Insurers’ Financial Well-Being Has Improved After Rocky First Years Of Health Law, Report Finds
Industry officials, however, say the health of a company can’t be judged by stock prices alone, and many of the biggest publicly traded companies have pulled back on the individual insurance market. Meanwhile, Democrats are getting ready to use expected premium increases against Republicans in the midterms.
The Wall Street Journal:
White House Report Says Insurers Doing Well, Increasing ACA Subsidy Doubts
Health insurers have largely adjusted to the impact of the 2010 Affordable Care Act, the White House will say in an economic report Wednesday, a finding that will likely undercut lawmakers’ efforts to secure federal funds to blunt potential premium increases for the coming year. Republicans, Democrats and the White House are negotiating the provisions of a major spending bill that must pass by Saturday or risk a government shutdown. The insurance payments are part of those discussions. (Radnofsky, 3/21)
The Hill:
Dems Aim To Turn ObamaCare Hikes Into Election Weapon
Democrats are gearing up to blame Republicans for ObamaCare premium increases after the likely failure of an effort to stabilize the law in this month’s government funding package. The premium hikes for ObamaCare will likely be announced in October, just a month before a midterm election where Democrats are hoping to win back the House and Senate. (Sullivan, 3/21)
In other national health care news —
Politico:
Trump Can Execute Drug Dealers Already
The state execution of drug smugglers that President Donald Trump has pushed for as part of his plan to combat the opioid crisis is already legal under a 1994 law passed at the height of the crack cocaine epidemic. But in 24 years, federal prosecutors have never once used it. They hardly need to, considering the draconian penalties already available for punishing convicted drug smugglers. (Allen, 3/20)
The New York Times:
N.I.H. To Investigate Outreach To Alcohol Companies
The National Institutes of Health will examine whether health officials violated federal policy against soliciting donations when they met with alcohol companies to discuss funding a study of the benefits of moderate drinking, Dr. Francis Collins, the institutes’ director, said on Tuesday. Dr. Collins also will ask outside experts who are part of a standing advisory committee to review the design and scientific methodology of the 10-year government trial, which is already underway, an N.I.H. spokeswoman said. (Rabin, 3/20)
Kaiser Health News:
Research Misconduct Allegations Shadow Likely CDC Appointee
President Donald Trump’s likely pick to lead the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is facing significant criticism because of a 20-year-old controversy over shoddy HIV research. The Army in 1994 acknowledged accuracy issues with HIV vaccine research led by Dr. Robert Redfield, who is expected to head the CDC, but concluded at the time that the data errors did not constitute misconduct. (Taylor, 3/20)
The Hill:
Political Appointees Led Cancelation Of Teen Pregnancy Prevention Program
Internal emails and memos reveal that political appointees at the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) went against career officials' objections by deciding to cut short grants aimed at preventing teen pregnancy. Documents released under a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request indicate that three political appointees directed the changes to the Teen Pregnancy Prevention (TPP) program: Valerie Huber, who prior to joining HHS headed a national abstinence education advocacy group; Teresa Manning, a former anti-abortion rights lobbyist who has since left HHS; and Steven Valentine, who previously worked for Rep. Chris Smith (R-N.J.), chairman of the Congressional Pro-Life Caucus. (Hellmann, 3/20)
NPR:
Religious Freedom Counts First In This HHS Civil Rights Division
When Roger Severino tells his story, discrimination is at its heart. "I did experience discrimination as a child. And that leaves a lasting impression," he tells me. Severino directs the Office for Civil Rights in the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. When I meet with him at his office in the shadow of the Capitol, he talks about his childhood as the son of Colombian immigrants growing up in Los Angeles. (Kodjak, 3/20)
Kaiser Health News:
Clash Over Abortion Hobbles A Health Bill. Again. Here’s How.
The Affordable Care Act very nearly failed to become law due to an intraparty dispute among Democrats over how to handle the abortion issue. Now a similar argument between Democrats and Republicans is slowing progress on a bill that could help cut soaring premiums and shore up the ACA. At issue is the extent to which the Hyde Amendment — language commonly used by Congress to prohibit most federal abortion funding — should be incorporated into any new legislation affecting the health law. (Rovner, 3/21)
Los Angeles Times:
Congressional Leaders Feud Over Abortion Rights And Healthcare, Putting Spending Bill At Risk
Congressional negotiators laboring to write a trillion-dollar plan to fund the federal government are caught up in last-minute partisan disputes over abortion rights, healthcare costs and the fate of a Northeastern railway tunnel that President Trump has sought to derail. House and Senate leaders must agree on a package before Friday's deadline to avert another government shutdown, which would be the third this year. (Decker, 3/20)