Viewpoints: McConnell Hasn’t Magically Transformed Plan Into A Good Bill
A selection of opinions on health care developments from around the state.
Los Angeles Times:
The New GOP Healthcare Bill Is More Conservative And More Moderate, And Still Plain Bad
Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) has done something remarkable to the Republican healthcare bill he’s been trying to steer through the Senate: He’s simultaneously made it more conservative and more moderate. But he hasn’t magically transformed it into a good bill that would make healthcare better or more accessible in this country. (7/14)
Los Angeles Times:
Revised GOP Healthcare Bill Succeeds At Making Things Even Worse
The revised GOP bill includes Cruz’s proposal that insurers be permitted to offer cheaper, skimpier plans that fall short of what the Affordable Care Act defined as basic coverage, as long as they continue to offer at least one plan that meets the Obamacare requirements... Without healthier people’s premiums to offset claims submitted by the ill, insurers would have no choice but to raise rates for the sick. (David Lazarus, 7/14)
Orange County Register:
Senate GOP Bill Would Devastate Children’s Health Care
Providing quality health care to our nation’s children should be sacrosanct. But for many members of Congress, it’s not. The Senate Republican health care bill has made that clear. The bill’s draconian cuts to Medicaid — used to pay for tax cuts for the richest Americans — would potentially devastate care for California’s children, particularly those with disabilities and complex health care needs. (Sen. Dianne Feinstein, 7/12)
Los Angeles Times:
Slashing Medicaid Is Probably The Worst Way To Fight An Opioid Addiction Epidemic
Most readers know by now that deep cuts to Medicaid over the next decade are a central feature of the healthcare reform proposal before the U.S. Senate this week — and a terrible policy that would put health coverage out of reach for millions of Americans. But here’s yet another reason why senators should think twice about voting for the Better Care Reconciliation Act: Doing so would pull the rug out from under those fighting to stop the raging opioid epidemic. (7/11)
Los Angeles Times:
More Evidence Shows Obamacare Is Getting Healthier, But Will That Stop The GOP Wrecking Crew?
Data in a new report issued Monday confirms that the Affordable Care Act market stabilized in the first quarter of this year, becoming more profitable for insurers offering individual policies. That’s good news for the millions of Americans who depend on Obamacare for their health coverage. But it may be bad news for congressional Republicans whose insistence that the ACA marketplace is collapsing in a “death spiral” undergirds their efforts to repeal the law. (Michael Hiltzik, 7/10)
Modesto Bee:
Modesto Man Thanks The ACA For Flimsy Health Plan And Sky-High Insurance Rates
[Bruce] Pardini is among the middle class voices that are disenchanted with the promises of the Affordable Care Act. With a household income of $73,000 a year, Pardini and his wife are not eligible for tax credits to lower their premiums. (Ken Carlson, 7/11)
Modesto Bee:
State Can Make Lives Better, Save Money And Fight Disease By Passing Gray’s AB447
Diabetes is a chronic condition, so diligent monitoring and management of blood-sugar levels is the key to avoiding complications, a critical part of thriving for those affected. That’s why I found it particularly troubling that Medi-Cal – the state-run health plan for seniors, persons with disabilities, and low-income individuals – did not cover life-saving continuous glucose monitors. (Adam Gray, 7/10)
Sacramento Bee:
The Best Hope To Help Sacramento's Homeless
Effectively addressing homelessness in our community does not seem to be a lack of commitment or effort, but a lack of regional planning and coordination. As we have seen from Getting to Zero, collaboration allows us to build on the success and innovation of our partners, solve problems across jurisdictions, eliminate unnecessary duplication and to direct the passion and resources where they are needed most. (Ryan Loofbourrow, 7/10)
Los Angeles Times:
Consider Vaccines, Repellents And Other Precautions Before Traveling Overseas This Summer
Small talk during the course of an office visit sometimes turns to the topic of summer vacation plans. My patients might be seeing me for nausea, but when they tell me about their upcoming trips to distant locales, I’m the one who turns green. (Dr. Stan Wasbin, 7/10)
Los Angeles Times:
Is Junk Science About To Enter An L.A. Courtroom In A Lawsuit Over Ovarian Cancer?
The plaintiffs say they trusted that Johnson & Johnson wouldn’t market an unsafe product, only to learn after they fell ill that research had established a link between talc and ovarian cancer years earlier, and the company had refused to place a warning label on its packaging. Yet these cases should raise the same doubts as the other lawsuits, which we aired last year. (Michael Hiltzik, 7/8)