Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
First Edition: February 27, 2015
Kaiser Health News: 5 Things To Know About The Supreme Court Case Challenging The Health Law
The Affordable Care Act is once again before the Supreme Court. On March 4, the justices will hear oral arguments in King v. Burwell, a case challenging the validity of tax subsidies helping millions of Americans buy health insurance if they don’t get it through an employer or the government. If the court rules against the Obama administration, those subsidies could be cut off for everyone in the three dozen states using healthcare.gov, the federal exchange website. A decision is expected by the end of June. (Rovner, 2/27)
Kaiser Health News: Health On The Hill: HHS Sec. Burwell Faces Stiff Questioning Over Health Law Contingency Plans
Kaiser Health News staff writer Mary Agnes Carey speaks with Melissa Attias of CQ- Roll Call about Department of Health and Human Services Secretary Sylvia Burwell’s visit to Capitol Hill, where she faced a torrent of questions about the pending Supreme Court arguments concerning health law subsidies and the impact the ruling may have on the millions of people who now have coverage because of the subsidies. (2/26)
The Associated Press: If Court Says No: Insured Would Miss Insurance Subsidies
Millions of Americans have a big personal stake in next Wednesday's Supreme Court challenge to the nation's health care law: Can they legally continue to get subsidies to help pay for their insurance? If the court says no, people in more than 30 states could lose the federal help. (2/26)
The Washington Post's Wonkblog: The Supreme Court Is Deciding A Case That Could Derail Obamacare. Here’s What You Need To Know.
The fate of the Affordable Care Act, the president's signature domestic policy achievement, is once again in the hands of the Supreme Court this coming Wednesday. The justices will hear oral arguments in King v. Burwell, a legal challenge to the financial assistance that millions of Americans are receiving to purchase health insurance. The case is considered the greatest threat to Obamacare's future since the court considered a challenge to the law's individual mandate three years ago. (MIllman, 2/26)
Reuters: Supreme Court Protesters Say No Plans To Disrupt Obamacare Case
An activist group that has twice disrupted U.S. Supreme Court proceedings in the past year says it does not intend to stage similar protests when the justices hear a major case next week that could gut President Barack Obama's signature healthcare law. Kai Newkirk, a spokesman for the group 99Rise, said in an email that "we are not planning anything" in relation to the Obamacare case being argued next Wednesday or the court's other big case of the year on whether states can ban gay marriage, which will be heard in April. (2/26)
The Wall Street Journal: GOP Lawmakers Seek Short-Term Tax Credits Extension
Support is growing among Republican lawmakers to temporarily help consumers pay their insurance premiums if the Supreme Court strikes down the health law’s tax credits in much of the country. The court will hear a legal challenge next week that contends the health-law’s language restricts its credits to residents of a handful of states that set up their own insurance exchanges. (Radnofsky and Armour, 2/26)
The Associated Press: GOP Claims Paper Shows Fed Aides' Preps for Health Law Loss
A leading House Republican claimed Thursday that he's been told of a 100-page document showing the Obama administration is preparing contingency plans in case the Supreme Court invalidates federal subsidies that help millions of Americans afford health care coverage. (2/26)
The Wall Street Journal's Washington Wire: Jindal To GOP: No Time To Quit Obamacare Fight
Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal, looking to carve a conservative policy niche in the crowded field of potential GOP presidential candidates, Thursday criticized fellow Republicans in Congress for backing away from the push to repeal of the health care law. “They are about to wave the white flag of surrender on Obamacare,” Mr. Jindal said at the annual Conservative Political Action Conference, referring to congressional efforts to revamp rather than repeal the law. “We won’t stand for that. (Hook, 2/26)
The Associated Press: Gov. Herbert Criticizes House Decision On Medicaid Plan
Gov. Gary Herbert sternly criticized the Utah House on Thursday for circumventing what he considers the proper legislative process and deciding not to consider his plan for expanding Medicaid. While calm and composed, Herbert didn't hide his displeasure with the House decision. He vowed to continue negotiating during the final two weeks of session— but didn't rule out calling for a special session later or taking executive action. (McCombs, 2/26)
Wall Street Journal: HCA Discloses Suit Alleging Unnecessary Procedures, False Billing Claims
HCA Holdings Inc. on Thursday disclosed a lawsuit had been filed in Florida alleging the hospital operator subjected patients to medically unnecessary, invasive and high-risk cardiology procedures for years and then submitted false medical claims for federal reimbursement. The suit, made public Monday, was filed in February 2012 in U.S. District Court in Miami by Christopher Gentile, then professional liability claims director for a subsidiary of HCA in Tennessee, and singles out two HCA hospitals: Lawnwood Regional Medical Center & Heart Institute in Fort Pierce, Fla. and Regional Medical Center Bayonet Point in Hudson, Fla. (Armental, 2/26)
