First Edition: January 20, 2015

The New York Times: In Year 2 Of Affordable Care Act, Premiums Diverge Widely
At first glance, Colorado would seem to be one of the federal health law’s clearest success stories, offering nearly 200 plans and average premiums nearly unchanged in the coming year. But zoom in closer, and it is clear that a kind of pricing pandemonium is underway, one that offers a case study of the ambitions and limits of the Affordable Care Act during this second year of enrollment. (Abelson and Armendariz, 1/19)

Politico: Hershey's Chocolate Fog
Washington’s Republican majority has plenty of challenges in the months ahead. Department of Homeland Security funding. Highway bills. The debt ceiling. Health care policy. Agreeing on a budget. Republicans never expected to solve all their problems here, but the Congress of Tomorrow retreat offered little in the way of what will actually come tomorrow, next week, next month or next year. When Chief Deputy Whip Patrick McHenry (R-N.C.) was asked what he got out of this retreat, he paused and smiled for about 10 seconds, then said: “There’s far more consensus on matters of budget, health care and immigration than is perceived. Our members understand the consequences of what we’re doing and that we have to lead.” Asked what those broad ideas will look like in D.C., McHenry smiled again and said, “We’ll shape that.” (Sherman and Everett, 1/16)

Los Angeles Times: Head Of Federal Agency Overseeing Medicare And Medicaid Steps Down
Though one of the most senior officials involved in the botched rollout of the HealthCare.gov website in 2013, Tavenner never drew as much fire as her boss at the time, former Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius, who resigned last year. The agency has been widely credited this year with overseeing a far smoother enrollment period under the federal health law, as millions of Americans have been signing up for health coverage since November. (Levey, 1/16)

The New York Times: Official Who Led Medicare Through Insurance Shakeup Is Resigning
Ms. Tavenner, who was partly responsible for the disastrous debut of the online insurance exchange in October 2013, had given no public indications that she would be stepping down. She joined the administration in February 2010, a few weeks before President Obama signed the Affordable Care Act. She was a senior official at the Medicare agency, which insures one in three Americans and has an annual budget of more than $800 billion, before she was confirmed by the Senate in May 2013 as administrator. (Pear, 1/16)

The Wall Street Journal: Top Health Official Marilyn Tavenner To Step Down
Ms. Tavenner became the first permanent head of the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services in more than six years when she was confirmed in 2013—after working more than a year in an acting capacity. She continued to enjoy Republican support through the rollout of the health law’s insurance exchanges. Andy Slavitt, a former top executive at UnitedHealth Group who is now the second-highest-ranking official in the agency, will take over as acting administrator, agency officials said. (Radofsky, 1/16)

The Washington Post: CMS Administrator Marilyn Tavenner Is Stepping Down
Marilyn Tavenner, a key Obama administration health official overseeing the country's largest health insurance programs, announced Friday that she's resigning from her position as administrator of the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services next month. (Milman, 1/16)

The New York Times: Riding High, Biotech Firms Remain Wary
The biotechnology industry tends to be overshadowed by the razzle-dazzle of high-tech companies like Apple, Facebook and Google, particularly in the Bay Area. Now, though, the biotech business is experiencing an almost unprecedented boom of its own. Money is flowing into the industry as never before. Stock prices are high, and drug approvals are up. And perhaps most important, some of the new drugs represent major advances against diseases like cancer, hepatitis C and cystic fibrosis. (Pollack, 1/18)

Los Angeles Times: How Safe Is Your Hospital? A Look At California Ratings
A detailed look at performance data shows many California hospitals continue to struggle with medical errors and injuries to patients — despite industrywide efforts to remedy those problems. ... Since 2012, Leapfrog has been analyzing information it collects as well as data reported to Medicare to issue hospital scores in California and nationwide. The percentage of A-rated hospitals in California reached 43% late last year — the seventh-highest rate among states nationwide. That was up from 40% two years ago. (Terhune, 1/17)

Los Angeles Times: California Nurses Call Off Strike Against Kaiser
The California Nurses Assn. announced Saturday that it has called off plans for a strike next week against Kaiser Permanente after reaching a tentative contract agreement for 18,000 of its members in Northern and Central California. The tentative agreement, which will be put to a vote of union members this month, includes a 14% pay increase over three years, the hiring of hundreds of registered nurses, additional workplace protections and increased employer contribution to 410 (k) retirement plans, the union said in a statement. (Ceasar, 1/17)

NPR: Calif. Strike Highlights Larger Issues With Mental Health System
This past week, more than 2,000 mental health workers for the HMO health care giant Kaiser Permanente in California went on strike. The strike was organized by the National Union of Healthcare Workers. The union says Kaiser Permanente patients have been the victims of "chronic failure to provide its members with timely, quality mental health care." On Thursday, about 150 Kaiser Permanente employees picketed the Woodland Hills Medical Center in the San Fernando Valley. One of them was therapist Deborah Silverman. In her eyes, the biggest problem at Kaiser right now is understaffing. (1/18)

The Washington Post: After Fatal Shooting At El Paso Hospital, VA Police Highlight Nationwide Security Lapses In VA’s Medical System
After last week’s fatal shooting of a psychologist inside an El Paso Veterans Affairs clinic by an Iraq war veteran, the VA’s police force is renewing its long-running calls for more staff, better training and increased resources — from fixing broken radios and cameras to installing metal detectors and developing clear procedures for how to deal with agitated patients. (Wax-Thibodeaux, 1/17)

The Washington Post: Virginia Doctor Tries Truck-Stop Medicine To Keep Family Practice Alive
The massive truck stops just off I-81 here offer diesel, hot coffee and “the best dang BBQ in Virginia.” There’s something else, too: a small-town doctor who performs medical exams and drug tests for long-haul drivers, an innovative effort to keep his beloved family practice afloat. At a time when doctors are increasingly giving up private practice, Rob Marsh still operates his medical office in tiny Middlebrook, Va., about 15 miles from Raphine and 50 miles west of Charlottesville. (Svrluga, 1/19)

NPR: After Aurora Shooting, A 'New Way Of Responding' To Mental Crises
It's been two and a half years since the Aurora, Colo. theater shooting in which James Holmes allegedly killed 12 people at a screening of The Dark Knight Rises. Jury selection for the 2012 incident is scheduled to start Tuesday. One of the reasons why it took so long to get to court was the battle over Holmes' psychiatric evaluations. After the shooting, Colorado legislators approved $20 million to change how people going through a mental health crisis can get help. (Hood, 1/19)