First Edition: November 18, 2014
Today’s early morning highlights from the major news organizations.
Kaiser Health News:
As California Expands Medicaid To New Beneficiaries, Many Others Are Dropped
When it comes to expanding health coverage to its poorest residents, California could be taking two steps forward and one step back. Even as the state celebrates its enrollment of more than 2.7 million low-income Californians in Medi-Cal in 2014, it may drop an unusually high number of beneficiaries from its rolls by year’s end. (Gold, 11/18)
Kaiser Health News:
Laws Spreading That Allow Terminal Patients Access To Experimental Drugs
Earlier this month, Arizona voters approved a referendum that allows terminally ill patients to receive experimental drugs and devices. It’s the fifth state to approve a "right-to-try" law this year. Supporters say the laws give dying patients faster access to potentially life-saving therapies than the Food and Drug Administration’s existing "expanded-access" program, often referred to as "compassionate use." But critics charge they’re feel-good laws that don’t address some of the real reasons patients may not receive experimental treatments. (Andrews, 11/18)
The Associated Press:
Healthcare.gov Gets Steady Traffic; Hits Bump
HealthCare.gov got steady consumer interest and also hit a bump Monday, the first weekday of the new sign-up season under the president's health overhaul. Consumers trying to open their existing accounts on the website got this message off and on during the afternoon: "HealthCare.gov has a lot of visitors right now! We need you to wait here, so we can make sure there's enough room for you to have a good experience on our site." At other times, this message was displayed: "We're busy making HealthCare.gov even better! Sorry you can't get what you need right now. Please come back and visit again later." Spokeswoman Lori Lodes said one problem was fixed and issues will be addressed as they arise. Other areas of the website were working normally, she added. (Alonso-Zaldivar, 11/17)
USA Today:
Smoother Start, But Some Struggle With Healthcare.gov
Sign-ups have generally gone more smoothly than last year for HealthCare.gov, although some consumers and insurance agents are having problems with the site that are reminiscent of last fall's open enrollment experiences. Numerous log-in and password failures were reported Monday, but federal officials call these cases the exception. (O'Donnell and Ungar, 11/17)
The Wall Street Journal:
Healthcare.gov CEO Bullish On State, Federal Exchanges
Federal health officials remained bullish about the performance of HealthCare.gov and state exchanges Monday, as usage of the sites spiked after their weekend rollout. “We’ve had a good couple of days,” said Kevin Counihan, HealthCare.gov’s CEO, said at a conference of state insurance commissioners in Washington Monday afternoon. Health and Human Services officials said Monday morning the site, which serves 37 states, had had one million visitors over the weekend and the call center had logged 200,000 calls. (Radnofsky, 11/17)
The New York Times:
Health Care Law Recasts Insurers As Obama Allies
As Americans shop in the health insurance marketplace for a second year, President Obama is depending more than ever on the insurance companies that five years ago he accused of padding profits and canceling coverage for the sick. Those same insurers have long viewed government as an unreliable business partner that imposed taxes, fees and countless regulations and had the power to cut payment rates and cap profit margins. But since the Affordable Care Act was enacted in 2010, the relationship between the Obama administration and insurers has evolved into a powerful, mutually beneficial partnership that has been a boon to the nation’s largest private health plans and led to a profitable surge in their Medicaid enrollment. (Pear, 11/17)
The Wall Street Journal:
Health Adviser Gruber Logged Regular White House Visits
Jonathan Gruber, the economist at the heart of a fresh debate about the Affordable Care Act, has had more than a dozen appointments to visit the White House since Democrats began drafting the health law in 2009, records show. The visits included at least one group meeting with President Barack Obama ... The White House in recent days has tried to distance itself from Mr. Gruber, a 49-year-old Massachusetts Institute of Technology economist, since a 2013 video surfaced last week in which he said the law passed because of the “huge political advantage” of the legislation’s lacking transparency. He also referred to the “stupidity of the American voter.” (Armour and McCain Nelson, 11/17)
Louisville Courier-Journal/USA Today:
Health Plans Lead To More Hospital Pre-Pay
[Mark Edwards'] experience, being asked to pay a sum upfront for surgery, has become increasingly common as doctors' practices and hospitals navigate the world of employer-provided high-deductible health plans and the launch of the federal Affordable Care Act. Hospital executives say they're struggling to keep their mountains of bad debt in check when patients frequently can't pay the share required under insurance plans for non-emergency tests, procedures and services. (Schneider, 11/16)
The Associated Press:
Federal Gov't Falls Short On More Health Websites
With many seniors facing high medical bills, a congressional investigation has found that federal government websites meant to give Medicare patients basic consumer tools instead fail to provide adequate information on out-of-pocket costs, and even quality of care. The nonpartisan Government Accountability Office found that Medicare lacks clear procedures for getting useful information to consumers. (Yen, 11/18)
The Wall Street Journal:
Medicare Sign-Up Needs To Be Simplified, Group Says
A new report highlights the substantial difficulties that many older adults face in enrolling in Medicare, and calls for new steps to simplify and streamline the process. The report — titled Medicare Part B Enrollment: Pitfalls, Problems and Penalties — is the work of the Medicare Rights Center, a New York-based nonprofit group. The report notes that enrollment problems can have serious consequences for retirees: Beneficiaries new to Medicare, according to the center, “may face lifetime late-enrollment penalties, higher health care costs, gaps in coverage and disruptions in care continuity.” (Ruffenach, 11/17)
The Wall Street Journal:
Boehner’s Birthday Celebrated With Social Security Messages
Democrats and Republicans have spent several years clashing over Social Security and Medicare, two giant federal programs, and that clash is even present in birthday greetings. On Monday, House Speaker John Boehner (R., Ohio) celebrated his 65th birthday. While one doesn’t often mention age when it comes to birthday greetings, the Twitter accounts for House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D., Calif.) and Democratic Party Chair Debbie Wasserman Schultz (D., Fla.) were quick to point to it, and wrap in a pitch for the programs. (Paletta and Andrews, 11/17)
USA Today:
Pelosi To Boehner: Welcome To Medicare And Social Security!
