Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
First Edition: December 13, 2016
Kaiser Health News: Marketplace Enrollment Still Important Despite Plans For Health Law Repeal
Since Republicans have plans to repeal the federal health law, should consumers still sign up for next year’s coverage? And if the health law marketplaces disappear, might Medicare eligibility be expanded? Here are answers to some recent questions from readers. (Andrews, 12/13)
Kaiser Health News: Without ACA Guarantees, 52 Million Adults Could Have Trouble Buying Individual Plans
The researchers noted that a large share of those individuals likely get their insurance through their employers, which does not take into consideration prior health issues. But if the health law were repealed and those people lost their health insurance for any reason, they could face problems. (Rodriguez, 12/13)
Reuters: McConnell Will Not Give Timeline For Obamacare Replacement
U.S. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell said on Monday the Senate will move to repeal President Barack Obama's healthcare law shortly after Jan. 1, but declined to give a timeline for a plan to replace it. (Zengerle, 12/12)
Politico: King Talks Russia, Obamacare Ahead Of Trump Meeting
Rep. Peter King said he is meeting with President-elect Donald Trump later in the week to talk about the president's agenda. The New York Republican said the Trump team has shown a willingness to take on the Affordable Care Act early in the administration, a priority of his and other Republicans. (Dawsey, 12/12)
NPR: Obamacare's Death Could Be Faster Than Republicans Intend
Republicans in Congress say they'll vote to repeal much of the Affordable Care Act early next year — even though they don't yet have a plan to replace it. But they also insist that they don't want to harm any of the millions of people who got their health insurance under the law. (Kodjak, 12/12)
The Wall Street Journal: Aetna Executives Defend Pulling Out Of Some ACA Exchanges
Aetna Inc. executives on Monday jousted with Justice Department lawyers over the health insurer’s reasons for sharply cutting its participation in Affordable Care Act exchanges, a potentially important issue in the antitrust trial over Aetna’s proposed merger with Humana Inc. (Kendall and Viswanatha, 12/12)
Reuters: U.S. Seeks To Undercut Aetna CEO's Defence In Merger Fight
The U.S. Justice Department sought on Monday to knock down arguments by Aetna Inc's chief executive that Medicare Advantage competes with government insurance programs, making Aetna's proposed merger with Humana legal under antitrust law. Aetna CEO Mark Bertolini testified on Friday and returned to the witness stand Monday morning. The Justice Department sued to stop the merger in July. (Bartz, 12/12)
The Washington Post: Without Obamacare, 52 Million Americans Could Be Denied Insurance
One in four non-elderly adults has a medical condition, ranging from diabetes to pregnancy to severe obesity to arthritis, that would make them uninsurable under the health coverage rules that prevailed before the Affordable Care Act, according to a new study. (Johnson, 12/12)
Reuters: Trump Considering Dr. Scott Gottlieb To Head FDA
Dr. Scott Gottlieb, a partner at one of the world's largest venture capital funds and a former deputy commissioner at the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, is being considered by President-elect Donald Trump to run the agency, according to sources close to the transition team. (Clarke, 12/12)
The New York Times: Veterans Groups Urge Trump To Keep Obama’s V.A. Secretary
The nation’s largest veterans groups are urging President-elect Donald J. Trump to keep President Obama’s secretary of veterans affairs, Robert A. McDonald, out of concern that his rumored candidates’ inexperience and ideological leanings could cripple the massive veterans health care system. (Philipps, 12/12)
The Washington Post: Trump Is Under Pressure To Keep Obama’s VA Secretary
Trump was harshly critical of VA on the campaign trail, calling it “the most corrupt agency” and charging that some veterans are “being treated worse than illegal immigrants.” Keeping McDonald, 63, would run counter to Trump’s promise that he would upend the status quo to provide better care for veterans. (Rein, 12/12)
The Washington Post: Planned Parenthood Fears It May Be First Casualty Of Rekindled Abortion War
Planned Parenthood officials are scrambling to prepare for the likelihood that Congress next year will cut off more than a half-billion dollars in federal funding to the group, fulfilling the wishes of abortion foes who are planning an aggressive push to roll back abortion rights under President-elect Donald Trump. (Somashekhar and Zezima, 12/12)
Reuters: Abortion Providers Sue Texas Over New Rules For Fetal Tissue Disposal
Several abortion providers sued Texas in federal court on Monday to halt a new regulation that requires them to dispose of aborted fetal tissue either through burial or cremation, saying the rule is designed to limit abortions in the state. (Herskovitz, 12/12)
The Associated Press: Oklahoma May Require Restroom Signs In Anti-Abortion Effort
Oklahoma plans to force hospitals, nursing homes, restaurants and public schools to post signs inside public restrooms directing pregnant women where to receive services as part of an effort to reduce abortions in the state. (12/13)
The New York Times: Hack Of Quest Diagnostics App Exposes Data Of 34,000 Patients
A medical laboratory company based in New Jersey said Monday that it was investigating a recent hack that exposed the personal health information of about 34,000 people. (Chokshi, 12/12)
The New York Times: Rise In Infant Drug Dependence Is Felt Most In Rural Areas
As the opioid epidemic sweeps through rural America, an ever-greater number of drug-dependent newborns are straining hospital neonatal units and draining precious medical resources. The problem has grown more quickly than realized and shows no signs of abating, researchers reported on Monday. (Saint Louis, 12/12)
The New York Times: One In 6 American Adults Say They Have Taken Psychiatric Drugs, Report Says
About one in six American adults reported taking at least one psychiatric drug, usually an antidepressant or an anti-anxiety medication, and most had been doing so for a year or more, according to a new analysis. The report is based on 2013 government survey data on some 242 million adults and provides the most fine-grained snapshot of prescription drug use for psychological and sleep problems to date. (Carey, 12/12)
Los Angeles Times: E-Cigarette Use Falls Among Teens For The First Time, Study Finds
For the first time, researchers are seeing signs that American teens may be turning away from electronic cigarettes. An annual survey involving thousands of middle and high school students from across the nation found that use of e-cigarettes — both experimentally and on a regular basis — declined in 2016 after reaching an all-time high in 2015. (Kaplan, 12/12)
The Associated Press: Group Recommends How To Decrease State Medicaid Spending
A new study of Virginia’s Medicaid program has identified ways to cut millions of dollars out of the yearly budget. Media outlets report that the Joint Legislative Audit and Review Commission, a watchdog group, released its report Monday. (12/13)
The New York Times: One Weight-Loss Approach Fits All? No, Not Even Close
Dr. Frank Sacks, a professor of nutrition at Harvard, likes to challenge his audience when he gives lectures on obesity. “If you want to make a great discovery,” he tells them, figure out this: Why do some people lose 50 pounds on a diet while others on the same diet gain a few pounds? Then he shows them data from a study he did that found exactly that effect. (Kolata, 12/12)
