Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
First Edition: February 9, 2017
Kaiser Health News: Conservatives Urge Speedup Of Health Law Repeal, Dismiss Calls For Caution
Rep. Mark Meadows, R-N.C., who heads the hard-right House Freedom Caucus, said he recognizes that people are “anxious” about changing the health law. “The quicker we can give them answers, the better off we are,” he said. (Rovner, 2/8)
California Healthline: Threat Of Losing Obamacare Turns Some Formerly Apolitical Californians Into Protesters
Until recently, Paul Smith didn’t consider himself much of an activist. But he woke up hours before sunrise on Saturday to attend his first town hall meeting. That meeting near Sacramento, organized by his district’s Congressman Tom McClintock (R-Roseville), sparked a peaceful — if large and raucous — protest over Obamacare, the travel ban and other issues. And it drew national headlines. (Ibarra, 2/8)
Kaiser Health News: Obama’s Drug Czar: The Opioid Crisis Must Continue To Be A Federal Priority
The GOP is working to repeal and replace the 2010 health law, known for insuring more than 20 million people. And the change could affect another health concern: the nation’s opioid abuse problem. Just ask President Barack Obama’s former “drug czar,” Michael Botticelli. (Luthra, 2/9)
California Healthline: Industry Giants Anthem, Centene Among The Lowest-Rated Medicaid Plans In California
Anthem Inc. and Centene Corp., top players in the growing Medicaid managed care market nationally, run some of the lowest-quality health plans serving California’s poor population, according to state data. The two insurers combined run five of the six lowest-rated plans in the state’s Medicaid program, known as Medi-Cal. And until they improve the quality of patient care in some areas of the state, officials have placed both companies under stricter oversight. Together, the plans cover about 3 million people, or roughly 20 percent of the Medi-Cal population. (Terhune, 2/9)
Politico: GOP Swimming In Obamacare Replacements, But No Consensus
Republican leaders want to get their Obamacare repeal effort back on track. There’s a big problem, though: They’re neck-deep in competing plans to replace the law. Nearly a half-dozen plans have been introduced or are coming — none with the broad support needed to get through Congress and win over the public. And that’s making it far more difficult to repeal a law the GOP has spent six years trying to kill. (Everett and Haberkorn, 2/9)
The Wall Street Journal: Mike Lee: Obamacare Must Be Repealed First, Replaced Later
Republicans, who hold a 52-48 majority in the Senate, are united in their desire to repeal the law they call “Obamacare” but differ in timing and legislative strategy, especially how much disruption they are willing to tolerate to remake health policy in their own vision. A handful are unwilling to vote to repeal the health law before replacement legislation is ready, arguing such a path creates too much uncertainty for fragile insurance markets. But others including Mr. Lee argue Congress should repeal the 2010 law first, then craft and pass a sweeping new health law in the ensuing policy vacuum. (Hackman and Radnofsky, 2/8)
NPR: Indian Country's New Health Care Jobs Could Vanish With Obamacare Repeal
Since its founding in the 1950s, the Indian Health Service has provided medical care for many Native Americans. But the service has been chronically underfunded, so often pays for care only if someone is in immediate danger of losing life or limb. In recent years, the Affordable Care Act created new health coverage opportunities for more than half a million Native Americans and Alaska Natives — and created jobs in Indian country, too. (Whitney, 2/9)
The Wall Street Journal: Obamacare Provisions Gain Unexpected Backers As GOP Moves To Rewrite Law
When the Affordable Care Act was debated in 2010, the country’s biggest gynecologists’ group spoke out against it, saying it wouldn’t help doctors get paid more fairly or avoid frivolous malpractice lawsuits. Today, the American Congress of Obstetricians and Gynecologists is fighting efforts to fully repeal the law, pushing especially to keep a ban on charging women higher health insurance premiums than men. (Hackman, 2/8)
The Associated Press: Price Nears Senate Confirmation As Trump Health Secretary
Republicans are ready to overpower Democrats and push another of President Donald Trump's Cabinet nominees through the Senate, the man who will help lead the GOP drive to erase and replace the health care law. The Senate voted 51-48 Wednesday to short-circuit Democratic delaying tactics against Rep. Tom Price, R-Ga., Trump's choice for health secretary. Final approval of Price seemed certain, a vote that would elevate the long-time proponent of dismantling President Barack Obama's health care law and reshaping and curbing Medicare and Medicaid. (Fram, 2/9)
USA Today: New Stock Questions Plague HHS Nominee Tom Price As Confirmation Vote Nears
President Trump's choice to be the top U.S. health official bought and sold health care company stocks often enough as a member of Congress to warrant probes by both federal securities regulators and the House ethics committee, former government ethics lawyers say. A USA TODAY analysis of stock trade reports by Rep. Tom Price, R-Ga., also shows he often misstated the timing of stock purchases or failed to report them altogether. (O'Donnell, 2/8)
The Washington Post: More Than 350 Organizations Write Trump To Endorse Current Vaccines’ Safety
More than 350 organizations, including leading U.S. medical, advocacy and professional organizations, have sent a letter to President Trump expressing their “unequivocal support for the safety of vaccines.” The effort, organized by the American Academy of Pediatrics, reflects the growing alarm among a wide array of groups over Trump’s embrace of discredited claims about vaccine safety. After a meeting in January with Robert F. Kennedy Jr., a proponent of the debunked theory that vaccines cause autism, a Trump spokeswoman said he was considering creation of a commission on autism. (Sun, 2/8)
The Associated Press: Anthem-Cigna Health Insurance Merger Rejected By Judge
