First Edition: June 11, 2015
Today's early morning highlights from the major news organizations.
Kaiser Health News:
Burwell Says It’s Up To States, Congress To Help Consumers If Court Strikes Down Subsidies
It will be up to state officials and Congress to help consumers who can’t afford health insurance if the Supreme Court strikes down health law subsidies for millions of Americans, Health and Human Services Secretary Sylvia Burwell said Wednesday. "The critical decisions will sit with the Congress and states and governors to determine if those subsidies are available," Burwell told the House Ways and Means Committee. The secretary told Congress earlier this year that the administration has no authority to undo 'massive damage' that would come if the court invalidates the subsidies in the online marketplaces, or exchanges, which the federal government operates in about three dozen states. (Carey and Pockros, 6/10)
Kaiser Health News:
Some Insured Patients Still Skip Care Because Of High Costs
A key goal of the Affordable Care Act is to help people get health insurance who may have not been able to pay for it before. But the most popular plans – those with low monthly premiums – also have high deductibles and copays. And that can leave medical care still out of reach for some. (Burress, 6/10)
The New York Times:
States And Congress Urged To Act If Justices Rule Against Health Law
The Obama administration’s top health care official said Wednesday that if the Supreme Court stopped the payment of health insurance subsidies to millions of Americans, it would be up to Congress and state officials to devise a solution. ... Ms. Burwell and the White House have said that they have no contingency plans to deal with the chaos that could result if the court strikes down subsidies in the pending case, King v. Burwell. (Pear, 6/10)
The Wall Street Journal:
HHS Chief Burwell, House GOP Square Off Over Health-Law Case
House Republicans sent a clear signal Wednesday that they wouldn’t preserve the health law in its current form if the Supreme Court guts a key provision, and the Obama administration responded with equal clarity that the states and Congress would be the ones responsible for resolving any fallout. GOP legislators and Health and Human Services Secretary Sylvia Mathews Burwell set out their messages at a House Ways and Means Committee hearing Wednesday, during a week in which both sides are fine-tuning their strategies on the case. (Radnofsky, 6/10)
The Associated Press:
Health Head: Congress’ Problem If Court Voids Health Law Aid
Burwell’s comments to the House Ways and Means Committee marked a continuation of Obama administration efforts to pressure Republicans should the justices void subsidies that help millions afford health insurance. A decision is expected this month. The GOP runs Congress, and 26 of the 34 states likely to be hardest hit by such a decision have Republican governors. (Fram, 6/10)
The Wall Street Journal:
President Obama’s Supreme Court Remarks Set Him Apart
Among presidents in modern times, Barack Obama stands apart in the intensity of his remarks on Supreme Court cases, a soon-to-be published article in Presidential Studies Quarterly concluded. Mr. Obama added a new data point on Monday, saying at a news conference that “under well-established precedent, there is no reason” the administration should lose a challenge to the Affordable Care Act pending before the court. (Bravin,6/10)
Los Angeles Times:
How Will History Judge Obama? Courts May Decide
After battling Republicans in Congress for more than six years, President Obama and his lawyers will spend much of his remaining time in office fighting in the courts to preserve the administration’s most significant domestic achievements. The fate of Obama’s healthcare law again rests with the Supreme Court, in a case that will decide this month whether the administration may continue to subsidize health insurance premiums for millions of low- and middle-income Americans. (Savage and Memoli, 6/10)
The New York Times:
Republicans Tie Their Favorite Causes To The Trade Agreement
A separate bill, on customs and trade law enforcement, would move in concert with those two as a catchall for pet provisions, from language to crack down on international currency manipulation to measures to speed responses to countries that export products to the United States at prices below their cost of their production. That plan has become mired in controversy. Aid in the trade adjustment assistance bill is paid for with a slight tweak to Medicare financing, a provision that caused no problems in the Senate. But in the House, it has enraged Democrats, who accuse pro-trade forces of trying to harm the elderly. Republicans responded with a complicated solution. (Weisman, 6/10)
The Wall Street Journal:
House Trade Vote Could Come Friday
Mr. Boehner and his leadership team have been slowly building support for the fast-track bill. But in recent days Mrs. Pelosi and other Democrats have balked at a provision in the Senate bill that pays for the workers’ aid program with cuts to Medicare providers. The fast-track bill and the trade adjustment assistance had been combined in the Senate in a delicate compromise designed to win over a bloc of Democrats. The prospect of cuts to Medicare has left many House Democrats unwilling to vote for the Senate-passed bill. The Republican leadership has offered to fix the problem by paying for the program with another source of money. But even then, Democrats have indicated they might balk because the fix would be made through a separate piece of legislation. Democrats don’t want to be on the record in support of a cut to Medicare even if they have assurances those cuts won’t take hold and will be replaced by cuts contained in another bill. (Hughes and Stanley-Becker, 6/10)
The Washington Post:
White House, Republicans Work Together In Final Push On Trade Bill
