Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
HHS Health Reform Office Winds Down
Politico: HHS Winds Down Health Reform Office, Sources Say
HHS has quietly pared back its Office of Health Reform, a small office originally created to implement Obamacare that faced an uncertain future under a Republican administration hostile to the health law. Sources inside and outside of HHS say office staffers have left or taken on new roles in the administration in recent weeks. (Pradhan and Demko, 11/29)
KCUR: Trump Administration Rule Scales Back Program Keeping Rural Hospitals Afloat
The drug discount program has become a financial lifeline for rural hospitals like Pemiscot County [in Missouri], nearly a third of which are struggling to keep their doors open. Now, a pending rule change may scale it back dramatically. It’s yet another hurdle for rural communities fighting to keep their healthcare local. In 2016, the first full year the Pemiscot County hospital participated, the 340B program netted the hospital $1.6 million. That revenue played a big role in turning the hospital around after it lost over $3 million in 2013 and nearly shuttered. (Sable-Smith, 11/29)
Meanwhile, Roll Call takes a big-picture look at how the Trump administration has flexed its executive muscle regarding health policy and other agenda items -
Roll Call: Trump Executive Actions A ‘Disruptive’ Lot
From touting national security via the three versions of his travel ban, to greenlighting two pipelines his predecessor blocked, to ending an immigration program that affects millions, to targeting federal regulations to altering the 2010 health care law and beyond, the 45th president and his team have been unapologetic about his use of executive powers. ... Hill lawmakers from both parties have expressed concerns not about the number of actions Trump has signed but about the substance. ... In a sign that many congressional Republicans are standing beside the president, scores among their ranks — especially in the House — have fully embraced Trump’s orders, actions and memoranda. (Bennett, 11/30)
