Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Trump Administration Family Planning Rule Heads Back To Court
The Hill: Trump Family Planning Rule Faces Crucial Court Test
Planned Parenthood, state governments and other health groups will be back in court Monday challenging the Trump administration’s changes to a federal family planning program. They’re asking the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals to block a rule issued by the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), which bans federally funded family planning providers from referring women for abortions. (Hellmann, 9/22)
CQ: As Abortion 'Gag Rule' Lands In Court, States Seek Funding Fix
As the federal government defends a rule in appeals court Monday prohibiting health care providers who take federal money for family planning services from referring patients to abortion providers, some states that haven’t complied are making plans for continuing without the program. An 11-judge panel of the Ninth Circuit will hear arguments in San Francisco on Monday about whether the rule should be in effect during court challenges brought by 22 states and family planning providers like Planned Parenthood. (Fischler, 9/23)
And in news on other administration health policies --
PoliticoPro: Court Case Could Complicate HHS Push To Expand Patient Access To Health Records
A legal case involving a major records-retrieval company could complicate HHS’s plans to tighten requirements for hospitals to release patients’ health records quickly and cheaply. Ciox Health, which claims to work with 60 percent of the country's hospitals, has sued HHS in federal court, arguing that department requirements for low-cost delivery of medical records will tank its business model. If that happens, HIPAA experts warn, it could unsettle hospitals' use of records-retrieval companies as intermediaries for patients' and third parties' requests of medical data. (Tahir, 9/23)
The Associated Press: AP FACT CHECK: Trump's Twisted Reality On Guns, Environment
President Donald Trump is twisting reality on gun control and the environment. Pressed over the weekend for his position on gun legislation, the president declined to answer whether he would support expanded background checks in the wake of deadly mass shootings and blamed Democrats in Congress for “doing nothing” on the issue. That’s not true. The Democratic-controlled House in February approved legislation, which has since stalled because the Senate hasn’t acted. Republican Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell said he won’t move on it or any gun legislation until Trump says what he wants. And on the environment, Trump and his team are dismissing the reality of stalled U.S. progress in air quality. In revoking California’s authority to set stricter fuel economy standards on cars than Washington, they claimed that more lenient rules would be “good” for the environment. His administration’s data show otherwise. (Yen, Borenstein and Woodward, 9/23)
