Vulnerable Senators, Trying To Walk Fine Line On Abortion, Draw Fire From Both Sides
With the issue expected to be a lightning rod in the 2018 elections, lawmakers are trying to find the right balance. It isn't easy.
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With the issue expected to be a lightning rod in the 2018 elections, lawmakers are trying to find the right balance. It isn't easy.
The House speaker says in a radio interview that he is seeking "comprehensive Medicare legislation because that is the biggest one of all the unfunded liabilities.” Also, a new Commonwealth Fund study looks at the out-of-pocket health costs facing Medicare beneficiaries, and federal officials make an adjustment on new payment rules for doctors.
Blue Cross Blue Shield of Kansas filed its preliminary decision, but it may change depending on what happens with the American Health Care Act in Congress. Meanwhile, Tennessee's insurance chief is frustrated by the lack of answers on insurer subsidies.
They say they won't be able to absorb any cuts to the estimated $4 billion schools receive in annual Medicaid reimbursements, and that something will have to give. Meanwhile, families who rely on other Medicaid programs and the Children's Health Insurance Program are also worried about their future under the Republican health care plan.
After a brutal few months of negotiations, Republican lawmakers managed to eke out a victory in the House. But now they have to convey to their voters, who are terrified of losing health care, why that was a good thing.
There are signs that moderates are reaching across the aisle to talk about health care. Meanwhile, a controversial provision in the Republican legislation was predicted to die in the upper chamber, but now experts aren't so sure. And The Washington Post fact checks claims about rising premiums — under both Obamacare and the Republican bill.
Today's early morning highlights from the major news organizations.
A selection of public health opinions from around the country.
Opinion writers explore a variety of health policy issues in play as lawmakers continue to debate changes to the health care system.
Each week, KHN compiles a selection of recently released health policy studies and briefs.
Media outlets report on news from Ohio, Wisconsin, California, Colorado, Louisiana, Florida, Illinois, Massachusetts, Texas, Missouri and Georgia.
The U.S. has the worst rate of maternal deaths in the developed world, and ProPublica and NPR report that 60 percent are preventable. In other public health news: the "gravity blanket" health claim retracted; bird flu surges; Brazil declares end to Zika emergency; self-checking for skin cancer; and more.
Researchers find that humans' sense of smell is no less than any other mammal.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says access to clean syringes and a limit on Medicaid barriers to curative treatments for hepatitis C can reduce rates of death from the disease and transmission of the virus to others.
Using buprenorphine or methadone to treat opioid addiction is considered the standard of care. Meanwhile, Health and Human Services Secretary Tom Price is touring states to talk about the epidemic that's raging through the country, and senators warn President Donald Trump that cutting funding to the drug office will hamper efforts to curb that crisis.
Opponents argue that the procedure has a low complication rate.
In other veterans' health news, lawmakers move forward with stalled Veterans Affairs legislation while the significant costs of private health care for vets concerns Senate appropriators.
The merger had been blocked after federal officials raised objections, but Anthem had sought court approval to keep Cigna from walking away from the proposal.
The early indications from insurers suggest that premiums for plans sold on the health law's marketplaces will rise on average again next year. Meanwhile, in an interview with the Economist, President Donald Trump talks about the cost-sharing subsidies that the federal government pays insurers to help cover expenses of low-income customers, saying "we don’t have to subsidize" Obamacare. "You know if I ever stop wanting to pay the subsidies, which I will," Trump said. "Anytime I want."
Reps. Tom MacArthur (R-N.J.), Fred Upton (R-Mich.) and Mark Meadows (R-N.C.) have emerged as national figures during the weeks of negotiations to push a Obamacare replacement bill through the House.
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