First Edition: December 22, 2017
Today's early morning highlights from the major news organizations.
Kaiser Health News:
Infection Lapses Rampant In Nursing Homes But Punishment Is Rare
Basic steps to prevent infections — such as washing hands, isolating contagious patients and keeping ill nurses and aides from coming to work — are routinely ignored in the nation’s nursing homes, endangering residents and spreading hazardous germs. A Kaiser Health News analysis of four years of federal inspection records shows 74 percent of nursing homes have been cited for lapses in infection control — more than for any other type of health violation. In California, health inspectors have cited all but 133 of the state’s 1,251 homes. (Rau, 12/22)
Kaiser Health News:
Medicare Penalizes Group Of 751 Hospitals For Patient Injuries
The federal government Thursday lowered a year’s worth of Medicare payments to 751 hospitals to penalize them for having the highest rates of patient injuries. More than half also were punished last year through the penalty, which was created by the Affordable Care Act and began four years ago. The program is designed as a financial incentive for hospitals to avoid infections and other mishaps, such as blood clots and bed sores. (Rau, 12/21)
Kaiser Health News:
Despite Compressed Sign-Up Period, ACA Enrollment Nearly Matches Last Year’s
[E]nrollment has not yet closed in 11 states — including California and New York — plus Washington, D.C., that run their own insurance exchanges. Those states are expected to add several million more enrollees. (Rovner, 12/21)
Kaiser Health News:
Arthritis Drugs Show How U.S. Drug Prices Defy Economics
Renda Bower knows well the cost of drugs to treat rheumatoid arthritis – her husband, son and daughter all have the painful, disabling autoimmune disease. And the family’s finances revolve around paying for them. Even with insurance, Bower’s family last year faced $600 a month in copayments for the drug, plus additional payments on another $16,000 in medical bills racked up in 2016 when a former insurer refused to cover all the doses her 9-year-old daughter needed. (Appleby, 12/22)
Kaiser Health News:
Biosimilars, Biologics And New Legal Challenges For RA Treatments
Early last winter, Pfizer launched its new rheumatoid arthritis treatment, Inflectra, pricing it 15 percent below the $4,000-a-dose wholesale price of Remicade, the drug for which it is a close copy. Pfizer figured its lower price would attract cost-conscious insurers. A year later, though, its drug has barely scratched the market and Pfizer has filed an antitrust suit against its rivals, alleging they are thwarting lower-priced competition through “exclusionary contracts” and rebates. (Appleby, 12/22)
California Healthline:
Near Incineration Of Psychiatric Hospital Highlights Gaping Need For More Beds
As fire raged in Ventura, Calif., earlier this month, Gracie Hartman made her way to the county fairgrounds to look for her friend, Fernando. She found him there at the evacuation center, among 69 patients from the Vista del Mar acute psychiatric hospital, one of two such facilities in the county. They had been removed with little time to spare as the hospital was overtaken by flames. Over the next couple of days, Fernando was transferred to one general hospital as a stopgap, then to another, because, unlike the first, it would accept his insurance. (Feder Ostrov, 12/21)
The New York Times:
Congress Passes Stopgap Bill To Avoid Government Shutdown Against A Friday Deadline
Congress gave final approval on Thursday to legislation to keep the government funded into January, averting a government shutdown this weekend but kicking fights over issues like immigration, surveillance and health care into the new year. The stopgap spending bill extends government funding until Jan. 19 while also providing a short-term funding fix for the Children’s Health Insurance Program, or CHIP, whose financing lapsed at the end of September. (Kaplan, 12/21)
The Hill:
GOP Includes $2.8B For Children's Health-Care Funding In Stopgap Bill
House Republicans have included $2.85 billion to extend funding for the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP) in a stopgap spending measure intended to prevent a government shutdown on Saturday. The funding provides money for CHIP through the end of March as the GOP faces criticism from Democrats, who argued Republicans were prepared to leave town without extending a program that provides support for 9 million children across the country. (Roubein, 12/21)
Politico:
Children's Health Funding Hangs In The Balance As Congress Leaves Town
Congress is likely to depart Washington this week approving just enough money for children’s health insurance through March and leaving families and governors wondering what's next. Only days after clearing a massive tax reform bill along party lines, Republicans are still trying to figure out how to keep the government open past Friday, with hopes of including funding for the Children’s Health Insurance Program, which covers roughly 9 million low- and middle-income kids. So far, Republican and Democratic sources say they don’t expect to be able to attach more than six months of CHIP funding, with three of those months retroactive to when Congress let funding lapse, on Sept. 30. (Haberkorn and Pradhan, 12/21)
The Associated Press:
Children's Insurance Program Receives Only Patchwork Funding
Democrats and Republicans agree that finances for the Children's Health Insurance Program should be renewed for five years, but they've clashed over how to pay for it. And while few think Congress would blunder into letting the money completely lapse — which no lawmaker would care to defend with elections approaching — an effort to provide long-term money collapsed as leaders punted a bunch of unresolved issues until early next year. (Fram, 12/22)
