High Premiums A Political Hot Potato As Rates For Next Year Start To Come Out
Democrats are planning to be "relentless" in making sure Americans know who is responsible for the high costs, but Republicans say liberal lawmakers should look in the mirror. Meanwhile, a coalition of state attorneys general from blue states was granted the right to intervene in the lawsuit that seeks to dismantle the Affordable Care Act.
The Hill:
Premium Hikes Reignite The ObamaCare Wars
The ObamaCare premium wars are back. The cost of health insurance plans on the ObamaCare exchanges could jump in the coming weeks, some by double digits, inflaming the issue ahead of the midterm elections. Democrats argue the price increases are the result of what they refer to as “Republican sabotage.” They contend that, since the GOP controls Congress and the White House, the price hikes are their responsibility — and that's the message they plan to take into the fall campaign. (Roubein, 5/16)
The Hill:
Court Rules Dem States Can Intervene In ObamaCare Lawsuit
A federal judge granted a request from states looking to defend ObamaCare in a lawsuit filed in Texas. California Attorney General Xavier Becerra, and 16 other state attorneys general in Democratic states, were granted the right to intervene in the lawsuit that seeks to dismantle the Affordable Care Act (ACA). (Hellmann, 5/16)
In other national health care news —
The Hill:
Graham Working On New ObamaCare Repeal Bill
Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) said Wednesday he is working on a new version of his ObamaCare repeal-and-replace bill and has not given up on efforts to do away with the law despite Republicans’ failure last year. “I haven’t given up,” Graham said. “Will there be another effort to replace ObamaCare with a state-centric plan? I hope so.” The effort appears to have little, if any, chance of passing this year. Republican leadership has made clear that it has moved on from the ObamaCare repeal effort, and the GOP has an even slimmer margin in the Senate than they did last year when they failed to win enough votes for a bill. (Sullivan, 5/16)
The Associated Press:
Vermont Positioned For Cheaper Canadian Prescription Drugs
Vermont has become the first state to create a program to import more affordable prescription drugs from Canada. But it's unclear whether it will happen because it needs federal approval and the White House hasn't endorsed it. Republican Gov. Phil Scott said Wednesday the law would likely reduce costs for Vermonters, although he's unsure whether it will get federal approval. (5/16)
Stat:
Medicare Reform May Be A Long Shot. But Drug Makers Are Already Worried
Among the litany of modest changes that the Trump administration rolled out in its plan to lower drug prices is one big idea that’s already worrying drug makers: a push to consolidate the two disparate Medicare programs that pay for prescription drugs. Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar has been touting the idea all week as a way to bring the negotiating power of the Part D program, which covers seniors’ prescription drugs, into the Part B program, which covers other treatments. “Let me be really clear about this: We are going to bring negotiation to Part B drugs, and we are going to give Part D plans more bargaining power. It’s going to happen,” he said. (Merhson, 5/16)
The Associated Press:
House OKs Expansion Of Private Care At VA, Budget Crisis Fix
The House voted Wednesday to give veterans more freedom to see doctors outside the Veterans Affairs health system, a major shift aimed at reducing wait times and improving medical care despite the concerns of some Democrats who cast it as a risky step toward dismantling the struggling agency. The plan seeks to fulfill President Donald Trump's promise to expand private care to veterans whenever they feel unhappy with VA health care. (5/16)
The New York Times:
Fertility Rate Fell To A Record Low, For A Second Straight Year
The fertility rate in the United States fell to a record low for a second straight year, federal officials reported Thursday, extending a deep decline that began in 2008 with the Great Recession. The fertility rate fell to 60.2 births per 1,000 women of childbearing age, down 3 percent from 2016, according to the National Center for Health Statistics. It was the largest single-year decline since 2010, when families were still feeling the effects of a weak economy. (Tavernise, 5/16)
Los Angeles Times:
FDA Approves Lucemyra To Treat Symptoms Of Opioid Withdrawal And Help Patients Overcome Addiction
"The physical symptoms of opioid withdrawal can be one of the biggest barriers for patients seeking help and ultimately overcoming addiction," said Dr. Scot Gottlieb, the FDA's commissioner. "The fear of experiencing withdrawal symptoms often prevents those suffering from opioid addiction from seeking help. And those who seek assistance may relapse due to continued withdrawal symptoms." (Kaplan, 5/16)
The New York Times:
For Women With Early Breast Cancer, Herceptin Treatment Can Be Much Shorter
Over the past 20 years, hundreds of thousands of women with breast cancer have taken the drug Herceptin, typically for a year or more. The medicine, used to treat an aggressive form of the disease, is credited with saving many lives, but it also has some tough side effects, particularly damage to the heart. A large new study that followed thousands of women with early-stage breast cancer for a median of more than five years has found that those treated with Herceptin for only six months did just as well as those who got it for a year — and they suffered fewer side effects. (Grady, 5/16)
The Washington Post:
Surrogate Mothers Ask Supreme Court To Stop ‘Exploitation’ Of Women And Babies
Melissa Cook's story became headline news in 2015 when she was carrying triplets as a surrogate. The intended dad asked her to abort at least one of them, she says, because he couldn't afford to raise them all. She refused and has been fighting for custody of the children in court ever since. Cook and two other surrogate mothers — Gail Robinson and Toni Bare — are in Washington this week to call on the Supreme Court to provide more clarity on the rights of women and children in the controversial industry. The women, who have separately filed lawsuits in different states, say surrogacy contracts are exploitative to the birth mothers, create a class of women as breeders and commodify children. (Cha, 5/16)
The Associated Press:
Romaine Lettuce Outbreak Update: 172 Sick In 32 States
Health officials say nearly two dozen more cases of a food poisoning outbreak linked to romaine lettuce grown in Arizona have been reported. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said Wednesday that the total number of people sickened by a strain of E. coli is now 172 across 32 states. At least 75 people have been hospitalized, including 20 with kidney failure. One death was in California. (5/16)