The Associated Press: Obama, Pence To Capitol As Health Care Overhaul Fight Begins
While they can hardly prevent the GOP repeal effort from proceeding, the president and House and Senate Democrats were meeting Wednesday to discuss how to best defend a law that's extended health insurance coverage to 20 million Americans and which Obama considers one of the proudest pillars of his legacy. "The more the people understand what's included in the Affordable Care Act and how they benefit from it, the more popular the program is, and the harder it is for Republicans to have political support for tearing it down," White House spokesman Josh Earnest told reporters Tuesday, using the law's formal name. (Fram, 1/4)

The Washington Post: Obama To Huddle With Democrats On Protecting His Signature Health Care Law
President Obama will meet behind closed doors Wednesday morning with congressional Democrats to map out a strategy to defend the Affordable Care Act and other health care policies — the very day Republicans will begin debate on getting rid of the sweeping 2010 health-care law. Obama’s rare visit to Capitol Hill, 2 ½ weeks before Donald Trump assumes the presidency, marks the start of his administration’s final push to defend its achievements before handing over the reins of power in Washington. Next week, Obama will deliver his farewell address in his adopted hometown of Chicago. (Eilperin and Goldstein, 1/4)

Politico: Desperate Democrats Scramble For An Obamacare Strategy
Democrats don’t have the votes to stop Republicans from gutting Obamacare. So as they watch their signature domestic policy accomplishment about to be dismantled, they’re looking to the ground game that helped pass it seven years ago. They're holding rallies in Ohio, Pennsylvania and West Virginia, featuring the stories of some of the red-state Americans who have benefited from the law. They’re urging followers to bombard lawmakers’ district offices and phone lines with calls against repeal. And they’re targeting moderate Republicans in Alaska, Arizona, Maine, Nevada and Tennessee who are up for reelection in 2018 — or who could be influential in the repeal vote — with a seven-figure television and print ad campaign. (Haberkorn and Pradhan, 1/4)

The Wall Street Journal: Senate Moves To Dismantle Health Law
The Republican-controlled Senate on Tuesday took its first step toward dismantling the 2010 Affordable Care Act, using its initial day in office to introduce a measure that sets an aggressive timeline for developing plans to repeal much of President Barack Obama’s signature health law. (Hughes and Peterson, 1/3)

Reuters: U.S. Republican Senator Introduces Obamacare Repeal Resolution
Republican U.S. Senator Mike Enzi introduced on Tuesday a resolution allowing for the repeal of President Barack Obama's signature health insurance program, which provides coverage to millions of Americans, Enzi's office said in a statement. The move by the Senate's budget committee chairman on the first day of the new Congress set in motion the Republican majority's promise to repeal the 2010 Affordable Care Act, known as Obamacare, as its first major legislative item. (Cornwell, 1/3)

Vox: Senate Republicans Just Introduced An Obamacare Repeal Plan Democrats Can’t Stop
Senate Budget Committee Chair Michael Enzi (R-WY) introduced a budget resolution Tuesday that includes "reconciliation instructions" that enable Congress to repeal Obamacare with a simple Senate majority. Passing a budget resolution that includes those instructions will mean that the legislation can pass through the budget reconciliation process, in which bills cannot be filibustered. That means Republicans will only need 50 of their 52 members in the Senate, and a bare majority in the House, to pass legislation repealing the Affordable Care Act. According to the Wall Street Journal, the budget resolution could be passed by both houses as early as next week. (Matthews, 1/3)

Bloomberg: Trump's Efforts To Undo Obamacare Will Be An Early Lesson In The Pace Of Congress 
Donald Trump promised voters an immediate repeal of Obamacare, but Republicans in Congress likely won’t have a bill ready for him on Day One. Or Day Two. Or perhaps even his first two weeks. Republican leaders will start deploying fast-track procedures Wednesday to get the bill through the Senate, but that will require weeks of wrangling, if not longer. It’ll be an early lesson for Trump in the sometimes-glacial pace of Congress. And it’s likely to get more difficult from here, as the incoming president moves on to other areas where Republicans aren’t in such lockstep, such as infrastructure spending, where he might need bipartisan support. (Dennis, 1/4)

Kaiser Health News: Vowing To Jettison Obamacare, Republicans Face Immediate Resistance And Risks
The 115th Congress started work Tuesday with Republican majorities in both the House and Senate in agreement on their top priority — to repeal and replace the 2010 health law, the Affordable Care Act. “The Obamacare experience has proven it’s a failure,” House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., told reporters at an opening day news conference. But that may be where the agreement among Republicans ends. Nearly seven years after its passage, Republicans still have no consensus on how to repeal and replace the measure. (Rovner, 1/3)

