Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Upcoming Medicare Trustees' Report Could Set Debate On Solvency, Need For Independent Panel
Modern Healthcare: Industry, Policymakers Have Eyes On Upcoming Medicare Trustees' Report
Policymakers are keeping their eyes on the 2016 Social Security and Medicare trustees' report expected to be unveiled Wednesday to see if the White House will stand by its projection that Medicare will be solvent until 2030. The Congressional Budget Office estimates funds for the program will dry up in 2026. Also of interest is whether the trustees will call for the creation of an Independent Payment Advisory Board called for in the Affordable Care Act to reign in Medicare costs if they grew faster than a set rate. But the board, called the death panel by ACA opponents, has not yet been created. There hasn't been the need, and some say, the willingness to expend the political capital. (Dickson, 6/16)
Politico: Why A Medicare Drug Fight Is Roiling Washington
A proposed Medicare experiment encouraging doctors to use cheaper meds is either a necessary fix for America's high drug prices — or the first step to President Donald Trump dismantling Obamacare. It all depends whom you ask. And experts interviewed for POLITICO's "Pulse Check" podcast showed the sides couldn't be further apart. (Diamond, 6/16)
Kaiser Health News: Senate Panel Kills Medicare Program That Offers Help On Enrollment, Billing Issues
A program that has helped seniors understand the many intricacies of Medicare as well as save them millions of dollars would be eliminated by a budget bill overwhelmingly approved last week by the powerful Senate Appropriations Committee. The State Health Insurance Assistance Program, or "SHIP," is among more than a dozen programs left out of the bill by the committee. Cutting these “unnecessary federal programs" helped provide needed funding for other efforts, Sen. Roy Blunt, R-Mo., chairman of the appropriations committee's health and labor subcommittee, said in a statement last week. (Jaffe, 6/17)
