First Edition: April 2, 2019
Today's early morning highlights from the major news organizations.
Kaiser Health News:
Elite Hospitals Plunge Into Unproven Stem Cell Treatments
The online video seems to promise everything an arthritis patient could want. The six-minute segment mimics a morning talk show, using a polished TV host to interview guests around a coffee table. Dr. Adam Pourcho extols the benefits of stem cells and “regenerative medicine” for healing joints without surgery. Pourcho, a sports medicine specialist, says he has used platelet injections to treat his own knee pain, as well as a tendon injury in his elbow. Extending his arm, he says, “It’s completely healed.” (Szabo, 4/2)
California Healthline:
California Hospitals See Massive Surge In Homeless Patients
Homeless patients made about 100,000 visits to California hospitals in 2017, marking a 28% rise from two years earlier, according to the most recent state discharge data. More than a third of those visits involved a diagnosis of mental illness, according to the Office of Statewide Health Planning and Development. By contrast, 6% of all hospital discharges in California during that time involved a mental health diagnosis. (Reese, 4/1)
Reuters:
Trump Says Vote On Healthcare Can Wait Until After 2020 Election
U.S. President Donald Trump said on Monday he was willing to wait until after the 2020 presidential election to get Congress to vote on a new healthcare plan, giving Republicans time to develop a proposal to replace Obamacare. Congressional Republicans have been unable thus far to draft a proposal to replace Democratic President Barack Obama's signature Affordable Care Act despite frequent vows to do so in recent years. (4/1)
Politico:
Trump Punts Health Care Until After 2020
Trump claimed that the as-yet-unseen Republican proposal “will be truly great HealthCare that will work for America,” writing online that “Republicans will always support Pre-Existing Conditions.” The unexpected string of tweets added new drama to a week that has seen Obamacare return to the fore as a policy issue. (Forgey and Bresnahan, 4/1)
The Hill:
Trump Predicts New Health Care Law After 2020
The Trump administration last week's began a new push to invalidate former President Obama's signature health care law when the Justice Department argued in a new court filing that the entire law should be ruled unconstitutional. White House aides have indicated that the administration is working on replacement legislation to submit to Congress sometime this year. (Cohn, 4/1)
The Washington Post Fact Checker:
Mick Mulvaney’s Nonsensical Math On Obamacare
Mulvaney, defending President Trump’s revived push to replace the Affordable Care Act, made several inaccurate statements about health care when he made the rounds of the Sunday-morning talk shows. But we are going to focus on this one because it involves numbers and allows for a relatively straightforward fact check. Mulvaney made a simple comparison: He said more people paid a fine for not having health insurance than people who gained from the ACA, a.k.a. Obamacare. So how do the numbers stack up? (Kessler, 4/2)
Reuters:
Two Republican Attorneys General Urge Court To Uphold Obamacare
Two Republican state attorneys general on Monday urged a federal appeals court to uphold the Obamacare federal healthcare law, saying that striking it down would be disruptive for patients, doctors, insurers and employers.The attorneys general of Ohio and Montana submitted "friend of the court" briefs to the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, which is expected to review a December ruling by U.S. District Judge Reed O'Connor in Fort Worth, Texas, striking down the Affordable Care Act, popularly known as Obamacare. (Pierson, 4/1)
Politico:
2 Republican AGs Urge Court To Throw Out Obamacare Ruling
“The fact that a ruling has negative consequences does not mean it is wrong,” write Dave Yost of Ohio and Timothy Fox of Montana. “Let justice be done, though the heavens may fall. But the District Court’s ruling is wrong, and its errors threaten harm to millions of people in the Buckeye and Treasure states.” A federal judge in Texas ruled in December that all of Obamacare is unconstitutional. That decision has been put on hold as the lawsuit winds it way through the courts. The 5th Circuit Court of Appeals will hear an appeal filed by 17 Democratic-led states. (Demko, 4/1)
The Hill:
GOP Lawmakers Root Against Trump In Court On ObamaCare
Senate Republicans are privately rooting against President Trump in his court battle to strike down the Affordable Care Act. GOP lawmakers worry that if Trump wins, Congress won’t be able to pass anything to replace ObamaCare — and they’ll pay for it at the ballot box. Republicans generally agree that President Obama’s signature health care law has serious flaws, but they realize getting rid of it while Democrats control the House would leave a vacuum in place of protections for people with pre-existing medical conditions, insurance subsidies and expanded Medicaid. (Bolton and Sullivan, 4/1)