The Associated Press:
How States Coping With Uncertainty Over Kids' Health Money
Examples of how states have been reacting to the threat of running out of federal money for the Children's Health Insurance Program. It was unclear how their plans might change with the short-term federal funds Congress approved Thursday. (12/22)
The Hill:
States Say Short-Term Funding Not Enough For Children’s Health
State governments are warning that the short-term funding for a critical children’s health program approved by Congress on Thursday may be too little and too late. Warning letters in at least three states have already been sent to families saying they could soon lose coverage for their children come Jan. 31 without new funding from Congress. Even if the new funding keeps their programs afloat, it sends a negative message to enrollees and that could cause long-term implications, experts say. (Roubein and Sullivan, 12/22)
The New York Times:
Obamacare Sign-Ups At High Levels Despite Trump Saying It’s ‘Imploding’
The Trump administration said Thursday that 8.8 million people had signed up for health insurance through the Affordable Care Act’s federal marketplace, a surprisingly large number only slightly lower than the total in the last open enrollment period, which was twice as long and heavily advertised. The numbers essentially defied President Trump’s assertion that “Obamacare is imploding.” (Pear, 12/21)
The Associated Press:
'Obamacare' Surprise: Strong Showing As Nearly 9M Sign Up
The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services said more than 8.8 million people have signed up in the 39 states served by the federal HealthCare.gov website. That compares to 9.2 million last year in the same states — or 96 percent of the previous total. The level exceeds what experts thought was possible after another year of political battles over the Affordable Care Act, not to mention market problems like rising premiums and insurer exits. On top of that, the Trump administration cut enrollment season in half, slashed the ad budget, terminated major payments to insurers, and scaled back grants for consumer counselors. (Alonso-Zaldivar, 12/21)
The Washington Post:
ACA Enrollment For 2018 Nearly Matches Last Year's, Despite Trump Administration Efforts To Undermine It
For the seventh and final sign-up week ending on Dec. 15, the report said, 4.1 million people had signed up for coverage or been automatically renewed by the government because they had ACA health plans this year and had not selected ones for 2018. However, federal health officials had previously said the automatic renewals would not take place until after the federal marketplace's enrollment deadline. Asked for a breakdown between the active sign-ups and the auto-enrollments, officials refused to provide it. (Goldstein, 12/21)
The Wall Street Journal:
Health-Law Insurance Sign-Ups Decline
Several major ACA insurers, including Centene Corp., Health Care Service Corp. and Medica, said their own sign-ups appeared on track to meet internal projections. “We’re almost exactly on our expectations,” said Steve Ringel, president of the Ohio market for CareSource, which sells ACA plans in four states. “It’s playing out exactly as we had hoped.” Of the 8.8 million consumers who were signed up for plans on HealthCare.gov during the federal exchange’s enrollment period, which started Nov. 1, about 2.4 million were new consumers, while 6.4 million were returning enrollees, including people automatically re-enrolled in plans. (Wilde Mathews, 12/21)
Los Angeles Times:
Obamacare Sign-Ups Surge, Despite Trump's Calls For Repeal
"It's incredible how many people signed up for coverage this year with record-setting demand for affordable health coverage," said Lori Lodes, a spokeswoman for Protect Our Care, a non-governmental advocacy group that stepped in to publicize the marketplaces when the Trump administration slashed outreach efforts. "The demand for affordable coverage speaks volumes — proving, yet again, the staying power of the marketplaces," Lodes said. (Levey, 12/21)
Politico:
Obamacare Sign-Ups Surge, Despite Trump’s Declaration On ‘Repeal’
The looming repeal of the individual mandate as part of the GOP’s tax overhaul, which would take effect in 2019, will likely leave the Obamacare insurance marketplaces on shakier ground. Without a requirement to purchase insurance, fewer people are expected to sign up, particularly the younger and healthier customers who help insurers offset the costs of covering the sick. (Demko, 12/21)
The Associated Press:
AP-NORC Poll: Health Care Is The Issue That Won't Go Away
As President Donald Trump completes his first year in office, Americans are increasingly concerned about health care, and their faith that government can fix it has fallen. A new poll by The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research finds that 48 percent named health care as a top problem for the government to focus on in the next year, up 17 points in the last two years. (12/21)
The Associated Press:
Senate GOP Leader Skeptical About Another Run At Health Law
The top Senate Republican is skeptical at best about revisiting the Senate's botched efforts to dismantle Barack Obama's Affordable Care Act despite one GOP lawmaker's insistence the health care law will be scrapped. In an interview Thursday with The Associated Press, Majority Leader Mitch McConnell pointed out that the GOP-controlled Senate was "unable to go forward with 52 Republican senators. Whether it's possible to go forward with 51 Republican senators is an open question." Republicans have lost a seat with the election of Alabama Democrat Doug Jones. (Taylor, 12/21)
The Washington Post:
McConnell: Entitlement Reform Is A Nonstarter In The Senate In 2018
