Fox News: Many Eligible For Obamacare Subsidies Not Claiming Them, Study Finds
Most of those eligible for health insurance subsidies under the Affordable Care Act are failing to claim them, according to a new study. Researchers with the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and the Urban Institute estimated that more than 24 million people were eligible for ObamaCare tax credits last year. By March, only 41 percent of them had selected a plan on a government insurance exchange. (Edson, 11/11)

The Fiscal Times: Millions Face Premium And Deductible Sticker Shock Under Obamacare
Millions of Americans who recently began shopping for new health insurance coverage under Obamacare may be suffering from sticker shock. Increases in 2016 premiums for health insurance coverage -- ranging from basic to top-flight policies -- will be in the double digits and easily eclipse premium hikes recorded between 2014 and 2015, according to a new analysis from consulting firm McKinsey & Co. (Pianin, 11/11)

Meanwhile, a report issued Wednesday by Avalere examines issues of coverage and drug costs -

Marketplace: Researchers: Insurers Are Steering Some Patients Away
Under the Affordable Care Act, insurers can no longer deny people coverage based on their health status. But nobody said anything about charging sick people more for their drugs. A new report out Wednesday from Avalere found if you buy insurance on the exchanges created under Obamacare and need access to HIV medications, you may have to pay a pretty penny. (Gorenstein, 11/11)

Also in the news, an "unlikely" Obamacare replacement plan -

Politico: One State’s Unlikely Obamacare Replacement Plan: Single-Payer
One of the most detailed plans to replace Obamacare this year comes not from a Republican critic, but from a group in swing-state Colorado that is proposing to scrap it for a single-payer model long sought by liberals. Supporters, who won approval this week for a 2016 ballot measure after securing nearly 110,000 signatures deemed valid, will sell the overhaul as an Obamacare replacement plan designed in Colorado, instead of in Washington. (Pradhan, 11/12)

MTN (Montana) News: State, Blue Cross Race To Get Medicaid Expansion Ready By Jan. 1 Launch Date
As thousands of low-income Montanans already sign up for expanded Medicaid health coverage, the state and its contractor – Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Montana – are racing to have the system in place by its planned coverage date of Jan. 1. The state will determine who’s eligible and Blue Cross, which is managing the expansion program, must build an automated system to collect premiums, track co-payments, and process claims. John Doran, director of public relations for Blue Cross, said Wednesday the private health insurer has been working “day and night” to get ready. It plans to send enrollment cards and “welcome packets” to eligible clients by mid-December, he said. (Dennison, 11/11)

Wichita (Kan.) Eagle: Three State Reps Who Favor Medicaid Expansion Removed From Health Committee
Three moderate Republicans who support Medicaid expansion have been removed from a House committee that oversees health care issues. The move is the latest in the fight over whether the state should extend the health care program for those with disabilities or low incomes under the Affordable Care Act. “Kansans oppose expanding Obamacare, a program that has busted budget after budget in states that have expanded it, House Speaker Ray Merrick said in a statement. Merrick, who makes House committee assignments, also moved moderates off key committees dealing with the budget and education Wednesday. (Lowry, 11/11)

The Medicaid expansion question is also playing a role in Louisiana's gubernatorial election -

New Orleans Times-Picayune: Here's 4 Takeaways From The First Governor's Runoff Debate
Republican David Vitter and Democrat John Bel Edwards faced off in a slow burn of a debate on Tuesday (Nov. 10) that started with a sober discussion of policy issues and ended with a fierce clash over character questions. Here's a look at the four big themes and takeaways .... Vitter sees an opening when it comes to Medicaid expansion: Edwards has been unapologetic about his support for expanding Medicaid, a key element of the Affordable Care Act that would expand coverage to hundreds of thousands of working poor in Louisiana. But Vitter, mindful of Kentucky residents voting a Republican candidate into office last week who had an anti-Medicaid expansion platform, is now seeking to tie Edwards to the unpopular president through his support for Medicaid. (Litten, 11/10)

The Wall Street Journal: Republicans Look For Votes To Defund Planned Parenthood, Repeal Parts Of Health Law
It is a bill that Senate Republicans can pass without a single Democratic vote. And yet Republicans are having difficulty unifying around legislation to carry out two top GOP priorities: defunding Planned Parenthood and repealing part of the 2010 Affordable Care Act. (Peterson, 11/12)

