Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
White House Effort To Curb Online Health Misinfo Takes A Hit In Court
Bloomberg: Biden Administration Ordered To Limit Social Media Contacts
A federal judge in Louisiana ordered key Biden administration officials and agencies not to contact social media platforms to suppress speakers and viewpoints they disagree with in a major development that could curtail efforts to combat misinformation about health and other issues. (Forden and Gardner, 7/4)
The Hill: Federal Judge Limits Biden Administration Contact With Social Media Platforms
The Republican attorneys general of Louisiana and Missouri are suing the administration over what they describe as a “campaign of censorship,” in which the Biden administration allegedly “coordinated and colluded with social-media platforms to identify disfavored speakers, viewpoints, and content.” They argued that administration officials’ public and private communications with social media companies about removing content related to COVID-19 vaccines and public health measures, election integrity and other topics violated the First Amendment. (Shapero, 7/4)
On Medicare payments and Medicaid enrollment —
Axios: Medicaid Payment Proposal For Health Aides Rankles Home Health Companies
Home health agencies say they could be driven out of business by a Biden administration proposal that would require them to spend the majority of their Medicaid dollars on higher pay for direct care workers. The proposal aims to improve stability in the home- and community-based care workforce, which is shrinking as the demand for services increases. (Goldman, 7/5)
Modern Healthcare: Home Health Providers Set For 2.2% Medicare Pay Cut
The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services has proposed cutting reimbursements to home health providers by 2.2% in fiscal 2024 in a draft regulation published Friday. The proposed rate change is the product of a 3% market basket update, a minus 5.1% adjustment related to the Patient-Driven Groupings Model and other factors. (Turner and Eastabrook, 6/30)
Modern Healthcare: Medicare 2024 Payment Rules Draw Critical Responses
In comments on the proposed rules to update reimbursements for nursing homes, inpatient rehabilitation facilities and inpatient psychiatric hospitals, providers and trade groups urged CMS to recognize macroeconomic trends such as inflation and other challenges facing the healthcare sector. These include workforce shortages and the lingering effects of the COVID-19 pandemic. These comments align with pleas from the hospital industry about the draft regulation to set inpatient reimbursements. (Turner, 7/3)
KFF Health News: Journalists Discuss Floridians Being Dropped From Medicaid And Tips For Telemedicine Visits
KFF Health News and California Healthline staff made the rounds on national and local media this week to discuss their stories. Here’s a collection of their appearances. (7/1)
And in other administration news —
AP: 10 States Plan To Sue The EPA Over Standards For Residential Wood-Burning Stoves
Attorneys general from 10 states plan to sue the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, saying its failure to review and ensure emissions standards for residential wood-burning stoves has allowed the continued sale of appliances that could worsen pollution. That means programs that encourage people to trade in older stoves and other wood-burning appliances, such as forced-air furnaces, haven’t necessarily improved air quality, the states say. (7/2)
AP: Secret Service Found Cocaine At The White House When Biden Was Away, AP Sources Say
The White House was briefly evacuated Sunday evening while President Joe Biden was at Camp David after the Secret Service discovered suspicious powder in a common area of the West Wing, and a preliminary test showed the substance was cocaine, two law enforcement officials said Tuesday. Secret Service agents were doing routine rounds on Sunday when they found the white powder in an area accessible to tour groups, not in any particular West Wing office, the officials said. The officials were not authorized to discuss an ongoing investigation and spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity. (Long and Balsamo, 7/4)
More from Capitol Hill —
The Hill: Republicans Divided Over 15-Week Abortion Ban Ahead Of 2024
Republicans are split on whether their presidential contenders should embrace a federal 15-week ban on abortion as the party tries to find its footing on the issue going into 2024. In a radio ad released Thursday in Iowa, Sen. Tim Scott (R-S.C.) vowed to back a national 15-week ban on the procedure. That ad followed a call last week from former Vice President Mike Pence, who urged the other candidates to embrace a federal 15-week ban. (Vakil and Manchester, 7/4)
Roll Call: Senate Releases Bipartisan Draft Of Emergency Preparedness Bill
The Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee on Monday released a bipartisan draft of a bill to reauthorize a wide-ranging emergency preparedness law, although leaders in both parties are also seeking feedback on two outstanding legislative proposals. Both chambers are contending with a Sept. 30 deadline to reauthorize the law. Negotiations in the House Energy and Commerce Committee are apparently deadlocked over a rift about prescription drug shortages. The Senate draft includes provisions to launch pilot programs for data sharing and state medical stockpiles, improve wastewater detection capabilities and boost research on treatments for viral pathogens, among other things. (Clason, 7/3)
