First Edition: February 1, 2016
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Kaiser Health News:
A Last Minute Reprieve For Some Consumers On California Exchange
Covered California, the state’s insurance exchange, announced Friday that it was extending its enrollment deadline until Feb. 6 for people who had officially begun the process of signing up by Sunday. Exchange officials said they extended the Sunday deadline to accommodate a surge in enrollment in the previous week involving “tens of thousands” of consumers. As of Jan. 27, the exchange reported that more than 329,000 new consumers had signed up for coverage during the third annual enrollment period, which is within the estimate of the exchange’s estimate of 295,000 to 450,000 new enrollees. (Terhune and Feder Ostrov, 2/1)
Kaiser Health News:
Governor Seeks New Concessions From CMS To Maintain Arkansas' Medicaid Expansion
Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson is set to meet Monday with federal officials in Washington to negotiate the future of the state’s Medicaid expansion program, which leading Republicans say could be killed if it’s not changed. No state has seen its uninsured rate fall faster since the implementation of the federal health law than Arkansas, where it has fallen more than half, to 9.1 percent, from 2013 to 2015. Most of the credit goes to the state’s decision to expand eligibility for Medicaid, which has provided coverage for around 250,000 low-income Arkansans who make up to 138 percent of the federal poverty level — about $16,000 for an individual and $33,000 for a family of four. (Ramsey, 2/1)
Kaiser Health News:
Short-Term Health Plans: The Pros And Cons
Open enrollment for 2016 ends Sunday for those who buy health plans from the private market or health insurance exchanges. But if you don’t act by the deadline, are you completely out of luck? Not necessarily. (Bazar, 2/1)
The Washington Post:
Affordable Care Act’s Third Enrollment Season Draws To A Quiet Close
The third open-enrollment season for health plans under the Affordable Care Act moved into its final hours Sunday night with little fanfare from Obama administration officials who had been urging consumers to buy insurance. It was unclear whether the close of the three-month enrollment window drew any stampede of last-minute shoppers on HealthCare.gov, as was the case during the first two sign-up years. In each of those, federal health officials trumpeted a late surge of people choosing health plans as evidence of Americans' eagerness for coverage. (Goldstein, 1/31)
The New York Times:
Tax Scams Are Targeting Uninsured, I.R.S. Warns
The Internal Revenue Service is warning consumers about tax scams involving the Affordable Care Act and penalties imposed under the law on people who go without health insurance. In some cases, the agency said, unscrupulous tax preparers tell clients to pay the penalties directly to them, and they keep the money. Most people do not owe the payment at all. “However,” the I.R.S. said, “if you owe a payment, remember that it should be made only with your tax return or in response to a letter from the I.R.S. The payment should never be made directly to an individual or return preparer.” (Pear, 1/31)
NPR:
Feds Hopeful Hispanics Will Respond As Open Enrollment Comes To A Close
The Obama administration has increased its outreach this year to Hispanics, running special ads and targeting cities like Houston, Miami and Dallas with big Hispanic populations. Across the country, 20.9 percent of Hispanics are uninsured in the U.S., compared to 12.7 percent of blacks and 9.1 percent of whites, according to the Kaiser Family Foundation. There are lots of reasons why. Hispanics are more likely to work in jobs that don't offer health benefits. Many are ineligible for the Affordable Care Act, or just don't know about the options available. (Feibel, 1/30)
The Wall Street Journal:
Millions Eligible For Medicaid Go Without It
Among the 30 million people still without health insurance despite gains made under the 2010 health law, there is one surprising and poorly understood group: as many as six million people who are eligible to get near-free care through Medicaid but don’t sign up. The Obama administration was closing out the latest sign-up period for coverage under the health law on Sunday, already heralding a late rush of applicants for private coverage. From here, making a bigger dent in the uninsured rate will likely hinge on Medicaid sign-ups, an area that has gotten little formal attention. (Radnofsky, 1/31)
The Associated Press:
Marylander Residents Get Extra Week To Enroll In Health Plan
The Maryland Health Benefit Exchange has extended its deadline for residents to enroll for health insurance because of the record-breaking snowstorm. Carolyn Quattrocki, executive director of the exchange, said in a news release Friday that the deadline for enrolling in a health benefits plan was extended from Sunday to11:59 p.m. Feb. 5. (1/29)
