First Edition: April 7, 2015
Today’s early morning highlights from the major news organizations.
Kaiser Health News:
Rule Proposed On Providing Mental Health ‘Parity’ In Medicaid Program
A federal law that passed in 2008 was supposed to ensure that when patients had insurance benefits for mental health and addiction treatment, the coverage was on par with what they received for medical and surgical care. But until now, the government had only spelled out how the law applied to commercial plans. That changed Monday, when federal officials released a long-awaited rule proposing how the parity law should also protect low-income Americans insured through the government’s Medicaid managed care and the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP) plans. (Gold, 4/7)
Kaiser Health News:
Battle For Mental Health Parity Produces Mixed Results
Jenny Gold of Kaiser Health News spoke with NPR’s Arun Rath about the broad issue of mental health parity. She noted that many patients have trouble getting mental health care covered, and outlined some issues confronting patients and the insurance industry. (Gold, 4/6)
Kaiser Health News:
Shifts In Earnings For Consumers Near Medicaid Line Can Threaten Coverage
Low-income consumers whose earnings fluctuate or family circumstances change over the course of the year risk losing their health coverage if they shift between eligibility for Medicaid and coverage on the health insurance exchanges. That “churning” isn’t new to Medicaid, but the health law’s addition of millions of customers whose incomes hover near the Medicaid line raises concerns about how well the insurance marketplaces can handle the flux. (Andrews, 4/7)
The Wall Street Journal:
Obama Administration Proposes Rules For Medicaid Mental Health Parity
Medicaid recipients who get services through managed care organizations or alternative benefit plans would get the same access to mental health and substance-abuse benefits as provided by private health plans, under a rule proposed Monday by the Obama administration. ... A number of states put limits on mental health coverage. The proposed rule wouldn’t change those limits on Medicaid fee-for-service plans, but it would stop such limits for Medicaid recipients who are in managed care plans. (Armour, 4/6)
The Wall Street Journal:
Medicare Advantage Payments To Rise For 2016
Federal regulators on Monday said 2016 payments to insurers that offer private Medicare plans will go up compared with this year, reversing a slight decline proposed in February. The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services estimated that the government’s Medicare Advantage payments will rise about 1.25% next year, though the agency said insurers likely will see their overall revenue increase about 3.25% as they deliver, and bill for, more intensive services. (Wilde Matthews, 4/6)
Reuters:
Govt Payments For Medicare Advantage Plans To Rise In 2016
The increase for 2016 versus the decline announced in February results from expectations of Medicare Advantage spending growth of 4.2 percent, compared with the 1.7 percent the government forecast in February. The 4.2 percent growth reflects additional spending in 2014 and 2015, as well as higher expected outlays in 2016. The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services said higher spending was due to hospitalizations, rural health clinics and federally qualified health centers. It also includes a 0.1 percent increase based on the assumption that Congress will enact legislation raising Medicare payments to doctors. (Humer, 4/6)
Bloomberg:
United, Humana Get Surprise Medicare Revenue Boost From U.S.
Health insurers such as UnitedHealth Group Inc. and Humana Inc. will see revenue for commercial Medicare policies increase 1.25 percent next year, reversing an earlier U.S. government proposal that would have cut payments. The announcement was a surprise, since the U.S. has been reducing payments to insurers as it seeks to bring the cost of privately managed Medicare coverage in line with the government-run version of the program for the elderly and disabled. Payments are already falling 4 percent this year, and in February the U.S. proposed an 0.9 percent reduction for 2016. (Tracer, 4/6)
The New York Times:
Food Safety Law’s Funding Is Far Below Estimated Requirement
After thousands of people were sickened by tainted eggs, peanut butter and spinach, Congress passed a sweeping food safety law in 2010 that gave the Food and Drug Administration new powers to prevent additional outbreaks. But lawmakers have not provided enough money for the mission. The Congressional Budget Office said the F.D.A. would need a total of $580 million from 2011 to 2015 to carry out the changes required by the Food Safety Modernization Act. So far, Congress has appropriated less than half of that amount, even as the agency is moving to issue crucial rules under the law this year. (Nixon, 4/7)
The Associated Press:
Obama Presents Climate Change As Hazard To Your Health
President Barack Obama will ask Americans to think of climate change as a threat not just to the environment, but also to their health. Obama on Tuesday was to announce a series of steps that private entities like Google and Microsoft are taking to better prepare the nation's health systems for the inevitable effects of a warmer, more erratic climate. He was to be joined at Howard University Medical School by Surgeon General Vivek Murthy and the head of the Environmental Protection Agency, Gina McCarthy. (Lederman, 4/7)
The Washington Post:
Florida’s Republican Governor Says He No Longer Supports Expanding Medicaid
A little more than two years ago, Florida Gov. Rick Scott made an announcement that shocked the political world: the Republican, who had spent a portion of his personal fortune to oppose Obamacare when it was being drafted in Congress, now supported expanding Medicaid in his state. ... But the Florida state legislature didn't go along, passing up tens of billions of dollars in federal support. ... And yet the Florida legislature now appears to be reconsidering its stance, or at least debating it again. ... Scott now says he opposes the Medicaid expansion. (Millman, 4/6)
Los Angeles Times:
Californians Increasingly Visiting Hospital ERs For Non-Injury Care
Californians are increasingly likely to visit a hospital emergency room for complex medical problems rather than an injury, according to new research. Although hospital emergency departments, or EDs, were once known as "accident rooms," a review of all non-federal hospital emergency rooms in California from 2005 to 2011 found that injury-related visits have declined over that time period, according to a study published Monday in the journal Health Affairs. (Morin, 4/6)
Los Angeles Times:
Palliative Care Expert Is A Vocal Opponent Of Death With Dignity Law
It had been several months since a 29-year-old cancer patient, Brittany Maynard, had moved to Oregon to take advantage of that state's Death With Dignity law — ingesting a lethal dose of drugs and jump-starting the push to legalize physician-assisted death in at least 20 states, including California. [Ira Byock, one of the nation's leading experts on hospice and palliative care] had become the public face of physicians' discomfort with her choice. (Brown, 4/6)
The Washington Post:
More Scientists Doubt Salt Is As Bad For You As The Government Says
For years, the federal government has advised Americans that they are eating too much salt, and that this excess contributes yearly to the deaths of tens of thousands of people. But unknown to many shoppers urged to buy foods that are “low sodium” and “low salt,” this longstanding warning has come under assault by scientists who say that typical American salt consumption is without risk. (Whoriskey, 4/7)
The Washington Post:
How To Know When Diet Advice Is Worth It
[D]espite the proliferation of claims that one diet or another is “proven,” actually determining how eating influences health is famously challenging. Salt is a case in point. To study medical issues, scientists prefer to arrange randomized controlled trials, or RCTs. When it comes to long-term diet questions, though, these can be all but impossible to conduct. (Whoriskey, 4/6)
Los Angeles Times:
Unions And L.A. Unified Reach Tentative Deal On Health Benefits
The Los Angeles school district and its employee unions have reached a multibillion-dollar tentative agreement on healthcare benefits that would run through 2018. The agreement factors in modest annual increases in benefit expenses and resolves some long-term unfunded costs for the L.A. Unified School District. But the pact still could strain the annual budget, possibly contributing to cutbacks or layoffs. ... The agreement would factor in cost increases of between 6% and 7% a year, totaling $200 million over three years. The terms also call for partly drawing down a health benefits reserve fund. The unfunded debt for providing lifetime health insurance to retirees and their dependents has more than doubled since 2005, resulting in an estimated $11 billion in future costs. (Blume, 4/6)