Predicting diminished competition and likely higher costs, a federal judge rejected Anthem Inc.'s bid to buy rival health insurer Cigna Corp. U.S. District Judge Amy Berman Jackson on Wednesday said the merger would significantly reduce competition in the already concentrated insurance market, particularly for large national employers. Cigna and Anthem are two of just four insurers selling to companies with 5,000 employees spread across multiple states, and they compete aggressively for business, the judge wrote. (Cooper, 2/9)
The New York Times: Judge, Citing Harm To Customers, Blocks $48 Billion Anthem-Cigna Merger
The ruling, by Judge Amy Berman Jackson of the Federal District Court for the District of Columbia, came two weeks after another federal judge blocked a proposed $37 billion merger between Aetna and Humana on antitrust grounds. Judge Jackson wrote in her order that she found the Justice Department’s arguments against the deal persuasive, and that putting Anthem and Cigna together would harm customers. (de la Merced and Picker, 2/8)
The Wall Street Journal: Federal Judge Blocks Anthem’s Planned Acquisition Of Cigna
“The evidence has also shown that the merger is likely to result in higher prices, and that it will have other anticompetitive effects: it will eliminate the two firms’ vigorous competition against each other for national accounts, reduce the number of national carriers available to respond to solicitations in the future, and diminish the prospects for innovation in the market,” Judge Jackson wrote. (Kendall and Wilde Mathews, 2/9)
Politico: Judge Rejects Anthem's $54 Billion Takeover Of Cigna
Anthem can appeal the ruling, but it faces a tight timeline. At the end of April, either of the merging companies can pull the plug on the deal, and Cigna is expected to do so immediately. That would trigger a $1.85 billion breakup fee that Anthem would owe to Cigna. This is the second blockbuster merger to be thwarted. Last month, Aetna's $37 billion takeover of Humana was also blocked. (Demko, 2/8)
Los Angeles Times: Planned Parenthood's Political Arm Endorses Jimmy Gomez In Race To Replace Xavier Becerra
Planned Parenthood has endorsed Assemblyman Jimmy Gomez (D-Los Angeles) in his campaign for the 34th Congressional District. The endorsement, made by the group's political advocacy wing, comes two days after a kerfuffle over the endorsement Gomez received from the California Democratic Party over the weekend. (Mai-Duc, 2/8)
The Wall Street Journal: Gilead’s Boom Fades And Bust Will Linger
Gilead Sciences, perhaps the company most responsible for powering the last biotech bull market, has a revenue problem on its hands. Its struggles highlight how quickly the moment of opportunity can pass for research-focused drug companies. Gilead announced Tuesday it expects between $7.5 billion and $9 billion in sales for its hepatitis C franchise this year, well below analyst expectations. Hitting the high end of that forecast would mark a 40% annual sales decline. As a result, total company revenues could be down more than 20% in 2017 from a year ago. (Grant, 2/8)
The Wall Street Journal: Report Cites Deficiencies At Theranos Lab
Theranos Inc.’s lab in Arizona failed to ensure some patients who got potentially inaccurate diabetes test results were notified, according to a federal inspection report obtained through a public-records request. The embattled Silicon Valley company also performed patient blood-coagulation tests on a machine its staff configured improperly, according to the report and the company’s response to regulators. (Weaver, 2/8)
The Associated Press: Arkansas Doctors Could Be Sued Over Banned Abortion Method
Does an Arkansas law allow husbands to sue doctors to prevent their wives from undergoing a newly banned abortion procedure? Abortion opponents say no, and a group preparing to challenge the ban says it's theoretically possible but unlikely. The question has come up amid attention on an Arkansas law approved last month that bans dilation and evacuation, or "D&E," which apportion-rights supporters say is the safest and most common procedure used in the second trimester. (Demillo, 2/8)
The Associated Press: Kansas Bill Requires More Details About Abortion Providers
A proposed law in Kansas would require that information given to women seeking an abortion also include details about the abortion provider's medical credentials, malpractice insurance and past disciplinary action. And that it be printed in a specific 12-point font. (2/8)
Los Angeles Times: Southern California Gas To Pay $8.5 Million To Settle Lawsuit Over Aliso Canyon Leak
Southern California Gas Co. will pay $8.5 million to settle a lawsuit filed by air quality regulators over the Aliso Canyon gas leak and will fund a study of community health effects. The settlement with the South Coast Air Quality Management District, announced Wednesday, resolves a dispute over the months-long leak of methane from the gas company’s Aliso Canyon storage facility above the Porter Ranch neighborhood of Los Angeles. (Barboza, 2/8)
NPR: From Measles To Syphilis, The Golden Age Of Germs
Ten thousand years ago, at the dawn of the agricultural revolution, many of our worst infectious diseases didn't exist. Here's what changed. With the rise of agriculture, for the first time in history humans were living in close contact with domesticated animals — milking them, taking care of them and, of course, eating them. All that touching and sharing gave animal germs plenty of chances to get inside us. (Poole, 2/9)
The New York Times: Licorice During Pregnancy Tied To Problems In Children
Pregnant women may want to avoid licorice, which may affect the cognitive abilities of their children, a study suggests. Licorice contains glycyrrhizin, a sweetener derived from the root of the licorice plant, and is used to flavor candies, soft drinks, herbal teas and other products. Pills and supplements containing concentrated licorice are also a popular herbal remedy for respiratory ailments and other ills. (Bakalar, 2/8)
The New York Times: The N.H.L.’s Problem With Science
In the 1950s, tobacco companies responded to research proving a link between smoking and lung cancer by trying to discredit the science. They formed their own research group to poke holes in the data and to stave off public panic that cigarette smoking could cause serious diseases and death. More than 60 years later, the N.H.L. has responded to a class-action lawsuit regarding head injuries with a similar approach. (Macur, 2/8)
