IRS Aggressively Enforcing Employer Mandate Despite Trump’s Promise That Health Law Is All But Dead
Business groups want relief from the mandate, but lawmakers have little appetite to take up any more changes in this politically charged election year.
The New York Times:
Trump Says He Got Rid Of Obamacare. The I.R.S. Doesn’t Agree.
At a rally in Michigan a little over a week ago, President Trump assured his supporters that he had kept his promise to abolish the Affordable Care Act — even though Congress had failed to repeal the Obama-era health law. “Essentially, we are getting rid of Obamacare,” Mr. Trump said, reminding a cheering crowd that the individual mandate that required most people to have health insurance or pay a penalty was scrapped as part of the Republican tax bill he signed into law last year. “Some people would say, essentially, we have gotten rid of it.” (Rappeport, 5/6)
In other national health care news —
The New York Times:
V.A. Medical System Staggers As Chaos Engulfs Its Leadership
At first, it was one doctor quitting the tiny Ukiah Veterans Affairs Outpatient Clinic in Northern California. Then another left, and another, until of the five doctors there a year ago, only one remained. The Veterans Choice Act, passed by Congress amid scandalous stories of hidden waiting lists at Veterans Affairs hospitals, allowed more veterans to get care from private providers, but it created an avalanche of paper at Veterans Affairs facilities as outside doctors sent in information on patients. Veterans Affairs doctors had to enter so many medical records manually into the aging department health records system that it crippled their ability to see patients. (Philipps and Fandos, 5/4)
The Washington Post:
The Use Of Virtual Doctors Visits Are Growing But Insurance Doesn't Always Pay
Tucked into the federal budget law Congress passed in February was a provision that significantly expands the use of telemedicine — long a hyped health-care reform and now poised to go mainstream within five to 10 years. “There’s much broader recognition of the benefits,” said Mei Wa Kwong, executive director of the Center for Connected Health Policy, a research group that promotes telemedicine in Sacramento. “The law is the latest to make telemedicine more accessible. But we still have a ways to go before most consumers are aware of the option.” (Findlay, 5/6)
The Wall Street Journal:
Opioid Vs. Crack: Congress Reconsiders Its Approach To Drug Epidemic
In the 1980s, Congress passed a series of laws that aimed to counter the widespread use of crack cocaine with tougher sentencing guidelines. Three decades later, lawmakers are once again considering legislation aimed at curbing a drug crisis: opioid abuse. This time, the emphasis is on funding research into a public-health crisis and enabling states to deal with its consequences. Lawmakers and experts haven’t reached a consensus on why the federal government’s response to opioids is so different from the crack epidemic that preceded it. Nor has the dynamic entirely changed on Capitol Hill. Although there is nearly universal support for a robust response to opioid abuse, a bipartisan push to revise the sentencing guidelines set during the crack era faces a more uncertain legislative future. (Peterson and Armour, 5/5)
Stat:
Drug Distributors Get Hauled To The Hill To Answer Questions About Opioids
The rhetoric has come from lawmakers and doctors, entertainers and academics, and even from President Trump: The pharmaceutical industry, all have said, is in large part to blame for the ongoing opioid crisis. But even amid an epidemic that took nearly 50,000 American lives in 2016, lawmakers have remained reluctant to bring pharmaceutical executives to Capitol Hill and question them face to face. (Facher, 5/7)
The New York Times:
Romaine Riddle: Why The E. Coli Outbreak Eludes Food Investigators
Scientists searching for a toxic strain of E. coli that has raced across 25 states, sickening 121 people and killing one, have been able to identify the general source as the Yuma, Ariz., growing region. But as the outbreak enters its second month, they still cannot find the contamination itself — it could be lurking in the area’s fields, water sources, harvesting equipment, processing plants or distribution centers. Federal officials predict that the outbreak, linked to romaine lettuce, will continue for several weeks. (Hoffman, 5/7)
The Washington Post:
Alzheimer’s Cure Is Being Pursued With The Help Of An Online Game
Want to cure Alzheimer’s? Get in line. Researchers have long been puzzled by the disease and vexed by how long it’s taking to unravel its mysteries. One group of scientists is helping speed up that process with assistance from the public. “Stall Catchers,” a game created by Cornell University’s Human Computation Institute, turns the hunt for a cure from frustrating to fun. In the game, players watch short movies — made using a multiphoton microscope — that show blood flowing through the brains of living mice. Players work on a data set of thousands of images to point out “stalls” — areas of reduced blood flow caused by white blood cells accumulating on the sides of the vessels. (Blakemore, 5/6)
The Wall Street Journal:
Which Anti-Depressant Is Right For You? Your DNA Can Shed Some Light
Paxil or Prozac, Zoloft or Lexapro? When treating a patient suffering from depression, Brent Forester considers which anti-depressant to prescribe—ideally, one that will ease psychic pain without side effects. It can be a tough call. (Lagnado, 5/6)