Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Viewpoints: Bush's Health Law Profits; Calif. Leads On Vaccination; Burgess' Medicare Crusade
The New York Times' The Upshot: How Jeb Bush Made A Profit On Obamacare
Jeb Bush the candidate is not a fan of Obamacare. But Jeb Bush the investor made a big bet on the Affordable Care Act, and it paid off. According to tax returns released by Mr. Bush’s campaign on Tuesday, he sold $1,103,424 worth of stock in Tenet Healthcare in September and October of 2013, yielding a capital gain of $556,283. It hadn’t taken Mr. Bush long to double his money — he was selling shares he had acquired in 2010 and 2011. (Josh Barro, 6/30)
Los Angeles Times: A Court Of One: Anthony Kennedy
Forget the debate over whether the Supreme Court has taken a liberal turn. It is not a liberal court or a conservative court. It's a Kennedy court. On major constitutional and statutory questions, Justice Anthony M. Kennedy's views matter more than anything else. Liberals do have more to celebrate this term than in the recent past, from the same-sex marriage and Obamacare decisions, to a major housing discrimination case, to a surprising win for minority plaintiffs in a voting rights lawsuit. In all of those cases, Kennedy was in the majority, and all but one — Obamacare — were decided 5-4. (Richard L. Hasen, 6/30)
The Denver Post: Obama's Lonely Road To The Finish Line
Americans were perilously close to losing their right to health care when the Supreme Court offered a reprieve. Few were more grateful than the conservative politicians who had been railing against the Affordable Care Act while praying they would not have to face the political consequences of its collapse. (Froma Harrop, 6/30)
Los Angeles Times: California Settles The Vaccination Question
Congratulations, California. With Gov. Jerry Brown's swift signature Tuesday on a tough new mandatory vaccination bill, the state has established itself as a national leader on public health. Of course, it will take some years for reality to catch up with the bill's mandates. First there will be the inevitable lawsuits. And even if those don't delay implementation, it will still take a few years before all California students are immunized, because those currently in seventh grade and higher are not required under the law to be vaccinated. (6/30)
The Washington Post: Behind The Momentum For Paid Sick Leave
Last week, the Supreme Court upheld a core provision of the Affordable Care Act, quashing the Republican Party’s latest attempt to gut the law through the judicial system. At issue in the case, King v. Burwell, was the government’s ability to provide subsidies to help millions of working Americans purchase health insurance through the federal exchange. Yet, as too many middle-class families know, health insurance is only one of the costs associated with getting sick. For more than 40 million workers who currently lack paid sick leave, another pressing concern is how to afford taking time off. (Katrina vanden Heuvel , 6/30)
Dallas Morning News: My 10-Year Fight To Stabilize Medicare Payments
The SGR was instituted to prevent Medicare fee hikes from exceeding growth of the economy. The effect was to cut Medicare payments to doctors. ... Let me, for a moment, ignore the unpleasant thought that this problem was one Congress itself created — some 17 years ago — and allow me some self-indulgence for having solved a federally imposed conundrum. ... Most congressional offices didn’t even realize SGR was a culprit at that time and, despite the systemic flaw, they weren’t willing to attach their name to a costly repeal vote. To my frustration, Congress opted for one-year funding “patches” to extend the problem rather than confront it. (Rep. Michael Burgess, R-Texas, 6/30)
The New York Times: The Real Problem With Medical Internships
Approximately 26,000 newly minted doctors across the United States will begin their internships today. For many, this legendarily grueling year will be the most trying time of their professional lives. Most will spend it in a state of perpetual exhaustion, as near ascetics with regard to family, friends and other pleasures. I was an intern nearly 20 years ago, but I still remember it the way soldiers remember war. (Sandeep Jauhar, 7/1)
