First Edition: June 12, 2015
Today’s early morning highlights from the major news organizations.
Kaiser Health News:
Medicare Drug Plans Favor Generic Opioids Over Those Designed To Avoid Abuse, Study Finds
The abuse of prescription painkillers is a growing problem for seniors, as it is for other age groups. But Medicare drug plans are cutting back on coverage for a specially designated type of painkiller that deters abuse in favor of cheaper generics that don’t have the same deterrent qualities, a new study found. (Andrews, 6/12)
The Wall Street Journal:
Surprise Bills For Many Under Health Law
Many consumers with health coverage through the Affordable Care Act are facing unexpected medical bills that in some cases greatly exceed the law’s caps on out-of-pocket expenses. The law’s limits don’t apply to charges from out-of-network providers, and many insurance plans sold on ACA exchanges have limited networks—amplifying the risk of surprise bills. (Armour, 6/11)
Politico:
Ted Cruz Fights GOP Approach On Obamacare Subsidies
Ted Cruz is planning to battle his party over Obamacare again — this time, if Senate Republicans seek to extend subsidies that could be killed by the Supreme Court as soon as this month.
In an interview with POLITICO, the 2016 presidential candidate weighed in on the high-stakes Supreme Court case that could end subsidies for millions of people who receive their health insurance through the federal exchange. ... “I think the best legislative option is to allow states to opt out,” Cruz said in the Capitol. “I am cautiously optimistic that the Supreme Court will conclude in King vs. Burwell that the Obama IRS disregarded the plain language of the statute and acted lawlessly. And when that occurs, it will be a real opportunity for Congress to lead.”
He added: “In a perfect world, we would take that opportunity to repeal Obamacare. At a minimum, we should allow states to opt out.” (Raju, 6/11)
The Associated Press:
Obama’s Trade Bill Faces Showdown Vote On Capitol Hill
A landmark trade bill that tops President Barack Obama’s second-term agenda faces a showdown vote in the House as Democrats mount a last-ditch effort to kill it. ... [Democratic leader Nancy Pelosi] worked behind the scenes with House Speaker John Boehner, R-Ohio, this week to solve a last-minute hang-up involving Democratic concerns about cutting Medicare funds to pay for worker retraining. The intricate solution to the Medicare issue lay in finding another revenue source —various tax penalties — and also lining up the votes in a certain order that made passage of the fast-track bill contingent on passage of the trade adjustment bill. That created the opening for Democratic fast-track opponents to take aim at the trade adjustment measure. (Werner and Babington, 6/11)
Reuters:
House Takes Key Steps Toward 'Fast-Track' Vote On Friday
President Barack Obama's quest for "fast-track" negotiating authority on a Pacific Rim trade deal passed its initial tests in the House of Representatives on Thursday ahead of a final vote on Friday on contentious trade measures. By a vote of 397-32, the House approved a measure authorizing funds to help workers who lose their jobs as a result of trade deals, without cutting Medicare health benefits for the elderly to pay for it, as the Senate had proposed. But aid for workers was shaping up as a major issue on Friday. (Hughes and Cowan, 6/11)
The Wall Street Journal:
Obama’s Trade Agenda Faces Crucial Votes In House
Democrats had balked at a provision in the Senate bill that pays for the program with cuts to Medicare providers. In a deal painstakingly negotiated and refined this week by House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D., Calif.) and Speaker John Boehner (R., Ohio), the program, known as Trade Adjustment Assistance, or TAA, would be funded by a different source. But some Democrats still had qualms because the fix would be made through a separate piece of legislation and they worried the structure of the deal could open them up to political attacks over the Medicare cuts. (Peterson and Mauldin, 6/12)
The Washington Post:
Trade Debate Heads Into Home Stretch With Democrats Still Wary
That Trade Adjustment Assistance legislation, or TAA, has historically won wide support among Democrats, and its inclusion alongside fast-track authority has typically helped persuade skeptical Democrats to support the overall package. But [Rep. Rose] DeLauro and her allies threatened to oppose the pending TAA bill, raising concerns about a provision that would pay for the trade assistance by cutting Medicare, as well as language keeping public employees from claiming benefits. And the AFL-CIO has led the outside effort to oppose TAA in a tactical move to kill the wider deal. After a series of modifications made at Pelosi’s request, Republicans unveiled a compromise that replaced the Medicare cut with increased tax revenue and laid out a voting process that suited the Democratic leader. (Kane and DeBonis, 6/11)
The New York Times:
A Chinese Ebola Drug Raises Hopes, And Rancor
After a nurse who contracted Ebola in Sierra Leone was discharged Wednesday from a Rome hospital, a doctor there described the experimental treatments the patient had received as “absolutely miraculous.” They included MIL77, a product from China that was also given to a British Army nurse who recovered from Ebola at a London hospital in March. It is a near copy of what many believed was the most promising Ebola therapy: a cocktail of antibodies known as ZMapp, the result of a collaboration between the United States and Canada. While a limited supply of ZMapp was quickly exhausted, a small private Chinese company, Beijing Mabworks, raced ahead last fall, helping to produce about 100 doses of MIL77. That means more potentially lifesaving treatments for desperate patients. But it has also led to patent infringement concerns by American officials, and to disagreements over when experimental Ebola therapies should be offered to patients only in carefully controlled studies and when they should be made more available for compassionate reasons. (Fink, 6/11)
The Wall Street Journal:
Prisoners Sue Massachusetts For Withholding Hepatitis C Drugs
