First Edition: May 25, 2017
Today's early morning highlights from the major news organizations.
Kaiser Health News:
Millions Of Ill People May Face ‘Extremely High Premiums’ Under House Bill, CBO Says
The report incorporates the changes to the bill made just before it narrowly passed the House on May 4. Those changes included an amendment offered by Rep. Tom MacArthur (R-N.J.) that would let states waive some key provisions of the health law, including requirements to cover “essential health benefits” and to offer insurance to people with preexisting conditions at no extra cost. (Rovner, 5/24)
The New York Times:
G.O.P. Health Bill Would Leave 23 Million More Uninsured In A Decade, C.B.O. Says
A bill to dismantle the Affordable Care Act that narrowly passed the House this month would leave 14 million more people uninsured next year than under President Barack Obama’s health law — and 23 million more in 2026, the Congressional Budget Office said Wednesday. Some of the nation’s sickest would pay much more for health care. (Pear, 5/24)
The Associated Press:
GOP Health Bill: 23M More Uninsured; Sick Risk Higher Costs
The Congressional Budget Office report, issued Wednesday, also found that average premiums would fall compared with President Barack Obama's health care overhaul, a chief goal of many Republicans. But that would be partly because policies would typically provide fewer benefits and sicker people would be priced out, it concluded. (Fram and Alonso-Zaldivar, 5/25)
Politico:
10 Key Points From The CBO Report On Obamacare Repeal
Here are some key facts and figures from the new CBO report on the American Health Care Act, the House-passed bill to repeal and replace Obamacare. CBO stressed the uncertainty of its estimates, given that it's hard to know which states would take up the chance to opt out of certain key parts of Obamacare. All figures are for the decade spanning 2017-2026 unless otherwise specified. (Kenen, 5/24)
The New York Times:
New C.B.O. Score: G.O.P. Health Bill Would Save Government Billions But Leave Millions Uninsured
The largest savings would come from cutting Medicaid and reducing tax credits for middle-income insurance buyers. (Park and Quealy, 5/24)
Los Angeles Times:
GOP Health Bill Would Raise Deductibles, Lessen Coverage And Leave 23 Million More Uninsured, Analysis Finds
The House bill would be particularly harmful to older, sicker residents of states that waive key consumer protections in the current law, including the ban on insurers charging sick consumers more. The budget office estimates that about one-sixth of the U.S. population live in states that would seek such waivers, which would be allowed under the House bill. “Over time, it would become more difficult for less healthy people (including people with preexisting medical conditions) in those states to purchase insurance,” the report notes. (Levey, 5/24)
The Washington Post:
Uninsured Ranks Still To Grow By Tens Of Millions Under Latest House Health-Care Bill, CBO Says
Congressional analysts concluded that one change to the House bill aimed at lowering premiums, by allowing states to opt out of some current insurance requirements, would encourage some employers to maintain coverage for their workers and get younger, healthier people to buy plans on their own. But those gains would be largely offset by consumers with preexisting conditions, who would face higher premiums than they do now. “Their premiums would continue to increase rapidly,” the report found. (Eilperin and Snell, 5/24)
NPR:
GOP Health Plan Would Leave 23 Million More Uninsured, Budget Office Says
The bill will now move on to the Senate, and should it pass that chamber, it will not look like this current AHCA version. (Kurtzleben, 5/24)
The Wall Street Journal:
CBO Report On Health Bill: What It Is And Why It Matters
Under budget rules, the health bill must cut the federal deficit (the House’s first version did that to the tune of $337 billion), so that is an important number. It is also important to look at how much of the budget savings would come from reduced Medicaid spending, because steep cuts mean more people without insurance. That is another key figure: the increase in the uninsured compared with leaving the ACA in place. The more uninsured, the harder it may be for Republicans to sell their plan to the public. And effects on premiums matter, since Senate GOP lawmakers have said their main goal is to bring down premium costs. (Armour, 5/24)
USA Today:
CBO: House Obamacare Repeal Will Increase Uninsured By 23 Million
Many House Republicans avoided specifics of the analysis and instead focused on the overall picture which was "that the American Health Care Act achieves our mission: lowering premiums and lowering the deficit," House Speaker Paul Ryan, R-Wis., said. “We’re on a rescue mission, and today’s CBO report reinforces what we’ve said before — our American Health Care Act will lower premiums and reduce the deficit," said House Republican Conference Chair Cathy McMorris Rodgers, R-Wash. "The CBO report doesn’t tell the whole story when it comes to the benefits of this bill, but we’re one step closer to keeping our promise to repeal and replace Obamacare." (Collins, 5/24)