Modern Healthcare:
Obamacare, Trump And A Lawsuit: How Industry Is Reacting
The Trump administration's decision to support eliminating the entire Affordable Care Act has riled lawmakers and industry alike as they navigate the line between politics and the potential practical impact of the lawsuit. The Justice Department's politically volatile move last week to agree with a Texas judge's ruling against the law sparked a political firestorm not likely to end soon in the ramp-up to 2020 elections. It has already inspired calls for a GOP replacement plan. (Luthi, 4/1)
The Associated Press:
Association Health Plan Ruling Puts Some Companies In Limbo
A federal judge's ruling against a type of health insurance plan designed for small business owners has some companies now thinking about what to do next. The plans known as association health plans allowed sole proprietors and other business owners to band together to buy insurance at reduced rates. The attorneys general in 11 states and the District of Columbia successfully argued that the plans, part of a Trump administration policy, violated the Obama-era Affordable Care Act. U.S. District Judge John D. Bates said late Friday the plans were "clearly an end-run" around ACA provisions aimed at protecting consumers. (4/10)
The New York Times:
Americans Borrowed $88 Billion To Pay For Health Care Last Year, Survey Finds
Americans borrowed an estimated $88 billion over the last year to pay for health care, according to a survey released on Tuesday by Gallup and the nonprofit West Health. The survey also found that one in four Americans have skipped treatment because of the cost, and that nearly half fear bankruptcy in the event of a health emergency. There was a partisan divide when respondents were asked whether they believed that the American health care system is among the best in the world: Among Republicans, 67 percent of respondents said they believed so; that number was 38 percent among Democrats. (Zraick, 4/2)
Reuters:
U.S. Government Boosts 2020 Medicare Payments To Insurers By 2.53 Percent
The U.S. government on Monday said it would increase by 2.53 percent on average 2020 payments to the health insurers that manage Medicare Advantage insurance plans for seniors and the disabled, a reflection of a new estimate on medical cost growth. The rate, which affects how much insurers charge for monthly healthcare premiums, plan benefits and, ultimately, how much they profit, represents an increase over the 1.59 percent increase proposed by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) in February. (Humer, 4/1)
Modern Healthcare:
CMS Finalizes Medicare Advantage Pay Raise, Ups Encounter Data Use
Medicare Advantage plans are getting a pay raise and more flexibility to tailor benefits for chronically ill patients next year, the CMS said Monday. But Advantage plans' payments will also be based on a higher percentage of patient "encounter data," a change that health insurers have fought hard to avoid. The CMS on Monday finalized a rule giving Medicare Advantage plans a 2.53% pay raise in 2020. The agency had initially floated giving plans a 1.59% pay bump for next year. The final rate is less than the 3.4% raise Advantage plans received for 2019, which was one of the biggest pay raises plans have received in years. (Livingston, 4/1)
The New York Times:
Impasse Over Aid For Puerto Rico Stalls Billions In Federal Disaster Relief
The Senate on Monday blocked billions of dollars in disaster aid for states across the country as Republicans and Democrats clashed over President Trump’s opposition to sending more food and infrastructure help to Puerto Rico. Opposition came from both parties for different reasons. Most Republicans refused to endorse a recovery bill passed this year by the House. They cited Mr. Trump’s opposition to the bill’s Puerto Rico funding, as well as their own concerns that the bill lacked money for Midwestern states, like Iowa and Nebraska, that have since been devastated by flooding and tornadoes. (Cochrane, 4/1)
The Washington Post:
Emergency Aid Bill Stalls In Senate Over Puerto Rico Dispute
The vote on the GOP bill was 44 in favor and 49 against. The House Democratic bill failed on a vote of 46-to-48. Sixty votes were needed for either piece of legislation to advance. It’s unclear how Congress and the administration will move forward to revive the emergency package, and the impasse risks indefinitely delaying disaster funding nationwide amid partisan sniping. Support for disaster aid is often bipartisan on Capitol Hill, but the dispute over this legislation has become increasingly bitter, despite the evident need. (Werner and Stein, 4/1)
Politico:
Senate Fails To Advance Disaster Aid Package Amid Puerto Rico Clash