Politico: Obamacare Repeal Faces New Obstacles
Moderate Senate Republicans are voicing new opposition to a conservative-backed plan to defund Planned Parenthood — a move that could imperil the GOP’s long-cherished goal of sending an Obamacare repeal to the president’s desk. Several GOP moderates were hoping the Senate parliamentarian would help them avoid a tough election-year vote on the Planned Parenthood provisions by forcing Republican leaders to remove the defunding language from a broader House-passed bill that also dismantles Obamacare. (Haberkorn and Kim, 11/12)

The Hill: Republican Divided Over How Far To Go With ObamaCare Repeal
Senate Republicans are divided over how far to go with an ObamaCare repeal bill that they plan to send to the president’s desk by year’s end. Senate GOP leaders have told their members they will repeal as much of the 2010 healthcare reform law as possible, but some Republicans are balking at a proposal to repeal the expansion of Medicaid. (Bolton, 11/12)

The Associated Press: Express Scripts Sues Horizon As Fight Over Prescriptions Grows
Drugmaker Horizon Pharma is questioning its relationship with an Express Scripts business after the pharmacy benefits giant sued Horizon for about $140 million and dumped a pharmacy that dispenses its drugs. Shares of Horizon Pharma plunged Wednesday after it said it would reevaluate its relationship with the Express Scripts Accredo specialty pharmacy, which accounts for a bigger slice of Horizon's revenue than any other pharmacy. (11/11)

The Wall Street Journal: Horizon Pharma Responds To Express Scripts As Stock Tumbles
Horizon Pharma PLC on Wednesday fired back a response at Express Scripts Holding Co.’s business practices after the largest U.S. pharmacy-benefit manager said it was cutting off a pharmacy that sold medications made by the biopharmaceutical company. “Our philosophy of ensuring that patients get the medicine their doctors prescribe is threatening Express Scripts’ profiteering and exposing what we believe is a lack of care for patients and respect for physicians,” said Chief Executive Timothy P. Walbert. (Steele, 11/11)

Meanwhile, Turing Pharmaceuticals exec Martin Shkreli -- one of the key players in the ongoing debate about drug-pricing practices -- continues to draw headlines -

STAT: The Martin Skhreli Show: The Widely Scorned Pharma Exec Who Just Can't Stop Talking
Martin Shkreli wants you to see him in a funny hat.And playing a video game at the office. And hanging out at home, wearing what look like pajamas. (Robbins, 11/12)

USA Today: Companies Continue Chipping Away At Health Insurance Benefits
Companies’ health care costs in 2015 rose at the lowest rate in at least 20 years, a report out Thursday shows, but workers' share of costs continue to skyrocket. The average health care rate increase for mid-sized and large companies was 3.2% this year, the lowest since the consulting firm Aon started tracking it in 1996. Despite this, the average amount workers have to contribute toward their health care is up more than 134% over the past decade and that trend will accelerate. (O'Donnell, 11/11)

In other benefits news, insurance keeps seniors working and coal operator Alpha wants to eliminate health subsidies for non-union retirees -

Health News Florida: Seniors Staying On The Job For Health Insurance
Not every American 65 and older is worrying about Medicare's open enrollment period, now underway. Some who are eligible for the government insurance plan are staying on the job, and gaining access to employer-based plans they say are a better option. People like Largo resident Ken Milanese. who is up by 5 a.m. and out the door by 5:30. It's a familiar scene to anyone who works. But Milanese is 71. (Miller, 11/12)

The Associated Press: Alpha Seeks Elimination Of Non-Union Retiree Benefits
Coal operator Alpha Natural Resources is seeking to eliminate health and other non-pension benefits for more than 4,500 non-union retirees and their eligible spouses and dependents. The benefits are a financial burden that cost the company about $2.7 million in 2014 and represent a liability of about $125 million on its balance sheet, Bristol, Virginia-based Alpha said in a recent filing in U.S. Bankruptcy Court in Richmond, Virginia. (Ramsey, 11/11)

The Hill: Doctors Group Urges DOJ To Block Insurer Mergers
The country's leading doctors group is urging the Department of Justice (DOJ) to block two proposed mergers between health insurance companies, arguing they would harm patients and reduce competition. The American Medical Association (AMA) made the argument in a letter to the DOJ on Wednesday raising objections to Aetna’s acquisition of Humana and Anthem’s acquisition of Cigna. (Sullivan, 11/11)