The New York Times:
Read The C.B.O. Report On The House Health Care Bill
The nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office released their findings on the health care bill passed by the House of Representatives. The Senate has already vowed to rework the bill. (5/24)
The Washington Post:
How The CBO Thinks The Republican Health-Care Bill Will Affect Your Pocketbook
But what does that mean to most Americans? The CBO helpfully broke down how much insurance premiums would cost for people at two income levels — $26,500 and $68,200 annually — at three ages. The upshot is that people making $68,200 a year who are in the two younger ages (21 and 40) will pay less in premiums annually because they will get a tax credit not available to people at their income level under Obamacare. But for older and poorer Americans, the effect will mostly be worse. (Bump, 5/24)
The Wall Street Journal:
House GOP Health Bill Would Add 23 Million Uninsured, Cut $119 Billion In Deficit Through 2026, CBO Says
The findings provide ammunition for the two competing factions that Senate Republican leaders need to pull together to pass a bill. Centrist Republicans, concerned about the number of uninsured, hope to make the House bill less far-reaching, while conservatives want to double down on measures the CBO suggests will lower premiums on average. (Armour and Peterson, 5/25)
The Washington Post:
Senate Republicans Have All The Evidence They Need To Reject The House-Passed Health-Care Overhaul
For a week now, some congressional insiders had been whispering that the critical “score” from the Congressional Budget Office, on the legislation that narrowly passed the House earlier this month, might not provide any real deficit savings. Such a finding would have violated the Senate’s more arcane rules for considering budgetary items under fast-track rules — and it might have forced House Speaker Paul D. Ryan (R-Wis.) to redraw the legislation and hold another vote. So there were a few sighs of relief late Wednesday afternoon when the CBO declared the legislation would find $119 billion in savings over 10 years, more than enough to allow it to pass muster under the Senate’s so-called reconciliation rules, which allow a simple majority for passage rather than the usual 60-vote majority. That’s an important feat for Senate Republicans, who control just 52 seats. (Kane, 5/25)
Politico:
Senate Dems Seize On CBO To Slam GOP
Senate Democrats on Wednesday seized on a new projection that 23 million more Americans would be uninsured under the House GOP’s Obamacare repeal to hammer the Republican senators now crafting their own plan. Led by Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, Senate Democrats staged a fiery press conference less than 45 minutes after the non-partisan Congressional Budget Office released its report on the House-passed Obamacare repeal. Schumer argued that Senate Republicans are making a mistake similar to their House counterparts’ hasty passage of a bill before its CBO score emerged. (Schor, 5/24)
Politico:
Peril For Republicans If They Push Forward With Obamacare Repeal
Obamacare repeal is in trouble in the Senate, and a nonpartisan analysis of the House’s repeal legislation issued Wednesday only reinforced that reality. Within minutes of the release of the report showing 23 million fewer Americans would be insured over a decade, two Senate Republicans blasted the estimate and the House bill, underscoring just how much the legislation will have to change to get through the upper chamber. (Demko and Haberkorn, 5/24)
Reuters:
McConnell Frets About Healthcare, Hopeful On Tax Overhaul
U.S. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell said on Wednesday he does not yet know how Republicans will amass the votes needed to pass legislation now being crafted to dismantle Obamacare, but expressed some optimism on another top priority, overhauling the tax code. In an exclusive interview with Reuters, McConnell said healthcare and taxes still top the Republican legislative agenda, and he added that he will not reach out to the minority Democrats on either one because differences between the two parties are too stark. (Cornwell and Abutaleb, 5/24)
Politico:
McConnell: 'I Don't Know' How We Get To 50 Votes On Health Care Bill
Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell on Wednesday said the path forward for the legislation to repeal and replace Obamacare remains unclear, adding that he is unsure at the moment how such a measure will secure the requisite 50 votes from the GOP’s 52 senators. (Nelson, 5/24)
Politico:
Health Care Or Russia? Democrats Divided On 2018 Focus