Negotiations around disaster aid hit a snag last week, after Democrats told Republicans they would not back Perdue’s package unless it matched the House-passed plan on money for Puerto Rico, which was devastated by two hurricanes in 2017. Trump, during a closed-door meeting with Republicans last week, reportedly said Puerto Rico was getting too much storm funding. Senate Appropriations Chairman Richard Shelby (R-Ala.) said on the Senate floor Monday night that Democrats are “unwilling to help” disaster victims “unless their demands are met.” Congress already gave Puerto Rico billions of dollars last year in aid, much of which the U.S. territory has yet to spend, he said. (Scholtes and Levine, 4/1)
The Washington Post:
President Trump Lashes Out At Puerto Rico After Disaster Bill Fails In Senate
Trump, who has reportedly said in private that he doesn’t want “another single dollar” going to Puerto Rico in the wake of Hurricane Maria, again complained about funding for the island and called San Juan Mayor Carmen Yulín Cruz, a frequent critic, “crazed and incompetent.” “The Democrats today killed a Bill that would have provided great relief to Farmers and yet more money to Puerto Rico despite the fact that Puerto Rico has already been scheduled to receive more hurricane relief funding than any ‘place’ in history,” Trump tweeted around 11 p.m. “The people of Puerto Rico are GREAT, but the politicians are incompetent or corrupt.” (Elfrink, 4/2)
Politico:
Pelosi Aide Sought To Undercut Medicare For All
A top aide to House Speaker Nancy Pelosi used a private meeting to encourage health policy groups to raise public concerns about “Medicare for All“ just weeks after Democrats recaptured the House majority, multiple people familiar with the session told POLITICO. Wendell Primus, Pelosi’s senior health policy adviser and a long respected voice on health and domestic policy, told the roughly two dozen attendees at the Nov. 30 gathering that House Democratic leadership worried the progressives’ push for Medicare for All risked diverting attention from the party’s core health agenda — the agenda that won them the House and would likely animate Democratic voters right into 2020. (Cancryn, 4/2)
The Associated Press:
2nd Guatemalan Child Dead In US Custody Had Flu, Infection
An 8-year-old Guatemalan boy who died while in custody of the U.S. border patrol on Christmas Eve died of the flu and a bacterial infection, authorities in the Central American nation said Monday. Oscar Padilla, Guatemalan consul in Phoenix, Arizona, told The Associated Pres that the autopsy report on Felipe Gomez Alonzo was delivered in recent days and had found he died from the infection and "complications from influenza B." (4/1)
The Associated Press:
Nebraska's Medicaid Expansion Could Take Another 18 Months
Nebraska residents who qualify for voter-approved Medicaid expansion coverage will have to wait 18 months and may have to get a job if they want some benefits under a state proposal that drew immediate criticism Monday from supporters of the federal health care law. Officials with the Nebraska Department of Health and Human Services announced plans to bring the new system live on Oct. 1, 2020. The long timetable and additional requirements imposed on some recipients was blasted by leaders of the state's Medicaid expansion ballot campaign, who said they were looking at ways to challenge it. (Schulte, 4/1)
MTN News:
Montana House Approves Medicaid Expansion Bill
The Montana House has given its final approval to the bill continuing Medicaid expansion, which provides health coverage to 96,000 low-income adults in the state. The House approved House Bill 658 on a 61-37 vote on Saturday, sending it on to the Senate — where it’s expected to pass. (Dennison, 4/1)
The Hill:
Supreme Court Sides With Planned Parenthood In Declining To Hear Case
The Supreme Court on Monday denied a request by a group of anti-abortion activists to throw out charges brought against them in a lawsuit from Planned Parenthood. The Center for Medical Progress had requested the Supreme Court toss out Planned Parenthood's claims that they committed federal conspiracy and wiretapping violations. Planned Parenthood also claims that the Center for Medical Progress violated California law by fraudulently gaining access to its facilities. (Thomsen, 4/1)
The Associated Press:
Alabama Lawmakers Seek To Outlaw Almost All Abortions
Alabama lawmakers are proposing to outlaw almost all abortions as conservatives take aim at the 1973 U.S. Supreme Court decision that legalized abortion. Alabama lawmakers on Tuesday will introduce legislation to make it a felony to perform an abortion at any stage of pregnancy unless the mother's health is in jeopardy. If enacted, it would be the most restrictive in the country and certain to be challenged in court. (4/2)
The New York Times:
Transplant Patients Need Anti-Rejection Drugs. Why Won’t Insurers Pay For Some Of Them?
