Congress Leaves For 7-Week Recess With Zika Funding Unresolved
Legislation to fund the battle against the virus was just one of several bills lawmakers have punted to the fall.
The New York Times:
Congress Recesses, Leaving More Stalemates Than Accomplishments
Congress limped out of town Thursday for a seven-week recess, leaving behind a trail of partisan fights, a failed bill to help fight the Zika virus, a stalemate on gun safety and a few mundane accomplishments that members hoped to sell as awesome to voters in an unsparing mood. The fierce partisanship was evident as some House Republicans filed a resolution to impeach the Internal Revenue Service commissioner, John A. Koskinen, while Hillary Clinton, over lunch at the Capitol with Senate Democrats, stressed that their hopes of reclaiming the majority were bound up with her aspirations of winning the White House. (Herszenhorn and Steinhauer, 7/14)
In other national health care news —
Politico:
Why Obama's 'Public Option' May Disappoint
President Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton over the past week have both called for a new government-run insurance option. But the "public option"— which some Democrats have been trying to enact since health law negotiations in 2009 — isn't a panacea for the problems plaguing Obamacare, Harvard expert Katherine Baicker tells POLITICO's "Pulse Check" podcast. (Diamond, 7/14)
USA Today:
Republicans Say Abortion Clinics Broke The Law By Selling Fetal Organs
Republicans on a special House panel investigating the practices of abortion providers said Thursday those providers and their middlemen have violated federal law by selling tissues and organs from aborted fetuses. In an interim report to Congress, the panel’s GOP majority said it has uncovered evidence that some providers were so eager to profit from selling fetal tissue that they altered abortion procedures to put financial benefit above the health of women. (Collins, 7/14)
ProPublica:
As Cases Multiply, Officials Scramble To Stop Abuse Of Nursing Home Residents On Social Media
When a certified nursing assistant in Hubbard, Iowa, shared a photo online in March of a nursing home resident with his pants around his ankles, his legs and hand covered in feces, the most surprising aspect of state health officials' investigation was this: It wasn't against the law. The Iowa law designed to protect dependent adults from abuse was last updated in 2008, before many social media apps existed. ... The Iowa incident is just one illustration of how regulators and law enforcement officials nationwide are struggling to respond when employees at long-term care facilities violate the privacy of residents by posting photos on social media websites. (Ornstein and Huseman, 7/14)
The Wall Street Journal:
Medicare Backs ID Numbers For Medical Devices
The federal Medicare agency has endorsed the use of unique identification numbers in billing records for medical devices, a move safety advocates say is crucial in helping detect malfunctions in devices such as heart defibrillators, blood filters and hip and knee joints. The move is a shift for the agency, which hadn’t recommended such a step before, though it has for years been advocated by many lawmakers and officials at the Food and Drug Administration. (Burton, 7/14)
The Wall Street Journal:
Trying To Serve More Veterans Faster, VA Opens Door To Disability Fraud
The Department of Veterans Affairs, fiercely criticized in recent years for slow and shoddy work, has reacted by expanding coverage and speeding up claims processing. Now critics say the reduced evidence requirements and briefer investigations can mean claims get padded, wasting funds and time better directed to more-qualified veterans, according to interviews with more than 40 current and former VA staffers, doctors, veterans and government agents. (Huang, 7/14)