First Edition: June 22, 2017
Today's early morning highlights from the major news organizations.
Kaiser Health News:
Meet The Republican Men Secretly Reshaping Your Health Care
Who are the GOP senators working on the American Health Care Act behind closed doors? You’ve likely heard they are all white men chosen by Majority Leader Mitch McConnell. Here are some of their vital stats that may influence the outcome. (6/21)
Kaiser Health News:
FDA Ruling On Aussie Biotech Could Boost Congressman’s Investment
An Australian biotech company whose largest shareholder is a U.S. congressman has the greenlight to begin human trials in the U.S. for a drug to treat advanced multiple sclerosis. The Food and Drug Administration’s decision is the first step in a long approval process demonstrating a new drug’s safety and effectiveness before regulators allow it to go on the market. In Innate Immunotherapeutics’ case, it could help the company achieve its stated goal of striking a merger or partnership deal with a larger drugmaker. (Bluth, 6/21)
California Healthline:
Calif. GOP Congressmen Aim To Boost Medicaid Pay For Doctors After Votes To Slash Program
Some political observers were surprised when two Republican congressmen from California’s Central Valley voted for the GOP-led House bill to repeal the Affordable Care Act and curtail federal spending on Medicaid, the health program for low-income people. After all, thousands of people in their districts could lose their health coverage if the bill became law. Now, Reps. David Valadao (R-Hanford) and Jeff Denham (R-Turlock) have introduced legislation of their own to increase payments for doctors who treat Medicaid patients. Medicaid reimbursement rates in California are among the nation’s lowest, hampering some patients’ access to care. (Ibarra, 6/22)
The Washington Post:
Senate Republicans Set To Release Health-Care Bill, But Divisions Remain
Senate Republicans on Thursday plan to release a health-care bill that would curtail federal Medicaid funding, repeal taxes on the wealthy and eliminate funding for Planned Parenthood as part of an effort to fulfill a years-long promise to undo Barack Obama’s signature health-care law. The bill is an attempt to strike a compromise between existing law and a bill passed by the House in May as Republicans struggle to advance their vision for the country’s health-care system even though they now control both chambers of Congress and the White House. The Senate proposal largely mirrors the House measure with significant differences, according to a discussion draft circulating Wednesday among aides and lobbyists. (Winfield Cunningham, Eilperin and Sullivan, 6/21)
The Associated Press:
AP Sources: Senate GOP Health Bill Would Reshape Obama Law
After weeks of closed-door meetings that angered Democrats and some Republicans, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell planned to release the proposal Thursday. The package represents McConnell's attempt to quell criticism by party moderates and conservatives and win the support he needs in a vote he hopes to stage next week. In a departure from the version the House approved last month, which President Donald Trump privately called "mean," the Senate plan would drop the House's waivers allowing states to let insurers boost premiums on some people with pre-existing conditions. It would also largely retain the subsidies Obama provided to help millions buy insurance, which are pegged mostly to people's incomes and the premiums they pay. (Fram and Alonso-Zaldivar, 6/22)
Los Angeles Times:
Senate Set To Unveil Secretive Obamacare Repeal Bill, With A Vote Likely Next Week
McConnell hopes to call a vote on the measure next week, all but daring Republican holdouts to oppose it and prolong what has already been a painstaking process to advance their promise to do away with Obamacare. “It will not be the best possible bill; it will be the best bill possible,” Republican Sen. Pat Roberts of Kansas said as he headed into a closed-door meeting. “We’ve been in the backseat of Thelma and Louise’s convertible for quite a while, and we’re getting pretty close to the canyon. It’s time for us to get out of the damn car.” (Levey and Mascaro, 6/22)
Politico:
What's In The Senate's Secret Obamacare Repeal Bill
Senate Republicans plan to release the draft at approximately 11 a.m. Thursday and hold a vote at the end of next week. Key parts could change as Republicans negotiate final details and try to come up with 50 votes they need to pass the bill. There are also unresolved questions about how much of the bill can be squeezed through the Senate’s strict budget rules governing the fast-track procedure called reconciliation that the GOP is using to avoid a filibuster. (Haberkorn, 6/21)
Politico:
Senate Republicans Set To Unveil Obamacare Repeal Bill
It won’t immediately be clear if Cornyn and Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) have the votes until sometime next week, after a Congressional Budget Office analysis illustrates how many fewer Americans are likely to be insured by the bill and answers the crucial political question of whether premiums would be reduced. Republicans are hoping for broader buy-in from the healthcare industry Thursday than the House bill received, some senators said. Republicans also said they expected the bulk of the caucus will endorse the bill immediately, with leadership allies expected to give the legislation a quick jolt of momentum. (Everett, Haberkorn and Cancryn, 6/22)
