National Roundup: What Will Cancer Moonshot Cost?; Aetna Posts Profits Despite ACA Losses
President Barack Obama will request a funding increase of $1 billion for a cancer initiative, but researchers warn that money will go fast. In other news, Aetna becomes the latest insurer to voice concerns over the sustainability of health law plans even after reporting a surge in earnings; WHO declares Zika a global emergency; and the Obama administration says victims of identity theft have a right to see the perpetrators' health data.
The New York Times:
$1 Billion Planned For Cancer ‘Moonshot’
The Obama administration announced on Monday that it hoped to spend $1 billion to fund a cancer “moonshot” in search of a cure. But in the costly world of biological research, such a sum may be better described as a cancer slingshot, researchers said. “The good news is that the budget is no longer being cut,” said Dr. Peter Adamson, the chairman of the Children’s Oncology Group, which conducts national clinical trials. “But we’re not going to the moon on $1 billion.” (Harris, 2/1)
The Wall Street Journal:
Aetna Reports Surge In Profit And A Dark Spot On Results
Aetna Inc. became the latest health insurer to report losses on 2015 Affordable Care Act business, a dark spot as the company unveiled sharply higher profit for the fourth quarter. Though individual health plans are a small share of Aetna’s overall revenue and enrollment, which totaled 23.5 million at the end of 2015, they are drawing outsized attention amid questions about the future of the marketplaces that are at the heart of the federal health law. (Wilde Mathews and Steele, 2/1)
The New York Times:
Zika Virus A Global Health Emergency, W.H.O. Says
The World Health Organization declared the Zika virus and its suspected link to birth defects an international public health emergency on Monday, a rare move that signals the seriousness of the outbreak and gives countries new tools to fight it. ... At a news conference in Geneva, Dr. Margaret Chan, the director general of the W.H.O, acknowledged that the understanding of the connection between the Zika virus and microcephaly was hazy, and said that uncertainty placed “a heavy burden” on pregnant women and their families throughout the Americas. She said that the emergency designation would allow the health agency to coordinate the many efforts to get desperately needed answers. (Tavernise and McNeil Jr., 2/1)
The Wall Street Journal:
Obama Administration: Victims Of Medical Identity Theft May See Thieves’ Data
People have a right to view and correct medical records that contain the health information of thieves who have stolen their personal data to obtain care, the Obama administration said in a letter to senators. Victims of medical identity theft have had their personal data stolen and used by thieves to get health care, prescriptions, and medical equipment in their name. The victims can wind up with the thief’s health data folded into their own medical charts. (Armour, 2/1)