The Senate’s top Republican on Thursday quashed calls from House leaders to tackle Medicare and Medicaid spending next year, declaring it politically unfeasible and thus off the 2018 agenda. “I think Democrats are not going to be interested in entitlement reform, so I would not expect to see that on the agenda,” Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) said at a breakfast sponsored by Axios. “What the Democrats are willing to do is important, because in the Senate, with rare exceptions like the tax bill, we have to have Democratic involvement.” (Demirjian, 12/21)
The Wall Street Journal:
Mitch McConnell Is Unlikely To Push For Social Security And Medicare Changes In 2018
Mr. McConnell, a Kentucky Republican, has what amounts to veto power over next year’s agenda because he controls the Senate floor. In the new year, he will lead a Republican caucus with a narrow 51-49 margin in the Senate, where most legislation requires 60 votes to advance. By declining to take on entitlements, Mr. McConnell avoids what would be a tough political sell for Republicans, and could spare candidates heavy fire from Democrats in the 2018 midterm elections. (Hughes and Andrews, 12/21)
Politico:
McConnell: ‘We’ll Probably Move On’ From Obamacare Repeal In 2018
"Well, we obviously were unable to completely repeal and replace with a 52-48 Senate," McConnell said referring to the partisan split in the chamber. "We'll have to take a look at what that looks like with a 51-49 Senate [once Alabama Democratic Sen.-elect Doug Jones is seated]. But I think we'll probably move on to other issues. "McConnell’s comment drew a sharp rebuke from Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.), who is hoping to revive a bill next year repealing Obamacare in favor of block grants to states. (Lima and Haberkorn, 12/21)
Politico:
Second Federal Judge Halts Trump's Birth Control Rule
A second federal judge on Thursday temporarily blocked the Trump administration rule that makes it easier for employers to deny contraceptive coverage on moral or religious grounds — a requirement under Obamacare. Judge Haywood Gilliam, Jr., of the the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California, issued a preliminary injunction suspending the president's directive, which allowed virtually any employer to claim a religious or moral objection to covering birth control. (Colliver, 12/21)
The Associated Press:
US Official Says Rape And Abortion Both Forms Of Violence
The U.S. government official who oversees the agency sheltering immigrant minors says abortion and rape are both forms of "violence" in a memo released Thursday that explains why he won't allow abortions even for teenagers who have been sexually assaulted. Scott Lloyd heads the Office of Refugee Resettlement at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, which faces an ongoing lawsuit over its refusal to allow teens in its care to have abortions. (12/21)
Politico:
Trump Administration Sought To Block Abortion For Undocumented Teen Who Alleged Rape
The Trump administration attempted to block an abortion for an undocumented teen in federal custody despite her statements that she was a rape victim, the Justice Department revealed Thursday — in a sweeping departure from the policies of the George W. Bush and Obama administrations. DOJ lawyers made the disclosure in a memo filed in federal court in Washington, a day after the girl obtained the abortion with help from private donors. (Rayasam and Gerstein, 12/21)
The New York Times:
Greater Access To Donated Livers Promised To Transplant Patients
With Manhattan skyscrapers as a backdrop, Roscoe and Sharon Fawcett celebrated their 29th anniversary with a meal of steak, corn and baked potatoes. “She finally got a New York skyline wedding anniversary dinner,” said Mr. Fawcett, a firefighter in Stamford, Conn. “But I’d rather not have had to give it to her that way. ”That’s because Ms. Fawcett, 53, has end-stage liver disease, and the celebration took place in a ninth-floor family lounge at Mount Sinai Hospital, though she was too sick to eat very much. (Alcorn, 12/22)
The New York Times:
A Better Kind Of Nursing Home
Lots of things look different when you step into a small Green House nursing home. The bright living and dining space, filled with holiday baubles at this season. The adjacent open kitchen, where the staff is making lunch. The private bedrooms and baths. The lack of long stark corridors, medication carts and other reminders of hospital wards. (Span, 12/22)
The New York Times:
For Sore Throat, Xylitol And Probiotics Offer No Benefits Over Placebo
Xylitol, a popular sweetener in sugarless gum, and probiotics are sometimes recommended as remedies for sore throat, but a randomized trial has found that neither works better than a placebo. Researchers assigned 1,009 people with sore throats to one of three groups: no chewing gum, xylitol gum, or sorbitol gum without xylitol. Half of each group was also given capsules containing either probiotics (lactobacilli and bifidobacteria) or a placebo. (Bakalar, 12/21)
The Associated Press:
California Court Exposes Drug Makers To Additional Liability
A sharply divided California Supreme Court ruled Thursday that pharmaceutical companies can be held liable for warning labels on generic versions of drugs they once made even after they've sold the drugs to other companies and stopped manufacturing them. The 4-3 decision was a victory for consumer advocates, but the pharmaceutical industry had argued that such a finding would stifle innovation and lead to extraneous warnings on drugs that could deter people from using them. (Thanawala, 12/21)
The Associated Press:
Planned Parenthood: Arkansas Faces Having 1 Abortion Clinic
A Planned Parenthood subsidiary told the U.S. Supreme Court on Thursday that Arkansas' restrictions on how abortion pills are administered could effectively end medication abortions in the state and leave Arkansas with only one clinic where women can end their pregnancies. (12/21)