The question might seem indelicate. But transplant centers find it is necessary these days to know the answer even before they place a patient on the list for an organ transplant. “How will you pay for the anti-rejection drugs?” These are patients with insurance — they need it to pay for the transplant itself — so it might seem obvious that their insurer would pay. But if, as often happens, the patient gets an organ transplant with private insurance and later enrolls in Medicare, she may be in for a shock. (Kolata, 4/2)
The New York Times:
Rituals Of Honor In Hospital Hallways
The double doors of the surgical intensive care unit opened into a hallway crowded with dozens of hospital employees. A hospital bed emerged, and we all fell silent. Most beds roll out of the I.C.U. briskly, en route to radiology or an operating room, whirring with the beeps and blinks of monitors and the quick conversation of busy nurses. (Lahey, 4/2)
The Associated Press:
Measles Count In US This Year Already More Than All Of 2018
The number of U.S. measles cases through the first three months of this year have surpassed the count for all of 2018, health officials say. There have been 387 cases through March, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported Monday. There were 372 last year. The numbers are preliminary, and may change. But the 2019 tally is already the most since 2014, when 667 were reported. (4/1)
The Washington Post:
U.S. Measles Cases Surge To Second-Highest Level In Nearly Two Decades
The upsurge, now at 387 cases, reflects outbreaks that have spread to 15 states, including New York, California, Texas and Washington, according to figures released Monday by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. That surpasses the 372 reported for all of last year. Many of those outbreaks originated after unvaccinated individuals traveled to Europe, the Philippines and Israel, where the infection is more common, and returned to the United States after contracting the illness. “Europe is even worse now than North America,” said Peter Hotez, an infectious disease expert at the Baylor College of Medicine. “This is all the new normal. Nobody ever thought we’d ever be at this place.” (Sun, 4/1)
The Wall Street Journal:
Measles Cases Top Last Year’s Total
Measles cases have has risen since 2000 as infected travelers bring the disease to the U.S. Those travelers—unvaccinated foreign nationals or Americans who become infected abroad—have spread the highly contagious disease to others in the U.S. who aren’t vaccinated or hadn’t previously had measles. These cases have fueled outbreaks in communities where large numbers of people haven’t been inoculated because of personal or religious exemptions to the measles, mumps, and rubella (MMR) vaccine. (Abbott, 4/1)
The Wall Street Journal:
Tech, Health Firms Race To Help Consumers Manage Personal Data
Technology and health-care companies are competing to develop new ways for consumers to corral their digital health data, prompting questions about data privacy and control. Companies such as Apple Inc. and UnitedHealth Group Inc. are rolling out online tools that consumers can use to bring together health information now siloed in the systems of hospitals, doctors and insurers. These personal health records aim to consolidate information like diagnoses and lab results for consumers to access easily via their smartphones or computers. (Mathews, 4/2)
The Wall Street Journal:
What AI Can Tell From Listening To You
Are you depressed? In danger of a heart attack? Dozing at the wheel of your car? Artificial intelligence promises to figure that out—and more—by listening to your voice. A range of businesses, health-care organizations and government agencies are exploring new systems that can analyze the human voice to determine a person’s emotions, mental and physical health, and even height and weight. (McCormick, 4/1)
The Wall Street Journal:
Virtual Simulations Offer A Cure To Doctors’ Poor Bedside Manner
The bedside manner of doctors, nurses and other caregivers is getting a boost from an unexpected source: artificial intelligence. Virtual simulations that incorporate AI are making their way into medical training programs across the country, placing caregivers in the role of patients or having them interact in their real-life roles with virtual patients. The simulations aim to help train health-care workers to be more empathetic and improve difficult conversations with patients suffering from a wide range of conditions including Alzheimer’s, cancer and substance addictions. (McConnon, 4/1)
The New York Times:
One Day There May Be A Drug To Turbocharge Your Brain. Who Should Get It?
