Republicans Have Plenty Of Ideas For Replacing Health Law — But None They Can Agree On
As time goes on, instead of there being a groundswell of support for a single bill, alternatives are mushrooming. Meanwhile some lawmakers are keen to get the show on the road when it comes to dismantling the health law, and one-time opponents are changing their tune as repeal looms.
Politico:
GOP Swimming In Obamacare Replacements, But No Consensus
Republican leaders want to get their Obamacare repeal effort back on track. There’s a big problem, though: They’re neck-deep in competing plans to replace the law. Nearly a half-dozen plans have been introduced or are coming — none with the broad support needed to get through Congress and win over the public. And that’s making it far more difficult to repeal a law the GOP has spent six years trying to kill. (Everett and Haberkorn, 2/9)
The Hill:
Republicans Growing Impatient With Pace Of ObamaCare Repeal
Republican lawmakers on Wednesday said they are not happy with the pace Congress is taking on repealing ObamaCare. In a meeting with reporters, Sen. Mike Lee (R-Utah) said he would like the healthcare law to be repealed within the next two or three months. "I don't think that we should allow it to go beyond that window, the repeal, because I think the American people are suffering." (Hellmann, 2/8)
The Wall Street Journal:
Obamacare Provisions Gain Unexpected Backers As GOP Moves To Rewrite Law
When the Affordable Care Act was debated in 2010, the country’s biggest gynecologists’ group spoke out against it, saying it wouldn’t help doctors get paid more fairly or avoid frivolous malpractice lawsuits. Today, the American Congress of Obstetricians and Gynecologists is fighting efforts to fully repeal the law, pushing especially to keep a ban on charging women higher health insurance premiums than men. (Hackman, 2/8)
NPR:
Indian Country's New Health Care Jobs Could Vanish With Obamacare Repeal
Since its founding in the 1950s, the Indian Health Service has provided medical care for many Native Americans. But the service has been chronically underfunded, so often pays for care only if someone is in immediate danger of losing life or limb. In recent years, the Affordable Care Act created new health coverage opportunities for more than half a million Native Americans and Alaska Natives — and created jobs in Indian country, too. (Whitney, 2/9)
In other national health care news —
USA Today:
New Stock Questions Plague HHS Nominee Tom Price As Confirmation Vote Nears
President Trump's choice to be the top U.S. health official bought and sold health care company stocks often enough as a member of Congress to warrant probes by both federal securities regulators and the House ethics committee, former government ethics lawyers say. A USA TODAY analysis of stock trade reports by Rep. Tom Price, R-Ga., also shows he often misstated the timing of stock purchases or failed to report them altogether. (O'Donnell, 2/8)
The Washington Post:
More Than 350 Organizations Write Trump To Endorse Current Vaccines’ Safety
More than 350 organizations, including leading U.S. medical, advocacy and professional organizations, have sent a letter to President Trump expressing their “unequivocal support for the safety of vaccines.” The effort, organized by the American Academy of Pediatrics, reflects the growing alarm among a wide array of groups over Trump’s embrace of discredited claims about vaccine safety. After a meeting in January with Robert F. Kennedy Jr., a proponent of the debunked theory that vaccines cause autism, a Trump spokeswoman said he was considering creation of a commission on autism. (Sun, 2/8)
Stat:
Doctors' Antibiotics Guidance May Not Stand Test Of Time
You’ve heard it many times before from your doctor: If you’re taking antibiotics, don’t stop taking them until the pill vial is empty, even if you feel better. The rationale behind this commandment has always been that stopping treatment too soon would fuel the development of antibiotic resistance — the ability of bugs to evade these drugs. Information campaigns aimed at getting the public to take antibiotics properly have been driving home this message for decades. But the warning, a growing number of experts say, is misguided and may actually be exacerbating antibiotic resistance. (Branswell, 2/9)
NPR:
From Measles To Syphilis, The Golden Age Of Germs
Ten thousand years ago, at the dawn of the agricultural revolution, many of our worst infectious diseases didn't exist. Here's what changed. With the rise of agriculture, for the first time in history humans were living in close contact with domesticated animals — milking them, taking care of them and, of course, eating them. All that touching and sharing gave animal germs plenty of chances to get inside us. (Poole, 2/9)