Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
'Pass It': Biden Wants Movement On Kids Online Safety, Privacy Bills
Politico: Biden Urges Senate To Pass Kids Online Privacy, Safety Bills
President Joe Biden called on the Senate to pass kids online safety and privacy bills that are getting a committee vote this week — which continues to put the pressure on Congress to advance stronger online protections for children. “We’re taking steps to address the harm that social media is doing to our kids,” Biden said during Tuesday remarks on expanding access to mental health care. “We’ve got to hold these platforms accountable for the national experiment they’re conducting on our children for profit.” (Kern, 7/25)
Politico: Top House Democrat Wants More From CMS On Medicare Advantage
House Democrats said the Biden administration must do more to rein in overpayments and increase transparency of Medicare Advantage plans. Lawmakers spoke during a press conference Tuesday highlighting issues with care denials and quality in the popular Medicare Advantage program. Democratic lawmaker anger over the program has been simmering in recent months after reports of insurers using algorithms to deny Medicare claims that should have been approved. (King, 7/25)
Stat: Q&A With CDC Director Mandy Cohen: On Communication, Trust, And Getting Things Done
The new director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Mandy Cohen, is only two weeks into her new job. But already she hears the clock ticking. If all goes well, Cohen — the successor to Rochelle Walensky, who stepped down at the end of June — will have about 18 months at the helm of the world’s premier public health agency before the next U.S. president is sworn in. If the 2024 election goes one way, her term could be extended — pending Senate confirmation. If it goes the other way, there’s a very good chance someone else will take her place. (Branswell, 7/26)
On the cost of medical care —
Axios: Hospitals Are In The Hotseat For Their Billing Practices
Mounting frustration with hospitals' billing practices are stirring reform efforts in Congress, state legislatures and within the Biden administration. But not everyone agrees on where to start. Some measures under discussion could cost hospitals hundreds of billions of dollars, by paring payments that critics say are excessive and costing taxpayers and patients. (Owens and Goldman, 7/26)
Stat: What’s In Congress' PBM Reform Bills, And What’s Not
Lawmakers in Congress generally agree that there’s something very broken with the way America pays for prescription drugs. They’re focused this summer on reining in pharmacy middlemen to make the system fairer — but none of their many proposals will actually tackle the core dynamic that has incentivized higher drug prices. (Cohrs, 7/26)
In other news —
Axios: Health Care "Poison Pills" Complicate Congressional Spending Process
House GOP appropriators are loading up their spending bills with anti-abortion and anti-gender affirming care measures that threaten Speaker Kevin McCarthy's goal of passing 12 separate appropriations bills. Unless the full Republican conference and the Democratic Senate are in agreement on the riders, it's time to start planning for a government shutdown at the end of September. (Knight, 7/26)
Reuters: Lawyer Can't Shield Identity In FDA Inspection Report, US Says
An attorney should not be allowed to shield information that would identify them in a U.S. food and drug inspection report that questioned a company's regulatory compliance, the U.S. Justice Department on Monday told a federal judge. The Justice Department asked U.S. Judge Amy Berman Jackson in Washington, D.C., to dismiss what it called "threadbare allegations" that would stop the U.S. Food and Drug Administration from revealing the attorney's identity in a public report. (Scarcella, 7/25)
Modern Healthcare: Cigna Lawsuit Over Algorithm Allegations Could Be First Of Many
"PXDX is a simple tool to accelerate physician payments that has been grossly mischaracterized in the press," a Cigna spokesperson wrote in response to a request for comment. "The facts speak for themselves and we will continue to set the record straight." As alleged in court documents, Kisting-Leung’s doctors recommended she receive ultrasound screenings for ovarian cancer twice last year, and Cigna denied both claims by arguing they lacked medical necessity, leaving Kisting-Leung to pay nearly $750 out-of-pocket. Kisting-Leung appealed the denials but has yet to hear back from Cigna about the status of the bills, the complaint alleges. (Tepper, 7/25)
On Purdue Pharma's bankruptcy case —
Reuters: Purdue Pharma Bankruptcy Can Proceed Despite Potential US Supreme Court Appeal
OxyContin maker Purdue Pharma may proceed with a bankruptcy settlement that protects its Sackler family owners from lawsuits, despite a potential U.S. Supreme Court appeal in the case, a U.S. court ruled on Tuesday. The 2nd U.S. Circuit court of appeals approved Purdue's bankruptcy plan in May, ruling that the company can shield its owners from opioid lawsuits in exchange for a $6 billion contribution to the company's broader bankruptcy settlement. (Knauth, 7/25)
AP: Court Says OxyContin Maker's Bankruptcy And Protections For Sackler Family Members Can Move Ahead
OxyContin maker Purdue Pharma can start executing a settlement that protects members of the Sackler family who own the company from civil lawsuits over the toll of opioids, a court ruled Tuesday. The ruling from the 2nd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in New York allows the company’s transformation to start — though it’s still subject to approval from another court. (Mulvihill, 7/25)
Also —
KFF Health News: Listen To The Latest ‘KFF Health News Minute’
“KFF Health News Minute” brings original health care and health policy reporting from the KFF Health News newsroom to the airwaves each week. (7/25)