The Wall Street Journal: Biggest U.S. Health Insurer Tightens Rules On Hysterectomy Coverage
The nation’s largest health insurer is imposing tighter controls on its coverage for hysterectomies after more than a year of debate over a medical device that was found to spread hidden cancer in some women undergoing the procedure. As of April, UnitedHealth Group Inc. will require doctors to obtain authorization from the insurer before performing most types of hysterectomies, according to a bulletin sent to physicians and hospitals. (Levitz, and Kamp, 2/26)
The Associated Press: UnitedHealth Tightens Rules Covering Hysterectomies
UnitedHealth Group Inc. says the changes are based on recommendations from the American Congress of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, which said vaginal hysterectomies are recommended over abdominal procedures and “keyhole” laparoscopic procedures. It quoted from recommendations ACOG issued in 2009 that said vaginal procedures are associated with better outcomes and fewer complications. (2/26)
The Wall Street Journal: Catamaran To Buy Healthcare Solutions For $405 Million
Catamaran Corp. has agreed to buy Healthcare Solutions Inc. from Brazos Private Equity Partners LLC in a $405 million all-cash deal expected to boost the pharmacy-benefit manager’s presence in the workers’ compensation market. Meanwhile, Schaumburg, Ill.-based Catamaran posted stronger-than-expected revenue and earnings growth in its December quarter. Pharmacy-benefit managers, or PBMs, process prescriptions for the groups that pay for drugs, usually insurance companies or corporations, and use their size to negotiate with drug makers and pharmacies. They have put pressure on drugstores by negotiating for lower prices on behalf of their clients and via mail-order plans that compete for prescription business. (Dulaney, 2/26)
The Wall Street Journal: Generic Drug-Safety Rules Debated
Should generic drug makers update product labels on their medicines when they learn of safety risks? The question is being fiercely debated because federal law doesn’t allow generic drug makers to do so independently, unless a change has already been made to the corresponding brand-name medicine. The U.S. Supreme Court upheld this interpretation of the law in a controversial 2011 ruling and, as a result, consumers who claim they were injured by a generic drug cannot sue the manufacturer. (Silverman, 2/26)
The Associated Press: VA Chief Backs Outside Medical Care As New Program Falters
Veterans Affairs Secretary Robert McDonald said Thursday he was committed to a law making it easier for veterans to get private health care, but he offered few answers for lawmakers irritated at the slow effort to put it in place. (2/26)
USA Today: Veterans Propose Major Changes In VA Health Care
A national veterans task force is advocating radical changes in the medical system for America's former military personnel, including a choice to receive subsidized private care and conversion of the Veterans Health Administration into a non-profit corporation rather than a government agency. The reform measures, if enacted into law, would affect America's roughly 22 million veterans dramatically, especially the 8.5 million enrolled for care through the Department of Veterans Affairs. Repercussions would be even more profound for future veterans. (Wagner, 2/26)
The Washington Post: With Time To Spare, Va. Lawmakers Finish Work On Proposed Budget
The proposed budget rejects McAuliffe’s call for Medicaid expansion, increasing certain business taxes by $11.7 million and closing tax loopholes for the coal industry. But it provides the millions the Democrat had sought to spur economic development and expand mental-health services and school breakfast programs. It includes raises for teachers and state employees and restores half of the $60 million in aid to localities cut during a special session late last year when revenue projections looked particularly bleak. (Vozzella, 2/26)
Los Angeles Times: Q&A: What's Next For Prime Healthcare, Daughters Of Charity Hospitals
Six struggling Catholics hospital in California are up for sale, and their future is in the hands of a fast-growing hospital chain based in the Inland Empire. Prime Healthcare Services Inc., a for-profit company with headquarters in Ontario, has offered to buy the financially struggling Daughters of Charity Health System for about $843 million. On Feb. 20, California Atty. Gen. Kamala D. Harris approved the sale -- with several key conditions. She said Prime Healthcare must keep all of the hospitals open for 10 years, while offering the same services and providing the same amount of charity care for indigent patients as Daughters of Charity has been offering. (Pfeifer, 2/26)
Los Angeles Times: West Virginia Lawmakers Pass 20-Week Abortion Ban
West Virginia's state Senate has approved an abortion ban at 20 weeks' pregnancy, as the state House of Delegates did earlier, and by hefty margins likely to withstand a possible veto. Gov. Earl Ray Tomblin, a Democrat, vetoed a similar measure last year, when his fellow Democrats controlled the state Senate and the House of Delegates. Lawmakers had adjourned and could not try to override it. (Pearce, 2/26)