The Wall Street Journal:
Senate Republicans’ Support For Health Bill Wavers
The opposition is coming both from conservative Republican senators, who believe the proposal doesn’t repeal enough of the Affordable Care Act, as well as GOP centrists, who are balking at steep cuts to Medicaid that would leave more people uninsured. The situation is fluid and could change, but the political double bind leaves GOP leaders with little room to maneuver. Lawmakers on both ends of the GOP spectrum are also increasingly joining Democrats in criticizing the lack of transparency and rapid-fire timeline for a vote. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R., Ky.) plans to release draft legislation Thursday morning; many lawmakers said they hadn’t seen the bill’s text as of Wednesday afternoon. (Armour, Peterson and Radnofsky, 6/21)
USA Today/Milwaukee Journal Sentinel:
Wisconsin's Ron Johnson Objects To Party's Push For Obamacare Repeal Vote By Next Week
Wisconsin Republican Ron Johnson objected Wednesday to his party’s plan to push an Obamacare repeal plan through the U.S. Senate next week. "I have a hard time believing anybody will have enough time to have a true evaluation and get (public) input on this by next week,” Johnson said in an interview Wednesday. (Gilbert, 6/21)
The Wall Street Journal:
How The Senate Health Bill Likely Differs From House Bill, Obamacare
As the outlines of the Senate health bill come into focus with a vote expected next week, it is possible to see how the Senate approach may diverge from the House-passed version and also from the 2010 Affordable Care Act. The details will become clearer when the Senate bill is officially released Thursday, but some elements are already apparent, according to people familiar with the drafting of the bill. (Armour, 6/21)
Politico:
McConnell Tries To Split The Difference On Protections For Sickest Americans
Senate Republican leaders racing to finalize their health care bill want to preserve Obamacare’s central protections for people with pre-existing conditions to avoid the firestorm that nearly derailed the House’s repeal effort a few months ago. But Senate Leader Mitch McConnell can’t afford a conservative rebellion as he attempts to ram through an Obamacare repeal bill before the July 4th recess. (Cancryn, 6/21)
The New York Times:
Abortion Adds Obstacle As Republicans Plan To Unveil Health Bill
Abortion flared up Wednesday as the latest hot-button issue to complicate passage of a bill to repeal and replace the Affordable Care Act, which Senate Republican leaders hope to unveil on Thursday and pass next week. The repeal bill approved last month by the House would bar the use of federal tax credits to help purchase insurance plans that include coverage of abortion. But senators said that provision might have to be jettisoned from their version because of complicated Senate rules that Republicans are using to expedite passage of the bill and avoid a filibuster. (Pear and Kaplan, 6/21)
NPR:
GOP Medicaid Cuts Would Hit Rural Hospitals And Patients Hard
For the hundreds of rural U.S. hospitals struggling to stay in business, health policy decisions made in Washington, D.C., this summer could make survival a lot tougher. Since 2010, at least 79 rural hospitals have closed across the country, and nearly 700 more are at risk of closing. These hospitals serve a largely older, poorer and sicker population than most hospitals, and that makes them particularly vulnerable to changes made to Medicaid funding. (Sable-Smith, 6/22)
The New York Times Fact Check:
Examining Mitch McConnell’s Claims On Health Care Overhaul
The Senate majority leader, Mitch McConnell, Republican of Kentucky, made a vigorous and urgent argument this week to repeal and replace the Affordable Care Act. Speaking on the Senate floor Monday and Tuesday, he argued that drafting a replacement bill behind closed doors is not unusual, and discussed various criticisms of Obamacare.Here is an assessment. (Qiu, 6/21)
Politico:
How The GOP Could Go Nuclear On Obamacare Repeal
Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell has promised that senators will get unlimited opportunity for amendments in any health care floor fight next week. Senate Democrats aren’t so sure. Riled-up liberal activists are urging Democrats to effectively filibuster the GOP’s health care bill by attacking it with hundreds of amendments. But Democratic senators are floating the prospect that McConnell will move to cut off the vote-a-rama if he feels Democrats are putting up votes on amendments purely as a delay tactic — a maneuver that would effectively be tantamount to a legislative nuclear option. (Kim, 6/21)
The Washington Post:
Even With No GOP Senate Bill In Sight, Democrats And Allies Begin Mobilizing To Fight It
