Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Different Takes On How The Republican Health Plan Might Impact States, Individuals
Cleveland Plain Dealer: Paul Ryan's Approach To Obamacare Repeal Bulldozes Ohio Interests
According to Republican Gov. John Kasich, once chair of the U.S. House Budget Committee, what Ryan wants to do to Medicaid and Medicaid expansion "unnecessarily puts at risk [Ohio's] ability to treat the drug-addicted, mentally ill and working poor who now have access to a stable source of care." (Thomas Suddes, 3/11)
The Lexington Herald Leader: Hoping Trump Makes Medicine Great Again
The Democratic response to President Donald Trump’s speech to Congress by our former governor of Kentucky does not represent an accurate perspective of medicine from the standpoint of a practicing internist. As a physician practicing in Kentucky over the last 15 years, I have experienced a lot of change, most of which unfortunately has occurred in the last five years. The push by the federal government to use the Electronic Health Record through the carrot of Meaningful Use requires physicians to tote around a computer from room to room. (Timothy A. Bratton, 3/10)
Lexington Herald Leader: Beshear’s Brags About Kentucky’s Health-Care Success Ring Hollow
In case you missed it, former Gov. Steve Beshear gave the Democrats’ response to President Trump’s recent address to Congress. His selection was predictable given Republican disarray on health care policy and Democrat disarray in the heartland. Democrats are lately losing big among drawling, white men like Beshear. (Cameron S. Schaeffer, 3/10)
The Wichita Eagle: Senators: Follow Kansas House Lead And Expand KanCare
It is important to recognize our elected representatives when they do something good. Recently, 81 members of the Kansas House did something good for 150,000 hardworking Kansans when they voted in favor of expanding KanCare, the state’s Medicaid program. Timing of this vote was of the essence. Our state’s decision not to expand KanCare has cost Kansans $1.7 billion of our own tax dollars – money that is currently going to the federal government to help 31 other states expand their Medicaid programs. (Michael L. Mullins, 3/13)
Cleveland Plain Dealer: My Daughter's Fate, Living With Deadly Cystic Fibrosis, Already Is Uncertain And Her Care Costly. Please Don't Make It Worse
As a young father, I felt the uncertainties and fears of the unknown when my daughter was born, and they continue to be there as she grows up with cystic fibrosis. Living with a fatal genetic disease is difficult, but living with a rare genetic disease, such as cystic fibrosis, can be heartbreaking due to the lack of funding and lack of attention to developing a cure for all. ... I am concerned about her future medical coverage and worried about her future care. I hope the people who represent my daughter realize the changes they propose could affect how long my daughter lives. It is critical for the new administration to support efforts to have access to life-saving drugs while working on reducing the cost, and maintaining coverage for pre-existing conditions in the new health care law. (Patrick Kilbane, 3/13)
Santa Rosa (Calif.) Press Democrat: GOP Health Plan Fails Its Basic Test: Do No Harm
There isn’t an official calculation ... but health policy experts across the political spectrum concur that millions of people would lose their insurance if the House bill is enacted. No state would be as hard hit as California, where the uninsured rate has fallen to a record low of 7.1 percent, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The national uninsured rate is 8.8 percent. (3/10)
Sacramento Bee: Republicans’ Health Plan Will Begin A New Era Of American Carnage
Say what you will about the Affordable Care Act – it is by no means perfect and does not cover everyone – but it has drastically increased the number of Americans with health insurance. Which means that I can at least get my patients on treatment for their diseases, and their families won’t be bankrupted by a trip to the emergency room. (Anthony Bhe, 3/10)
