Price’s Second Senate Hearing Comes Amid Increasing Scrutiny Over Stocks, Contributors
Questions are expected to focus on the future of the health law as well as the congressman's past industry dealings. Ethics experts have said that HHS nominee Tom Price has shows "an extraordinary lack of good judgment" when it comes to his campaign and legislative actions.
The Associated Press:
Trump's Pick For Health Secretary Faces New Senate Hearing
A second Senate committee is ready to interrogate President Donald Trump's pick for health secretary, a nominee who's backed by Republicans but under fire from Democrats for his support for tearing down President Barack Obama's health care overhaul and his past stock trades. (Fram and Alonso-Zaldivar, 1/24)
In other national health care news —
Bloomberg:
Republican Senators Appeal To Trump, Democrats In Obamacare Bill
Seeking to bridge the Obamacare divide between Democrats and President Donald Trump, four Republican senators led by Bill Cassidy of Louisiana and Susan Collins of Maine offered a plan Monday to replace the health-care law. The quartet’s proposal could be crucial in the Senate, which Republicans control 52-48. Republicans can’t pass anything without Cassidy, Collins and their co-sponsors Johnny Isakson of Georgia and Shelley Moore Capito of West Virginia. A full replacement would need 60 votes, requiring help from Democrats. Republicans have said for years that they want to repeal and replace the 2010 Affordable Care Act. At a news conference at the Capitol, Cassidy said the group’s plan is designed to do everything Trump has said he wants. (Dennis, 1/23)
The Associated Press:
Trump Can Do Plenty On His Own To Unravel Obama Health Law
President Donald Trump can do plenty on his own to unravel the Obama health care law, but some of those actions would create disruptions that undermine his administration's early promises. Other less sweeping steps could open the way for big changes, but might not get as much notice. Suspending enforcement of tax penalties on people who remain uninsured would win Trump immediate cheers from the political right for taking down a widely unpopular requirement. But experts say it would destabilize insurance markets by allowing healthy people to opt out, raising costs for taxpayers and remaining consumers. (Alonso-Zaldivar, 1/23)
The Washington Post:
The Rush To Get Millennials Health Insurance Before The Possible Repeal Of Obamacare
The outreach workers joined the line at a Michael “Air” Jordan shoe launch. They went to Denny’s after the District’s clubs had closed. They hung out at happy hours with $4 drinks and $7 bar food, laundromats, gyms, and Sunday brunches. This month, as Republicans in Congress moved to dismantle the Affordable Care Act and President Trump signed an executive order weakening its provisions, D.C. health insurance exchange officials were rushing to sign up millennials before the open enrollment period ends Jan. 31. (Brown, 1/23)
The New York Times:
Trump Revives Ban On Foreign Aid To Groups That Give Abortion Counseling
President Trump reinstated a policy on Monday that originated in the Reagan era, prohibiting the granting of American foreign aid to health providers abroad who discuss abortion as a family-planning option. United States law already prohibits the use of American taxpayer dollars for abortion services anywhere, including in countries where the procedure is legal. But Mr. Trump’s order takes the prohibition further: It freezes funding to nongovernmental organizations in poor countries if they offer abortion counseling or if they advocate the right to seek abortion in their countries. (Sengupta, 1/23)
The Associated Press:
Federal Judge Swats Aetna-Humana Insurer Combo
U.S. District Judge John Bates said in an opinion filed Monday that federal regulation would probably be "insufficient to prevent the merged firm from raising prices or reducing benefits," and neither new competitors nor an Aetna plan to sell some of the combined company's business to another insurer, Molina Healthcare Inc., would be enough to ease competitive concerns. (Murphy, 1/23)
The Washington Post:
To Fight Their Negative Image On Prices, Drug Companies Launch A Major Ad Campaign That Doesn’t Mention Them
Just two weeks after President Trump said the pharmaceutical industry is “getting away with murder” on drug prices, the industry's major lobbying group launched its largest-ever ad campaign aimed at rebranding drug companies' image — without even mentioning the topic. Instead of drug prices — which have been the subject of multiple congressional hearings, an issue debated in the presidential campaign and a top concern of consumers — the first television ad focuses on science, patients and the heroism of researchers. (Johnson, 1/23)
The Washington Post:
CDC Abruptly Cancels Long-Planned Conference On Climate Change And Health
With little warning or explanation, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recently canceled a major climate change conference that had been scheduled for next month in Atlanta. The Climate and Health Summit, which had been in the works for months, was intended as a chance for public health officials around the country to learn more about the mounting evidence of the risks to human health posed by the changing climate. But CDC officials abruptly canceled the conference before President Trump’s inauguration, sending a terse email on Jan. 9 to those who had been scheduled to speak at the event. The message did not explain the reason behind the decision. (Dennis, 1/23)