Surrounded by several fellow Democrats in a meeting room in the Capitol Visitors Center, Sen. Ron Wyden (Ore.) lashed out Wednesday afternoon at Republican plans to refashion federal health policies, contending that they would “hit rural communities like a wrecking ball.” But the plans that Wyden was condemning at an all-Democratic hearing were not part of a Senate bill. In a weird twist, his derision was aimed at the legislation that House Republicans narrowly adopted last month to erase major aspects of the Affordable Care Act. (Goldstein and Eilperin, 6/21)
Politico:
Health Bill Could Show Limits Of Trump's Senate Sway
President Donald Trump is starting to whip votes for the Senate health bill, but he could find his influence there is more limited than in the House of Representatives, where he cajoled, cursed and wooed members to vote for his top campaign promise. Aides to Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell were set to brief White House staffers Wednesday evening on the details of the bill they’ve been writing in secret, before it is expected to be made public Thursday. The president is expected to endorse their plan to repeal Obamacare. But even with Trump’s help, the bill faces a perilous path in the Senate. (Dawsey, Everett, Palmeri and Johnson, 6/21)
Los Angeles Times:
Trump Says He Hopes Senate Healthcare Bill Has 'Heart'
As Senate Republicans prepare to unveil their version of an Obamacare alternative, President Trump expressed his hope for a final plan “with heart.” “I can’t guarantee anything, but I hope we’re going to surprise you with a really good plan,” Trump said at a campaign-style rally in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, on Wednesday night. (Memoli, 6/21)
Reuters:
Most Americans Say Republican Healthcare Plan Will Be Harmful: Reuters/Ipsos Poll
When U.S. Senate Republicans unveil their plan to overhaul America's healthcare system, they will face a skeptical public that already does not buy the justification for an earlier version that passed the House of Representatives, according to a Reuters/Ipsos poll released on Wednesday. The June 9-13 poll shows that a majority of the country thinks the American Health Care Act would be harmful for low-income Americans, people with pre-existing health conditions and Medicaid recipients. (Kahn, 6/21)
The Associated Press:
Government Health Insurance Markets Holding Up--Barely
Enough insurers are planning to sell coverage on the Affordable Care Act's insurance exchanges next year to keep them working — if only barely — in most parts of the country. Competition in many markets has dwindled to one insurer — or none in some cases — and another round of steep price hikes is expected to squeeze consumers who don't receive big income-based tax credits to help pay their bill. (Murphy, 6/21)
The Washington Post:
Obamacare’s Exchanges Face Their Moment Of Truth
Insurers hit a major deadline Wednesday: They must inform regulators in 39 states whether they will sell insurance on many Affordable Care Act marketplaces and, if so, how much they would like to charge. It's something of a moment of truth for the Affordable Care Act's marketplaces, whose health depends in large part on the participation of private insurers. And so far, states are seeing mixed results: One major insurer has made a big pullout, while a different one announced it would expand into new states. (Johnson, 6/21)
The New York Times:
With Health Law In Flux, Insurers Scramble To Meet Filing Deadline
While the Wednesday deadline does not represent a final commitment by any insurer, “it will be a good indicator of the health of these markets,” said Sabrina Corlette, a research professor at Georgetown University. House Speaker Paul D. Ryan, whose home state of Wisconsin was among those Anthem plans to exit, pointed to the decision as reason the Republicans needed to pass their overhaul of the health care legislation. “This law has failed our state,” he said. “Obamacare is clearly collapsing, and we have to step in before more families get hurt.” (Abelson, 6/21)
Reuters:
Anthem To Reduce Obamacare Offerings In Wisconsin, Indiana
The largest U.S. health insurer, which sells Blue Cross Blue Shield plans in 14 states including New York and California, for months has said that uncertainty over the payments used to make insurance more affordable could cause it to exit markets. (Grover, 6/21)
The Wall Street Journal:
Anthem Says It Will Stop Offering ACA Plans In Two More States As Others Raise Their Bets
Anthem cited a volatile insurance market in its latest pullback announcement, and it said that planning and pricing for ACA plans “has become increasingly difficult due to a shrinking and deteriorating individual market, as well as continual changes and uncertainty in federal operations, rules and guidance,” including around the cost-sharing payments. The company previously said it would stop selling marketplace plans in Ohio next year. (Wilde Mathews, 6/21)
The Wall Street Journal:
N.J. Gov. Chris Christie Increases Pressure On Insurer