The Democratic Party is embroiled in a debate over where they should focus their efforts to win back political power: health care or Russia. The party’s campaign committees and many of Democrats’ leading super PACs have spent virtually all their energy this year on shaming Republicans for their push to repeal Obamacare, an issue that clearly touches voters’ daily lives. (Robillard and Schor, 5/24)
Reuters:
Anthem Still Weighing 2018 Obamacare Individual Participation
Anthem Inc on Wednesday said its plans for selling 2018 Obamacare individual plans are still up in the air because of political and regulatory uncertainty, making it the latest health insurer to say questions about continued funding of government subsidies will affect consumers next year. Anthem, the biggest provider of individual health plans, is looking at all 14 states where it sells Obamacare coverage to determine to what extent it will participate next year, given the continued uncertainty around subsidies and regulations, its chief executive said on Wednesday. (Humer, 5/24)
The Wall Street Journal:
Another Insurer To Leave Missouri’s ACA Marketplace
Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Kansas City plans to pull out of the Affordable Care Act health insurance exchanges next year, a move that leaves a region in northwestern Missouri at risk of having no available marketplace plans. The nonprofit said that after losing more than $100 million on ACA plans through 2016, it will stop offering exchange plans in 30 counties in northwestern Missouri and two counties in Kansas. (Wilde Mathews, 5/24)
The Wall Street Journal:
Health-Tech Startups Pivot As Obamacare Uncertainty Mounts
As Congress grapples with possible repeal of the Affordable Care Act, political uncertainty is prompting some health-technology startups to revamp their sales pitches or products, while others are finding it tougher to attract fresh capital. The challenges are likely to be greatest for very young firms with limited resources, companies tied directly to the insurance market or that sell to hospitals facing potential cuts in Medicaid, say some investors and others that work with startups. (Simon, 5/24)
The Associated Press Fact Check:
Medicaid A Target For Cuts Despite Assurance
Medicaid is clearly in line for cuts under President Donald Trump's budget despite assurances to the contrary from his budget chief. Mick Mulvaney, director of the Office of Management and Budget, while introducing the budget Tuesday: "There are no Medicaid cuts in the terms of what ordinary human beings would refer to as a cut. We are not spending less money one year than we spent before." (5/25)
The Associated Press:
Trump Budget Faces Dem Opposition, GOP Doubts About Math
Mulvaney gave an unapologetic defense of Trump proposals to slash programs related to the environment, education, health care for the poor and foreign aid. The former tea party congressman told the Budget Committee that he went line by line through the federal budget and asked, “Can we justify this to the folks who are actually paying for it?” Democrats charged that Trump’s cuts would rip apart the social safety net. Rep. Pramila Jayapal, D-Wash., told Mulvaney that the proposed cuts to food stamps, payments to the disabled, and other programs are “astonishing and frankly immoral.” (Taylor, 5/24)
The New York Times:
In One Chart: Trump Plans To Cut Medicaid After Promising Not To
President Trump has long promised not to cut Medicaid, Medicare and Social Security. But in his budget released on Tuesday, he proposes making massive cuts to Medicaid. Mr. Trump is proposing to cut $610 billion from Medicaid benefits. This could come on top of more than $800 billion in cuts to Medicaid sought in the health care overhaul bill passed by the House on May 4. (Park, 5/24)
The Associated Press:
Wisconsin Seeks To Be First To Drug Test Medicaid Applicants
Gov. Scott Walker wants to make Wisconsin the first state in the country to require childless adults applying for Medicaid to undergo drug screening, a move that could serve as a national model. Walker's plan, which needs federal approval, comes as he prepares to run for a third term next year. Wisconsin's Republican-controlled Legislature approved Walker's request for a waiver to do the drug tests two years ago, but is now digging into the details of how it would actually work. (Bauer, 5/25)
The New York Times:
Trump’s Pick For Mental Health ‘Czar’ Highlights Rift
For decades, therapists, patient advocates and countless families have worked to elevate mental health care in the political conversation. Their cause recently received a big boost when a new law created a federal mental health “czar” to help overhaul the system and bridge more than 100 federal agencies concerned with mental health. But the White House’s choice for the first person to fill that position has already been divisive, exposing longstanding rifts within the field that may be difficult to mend. (Carey and Fink, 5/24)
The Associated Press:
VA Plans Mental Care For Discharged Vets, But At What Cost?
