Price Confirmed As HHS Secretary Along Party Lines After Democrats Run The Clock Out
Rep. Tom Price, R-Ga., has drawn scrutiny from Democrats about both his health care views and his stock trading.
Los Angeles Times:
Sharply Divided Senate Approves Trump's Pick To Be Health Secretary
Rep. Tom Price won Senate confirmation early Friday to be Health and Human Services secretary, overcoming bitter opposition from Democrats who have criticized the Georgia congressman’s calls to repeal the Affordable Care Act and scale back Medicare, Medicaid and other government safety net programs. Price is now expected to assume a leading role in helping guide the Republican effort to roll back the healthcare law, often called Obamacare, and to develop an alternative. (Levey, 2/9)
In other national health care news —
The Associated Press:
12.2 Million Sign Up For 'Obamacare' Despite Its Problems
More than 12.2 million people have signed up for coverage nationwide this year under the Obama-era health care law even with the uncertainty created by President Donald Trump's vow to repeal and replace it. A count by The Associated Press shows that many consumers returned to the program despite its problems. Aside from the political turmoil, those difficulties include a spike in premiums, rising deductibles and dwindling choice of insurers. (2/10)
The Wall Street Journal:
GOP Ramps Up Effort To Transform Medicaid Into Block Grants
Congressional Republicans are stepping up efforts to overhaul how Medicaid is funded, a move that could reduce the funds states receive while giving states more control over the roughly $500 billion program. House Republicans this week weighed bills on Medicaid eligibility that are widely seen as their first move toward a broader overhaul. (Levitz and Armour, 2/9)
The Wall Street Journal:
Anti-Trump Crowds Rule At Republicans’ Town Halls
Town halls held by Republican Reps. Diane Black of Tennessee and Justin Amash of Michigan on Thursday also drew big numbers and tough questions. At earlier home-district events in states including Colorado, Florida, Virginia and California, GOP House members were surprised by rowdy crowds, often declaring support for the Affordable Care Act, which Republicans have vowed to repeal. The protests, some organized by activists, recall the opposition early in the Obama administration to that same Democratic-sponsored health-care law. That gave birth to the tea-party movement—a parallel not lost on some protesters. (Tau, 2/10)
The Wall Street Journal:
Anthem To Appeal Decision Against Cigna Deal
Anthem Inc. on Thursday appealed a federal judge’s decision to block its acquisition of Cigna Corp., but the future of the deal was unclear amid discord between the two partners. On Wednesday, U.S. District Judge Amy Berman Jackson said the proposed $48 billion deal between the two health insurers violated federal antitrust law because it would create an unacceptable reduction in the number of companies able to serve large multistate employers that offer insurance to their workers. (Wilde Mathews, 2/9)
Stat:
Cancer Drug Reports: No Link Between Benefit And Price
Cancer drugs have been under a critical lens for many years now — and for good reason, according to a duo of new papers. Two thirds of recently approved cancer drugs just don’t work all that well, particularly when compared to their cost, according to a report in the Annals of Oncology. Another notable conclusion: The paper found no improved benefit from personalized medicine drugs, and first-in-class drugs. (Keshavan, 2/9)
ProPublica:
How A Simple Fix To Reduce Aberrant Prescribing Became Not So Simple
Back in 2014, federal officials settled on what they thought would be a straightforward fix to curb abusive pill pushing: Require doctors and other health providers to register with the Medicare program in order to prescribe medications for beneficiaries. That way, the government could screen them and take action if their prescribing habits were deemed improper. Officials figured the modest change would barely ruffle the medical community: Doctors already had to fill out an application, have their credentials verified and enroll to get paid by Medicare for seeing patients, after all. (Ornstein, 2/10)