In 2011, Dr. Dena Dubal was hired by the University of California, San Francisco, as an assistant professor of neurology. She set up a new lab with one chief goal: to understand a mysterious hormone called Klotho. Dr. Dubal wondered if it might be the key to finding effective treatments for dementia and other disorders of the aging brain. At the time, scientists only knew enough about Klotho to be fascinated by it. Mice bred to make extra Klotho lived 30 percent longer, for instance. But scientists also had found Klotho in the brain, and so Dr. Dubal launched experiments to see whether it had any effect on how mice learn and remember. (Zimmer, 4/2)
The New York Times:
Omega-3s May Ease Asthma Symptoms
Omega-3 fatty acids in foods may reduce symptoms of childhood asthma, while omega-6 fats may aggravate them, a small study suggests. Omega-3s are found in high concentrations in fish and walnuts. Omega-6 sources include corn oil and other vegetable oils. Some foods contain both. (Bakalar, 4/1)
The New York Times:
Baltimore Mayor To Take Leave Of Absence Amid Children’s Book Scandal
Facing a growing scandal over payments made to her for a series of children’s books that she wrote, Mayor Catherine E. Pugh of Baltimore announced on Monday that she would take an indefinite leave of absence for health reasons. The announcement came shortly after Gov. Larry Hogan asked Maryland state prosecutors to investigate a $500,000 payment that Ms. Pugh had received from a nonprofit health care company with ties to the state and city governments. (Williams, 4/1)
The Wall Street Journal:
Baltimore Mayor Takes Leave Of Absence Amid Criticism Over ‘Healthy Holly’ Books
Ms. Pugh, a Democrat elected in 2016, made the announcement hours after Republican Gov. Larry Hogan called for the state prosecutor to investigate the medical system’s purchase of 100,000 “Healthy Holly” books for $500,000 since 2011. Ms. Pugh previously said she returned $100,000 to the system, one of the state’s largest private employers. “These are deeply disturbing allegations,” Mr. Hogan wrote in the letter to State Prosecutor Emmet Davitt. “I am particularly concerned about the UMMS sale because it has significant continuing ties with the State and receives very substantial public funding.” (Calvert, 4/1)
The New York Times:
A California Hospital Filmed Women Without Their Knowledge, Lawsuit Says
Dozens of women were filmed without their knowledge while receiving medical attention — including having surgery and giving birth — at a California hospital, according to a lawsuit filed last week in a state superior court. A lawyer for the women said 1,800 patients may have been filmed. The lawsuit alleges that motion-activated cameras were set up in three operating rooms at Sharp Grossmont Hospital in La Mesa, Calif., as part of an effort to catch a possible medicine thief. (Fortin, 4/2)
The Associated Press:
States Renew Push For Taxes On Sugary Drinks
Nearly three decades after a U.S. state last imposed a special tax on sugary drinks, Connecticut's governor is pushing for one to help close a budget deficit — and bracing for a fight. Taxes on soda and other sugar-loaded drinks have taken effect in recent years in several cities around the country, but lobbying from the beverage industry and its allies has been credited with helping to block statewide proposals that emerge annually in state legislatures around the country. (4/1)
The Associated Press:
NY State Poised To Raise Smoking Age From 18 To 21
The Democrat-controlled New York Senate passed legislation Monday putting the state a step closer to joining seven others where the legal age for buying cigarettes and electronic cigarettes has been raised from 18 to 21. The state Assembly, also controlled by Democrats, passed its own legislation last month. (4/1)
The Associated Press:
North Carolina Orders Duke Energy To Excavate All Coal Ash
The country's largest electric company was ordered Monday to excavate coal ash from all of its North Carolina power plant sites, slashing the risk of toxic chemicals leaking into water supplies but potentially adding billions of dollars to the costs consumers pay. Duke Energy Corp. must remove the residue left after decades of burning coal to produce electricity, North Carolina's environmental agency said. (4/1)
The Wall Street Journal:
North Carolina Requires Duke Energy To Remove Coal Ash From All Storage Basins
The decision was a blow to Duke, which had originally agreed to remove coal ash from 22 of its 31 basins in the state and move it to lined landfills. The company proposed capping nine of its basins that it viewed as structurally sound and posing little threat to groundwater. Coal ash is a byproduct from coal-fired power plants, which scrub potential air pollutants from their emissions. That ash can contain arsenic, selenium, lead and mercury. Duke said Monday’s order would add decades and more than $4 billion to the original $5.6 billion estimate for cleanup at its plants. Duke is in the process of gradually retiring its coal plants. Some of the coal-ash basins are at plants that have already closed. (Bauerlein, 4/1)
The Associated Press:
California Jury Orders Chevron To Pay $21M For Cancer Claims
A Northern California jury ordered Chevron Corp. to pay the families of two brothers who died of cancer a combined $21.4 million after concluding the company failed to properly warn the men about the dangers of a toxic solvent they worked with at a company-owned tire factory. The San Francisco Chronicle reported that the Contra Costa County jury’s verdict Friday came after three days of deliberations and four weeks of trial. (4/1)