The Wall Street Journal:
Trump, Cruz Trade Barbs
The two leading Republican presidential candidates traded personal criticisms during Sunday’s talk shows, a day before Iowa holds its first-in-the-nation nominating contest. ... Mr. Cruz also criticized Mr. Trump, saying his health-care policies amounted to a continuation of the Democratic-backed Affordable Care Act. “If Donald Trump is elected president, the federal government will be in charge of every one of our health care,” he said. On ABC later Sunday morning, Mr. Trump responded: “Ted Cruz is a total liar.” Mr. Trump said that he opposes the Affordable Care Act and the idea of a single-payer health-care system, but that he also believes the government should help poor people who can’t buy health insurance. (Tracy, 1/31)
The New York Times:
Hillary Clinton Criticizes Bernie Sanders And Ted Cruz On Healthcare
Making her final push before the Iowa caucuses, Hillary Clinton staked out her position as the lone defender of the Affordable Care Act on Saturday night, warning that her Democratic rival, Senator Bernie Sanders, would scrap it and start over and that Republicans would hand healthcare back to insurers and drug-makers. While she tends to lump Republicans with Donald J. Trump these days, Mrs. Clinton made clear that she is also paying attention to Senator Ted Cruz. (Rappeport, 1/30)
The New York Times:
Hillary Clinton Says Bernie Sanders’s Health Plan Will ‘Never, Ever Come to Pass’
Hillary Clinton said on Friday that Bernie Sanders’s proposal for a single-payer health care system would thrust the nation into “a terrible, terrible national debate” and would “never, ever come to pass.” “People can’t wait,” Mrs. Clinton said at a rally here on Friday, evoking a sense of urgency and echoing an argument from her most recent campaign ads. “People with health emergencies can’t wait for us to have some theoretical debate about some better idea that will never, ever come to pass.” (Chozick, 1/29)
The Washington Post:
Iowan Asks Ted Cruz What Will Happen If He Repeals Obamacare
His voice quavering with emotion, Mike Valde told Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Tex.) about his brother-in-law: He was a barber who couldn’t afford health care until the Affordable Care Act, and after getting coverage he went to the doctor for the first time in years, and was diagnosed with multiple tumors. He died soon after. “Mark never had health care until Obamacare,” Valde told Cruz in a middle school cafeteria here. “What are you going to replace it with?” (Zezima, 1/30)
The Associated Press:
In Final Iowa Blitz, An Outraged Clinton Channels Sanders
Seeking victory in Iowa, Hillary Clinton has begun channeling the economic indignation of her rival Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders, whose unapologetically liberal campaign has tightened the race ahead of Monday's caucuses and given him a lead in the New Hampshire contest that follows. Making her closing argument to Iowa caucus-goers, Clinton now cloaks her detailed policy plans in Sanders' outraged rhetoric. Pharmaceutical pricing "burns" her up. Companies that take advantage of the tax loopholes get her "pretty riled up." And she promises to "rail away" at any industry that flouts the law. (Lerer and Thomas, 1/31)
The Wall Street Journal:
Bernie Sanders Defends Liberal Ambitions Amid Rival’s Attacks
Sen. Bernie Sanders directly responded Saturday to critics who say his expansive plans are unrealistic, comparing his drive to take on Wall Street and income inequality to American movements to win equality for African-Americans, women, gay people and those with disabilities. “Some people say, ‘Well this is an ambitious agenda, it can’t happen,’” Mr. Sanders told a rally in Manchester, Iowa, two days before Iowans cast the first votes in the race for the presidency. “Really? Really? Why not? Why can’t it happen? Because we don’t have the courage to stand up to the insurance companies and the drug companies and Wall Street and corporate America and the corporate media? Is that why it can’t happen? I don’t believe that.” (Meckler, 1/31)
Politico:
Biden’s Cancer Bid Exposes Rift Among Researchers
Joe Biden’s proposal for a cancer moon shot has struck a deep nerve in the research community, where cutting-edge scientists blame an entrenched medical establishment for hoarding the data needed to make breakthroughs. The tension boiled over this month when Jeffrey Drazen, editor of the New England Journal, and co-author Dan Longo, wrote in an op-ed that while sharing was all well and good, it had to be done collaboratively, not by “data parasites” who stole or misused work that might have taken bench scientists decades to assemble. The editorial did not mention Biden’s initiative, but many commenters noted its relevance. (Allen, 1/31)
USA Today:
WHO To Hold Emergency Meeting Monday On Zika Virus