New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie amped up pressure on the state’s largest health insurer on Wednesday, blasting what he said are systemic failures by the company while pushing for legislation he has proposed to give the state more control over its finances. At a news conference, the governor said Horizon Blue Cross Blue Shield of New Jersey has been the subject of repeated state-enforcement actions for more than a year, including a $15.5 million fine levied on Monday. (King, 6/21)
USA Today/Milwaukee Journal Sentinel:
Anthem To Stop Selling Obamacare Plans In Wisconsin
Anthem said its decision does not affect its health plans for employers, its Medicare Advantage plans or Medicaid plans. It also will continue to renew its so-called transitional plans that were sold before March 2010 and December 2013. Those plans, which are not available to new customers, cover about 4,500 people in Wisconsin. (Boulton and Romell, 6/21)
NPR:
Health Insurers Struggle To Plan Coverage For Next Year
The Senate vote on a bill to repeal and replace the Affordable Care Act is, according to conventional wisdom, one week away. And we still don't know what's in the bill. Not having concrete information is deeply uncomfortable for a journalist like me. But for lots of people, like those who work in the insurance industry, not knowing what's in that bill is a bigger deal. (Kodjak, 6/21)
Los Angeles Times:
Tens Of Thousands Died Due To An Opioid Addiction Last Year. With An Obamacare Repeal, Some Fear The Number Will Rise
There weren’t always strollers jamming the lobby of First Step Home, one of this city’s growing number of drug treatment centers. But as the opioid epidemic has swept through Ohio, mothers with babies and small children have flocked to an aging block of brick homes just outside downtown Cincinnati. “It’s been breathtaking,” said Margo Spence, president of First Step Home, which nearly tripled the number of mothers it treats since 2013. (Levey, 6/21)
Reuters:
Missouri Sues Opioid Manufacturers, Joining Two Other U.S. States
Missouri on Wednesday became the third U.S. state to accuse major drug manufacturers of fraudulently misrepresenting the risks of opioid painkillers now at the center of a national addiction epidemic. Missouri Attorney General Josh Hawley said his office filed a lawsuit in a state court in St. Louis against Purdue Pharma LP, Johnson & Johnson and units of Endo International Plc. (Raymond, 6/21)
The Wall Street Journal:
Missouri Files Its Own Suit Against Opioid-Painkiller Producers
The lawsuit, filed in state court by Attorney General Joshua Hawley, targets various parent companies and subsidiaries, including Purdue Pharma LP, Johnson & Johnson and Endo Pharmaceuticals Inc., a unit of Endo International PLC. The lawsuit alleges the companies “created a sprawling campaign of misinformation and deception to convince doctors and consumers that opioids pose little risk of addiction, and that such risks can be easily identified and mitigated.” (Whalen, 6/21)
The New York Times:
Psychologists Open A Window On Brutal C.I.A. Interrogations
Fifteen years after he helped devise the brutal interrogation techniques used on terrorism suspects in secret C.I.A. prisons, John Bruce Jessen, a former military psychologist, expressed ambivalence about the program. He described himself and a fellow military psychologist, James Mitchell, as reluctant participants in using the techniques, some of which are widely viewed as torture, but also justified the practices as effective in getting resistant detainees to cooperate. (Fink and Risen, 6/21)
The Washington Post:
Not Quite Half Of American Teens Have Had Sex By 18. That’s Actually Low.
American teens may be becoming more conservative about sex. According to a new Centers for Disease Control and Prevention report reflecting data from 2011 to 2015, about 42 percent of girls and about 44 percent of boys ages 15-19 reported that they'd had sex. Both numbers continue a gradual decades-long decline: In 1988, 51 percent of girls and 60 percent of boys in the same age group answered affirmatively on the question of sexual activity. (Cha, 6/22)
The Washington Post:
Family Of Teen Who Died Of A ‘Brain-Eating Amoeba’ Suing For $1 Million
Soon after graduating high school in 2016, Lauren Seitz joined her Westerville, Ohio, youth music ministry group to sing at churches and nursing homes in Ohio, West Virginia and North Carolina. The eight-day trip included a white-water rafting experience in North Carolina that would prove deadly. Colin Evans told WBNS-TV he shared a raft with Seitz that day at the U.S. National Whitewater Center, an outdoor recreational park in Charlotte that features a man-made white-water river ride. (Wong, 6/21)
The New York Times:
Creating A Stylish World For Children With Autism
The idea for Wolf & Friends started with a feeling familiar to all mothers: Uh-oh. In 2014, Carissa Tozzi had been told her son, Wolf, who was 4 at the time, might have “sensory issues,” a catchall term that could mean anything from not liking the feeling of clothing tags to being capable of a full-on freakout when the lights are too bright. Mrs. Tozzi, a brand consultant and Pinterest enthusiast, eagerly dived into the world of therapy websites to find products that might help her boy. It didn’t go well. (Newman, 6/21)