In Surprising Twist, Ryan Says ‘Insurer Bailout’ Payments Should Continue
The payments -- which reimburse insurers for subsidies that lower the cost of deductibles, copayments and coinsurance for those covered by the health law -- have been a long-time target of congressional Republicans.
The New York Times:
Health Subsidies For Low Earners Will Continue Through 2017, G.O.P. Says
Senior House Republicans said Thursday that they expected the federal government to continue paying billions of dollars in subsidies to health insurance companies to keep low-income people covered under the Affordable Care Act for the rest of this year — and perhaps for 2018 as well. (Pear and Abelson, 3/30)
The Wall Street Journal:
Paul Ryan Signals Support For Insurance Payments Under ACA
“While the lawsuit is being litigated then the administration funds these benefits. That’s how they’ve been doing it and I don’t see any change in that,” Mr. Ryan of Wisconsin told reporters Thursday. Mr. Ryan is the highest-ranking Republican to address the issue and his comments suggest Republicans aren't preparing to take immediate steps to undermine the ACA, the 2010 law also known as Obamacare for the president who signed it. (Peterson, 3/30)
The Hill:
Ryan Won't Commit To Healthcare Vote
One week after the GOP ObamaCare repeal and replacement plan collapsed, Speaker Paul Ryan (R-Wis.) said Thursday he would not commit to holding another healthcare vote. “I’m not going to commit to when and what the vote is going to look like, because it’s my job to make sure that House Republicans can coalesce and come together and draw a consensus," Ryan told reporters at his weekly news conference. (Wong, 3/30)
The Associated Press:
Is 'Obamacare' Repeal Dead -- Or A Legislative Zombie?
President Donald Trump's plan to kill Obamacare died last week. Or maybe it didn't. The repeal effort seems to have assumed zombie status — somewhere between dead and alive. This is never-say-die Washington, where big legislative proposals that are in the casket one day can show signs of a pulse and start climbing out the next. (3/31)
Bloomberg:
Obamacare Stalwart Anthem Seen Likely To Retreat For 2018
Anthem Inc. is likely to pull back from Obamacare’s individual insurance markets in a big way for next year, according to a report from analysts who said they met with the company, a move that could limit coverage options for consumers at a politically crucial time for the law. Anthem “is leaning toward exiting a high percentage of the 144 rating regions in which it currently participates,” Jefferies analysts David Windley and David Styblo said Thursday in a research note. (Tracer, 3/30)
In other national health care news —
The Wall Street Journal:
Trump’s Drug Policy Takes Shape, With Split Personality
As the Trump administration begins to shape its policy on drugs, tension is growing between a treatment-focused approach, embodied in a new commission on opioids headed by New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie, and the aggressive prosecution of drug crimes promised by Attorney General Jeff Sessions. President Donald Trump signaled support for a less-punitive strategy toward opioids by assigning the task force to Mr. Christie, who has made drug rehabilitation a centerpiece of his governorship. ... That sympathetic tone contrasted with Mr. Trump’s vow last month to a police group to be “ruthless’’ in stopping the drug trade and Mr. Sessions’ pledge to “hammer” drug dealers. (Reinhard, 3/31)
The New York Times:
E.P.A. Chief, Rejecting Agency’s Science, Chooses Not To Ban Insecticide
Scott Pruitt, the head of the Environmental Protection Agency, moved late on Wednesday to reject the scientific conclusion of the agency’s own chemical safety experts who under the Obama administration recommended that one of the nation’s most widely used insecticides be permanently banned at farms nationwide because of the harm it potentially causes children and farm workers. (Lipton, 3/29)
Los Angeles Times:
Drastic Cuts To NIH Budget Could Translate To Less Innovation And Fewer Patents, Study Argue
From research on stem cells and DNA sequencing to experiments with fruit flies and surveys of human behavior, projects funded by the National Institutes of Health aim to make Americans healthier. A new analysis finds that NIH-funded research also fuels the kinds of innovations that drive the U.S. economy. Between 1990 and 2012, close to 1 in 10 projects made possible by an NIH grant resulted in a patent, usually for a university or a hospital. (Healy, 3/30)