Washington Examiner: Doctors Group Asks Gov't To Block Insurance Mergers
The proposed mergers have raised concerns that they could reduce competition among insurance plans, driving prices up for consumers and hurting the ability of medical providers to get compensated for the care they provide. Leading Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton has criticized the mergers, while congressional Republicans have blamed the Affordable Care Act for prompting them. (Winfield Cunningham, 11/11)

The Wall Street Journal: Populism On The Rise In GOP Race For President
The latest presidential debate vividly captured how the 2008 financial crisis has reshaped the Republican Party by unleashing a potent populist strain that could further scramble an already unpredictable primary contest. ... Carly Fiorina, the former chief executive of Hewlett-Packard, criticized President Barack Obama’s health-care overhaul for prolonging a “cozy little game between regulators and health-insurance companies.” She called on the government to require every health-care provider to publish “its costs, its prices, its outcomes, because as patients we don’t know what we’re buying.” (Timiraos, 11/11)

The Associated Press: AP Exclusive: Carson Profits From Ties With Convicted Felon
Republican presidential contender Ben Carson has maintained a business relationship with a close friend convicted of defrauding insurance companies and testified on his behalf, even as the candidate has called for such crimes to be punished harshly. Pittsburgh dentist Alfonso A. Costa pleaded guilty to a felony count of health care fraud after an FBI probe into his oral surgery practice found he had charged for procedures he never performed, according to court records. (Biesecker and Sullivan, 11/12)

CNN: Obama Touts Progress For Vets But Says More Needs To Be Done
In commemorating Veterans Day on Wednesday, President Barack Obama said his administration was improving care for veterans but said more needs to be done. (Goldin, 11/11)

The Huffington Post: Why Veterans Groups Are Worried About Privatization Of The VA
Top Republicans’ growing support for privatization of the Department of Veterans Affairs health care system is frightening some veterans groups. These veterans advocates acknowledge the urgency of reform at the notoriously backlogged and scandal-ridden VA. But they do not believe private insurance or medical care is capable of accommodating veterans’ specific needs, and maintain that a voucher program for purchasing care outside the VA system will inevitably fall short of veterans' expenses. (Marans, 11/11)

Fox News: VA Chief Says System Improving But Critics Cite Continued Problems
Eighteen months after a scandal first surfaced at the Phoenix VA involving falsified wait times and patient deaths, the Veteran's Administration has not fired a single employee there for wait time manipulation. Department-wide, only three have been fired. (McKelway, 11/11)

In related news, Veterans Affairs employees received $142 million in bonuses in 2014, the year that the wait-time scandal flared -

USA Today: Veterans Affairs Pays $142 Million In Bonuses Amid Scandals
The Department of Veterans Affairs doled out more than $142 million in bonuses to executives and employees for performance in 2014 even as scandals over veterans' health care and other issues racked the agency. Among the recipients were claims processors in a Philadelphia benefits office that investigators dubbed the worst in the country last year. They received $300 to $900 each. Managers in Tomah, Wis., got $1,000 to $4,000, even though they oversaw the over-prescription of opiates to veterans – one of whom died. The VA also rewarded executives who managed construction of a facility in Denver, a disastrous project years overdue and more than $1 billion over budget. (Slack and Theobald, 11/11)

The Hill: VA Officials Got $142M In Bonuses Amid Scandal
Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) officials collected more than $142 million in bonuses in 2014, the same year the agency was under fire for protracted delays in giving veterans treatment and fake patient wait lists. Despite a pay freeze for top-level officials, the agency continued to pay performance-based bonuses to nearly half of its employees nationwide, according to data published by USA Today on Wednesday. (Richardson, 11/11)

Fox News: VA Reportedly Paid $142M In Bonuses Last Year
The Department of Veterans Affairs reportedly paid out more than $142 million in performance bonuses in 2014 despite a string of scandals inside the agency. USA Today reported that the bonuses ranged as high as $12,705, and most were over $500. (11/11)

And news outlets report on mental health and PTSD services for vets as well as the first VA clinic to treat transgender patients -

