Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
More Businesses Adopting Tax Credit To Help Workers Pay For ACA
Politico: The Trump Health Care Policy Red And Blue States Are Embracing
More states are encouraging businesses to help employees sign up for Obamacare. They’re using a policy backed by President Donald Trump — the same Donald Trump who spent much of the fall deriding Obamacare as the “Unaffordable Care Act” — to do it. (Hooper, 3/15)
Related news about the high cost of health care —
KFF Health News: Is It Worth Your Time And Money To Set Up An HSA?
When Mike McKee thinks about saving money for the future, he has a few priorities. Maxing out his retirement is one. Building up his kid’s college fund is another. Opening up a health savings account? Not so much, even though he qualifies because of his high-deductible health plan. “I’m so frustrated with the system that has anything to do with medical savings,” said McKee, 42, a self-employed musician in Nashville, Tennessee. “I’m just so turned off emotionally that I have to be really careful to be logical about it.” (Farmer, Anthony and Siner, 3/16)
KFF Health News: In Switching To Original Medicare, Beware Of Medigap Plan Refusals
It’s open enrollment season for Medicare Advantage, when people currently enrolled in private managed-care plans can either sign up for a new one or switch to original Medicare through March 31. But there’s a catch: If people want to move to original Medicare and buy a supplemental Medigap insurance plan to cover some out-of-pocket costs, they may not be able to. Medigap insurers can generally refuse coverage to applicants whose medical history or current health problems might make them expensive to cover, a process called medical underwriting. (Andrews, 3/16)
CBS News: Dr. Oz Pledges To Tackle Hospice Fraud: "Do Not Steal From The American People"
Dr. Mehmet Oz pledged [last] week to lead an effort that would decertify any hospice providers that are found to be defrauding taxpayers by stealing the identities of people not in hospice or by overbilling for those who are dying. "If they steal the money, they'll steal your health, they'll steal your life, and we're seeing that over and over again, which is why we have to send a very loud message to fraudsters that we're not open for business for you," said Oz, who is the Trump administration's administrator for the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services. (Geller, Yamaguchi and Gold, 3/13)
On transgender care and the immigration crisis —
The New York Times: In Tense Meeting, Dr. Oz Pressed Medical Societies On Trans Care For Teens
Most groups defended their support for medical intervention. But the Society for Plastic Surgeons broke with the consensus. (Peters, 3/16)
St. Louis Post-Dispatch: She's 4 Months Pregnant And Has No Criminal Record. ICE Still Detained Her.
Yurgen Cayax walked into the Robert A. Young Federal Building in downtown St. Louis last week knowing she likely would not leave of her own free will. (Messenger, 3/15)
The Texas Tribune: Afghan Man Dies In ICE Custody In Dallas
An Afghan man who had helped the American military in Afghanistan and was currently living in Texas died on Saturday, a day after being taken into custody by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement. ICE said in a Sunday news release that Mohammad Nazeer Paktiawal’s death is under active investigation. His case brings the number of in-custody ICE deaths in Texas to at least seven since December. (Serrano and Nguyen, 3/15)
