Republicans Brace For Political Fallout As Lawsuit Challenging Health Law Heads For Its Day In Court
The suit challenging the health law's constitutionality is based out of Texas, where a group of Republican attorneys general are set to face off against a group of Democratic attorneys general. But even Republicans are worried about the impact a ruling could have on midterms. “There's no question it complicates things for Republicans if a decision comes down in October," said Rodney Whitlock, a Washington healthcare strategist and former GOP Senate staffer.
Modern Healthcare:
ACA Court Case Causing Jitters In D.C. And Beyond
For months, congressional Republicans have ignored the Texas-led lawsuit seeking to overturn the Affordable Care Act. With the midterm elections looming, talk of the case threatened to reopen wounds from failed attempts to repeal the law. Not to mention that legal experts have been panning the basis of the suit. But that's all changing as the ACA faces its day in court … again. The queasy feeling of uncertainty that surrounded the law just one year ago is back. The level of panic setting in for the industry and lawmakers is pinned to oral arguments set for Sept. 5 in Texas vs. Azar. (Luthi, 8/31)
In other national health care news —
NPR:
Analysts Predict Health Care Marketplace Premiums Will Stabilize In 2019
Consumers who buy insurance through the Affordable Care Act markets may be pleasantly surprised this fall as average premiums are forecast to rise much less than in recent years. The price of a 2019 policy sold on the ACA exchanges will increase less than 4 percent according to an analysis of preliminary filings from insurers in all 50 states by ACASignups.net, a web site and blog run by analyst Charles Gaba that tracks ACA enrollment and insurer participation. (Kodjak, 9/3)
The Wall Street Journal:
Voters Focus On Economy, Health Care And Immigration In Midterms
When Lou Hurst heads to the polls this November, two issues will be at the top of her mind as she casts her vote in the 2018 midterm election: the economy and health care. While she acknowledges that a low unemployment rate and other indicators point to a strong economy, Ms. Hurst said she is worried about wealth inequality and stagnant wage growth. She also is concerned that Republicans, if they keep total control of Congress, would again try to repeal or gut the Affordable Care Act. (Duehren, 9/3)
Politico:
GOP Leaders Scramble To Avoid Pre-Election Day Shutdown
Congressional Republicans return to Washington on Tuesday with a singular goal for September: avoid a government shutdown. But with President Donald Trump in the Oval Office, that’s easier said than done. (Bade and Bresnahan, 9/3)
Politico:
Immigrants, Fearing Trump Crackdown, Drop Out Of Nutrition Programs
Immigrants are turning down government help to buy infant formula and healthy food for their young children because they’re afraid the Trump administration could bar them from getting a green card if they take federal aid. Local health providers say they’ve received panicked phone calls from both documented and undocumented immigrant families demanding to be dropped from the rolls of WIC, a federal nutrition program aimed at pregnant women and children, after news reports that the White House is potentially planning to deny legal status to immigrants who’ve used public benefits. Agencies in at least 18 states say they’ve seen drops of up to 20 percent in enrollment, and they attribute the change largely to fears about the immigration policy. (Bottemiller Evich, 9/3)
Los Angeles Times:
Caught In A Political Echo Chamber? Listening To The Opposition Can Make Partisanship Even Worse
Dwelling in a political echo chamber — where you only encounter people who agree with you — is hardly conducive to a healthy democracy. But it turns out that broadening your horizons by perusing opposing points of view on social media may just make the partisan divide worse. That’s the depressing result of an unusual experiment involving 909 Democrats and 751 Republicans who spend a lot of time on Twitter. (Kaplan, 8/31)
Stat:
Berkshire Hathaway Investors See Another Blockbuster For Warren Buffett
Inside Berkshire Hathaway, some investors think legendary CEO Warren Buffett may be laying the groundwork for a blockbuster business opportunity, spawned from the health care venture he recently formed with the leaders of Amazon and JPMorgan Chase. While most of the national discussion about the high-profile venture has focused on its potential to reshape the U.S. health care system, interviews with two long-time Berkshire shareholders show that within Buffett World, it’s also seen as a chance to develop profit-making lines of business and new investment ideas. (Ross, 9/4)
The New York Times:
Scientists Are Retooling Bacteria To Cure Disease
In a study carried out over the summer, a group of volunteers drank a white, peppermint-ish concoction laced with billions of bacteria. The microbes had been engineered to break down a naturally occurring toxin in the blood. The vast majority of us can do this without any help. But for those who cannot, these microbes may someday become a living medicine. (Zimmer, 9/4)
The New York Times:
From 0 To 10 Million: Vaping Takes Off In The U.S.
Some experts have suggested that e-cigarettes can help wean people off regular cigarettes; others believe that they reinforce the smoking habit and increase the user’s exposure to nicotine. But there’s no dispute that e-cigarettes have grown popular since their introduction in 2004. Now a nationwide survey has found that 10.8 million adults in the United States are vaping. (Bakalar, 8/31)
The New York Times:
A Debate Over ‘Rational Suicide’
On a March morning in 1989, Robert Shoots was found dead in his garage in Weir, Kan. He had run a tube from the tailpipe of his beloved old Chrysler to the front seat, where he sat with a bottle of Wild Turkey. He was 80. His daughter wishes he had mentioned this plan when they spoke by phone the night before, because she didn’t get to say a satisfying goodbye. But she would not have tried to dissuade him from suicide. Years earlier, he had told her of his intentions. (Span, 8/31)