The Associated Press: After Years, VA Now Considering PTSD As Factor In Discharges
As the nation celebrates Veterans Day on Wednesday, however, there is new hope for veterans whose psychological wounds from combat may explain the misconduct that earned them that bad paper. Thanks to a federal lawsuit brought last year on behalf of five Connecticut veterans with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), former Secretary of Defense Chuck Hagel in September 2014, ordered all discharge review boards to give "liberal consideration" to applicants with claims of combat-related PTSD. (O'Reilly, 11/11)

WKYC-TV: Cleveland VA Opens First VA Transgender Clinic
The Cleveland VA Medical Center will open the first VA clinic specifically dedicated to the healthcare needs of transgender veterans. It will provide transgender veterans with primary care, hormonal therapy, mental health care and social work services. All of the providers in the clinic have a special interest in transgender care and will create an environment that celebrates and welcomes these veterans. (11/10)

The Washington Post: Veterans Drop Hundreds Of Empty Pill Bottles In Front Of The White House
The veterans and protesters — affiliated with various veteran and marijuana advocacy organizations — argued that Veterans Affairs hospitals are over-medicating veterans, prescribing them a large number of psychoactive medications to treat PTSD. They marched from McPherson Square to the Department of Veterans Affairs headquarters, then to the White House, some smoking joints along the way, which is illegal in D.C. (Stein, 11/11)

The Texas Tribune: Abbott Calls For Improved Veteran Health Services
Calling on the federal government to improve health care services for veterans, Gov. Greg Abbott on Wednesday said that decreasing the wait times for veterans seeking medical attention should be a national priority. (Rudner, 11/11)

The Washington Post: Gene Therapies Offer Dramatic Promise But Shocking Costs
As it evolves from experimental to applied medicine, gene therapy might soon find itself steeped in a new controversy: soaring drug prices. No therapy is approved yet in the United States, so discussions about price — as well as crucial questions about how much patients will pay directly — are hypothetical. But industry leaders are already talking about ways to get ahead of potentially massive one-time price tags that could make insurers and patients balk. (Johnson and Dennis, 11/11)

The California Health Report: How 100,000 Californians Are Changing Health Care
More than 100,000 older Californians are on the leading edge of precision medicine, a trend that could transform modern health care. The Californians, all age 60 or older and patients of Kaiser Permanente in Northern California, agreed to answer survey questions and allow their medical history and DNA to be used to form a database that has been used for several studies published in the journal Genetics. (Kritz, 11/11)

Des Moines Register: Thursday’s Medicaid ‘Listening Session’ Postponed
Massive disruptions Tuesday to a public conference call about Iowa’s plan to privatize its Medicaid program has caused the federal government to postpone another one that was scheduled for Thursday. The two-hour calls are designed to give Iowans a chance to voice concerns about the program's planned privatization to the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, better known as CMS. ... The state's Medicaid privatization effort has been the subject of multiple challenges, including allegations that the Branstad administration engaged in unethical and possibly illegal competitive bid practices. The Iowa Hospital Association has also filed a lawsuit, challenging the change as illegal. The CMS on Tuesday launched the first of four “listening sessions” where more than 500 people jammed the lines and, at times, spoke over each other in an attempt to ask questions. (Clayworth, 11/11)

The Des Moines Register: Medicaid Angst Not Rare, Managed-Care Companies Say
Private companies set to take over management of Iowa’s Medicaid program on Jan. 1 acknowledge concerns about the speed of the shift, but say they are confident they’ll be ready. UnitedHealthcare is one of four national companies that have signed contracts to manage the $4.2 billion program, which covers health-care for 560,000 poor or disabled Iowans. Three of those companies joined Iowa Medicaid leaders Tuesday in a meeting with Des Moines Register writers and editors. (Leys, 11/11)

The Des Moines Register: Slow Medicaid Shift To Managed Care, Iowans Tell Feds
Dozens of angry Iowans gave federal administrators an earful Tuesday about the state’s plan to hire four private companies to manage its Medicaid program. “We as the common people are begging you — please slow this down on behalf of our loved ones,” a Coralville woman with three disabled children said during a call with federal officials who will decide whether to approve the shift. (Leys, 11/11)

The Des Moines Register: Hospitals Sue To Block Medicaid Managed Care
Iowa hospital leaders want a judge to slam the brakes on the state’s shift to private management of its Medicaid program. The hospitals say in a new lawsuit that the controversial move would illegally take money from a trust fund to which they contribute. They also say it would deprive them of rewards the state promised them for participating in recent programs to make Medicaid patient care more effective and efficient. (Leys, 11/10)

Meanwhile, Medicaid insurers from other states are looking at a key issue about health and costs.