Nancy Pelosi wished John Boehner a happy 65th birthday on Monday via Twitter. But the minority leader couldn’t resist gigging the House speaker by mentioning issues dear to Democrats: Social Security, the so-called third rail of American politics, and Medicare, the federal health insurance program for seniors. ... Perhaps that’s a hint to Republicans not to touch the federal programs near and dear to senior citizens? When Pelosi turned 74 in March, Boehner sent her Graeter’s chocolate ice cream and gelato. (Camia, 11/17)
USA Today:
New Data Show Long Wait Times Remain At Many VA Hospitals
More than 600,000 veterans — 10% of all the Veterans Affairs patients — continue to wait a month or more for appointments at VA hospitals and clinics, according to data obtained by USA TODAY. The VA has made some progress in dealing with the backlog of cases that forced former secretary Eric Shinseki to retire early this year. For instance, the VA substantially cut the overall number of worst-case scenarios for veterans — those who had waited more than four months for an appointment. That figure dropped from 120,000 in May to 23,000 in October. Much of that improvement occurred because patients received care from private providers. (Hoyer and Vanden Brook, 11/16)
The Washington Post:
Death Of Second Ebola Patient In U.S. Shows Need For Early, Accurate Tests, Experts Say
[Dr. Martin] Salia’s death highlights what experts say is a critical need in the ongoing fight against the worst Ebola outbreak in history: the ability to quickly and accurately diagnose the disease in order to halt its spread and give patients the best chance for survival. Salia, whose wife, a U.S. citizen, and two children live in Maryland, had tested negative for the disease shortly after developing symptoms, and he celebrated with colleagues in Freetown. That joy turned to anguish when a confirmatory test came back positive three days later, on Nov. 10. (Sun and Dennis, 11/17)
The New York Times:
Allergan Escapes Valeant’s Pursuit, Agreeing To Be Bought By Actavis
Allergan agreed on Monday to be acquired for $66 billion by Actavis in a deal worth $219 a share in cash and stock. The deal would be the biggest ever for Actavis and the largest acquisition in a year full of big deals, eclipsing Comcast’s $45 billion takeover of Time Warner Cable and AT&T’s $48.5 billion purchase of DirecTV. It would be the third-largest health care deal ever in the United States, according to Standard & Poor’s Capital IQ. (Gelles, 11/17)
The Wall Street Journal:
Actavis Agrees To Buy Botox Maker Allergan
Two years ago, Actavis PLC was a relatively small seller of generic medicines with an unpronounceable name. After it seals its $66 billion deal for Allergan Inc., announced Monday, the company would be one of the globe’s largest drug makers by sales, led by the antiwrinkle treatment Botox. The rapid rise of Actavis was fueled by seismic changes reshaping health care, and then turbocharged by Allergan’s heated efforts to slip from the grasp of a hostile suitor. (Rockoff, 11/17)
The Wall Street Journal:
Health Care Likely Continue M&A Streak, PE May Not Benefit
Actavis PLC’s $66 billion offer for Botox maker Allergan Inc. may be a precursor of things to come. ... Kathrin Kudner, a member of Dykema’s health care practice group, said activities will likely be driven by strategic mergers and hospital consolidation, an area private equity hasn’t been hot on in recent years. “A large number of free standing community hospitals are looking at partnerships or acquisitions, given high technology costs, high personnel cost, and decreasing government reimbursement,” she said. (Oh, 11/17)
Los Angeles Times:
Kaiser Permanente Joins Forces With Target Corp. On In-Store Clinics
HMO giant Kaiser Permanente entered the growing retail clinic business for the first time by joining forces with Target Corp. on four in-store locations in Southern California. Three Kaiser clinics inside Target stores opened Monday in Fontana, San Diego and Vista. A fourth clinic in Fullerton is scheduled to open next month. These types of in-store clinics are expanding nationwide, driven by a shortage of primary care doctors and an influx of newly insured patients under the federal health law. (Terhune, 11/17)