First Edition: December 17, 2014
Today's early morning highlights from the major news organizations.
Kaiser Health News:
Nearly 2.5 Million Consumers Have Selected Health Plans On Federal Marketplace
As expected, interest in healthcare.gov soared in the final days before the mid-December deadline, with 1.6 million people phoning the call center from Dec. 13 through Dec. 15, officials told reporters. (Carey, 12/17)
The New York Times:
Federal Health Exchange Sees Enrollment Flurry
The Obama administration said Tuesday that nearly 2.5 million people had selected health insurance plans through the federal marketplace in the first four weeks of open enrollment this fall. More than one million of those selections came in just one week, from Dec. 6 through last Friday. (Pear, 12/16)
The Wall Street Journal:
Deadline Brings Millions To Healthcare.gov
The numbers significantly outstrip sign-ups through the first four weeks of last year’s enrollment period, when the site was hobbled by technical problems, and show the site is generally functional. “Our technology and call center representatives have done their job,” Mr. Slavitt told reporters Tuesday afternoon. But HHS officials also said the site and its supporting infrastructure had at times struggled with volume. (Radnofsky and Armour, 12/16)
Politico:
2.5M Enrolled In Obamacare In A Month
The Department of Health and Human Services said Tuesday that about half of those signing up for coverage between Nov. 15 and Dec. 12 were new customers. The other half were renewing customers. Any current policyholder who missed the Dec. 15 renewal deadline will be automatically re-enrolled. This second open enrollment season will continue until Feb. 15, but individuals who wanted to get covered as of Jan. 1 had to sign up by 3 a.m. Tuesday EST. (Pradhan, 12/16)
USA Today:
About 2.5M Signed Up At Healthcare.gov By Friday
Up to 500,000 people heard automated messages and left their names. They are awaiting return calls or receiving them Tuesday, said HHS principal deputy administrator Andy Slavitt on a press call Tuesday afternoon. That's out of 1.6 million people who phoned the call center over the weekend and through Monday. The website and call center "have done their jobs so far," Slavitt said. Peak volume on the website Monday was 125,000 concurrent users, he said. The site didn't run into "capacity constraints," though he acknowledged a waiting room page was used for about 90 minutes while a database was updated. (O'Donnell, 12/16)
The Associated Press:
Surge In Health Law Sign-Ups
Tuesday's numbers were partial, really just a subtotal. They reflected the 37 states served by HealthCare.gov. Enrollment for states running their own websites will be reported later. And Tuesday's numbers also did not include totals from the weekend and Monday, which saw strong consumer interest. (12/16)
The Washington Post:
Glitch Leaves Hundreds In Limbo Seeking Insurance Through D.C. Health Exchange
As many as one in six D.C. residents who tried to sign up for health insurance through the city’s online exchange were thwarted by technology glitches ahead of a Monday sign-up deadline, D.C. officials acknowledged Tuesday. Some residents thought they had completed the application process to begin coverage in January only to receive error messages at the end. Others encountered a blank screen and couldn’t even get started. (Davis, 12/16)
The New York Times:
Vivek Murthy, The New Surgeon General, Isn’t Afraid To Take A Stand
In an age when health care is a politically contentious topic and doctors often shy away from getting involved, Dr. Murthy takes positions. He is a founder of Doctors for America, a nonprofit group of 16,000 physicians and medical students whose stated mission is to improve the country’s health care system and make sure everyone has access to quality health care. The group advocated passage of the Affordable Care Act (and the election of President Obama — it was originally called Doctors for Obama, a fact that rankled Republicans and even some Democrats), training members to educate people about enrollment, organizing a bus tour in Florida and holding athletic races for fund-raising across the country. (Tavernise, 12/16)
The Wall Street Journal:
CVS Sees Earnings Growth On Deals, Raises Dividend
CVS Health Corp. projected up to 16% earnings growth for the next year, driven by gains in specialty drugs and acquisitions. The drugstore, which changed its name to CVS Health in September as it sold its last tobacco products, also approved a new $10 billion stock repurchase program and boosted its quarterly dividend by 27% to 35 cents a share. The boost will cost the company about an extra $90 million a quarter. (Chen, 12/16)
The Wall Street Journal:
Justice Department Takes Rare Step Of Dropping Misbranding Case
The Justice Department has dropped a case against a Tennessee couple convicted of using misbranded drugs in their cancer clinics, a rare move that could signal unease in Washington with such prosecutions. Dr. Anindya Kumar Sen and his wife, Patricia Posey Sen, had appealed their jury convictions to the Sixth U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, using a high-powered legal team that included former federal prosecutor Alex Little and former U.S. Solicitor General Paul Clement. (Palazzolo, 12/16)
The Wall Street Journal:
Memo To Staff: Time To Lose A Few Pounds
The boss thinks you could stand to lose a few. Seeking to make a dent in the intractable problem of obesity — a condition affecting roughly one-third of U.S. adults and costing companies more than $73 billion a year, according to researchers from Duke University — businesses are experimenting with new measures to encourage workers to slim down. (Weber and Silverman, 12/16)
Los Angeles Times:
Health Database Cal Index Must Address Privacy, Consumer Group Says
A prominent consumer group is calling on customers of two leading health insurers to boycott a vast new database of patient medical records until privacy concerns are addressed. At issue is the California Integrated Data Exchange, or Cal Index, backed by $80 million from Anthem Inc. and Blue Shield of California. (Terhune, 12/16)
The Washington Post:
Virginia Psychiatric Bed Registry Not Working As Intended, State Officials Say
A psychiatric bed registry that was part of a package of reforms passed by Virginia lawmakers this year is not working as hoped, state mental health officials said Tuesday. The registry was created to provide clinicians real-time information to help place Virginians in need of involuntary commitment in public and private hospitals. (Shin, 12/16)