Marketplace: Controlling Costs By Focusing On Expensive Patients
Medicaid health insurers are meeting in Washington this week, and one issue at the top of the industry’s agenda is taking a look at social factors that many Medicaid directors believe drive up E.R. and hospitalization rates for a small number of patients. There’s a growing sense among states, which employ the insurers, that providing better care to some 5 percent of patients overall — a group that accounts for half of medical spending — is essential to lowering program costs long-term. (Gorenstein, 11/11)

Modern Healthcare: UPMC Wins Legal Victory In Dispute Over Highmark Oncology Patients
UPMC has won a key legal victory that could ultimately award the health system more than $188 million in back payments from insurance giant Highmark. The Pittsburgh-based system disclosed Tuesday that a three-person arbitration panel awarded it about $23.9 million, at an interest rate of 6%, after determining that Highmark had reimbursed UPMC Presbyterian Shadyside Hospital below contracted rates for certain oncology services. Although the ruling applies only to Shadyside, UMPC said the decision will ultimately extend to all of its hospitals. It is estimating the total amount owed, but said it believes it will be above $188 million. (Kutscher, 11/10)

Modern Healthcare: N.J. Hospital Sues Horizon Blues For Exclusion From Discount Plan
St. Peter's University Hospital in New Brunswick, N.J., has filed a lawsuit against the state's largest insurer, Horizon Blue Cross and Blue Shield of New Jersey, claiming the hospital was wrongfully excluded from a discount insurance plan called Omnia Health Alliance. St. Peter's, a 478-bed teaching hospital, filed the complaint Nov. 6 in Middlesex County Superior Court. The hospital requested that Horizon be prevented from issuing Omnia policies and that Horizon disclose the criteria it used to determine which hospitals were part of the plan, according to the court documents. (Castellucci, 11/10)

Modern Healthcare: Not-For-Profit Hospital Will Pay Up In Tax Dispute As Exemptions Draw Widespread Heat
In a closely watched case, a New Jersey hospital has agreed to pay $26 million to the town where it's located to end a dispute over the hospital's property tax exemption.The settlement between Atlantic Health System, which owns Morristown Medical Center, and the municipality of Morristown comes after a New Jersey tax judge ruled in June that the hospital should not be exempt, concluding that if all hospitals operate the same way, “then for purposes of the property-tax exemption, modern nonprofit hospitals are essentially legal fictions.” (Schencker, 11/11)

Also in today's reports -

The Philadelphia Inquirer: Infections In Open-Heart Patients Found At Second Pa. Hospital
A second Pennsylvania hospital has reported a cluster of unusual infections in patients who underwent open-heart surgery, prompting the state Department of Health to require immediate replacement of "heater-cooler" devices that have been linked to similar illnesses elsewhere. Penn State Hershey Medical Center said Tuesday that in the last four years, three open-heart surgery patients had become infected with nontuberculous mycobacteria - a common bug found in tap water and soil that rarely causes illness. (Avril, 11/11)

NPR: Budget Switch For Maryland Hospitals Is Starting To Pay Off
Results are in from the first year of a bold change to the way hospitals get paid in Maryland, and so far the experiment seems to be working. We recently reported on the unique system the state is trying to rein in health care costs. Maryland phased out fee-for-service payments to hospitals in favor of a fixed pot of money each year. (Hsu, 11/11)

The Denver Post: Centura To Open Hybrid Centers In Colorado For ER, Urgent Care
Centura Health is edging away from its system of stand-alone emergency departments. Four new Centura facilities will offer urgent and emergency care under one roof, CEO Gary Campbell announced Tuesday. All will be open 24 hours a day, he said, and patients will be treated according to their needs. Stand-alone emergency departments have been spreading rapidly into affluent suburban neighborhoods in Colorado. Twenty have opened since 2014. (Olinger, 11/11)

The Associated Press: Union Hoping For $15 Per Hour Wage For All Nursing Homes
Connecticut's largest union representing health care workers is optimistic a new, tentative agreement to pay certified nursing assistants at 20 nursing homes $15 an hour will become standard throughout the state and nation. The tentative agreement announced Tuesday evening would cover 2,600 workers at Connecticut nursing homes owned by iCare and Genesis. It still needs to be ratified by workers over the next couple weeks, but it ends the potential threat of a strike at these homes. The union is still negotiating on behalf of workers at seven Paradigm Healthcare facilities. (Haigh, 11/11)