Veterans Affairs Secretary David Shulkin touted new efforts Wednesday to expand urgent mental health care to thousands of former service members with less-than-honorable discharges, even while acknowledging his department isn’t seeking additional money to pay for it. Testifying at a House hearing, Shulkin offered new details on his initiative announced in March to stem stubbornly high rates of suicide. Stressing a need at that time for “bold action,” he noted the additional coverage would help former service members who are more likely to have mental health distress. Of the 20 veterans who take their lives each day, about 14 had not been connected to VA care. (Yen, 5/24)
The Associated Press:
Consultant Charged In Scheme To Trade US Secrets For Profit
A Washington consultant, three hedge fund workers and a government employee were blamed Wednesday by federal prosecutors for an insider trading scheme that converted government secrets into hedge fund profits. ... Acting U.S. Attorney Joon H. Kim said the defendants used "highly sensitive and confidential information" from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, part of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, to enable three hedge fund workers to make over $3.5 million illegally for their company from 2012 through 2014. The Securities and Exchange Commission said the profits reached $3.9 million. (Neumeister, 5/24)
Reuters:
Five Charged With Insider Trading Involving U.S. Health Agency
Prosecutors said that from 2012 to 2014, [hedge fund employees Rob] Olan, [Ted] Huber and [Jordan] Fogel schemed to get confidential information about CMS's internal decision-making from Blaszczak, who previously worked there. Blaszczak in turn got the information from his former colleague and "close friend" Worrall, prosecutors said. (Pierson, 5/24)
The Wall Street Journal:
U.S. Charges Four With Trading Insider Tips On Health-Care Policy
The tips concerned information about government-funding levels for cancer treatments and kidney dialysis from 2012 to 2014, according to prosecutors. Christopher Worrall, a senior technical adviser to the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, allegedly passed information about the funding to a consultant in the political-intelligence business, David Blaszczak, who in turn told the traders. (Mullins and Pulliam, 5/24)
The New York Times:
Nevada And Connecticut Are Latest To Ban Discredited ‘Conversion Therapy’
At least nine states now ban “conversion therapy” for minors, a discredited method meant to change a person’s sexual orientation or gender identity, after Nevada and Connecticut this month joined others in prohibiting the practice. Gov. Brian Sandoval of Nevada last week signed Senate Bill 201, making it illegal for any licensed medical or mental health care professional to provide sexual orientation or gender conversion therapy to anyone under 18 years of age, a statement from his office said. (Hauser, 5/24)
The New York Times:
Rare Gene Mutations Inspire New Heart Drugs
What if you carried a genetic mutation that left you nearly impervious to heart disease? What if scientists could bottle that miracle and use it to treat everyone else? In a series of studies, the most recent published on Wednesday, scientists have described two rare genetic mutations that reduce levels of triglycerides, a type of blood fat, far below normal. People carrying these genes seem invulnerable to heart disease, even if they have other risk factors. (Kolata, 5/24)
Reuters:
J&J Settles Drug Manufacturing Probe By U.S. States For $33 Million
The company's Johnson & Johnson Consumer Inc unit must also ensure that its marketing and promotional practices do not unlawfully promote over-the-counter drug products, the attorneys general said. (Raymond, 5/24)
The New York Times:
High-Fiber Diet Tied To Less Knee Arthritis
Researchers have found yet another benefit of a high-fiber diet: It is associated with a reduced risk for arthritis of the knee. Knee osteoarthritis, which is common in aging populations, can be both painful and debilitating. (Bakalar, 5/24)