GOP leaders hoped to allay Democratic concerns about a minor Medicare provision in the sweeping legislation, but the issue remained unsettled after two closed-door party caucuses Wednesday morning. ... Opponents kicked off their final push to defeat Obama’s top remaining legislative priority by latching onto a relatively small cut in Medicare that was meant to offset increased funding for worker training. ... Boehner and Ryan, chairman of the Ways and Means Committee, do not want to alter the delicately balanced TPA-TAA package because that would require sending it back to the Senate for another vote and potentially several more weeks of debate there. They worked to avert this issue by advancing a separate piece of legislation that would replace the roughly $900 million cut in Medicare, slated for 2024, with some stricter enforcement of tax laws. (Kane and Nakamura, 6/10)
Politico:
Nancy Pelosi Flexes Muscle Ahead Of Trade Vote
House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi had already delivered the message to Speaker John Boehner: Democrats could not support Medicare cuts to pay for a job-training program that is critical to pass fast-track trade authority for President Barack Obama. But it was her good friend, Connecticut Rep. Rosa DeLauro, who offered the blunt political message to Democratic lawmakers in a closed meeting Wednesday: If you vote to cut Medicare, you could soon find yourself out of a job. (Sherman, Bresnahan and French, 6/10)
The New York Times:
U.S. Shifts Stance On Drug Pricing In Pacific Trade Pact Talks, Document Reveals
Facing resistance from Pacific trading partners, the Obama administration is no longer demanding protection for pharmaceutical prices under the 12-nation Trans-Pacific Partnership, according to a newly leaked section of the proposed trade accord. But American negotiators are still pressing participating governments to open the process that sets reimbursement rates for drugs and medical devices. Public health professionals, generic-drug makers and activists opposed to the trade deal, which is still being negotiated, contend that it will empower big pharmaceutical firms to command higher reimbursement rates in the United States and abroad, at the expense of consumers. (Weisman, 6/10)
The Associated Press:
Paul Ryan’s Step-By-Step Future Starts With Trade
Beyond the trade bill, Ryan’s ideas for replacing Obama’s signature health care law, rewriting the tax code and overhauling the welfare system will have to wait for a new president, he says. (Kellman, 6/11)
Politico:
Lindsey Graham’s Abortion Push Could Imperil Fellow GOPers
Sen. Lindsey Graham is renewing a GOP push for a 20-week abortion ban — a bid that could boost his long-shot presidential campaign but spell trouble for vulnerable GOP senators up for reelection in swing states next year. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) earlier promised a vote on the hot-button bill, which already passed the House. Abortion foes say a vote in the Senate would be a historical milestone, the most consequential vote on the issue in more than a decade. (Everett, 6/10)
The Washington Post:
Common Heartburn Medications Linked To Greater Risk Of Heart Attack
A novel data-mining project reveals evidence that a common group of heartburn medications taken by millions of people is associated with a greater risk of heart attacks, Stanford University researchers reported Wednesday. (Bernstein, 6/10)
NPR:
Data Dive Suggests Link Between Heartburn Drugs And Heart Attacks
Electronic medical records may seem like a distraction when your doctor is busy typing on a screen instead of looking you in the eye. But, as a new study shows, these systems also have the potential to help identify some drug side-effects. Researchers at Stanford University gathered about 3 million electronic medical records — with patients' names and other identifying material stripped away — to look for a link between a popular heartburn drug and heart attacks. (Harris, 6/11)
The Associated Press:
Walgreens, Insurers Push Expansion Of Virtual Doctor Visits
Millions of people will be able to see a doctor on their smartphones or laptops for everyday ailments once the nation's largest drugstore chain and two major insurers expand a budding push into virtual health care. Walgreens said Wednesday that it will offer a smartphone application that links doctor and patients virtually in 25 states by the end of the year. That growth comes as UnitedHealth Group and the Blue Cross-Blue Shield insurer Anthem prepare to make their own non-emergency telemedicine services available to about 40 million more people by next year. (Murphy, 6/10)
The Associated Press:
FDA Panel Backs Amgen Cholesterol Drug For Some Patients
Federal health advisers said Wednesday that a highly-anticipated cholesterol-lowering drug from Amgen Inc. should be approved for patients with dangerously high levels of the artery-clogging substance. But as with their review of a similar drug a day earlier, the Food and Drug Administration experts stressed that long-term results are needed to judge the drug’s real benefit. (Perrone, 6/10)
The New York Times:
Texas Ruling On Abortion Leads To Call For Clarity
For more than two decades, courts have struggled with a fuzzy legal standard set by the Supreme Court for judging abortion laws: When does a rule governing doctors or clinics or medical procedures become an unconstitutional “undue burden” on a woman’s right to an abortion? Now, after a federal appeals court decision on Tuesday that could force many of Texas’ remaining abortion clinics to close for good, many legal experts are hoping the Supreme Court will be forced to provide some clarity. (Eckholm 6/10)
The Associated Press:
After Critical Probe, NYC Drops Jail Health Care Contractor
New York City on Wednesday dropped the private company that delivers health care in its jails after a year of scrutiny over high-profile deaths of mentally ill inmates and a city probe that found the company hired felons and provided questionable care. (6/10)