California Healthline: New Data Show Greater Health Disparities Among Ethnic Groups
There are major differences in health care status among different types of Asians and Latinos in California -- and yet the state so far has resisted treating those subgroups differently, according to UCLA researchers who released an updated version of health survey data last month. (Gorn, 11/11)

Georgia Health News: Charity Clinics In Georgia Save Money, Study Finds
Georgia’s charity health clinics produce cost savings when treating patients with hypertension, a new University of Georgia study has found. Serving patients with high blood pressure in Georgia Charitable Care Network clinics is less expensive than treating them in other settings, including by federally qualified health centers, by Medicaid providers and through private insurance, the study said. (Miller, 11/11)

Kaiser Health News: Musicians Struggle To Buy Insurance In A City That Thrives On Music
The Titan Music Group recently conducted a large survey and several focus groups of musicians in Austin; it produced the Austin Music Census for the city. The census found that 20 percent of Austin musicians live below the federal poverty level. More than 50 percent qualify for federal housing subsidies, and nearly 19 percent lack health insurance. A lot of Austin musicians rely on the Health Alliance for Austin Musicians for help. (Zaragovia, 11/12)

The Baltimore Sun: Diabetes Program Helps Women Change Their Lives, Gears Up To Go National
Terri Rice grew depressed, avoided going to the doctor and ignored her diagnosis as pre-diabetic until she finally became diabetic. When she heard about Fabulous You, a program created by the Maryland chapter of the American Diabetes Association, on a TV news report in September, Rice signed up. Designed for diabetic and pre-diabetic women willing to commit to health-improving lifestyle changes, Fabulous You helped Rice, 36, lose more than 20 pounds in two months. She started exercising, changed her diet, began volunteering at her daughter's school and started attending church again. (Cech, 11/11)

The Connecticut Mirror: Post-Newtown Program Helps Children Get Mental Health Care
In the program’s first year – it began operating in June 2014 – the teams conducted 5,133 “consultative activities” for 181 pediatric and family medicine practices, involving 1,234 patients under 23. Sixty percent of the interactions involved young people with diagnoses of anxiety, depressive disorders or attention deficit hyperactivity disorder. (Levin Becker, 11/12)

The New York Times: Cuomo Signs 2 Bills To Speed Up Medical Marijuana Distribution
In a surprising move, Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo signed two bills on Wednesday to establish an “emergency medical marijuana” program for qualified patients, two months before the planned debut of a statewide program providing for the medical use of the drug. (McKinley, 11/11)

The Columbus Post-Dispatch: City To Introduce Needle-Exchange Program To Combat Heroin, Infectious Diseases
Combating heroin’s ability to diminish and destroy is a task both daunting and complex. Mayor Michael B. Coleman and Columbus Health Commissioner Dr. Teresa Long are convinced they can help with clean needles, treatment, testing for HIV and hepatitis C and improved access to a naloxone, a drug that can rescue addicts from potentially fatal overdoses. (Crane, 11/11)

The Cleveland Plain Dealer: Ohio Health Department Launches Anti-Tobacco Campaign Targeting High Rate Of Smoking Among Veterans
Smoking rates among veterans are significantly higher than the rest of Ohio's population. With that in mind, the Ohio Department of Health has launched an anti-tobacco campaign focused on getting veterans to quit. (Higgs, 11/11)

Los Angeles Times: From War To Welfare: Disabled Veterans Deserve Better
When American soldiers return home from war with disabilities, they often suffer twice — first from their combat injuries, next from the humiliation of government dependency. Wounded veterans learn they have two basic choices: They can receive almost $3,000 a month in disability benefits along with medical care and access to various other welfare programs, or they can try to find a job. Especially in this economy, it's no wonder that many find that first option hard to turn down. (Phil Harvey and Lisa Conyers, 11/11)

USA Today: Vets Suffering From PTSD Need Our Help
The first person executed in the United States this year, Andrew Brannan, was a Vietnam veteran who had been granted 100% disability because of his Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder and other problems stemming from his military service. Approximately 300 other veterans remain on death row and face execution. As retired Army general officers, lawyers and a psychiatrist, these facts concern us greatly, and they should disturb many other Americans, as well. (James P. Cullen, David R. Irvine and Stephen N. Xenakis, 11/11)

