‘It Is A Red Flag’: Lawmakers Balk At Trump’s Proposal To Cut Funding For Popular CHIP Program
Administration officials say the proposed $7 billion cut wouldn't negatively affect the Children’s Health Insurance Program, because it would target an emergency fund that states can tap into if they have higher-than expected enrollment and other money that can't be spent.
The Wall Street Journal:
Congress Leery Of Trump’s Cuts To Children’s Health Program
President Donald Trump’s proposal to roll back $7 billion from the popular Children’s Health Insurance Program drew immediate bipartisan concern Tuesday, an indication of the hurdles the effort to cut federal spending will face in the Senate. The proposed cuts to the children’s health program quickly emerged as the most contentious element of Mr. Trump’s request that Congress rescind about $15 billion in funds that had been previously authorized but not spent. “It is a red flag with me,” Sen. Shelley Moore Capito (R., W.Va.) said of the proposed CHIP cuts, noting she was reviewing the proposal. “I’ve been a big proponent of CHIP from the beginning. It’s vital to our state.” (Peterson, 5/8)
In other national health care news —
The Associated Press:
CDC Boss Gets $165,300 Pay Cut From Record-Setting Salary
The new head of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has gotten a big salary reduction. A spokeswoman for the Department of Health and Human Services said Tuesday that Dr. Robert Redfield Jr.'s new salary will be $209,700, down from $375,000. The previous figure was at least $150,000 more than any previous CDC director had received. (5/8)
The Hill:
Schumer: Dems Will Be 'Relentless' In Attacking GOP For Premium Hikes
Senate Minority Leader Charles Schumer (D-N.Y.) said Tuesday that Democrats are going to be “relentless” in attacking Republicans for looming ObamaCare premium hikes as Democrats seek to harness the issue for the midterm elections. Schumer pointed to proposals that have been released in recent days showing double-digit premium increases for next year, with insurers citing the GOP repeal of ObamaCare’s individual mandate among the factors driving up premiums. (Sullivan, 5/8)
The Associated Press:
Drug Supply Firm Execs Say They Didn't Cause Opioids Crisis
Top executives of the nation's leading wholesale drug distributors told Congress under oath Tuesday that their companies didn't help cause the nation's deadly opioid epidemic, drawing bipartisan wrath that included one lawmaker suggesting prison terms for some company officials. The confrontation came at a House subcommittee hearing at which legislators asked why huge numbers of potentially addictive prescription opioid pills had been shipped to West Virginia, among the states hardest hit by the drug crisis. Lawmakers are making an election-year push for legislation aimed at curbing a growing epidemic that saw nearly 64,000 people die last year from drug overdoses, two-thirds from opioids. (5/8)
The Associated Press:
House Panel OKs Plan To Grow VA Private Care, A Trump Pledge
A House committee approved a wide-ranging plan Tuesday to give veterans more freedom to see doctors outside the Veterans Affairs health system and fix a budget crisis in its troubled Choice private-sector program, a major step toward fulfilling President Donald Trump's promise to expand private care options. The $51 billion plan includes $5.2 billion to avert a catastrophic shutdown of Choice. The program is slated to run out of money as early as May 31, causing disruptions in medical care to tens of thousands of patients. (5/8)
The New York Times:
Valeant, Distancing Itself From Its Past, Will Change Its Name To Bausch Health
Valeant Pharmaceuticals International, the company whose enormous price increases on old drugs helped fuel public outrage over high drug costs, is changing its name, the company announced Tuesday. The new name will be Bausch Health Companies, to reflect the company’s better-known and more respected subsidiary, the eye care company Bausch + Lomb, which it acquired in 2013. The company announced the change, which will take effect in July, as part of its first-quarter earnings. (Thomas, 5/8)
Stat:
Can Precision Medicine Do For Depression What It's Done For Cancer?
The idea of precision medicine for depression is quickly gaining ground — just last month, Stanford announced it is establishing a Center for Precision Mental Health and Wellness. And depression is one of many diseases targeted by All of Us, the National Institute of Health campaign launched this month to collect DNA and other data from 1 million Americans. Doctors have been treating cancer patients this way for years, but the underlying biology of mental illness is not as well understood. (Thielking, 5/9)