With Individual Mandate Scrapped, Employers Say ‘It’s Our Turn’
Employers have long-chafed at what they see as the onerous rules that came with the Affordable Care Act. But now that Congress has killed the individual mandate, employers say that their requirements should be the next to go. Meanwhile, becomes the first state to get approval to impose work requirements on Medicaid beneficiaries.
The New York Times:
Individual Mandate Now Gone, G.O.P. Targets The One For Employers
Having wiped out the requirement for people to have health insurance, Republicans in Congress are taking aim at a new target: the mandate in the Affordable Care Act that employers offer coverage to employees. And many employers are cheering the effort. (Pear, 1/14)
The New York Times:
To Get Medicaid In Kentucky, Many Will Have To Work. Advocates For The Poor Say They Will Sue.
Kentucky will be the first state to require many of its Medicaid recipients to work or face losing their benefits after the Trump administration approved its plan on Friday. Advocates for the poor threatened lawsuits, while Gov. Matt Bevin, a Republican, celebrated the approval as “the most transformational entitlement reform that has been seen in a quarter of a century.” (Goodnough, 1/12)
The Associated Press:
Medicaid Work Mandate Will Create Uncertainty In Some States
Republicans this past week began to realize their long-held goal of requiring certain adults to work, get job training or perform community service in exchange for getting health coverage through Medicaid. Whether that's a commonsense approach or an added burden that will end up costing many Americans their health insurance will now be debated in states across the country considering the landmark change to the nation's largest health insurance program. (1/14)
The Hill:
Court Battle Brewing Over Work Rules For Medicaid
A battle is brewing in the courts over the Trump administration's move to let states impose work requirements for recipients of Medicaid, the health insurance program for the poor. Advocacy groups are gearing up to sue the administration, arguing that it doesn’t have the power to allow work requirements and other rules for Medicaid without action from Congress. (Roubein and Sullivan, 1/15)
The Hill:
Five Things To Know About Medicaid Work Requirements
The Trump administration released landmark guidance this week aimed at allowing states to impose work requirements for Medicaid beneficiaries, a major shift in the design of the health insurance program for the poor and disabled. Here are five things to know about work requirements. (Weixel, 1/15)
NPR:
Medicaid Restrictions That Require Recipients To Work Miss The Point, Critics Say
Medicaid's chief federal officer is Seema Verma; her home state of Indiana submitted plans for a work requirement last year, and the approval letter could come any day now. Under the proposal, people would have to average 20 hours a week of work or another qualifying activity — such as volunteering or getting an education — to get Medicaid. The goal is to increase employment among Medicaid recipients. But Sara Rosenbaum, a professor of health law and policy at George Washington University, says there's a problem with that — most people on Medicaid are already working, or looking for work. Or they're caring for a child or family member, or they're sick or disabled. (Harper, 1/12)
In other national health care news —
The New York Times:
Trump Is In ‘Excellent Health,’ Doctor Says After Exam
President Trump is in excellent health, his doctor said on Friday after his first comprehensive physical exam since he was elected. “The president’s physical exam today at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center went exceptionally well,” Dr. Ronny L. Jackson, a rear admiral in the Navy and the White House physician, said in a statement. “The president is in excellent health.” (Shear and Altman, 1/12)
The New York Times:
C.D.C. Postpones Session Preparing U.S. For Nuclear War
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has decided to postpone its session on nuclear attack preparedness next week. Much attention had been drawn to the timing of the agency’s session, which was publicized just days after President Trump touted the size of his nuclear button compared with North Korea’s. Late Friday afternoon, the C.D.C. announced that it had changed its mind about next Tuesday’s topic, making a last-minute revision to reflect concerns about cases of severe flu. (Kaplan, 1/12)
The Washington Post:
CDC Postpones Session On 'Preparing For The Unthinkable': A Nuclear Blast
The session was to feature presentations from U.S. experts on public health preparedness and response and radiation, including one titled “Preparing for the Unthinkable.” It was planned months ago as part of a regular series of monthly webinars the CDC called Public Health Grand Rounds, officials said. But media interest in the topic was unusually strong, given the escalating tensions between President Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un and their most recent war of words over which leader has the larger nuclear arsenal and bigger “nuclear button.” About three dozen media outlets had expressed interest in attending the session, which is broadcast from CDC’s headquarters in Atlanta. The initial CDC announcement featured a photograph of the distinctive mushroom cloud from a nuclear blast. (Sun, 1/12)
The New York Times:
He Helped Ex-Players Get Benefits. His Family Is Still Waiting.
When the Pittsburgh Steelers begin their march to a potential seventh Super Bowl championship on Sunday afternoon, Garrett Webster will be delivering pizza from his 14-year-old Honda Pilot. This might surprise fans and his customers, but Mr. Webster, the 33-year-old son of Mike Webster, the stalwart center of the Steelers’ dynasty of the 1970s, has to make ends meet. Playoff game days are especially busy. (Belson, 1/13)
Kaiser Health News:
In Wisconsin, Hopes Rise For Production Of A Lifesaving Radioactive Isotope
In a cornfield here, past the shuttered General Motors plant and the Janesville Terrace trailer home park, a facility not seen in the United States in three decades could soon rise: a manufacturing plant that will make a vital radioactive isotope used to detect cancer and other potentially fatal maladies in millions of people every year. (Varney, 1/16)
The Washington Post:
Tide Pod Challenge: What Is It, And Why Is The Viral Video Dare Dangerous?
First, it was the “gallon challenge” and the “cinnamon challenge.” Then some teenagers started playing the “bath-salt challenge.” They have dared each other to pour salt in their hands and hold ice till it burns, douse themselves in rubbing alcohol and set themselves ablaze, and throw boiling water on unsuspecting peers. Now videos circulating on social media are showing kids biting into brightly colored liquid laundry detergent packets. Or cooking them in frying pans, then chewing them up before spewing the soap from their mouths. (Bever, 1/13)
Stat:
A Health Advocate's Crusade Brings Skin Lightening Out Of The Dark
[Amira Adawe's] visits are more than social, however. The public health advocate scans market shelves for skin lightening creams that may contain harmful toxins — tubes and jars sold under names such as Fair & Lovely, Prime White, and Miss Beauty 7 Days White. Some women use the creams in hopes of erasing dark spots, but many rub them over their entire bodies multiple times a day in hopes of whitening their brown skin. The practice pervades many cultures in Africa, Asia, the Middle East — and many immigrant communities in the U.S. — and Adawe has made it her mission to end it. (Eldred, 1/16)