The Washington Post: The VA Treated My PTSD All Wrong
After suffering through the usual bureaucratic indignities — in my case sitting on a waiting list for three months — I started treatment at the big VA hospital in La Jolla, which included weekly appointments with a therapist who was finishing up his doctorate. Oddly, whenever I brought up the issues that bothered me the most — the catastrophic mismanagement of the war by the Bush administration, the pointless slaughter I’d seen in Fallujah, the casually bloodthirsty way Americans would talk about Iraq and about Arabs in general — my therapist would change the subject. I was admonished for “intellectualizing” my trauma and encouraged to focus instead on an IED ambush I had survived in Baghdad in 2007, as if that one event were the key to unlocking all my feelings about the war. Eventually this made my insomnia and anger issues worse, so I quit. (David J. Morris, 11/11)

The Washington Post: The Fatal Trend Among White Working Class Americans
Two Princeton economists, Angus Deaton and Anne Case, issued a study last week that should push what the writers Richard Sennett and Jonathan Cobb called the “hidden injuries of class” to the center of our political conversation. Deaton and Case found that the death rates for whites 45 to 54 who never attended college increased by 134 deaths per 100,000 people between 1999 and 2014. They unearthed a startling rise in suicides as well as diseases related to alcohol and drugs. ... The truth is that elites — including many of us in the media — are largely insulated from the brand of despair that is driving so many of our fellow citizens to drink, drugs and suicide. Well-off liberals and conservatives have different ways of evading the realities of lives distant from their own. Will the work of two economists finally convince us that our indifference is unconscionable? (E.J. Dionne Jr., 11/11)

The New York Times: The Stealth Attack On Abortion Access
A year ago, a mother and self-described “God-fearing woman” called me after she had an abortion. She said that earlier, when she found herself unexpectedly pregnant, she drove straight to what she thought was a comprehensive health care provider near her home in Columbus, Ohio. When she asked about abortion, the staff told her she shouldn’t murder her child. ... She had landed at a crisis pregnancy center, a religious nonprofit organization that obstructs women’s access to abortion. In recent years, many more low-income women are finding themselves in her shoes. Abortion foes are subsidizing these centers with public funds, while pushing to defund comprehensive health care providers. (Meaghan Winter, 11/12)

The Hill: Maternal Mortality Is A Problem We Can Solve
Syria. Gun violence. A dysfunctional Congress. All serious problems that we don't know how to fix. But the world knows how to save 800 women a day from dying in pregnancy and childbirth. We simply choose not to. ... Scientific research shows that the vast majority of maternal deaths are due to preventable or treatable causes such as hemorrhage, hypertension, sepsis and unsafe abortion. Relatively simple interventions, such as skilled birth attendance, access to voluntary family planning and treatment for HIV and other sexually transmitted infections, would go a long way toward reducing morbidity and mortality. (Diana Ohlbaum, 11/10)

The Wall Street Journal: The Fake Fix For Disability Insurance
Judging by their rhetoric, you might think Republicans and Democrats have fixed Social Security. Describing the budget deal signed into law on Nov. 2, John Boehner said it secures “significant long-term savings from structural entitlement reform,” while President Obama lauded the agreement for reforming Social Security “in a responsible, balanced way.” None of this is true. The deal tweaks the soon-to-be-bankrupt Social Security Disability Insurance program—but only shaves off between 1% and 1.5% of the program’s long-term shortfall. All Congress really did was delay insolvency by siphoning money from the rest of Social Security. Put another way, lawmakers “solved” the problem by bailing out one failing program with money from another failing program. (Andy Koenig, 11/11)

National Review: The House Failed To Push For Real Conservative Reforms In The Obamacare Reconciliation Fight
Now that Republicans control both houses of Congress, the House of Representatives has an important role to play in advancing conservative policies. House membership is more conservative than the Senate; its rules often make it easier to pass conservative legislation .... But when both chambers finally came together on a budget, there was one important promise they made together: They would use the budget-reconciliation process to repeal Obamacare. Oddly enough, it’s the House, not the Senate, that was first to cave in delivering on repeal (a top commitment that members in both chambers made during the 2014 campaign). (Michael A. Needham, 11/10)