In the latest example of how the high price tags for hepatitis C drugs are limiting use in some of the most infected populations, two inmates in Massachusetts state prisons have filed a lawsuit accusing the state prison system of failing to provide the drugs to most infected prisoners. More than 1,500 inmates in Massachusetts state prisons have hepatitis C, but only three are being treated for it, the lawsuit states, even though Gilead Sciences and AbbVie introduced drugs since late 2013 that have higher cure rates and shorter treatment durations than older hepatitis C regimens. (Loftus, 6/11)
The Washington Post:
Scott Walker Hardens Abortion Stance Ahead Of His Likely White House Bid
It came out of nowhere: an open letter from Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker declaring his support for a ban on abortions once pregnancies reach 20 weeks. The missive delighted antiabortion activists in the state — and set off a scramble in the State Capitol here because no such legislation had actually been introduced. The restrictions, approved this week by the state Senate and likely to be passed by the Republican-dominated state Assembly, underscore the extent to which Walker — who has not yet announced his candidacy — is positioning himself to be the most fervent antiabortion candidate in the Republican field of presidential hopefuls. (Johnson, 6/11)
The Associated Press:
Groups Sue Over Florida’s 24-Hour Wait Period For Abortions
Two groups sued the state of Florida on Thursday seeking to stop a 24-hour waiting period for abortions from taking effect, arguing that it imposes an unnecessary burden on women seeking to end their pregnancies. The American Civil Liberties Union of Florida and the Center for Reproductive Rights filed the suit one day after Republican Gov. Rick Scott signed the bill into law. They argue that the law, which is to take effect July 1, violates the right to privacy guaranteed in the state constitution by interfering with their right to undergo the procedure. (Farrington, 6/11)
The Associated Press:
Oregon 1st To Cover 12 Months Of Birth Control At A Time
It’s a like ritual for women across the nation: frequent treks to the pharmacist to refill birth control prescriptions. It’s a hassle for busy students, a headache for rural women with long drives and a cause for panic for travelers on the road when their packs run out. Soon, however, women in Oregon will be able to avoid such problems, since the state has enacted a first-of-its-kind insurance law that will allow them to obtain a year’s worth of birth control at a time, instead of the 30- or 90- day supply available now. (Kumar, 6/12)
USA Today:
Oregon Women First To Get Yearlong Birth Control
With Gov. Kate Brown's signature Thursday, Oregon women will be the first in the nation who can get a year's supply of birth control with one prescription. When the change takes effect Jan. 1, women will no longer have to renew their prescriptions every 30 to 90 days. After an initial three-month supply, refills of the same prescription can be obtained for one year. (Winter, 6/11)
Los Angeles Times:
Cal-OSHA Settles Farmworker Suits Over Heat-Related Deaths
The state's worker safety agency has agreed to refocus its enforcement of heat-related regulations covering farmworkers, audit those activities, and make complaints more accessible to the public as part of a settlement of two lawsuits. The agreement, announced Wednesday, settles suits brought on behalf of five farmworkers and the United Farm Workers union. They accused the California Division of Occupational Safety and Health, Cal-OSHA, of systematically neglecting its duty to enforce a 2005 law protecting outdoor workers from exposure to heat. (Mohan, 6/11)
NPR:
Should Tanning Bed Warnings Take A Cue From Graphic Cigarette Labels?
Young white women like indoor tanning a lot. Nearly a quarter of them hit a tanning bed in the past year. (The beds are even found on many college campuses.) That habit is particularly concerning to public health officials because melanoma rates in young women are on the rise owing to UV exposure from the sun and from tanning beds. The Food and Drug Administration requires indoor tanning machines to bear a label saying that these aren't intended for people under 18, and it requires that consumers get other cautionary messages, too. But they're not particularly attention-grabbing. (Hobson, 6/11)
USA Today:
National Pilot Program To Train Doctors In Transgender Health
As Caitlyn Jenner's transition to a woman brings transgender issues to the public forefront, a national pilot program is launching [in Louisville, Ky.] to address this population's private struggles in the medical world. Beginning in August, the University of Louisville School of Medicine will be the pilot site for a new curriculum by the Association of American Medical Colleges that trains future doctors on the unique health care concerns of people who are transgender, gay, lesbian, bisexual, gender non-conforming or born with differences of sex development. (Ungar, 6/11)
USA Today:
High-Tech Monitors, Cool Gadgets Help Spark A Health Care Revolution
As the world becomes more digitized, the health care industry is racing to keep up, sparking an explosion of new digital technology geared to improving patient care. Most visible to patients is the move to electronic medical records, or EHRs, by doctors and hospitals in an effort to streamline record-keeping and meet federal guidelines. But that's only one of dozens of new tech advances that are designed to make life better for the ill, elderly and disabled. (Thadani, 6/11)
USA Today:
VA Research Uncovers Way To Find Veterans At Risk Of Suicide
The Department of Veterans Affairs has developed computer formulas that allow doctors to predict which veterans are most likely to commit suicide, according to a study published Thursday. "I think this is a game changer in terms of suicide prevention overall and not just for the VA population," said Caitlin Thompson, deputy director of the VA suicide prevention program. "I think other large medical systems are going to be able to really learn from what we're doing." (Zoroya, 6/11)