The World Health Organization will hold an emergency meeting Monday to find ways to battle the Zika virus, which is linked to birth defects and "spreading explosively" through the Americas. The WHO could classify the Zika outbreak now in 25 countries and territories as a "public health emergency of international concern," deserving of a coordinated global response. (Szabo, 1/31)
The New York Times:
Vaccine for Zika Virus May Be Years Away, Disease Experts Warn
As public health officials warn that the Zika virus is swiftly spreading across the Americas, the search is on to develop a vaccine to halt the disease, which could infect as many as four million people by the end of the year and has been linked to severe birth defects. But even as a host of companies have announced plans to develop a vaccine, disease experts say it could be years — maybe as long as a decade — before an effective product makes its way to the public. Not only are scientists still learning about the virus, which until recently was viewed as relatively benign, but any vaccine must go through rigorous testing to ensure that it is safe and effective. (Thomas, 1/29)
NPR:
Zika Virus Reignites Abortion Debate In Brazil
Increased incidents of microcephaly in infants has spurred guidance to women that boils down to: Don't get pregnant. But women in Brazil have few options. (Garcia-Navarro, 1/30)
NPR:
Church Doctrine Complicates Situation For Pregnant Women In Zika-Affected Areas
Some governments responded to the Zika epidemic by asking women to delay getting pregnant. Missionary doctor David Vanderpool says the reality for women in Zika-affected areas is far more complex. (Martin, 1/30)
Los Angeles Times:
Revamping The Tax On Healthcare Plans Proves Tougher Than Gov. Brown Thought
Three weeks ago, Gov. Jerry Brown confidently predicted that the vexing question of how to extend a tax on healthcare plans in order to fund state medical coverage for the poor was well on its way to being solved. "We need the [managed care organization] tax now — this month," Brown said. "We’re going to get it. We’ve got to get it." But as January has come to a close, his administration has yet to nail down an overhaul that can win support from the insurers, much less secure the Republican votes necessary to pass the Legislature. (Mason, 2/1)
The Associated Press:
Budget Fight Leaves Illinois Stuck With Overdue Bills
As Illinois politicians continue to squabble over a budget that should have taken effect July 1, hundreds of state contractors have been left with little more than I.O.U.s, according to more than 500 pages of documents — just since Nov. 1 — released to The Associated Press under the Illinois Freedom of Information Act. From a $28.44 late-notice water and sewer bill at the 1848 Mt. Pulaski Courthouse — which had neither when Abraham Lincoln practiced law there — to $4.8 million that Illinois owes Michigan for a health partnership, vendors have flooded the Capitol with disconnect warnings, credit-hold notices, desperate pleas and even a frowny face stamp in an effort to get paid. The state owes $2 million to Ashley's Quality Care in Chicago, which provides in-home care workers to keep seniors out of nursing homes, according to chief accountant Michael Robinson. (1/31)
The New York Times:
Flint Weighs Scope of Harm to Children Caused by Lead in Water
Of all the concerns raised by the contamination of Flint’s water supply, and the failure of the state and federal governments to promptly address the crisis after it began nearly two years ago, none are more chilling than the possibility that children in this tattered city may have suffered irreversible damage to their developing brains and nervous systemsfrom exposure to lead. New concerns surfaced Friday when officials said that recent tests of unfiltered tap water in Flint had found levels of lead in some samples higher than what filters distributed to residents were designed to remove. (Goodnough, 1/30)
USA Today/The (Louisville, Ky.) Courier-Journal:
Planned Parenthood In Louisville Halts Abortions
Planned Parenthood temporarily has stopped offering abortion services at its new clinic in Louisville while it addresses objections the state raised Thursday about its license application for the facility. But in a letter Friday to Kentucky officials, Planned Parenthood claimed the organization had the state's approval when it began offering abortion services Jan. 21 at the downtown clinic. (Yetter, 1/29)
NPR:
A Diet High In Fiber May Help Protect Against Breast Cancer
If the advice to eat more fiber seems easy to ignore, you're not alone. Most Americans don't get the 25 to 38 grams a day that recommended, depending on age and gender. But if you're skimping on fiber, the health stakes are high, especially if you're a teenage girl. A study published Monday in the journal Pediatrics concludes that eating lots of fiber-rich foods during high school years may significantly reduce a woman's risk of developing breast cancer. (Aubrey, 2/1)