthew Fiedler, Henry J. Aaron, Loren Adler, Paul B. Ginsburg and Christen L. Young, J.D., 3/27)

Des Moines Register: Medicaid Work Requirement Does Not Make Moral Or Fiscal Sense
Iowa does not need approval from state lawmakers to pursue imposing work requirements on Medicaid recipients. But Republicans apparently needed to look tough on poor people who rely on government health insurance. So the GOP-controlled Senate passed Senate File 538. The misdirected bill directs the Iowa Department of Human Services to seek federal permission to require “able-bodied” Iowans to work, engage in community activities or be enrolled in school to utilize Medicaid. Now, legislative leaders say the legislation is not expected to pass this year. That's good but even so, the 32 Republican senators who supported this have some explaining to do to voters. Namely, how they’re expected to pay for all the bureaucracy created by their idea. (3/27)

Lexington Herald Leader: Kentucky Senate Bill 54 Puts Patients First 
When the law goes into effect, Kentuckians will face fewer obstacles to access the care and treatments they need. Patients and providers will receive responses on prior authorizations within 24 hours for urgent health care services and within five days for non-urgent services — a significant departure from existing prior authorization guidelines in Kentucky that could delay care for weeks. In addition, patients’ prescriptions for maintenance drugs will be valid for one year or until the last day of coverage, and any change in dosage during the period of authorization will be covered — no need for another prior authorization. (Bruce Scott, 3/26)

Austin American Statesman: Three Texas Bills Mean Better Health For Black Mothers
Black mothers in Texas are dying at a rate 2.3 times as high as white mothers regardless of income, education, marital status or other health factors. The good news is that we can change this because in almost 80 percent of pregnancy-related deaths, there is at least some chance of preventability. (Michele A. Rountree, 3/28)