APRIL 19, 2018
Kaiser Health News @sjtribble
Politico @JoanneKenen
The New York Times @sangerkatz
The
Washington Post @pw_cunningham
Congressional Republicans have struck a
decidedly different tone when talking about the Affordable Care Act, and the
Democrats have introduced a new Medicare expansion bill.
Meanwhile, states are talking about Medicaid
expansion, and a federal court’s ruling on Maryland’s proposal to battle drug
price-gouging sends shock waves nationwide. Both chambers of Congress have been
busy introducing legislative fixes for the nation’s opioid epidemic with
lawmakers promising that legislation will land this spring.
This week’s panelists for KHN’s “What the
Health?” are Sarah Jane Tribble of Kaiser Health News, Joanne Kenen of
Politico, Margot Sanger-Katz of The New York Times and Paige Winfield
Cunningham of The Washington Post.
Among the takeaways from this week’s podcast:
·
In the upcoming election
season, the tables may be turned: Democrats likely will spend more on health
care ads than Republicans.
·
Democrats think that this
congressional campaign season they can effectively target vulnerable
Republicans by focusing on the GOP’s support for repealing and replacing the
Affordable Care Act.
·
Republicans, on the other
hand, predict they have a winning argument with their repeal of the unpopular
requirement that people get insurance or pay a penalty. Campaigns likely will
also point to the party’s efforts to encourage more flexible — but perhaps less
protective — coverage options, such as association and short-term health plans.
·
Two Democratic senators,
Jeff Merkley of Oregon and Chris Murphy of Connecticut, introduced a bill this
week that would allow individuals who haven’t yet reached 65 and small
businesses to buy into the Medicare program. It would also substantially
increase subsidies for people buying ACA marketplace plans.
·
Democratic efforts to
expand the population that can use Medicare could hit opposition from two key
groups: health care providers, such as hospitals and doctors, who object to the
lower reimbursement, and seniors, who may be afraid that resources could be
stretched too thin.
·
Medicaid expansion
advocates in some conservative states seek to follow Maine in getting the issue
on the ballot, but those efforts in very conservative states, such as Utah and
Idaho, face immense obstacles.
·
Despite a court last week
throwing out Maryland’s new law on drug pricing, other states are moving
forward on efforts to bring more transparency to what consumers are charged for
their prescriptions.
·
Lawmakers are scurrying
to push through Congress efforts to help fight the nation’s opioid epidemic.
One measure, by Sens. Lamar Alexander (R-Tenn.) and Patty Murray (D-Wash.), is
expected to be marked up next week. Rep. Greg Walden (R-Ore.), the head of the
House Energy and Commerce Committee, says his panel will bring a bill to the
floor by Memorial Day.
Plus,
for “extra credit,” the panelists recommend their favorite health stories of
the week they think you should read, too.
Joanne
Kenen: The New York Times’ “How Profiteers Lure Women Into
Often-Unneeded Surgery,” by Matthew Goldstein and Jessica
Silver-Greenberg
Margot
Sanger-Katz: STAT.com’s “A ‘Breakthrough in Organ
Preservation’: Study Shows Keeping Livers Warm Helps Preserve Them for
Transplant,” by Eric Boodman
Paige
Winfield Cunningham: The Washington Post’s “Science Hinted That Cancer Patients
Could Take Less of a $148,000-a-Year Drug. Its Maker Tripled the Price of a
Pill,” by Carolyn Y. Johnson
Sarah
Jane Tribble: The Washington Post’s “‘One Last Time’: Barbara Bush Had
Already Faced a Death More Painful Than Her Own,” by Steve Hendrix
Additional
Reading
Sanger-Katz
recommended two stories during the opioid discussion. Here are the links to
those, too:
Reason’s
“America’s War on Pain Pills Is
Killing Addicts and Leaving Patients in Agony,” by Jacob Sullum
Harper’s
“The Pain Refugees: The Forgotten
Victims of America’s Opioid Crisis,” by Brian Goldstone
To hear all our podcasts, click here.
And subscribe to What the Health? on iTunes, Stitcher or Google Play.
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