The Washington Post:
Marijuana Extract Sharply Cuts Seizures In Severe Form Of Epilepsy
An oil derived from the marijuana plant sharply reduces violent seizures in young people suffering from a rare, severe form of epilepsy, according to a study published Wednesday that gives more hope to parents who have been clamoring for access to the medication. Cannabidiol cut the median number of monthly convulsive seizures from 12.4 to 5.9 in 52 children with Dravet syndrome who took the medication over a 14-week test period, according to research published in the New England Journal of Medicine. Fifty-six children using a placebo saw the number of seizures drop only from a median of 14.9 to 14.1 per month. (Bernstein, 5/24)
The Associated Press:
Marijuana Extract Helps Some Kids With Epilepsy, Study Says
“This is the first solid, rigorously obtained scientific data” that a marijuana compound is safe and effective for this problem, said one study leader, Dr. Orrin Devinsky of NYU Langone Medical Center. He said research into promising medical uses has been hampered by requiring scientists to get special licenses, plus legal constraints and false notions of how risky marijuana is. “Opiates kill over 30,000 Americans a year, alcohol kills over 80,000 a year. And marijuana, as best we know, probably kills less than 50 people a year,” Devinsky said. (Marchione, 5/24)
The Washington Post:
Residents Of Halfway House Found Two Men Dead From Overdoses — Their Drug Counselors
The man's losing battle with heroin was laid out right there on the nightstand of the halfway house. There were three morning devotionals, including “God Calling,” geared toward keeping a person's thoughts pointed heavenward. Then there was the nicotine: two packs of cigarettes, a vaporizer and a case of snus to quell cravings. And near the edge: empty packets of heroin, a spoon and a syringe half full of the last hit the man would ever inject. (Wootson, 5/24)
The Washington Post:
It’s Not Pain But ‘Existential Distress’ That Leads People To Assisted Suicide, Study Suggests
A few decades ago, doctor-assisted suicide was considered a fringe idea despite surveys showing many physicians support the idea under certain circumstances. The face of euthanasia at that time was Jack Kevorkian, a Michigan pathologist nicknamed “Dr. Death.” By his own admission, he helped 130 people end their lives. He was convicted of homicide and served eight years in prison. While doctor-assisted suicide remains a polarizing issue, some countries and states have begun to accept it. Belgium, the Netherlands, Luxembourg and Switzerland have legalized voluntary euthanasia. In 2016, Canada legalized “medically assisted death.” Australia, France, South Africa and the United Kingdom are considering similar measures. (Cha, 5/24)
NPR:
The Zika Virus Made Its Way To Miami Earlier Than Thought
Last year's Zika outbreak in Miami likely started in the spring of 2016, with the virus introduced multiple times before it was detected, researchers say. And most of those cases originated in the Caribbean. The study, published Wednesday in Nature, examined more than 250 cases of local Zika transmission in three Miami neighborhoods. Researchers analyzed 39 Zika virus genomes isolated from 32 people who had been infected and seven Aedes aegypti mosquitoes, the species that carries Zika. (Allen, 5/24)
NPR:
Some Fitness Trackers Give Inaccurate Measurements Of Calories Burned
Sleek, high-tech wristbands are extremely popular these days, promising to measure heart rate, steps taken during the day, sleep, calories burned and even stress. And, increasingly, patients are heading to the doctor armed with reams of data gathered from their devices. "They're essentially asking us to digest the data and offer advice about how to avoid cardiovascular disease," says cardiologist Euan Ashley, associate professor of medicine at the Stanford University Medical Center and Stanford Hospital and Clinics in northern California. (Neighmond, 5/24)