And for the California legislature —

The Los Angeles Times: Republicans Finally Have The Power To Repeal Obamacare, But They're Still Not Sure How
Congressional Republicans, despite pledging to quickly repeal the Affordable Care Act, are struggling with what parts of the law to roll back and how to lock up the votes they will need, particularly in the Senate, to push their ambitious plans. (Levey, 1/3)

CNN Money: Fully Repealing Obamacare Will Cost $350 Billion
A full repeal of Obamacare would cost $350 billion over the next decade, according to a new analysis from the bipartisan Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget. This makes its wholesale dismantling much more complicated. Obamacare was carefully crafted in 2010 so that it didn't add to the federal deficit -- in fact, it boosted revenues slightly. The law affects the federal budget in three ways: coverage provisions, taxes and fees, and Medicare components. (Luhby, 1/4)

Modern Healthcare: Could Delayed Replacement Save Key Parts Of Obamacare? 
The phrase “repeal and replace” the Affordable Care Act long has been popular among Republicans. But the “replace” part has always been thorny. With Republicans taking control of the White House and having majorities in the Senate and House, the prospect of leaving up to 30 million people without healthcare appears to have chilled the rhetoric. Still, members of the newest Congress took swift action Tuesday to make good on their longtime promise of repealing the ACA. But more Republicans are suggesting a slow death of the landmark legislation and a gradual replacement. That opens the door to keeping key provisions of the ACA, such as subsidies to help people buy insurance and the provision allowing people to stay on their parents' plans until they're 26. (Muchmore, 1/3)

CNN: What Obamacare Could Be Replaced With Under Trump
The so-called "repeal and delay" tactic, however, is not sitting well with some in Congress, particularly a few top GOP senators. Senator Lamar Alexander, who chairs the health committee, said if the process is rushed, harm may be done or mistakes made. These senators would like to wait until a more solid replacement plan is in hand so it's possible they will try to slow down the reconciliation process. (Luhby, 1/3)

The Wall Street Journal: 5 Things Things To Know About The Affordable Care Act - Briefly
The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act of 2010, known as Obamacare, reshaped the U.S. health-insurance market. The November election handed Congress and the White House to Republicans, who have vowed to repeal and replace the law. As President Obama heads to the Hill to defend his signature legislation, here are some things to know. (Evans, 1/3)

Stat: AMA To Congress: Don't Repeal Obamacare Without A New Plan
The head of the nation’s largest professional association of doctors is urging Republicans to think twice about dismantling Obamacare without a replacement plan. In an open letter to Congress, Dr. James L. Madara, the CEO of the American Medical Association, urged lawmakers to “lay out for the American people, in reasonable detail, what will replace current policies” on health coverage. (Blau, 1/3)

The Hill: Doctors Group Warns Against Loss Of Coverage From ObamaCare Repeal 
The country’s leading doctors group is urging Republicans to take steps to ensure that people do not lose their health insurance once ObamaCare is repealed. The American Medical Association (AMA), wrote a letter to congressional leaders on Tuesday calling for the gains in coverage from ObamaCare, which has expanded insurance to 20 million people, to be preserved.  (Sullivan, 1/3)

San Francisco Business Times: Kaiser Expands Care To Santa Cruz With 3 Offices 
Kaiser Permanente kicked off the new year completing a major expansion in Santa Cruz County with three new medical offices. The new facilities in Santa Cruz, Scotts Valley and Watsonville feature upgrades like weathered barnwood walls mounted with colorful surfboards and exam rooms with 40-inch screens for video conferencing. All three locations offer primary care, specialty care and mental health for about 6,000 area Kaiser members, previously seeking care in Santa Clara County or elsewhere in Silicon Valley. (Siu, 1/3)

East Bay Times: Kaiser Permanente Now Open In Santa Cruz County 
In its first new market expansion in Northern California in more than two decades, Kaiser Permanente on Tuesday opened three new medical offices to serve its 5,800 current members who live in Santa Cruz County. Until now, they have received their medical care at Kaiser’s facilities in nearby counties. ... By the end of 2017, Chavez said Kaiser projects it will add another 7,200 new members in Santa Cruz County, for a total of 13,000. (Seipel, 1/3)

In other health industry news, a survey of millennials shows what they want from health care providers, navigators help at-risk patients and nursing homes face new rules —

Modern Healthcare: Millennials Give Providers One Shot To Gain Their Business 
Providers keen to attract millennial patients should make sure to impress them the first time around or risk losing them to another provider, according to a recent study. Millennials are paying close attention to office appearance, cost, customer service and the quality of products used during a visit, according to a recent survey conducted by the Health Industry Distributors Association. The insights on millennials follow a wider survey HIDA released last year on the impact medical products have on patient satisfaction. (Rubenfire, 1/3)

Stat: In A Byzantine Health System, Navigators Help At-Risk Patients Find Their Way
Even patients who read and speak English fluently face challenges navigating the increasingly Byzantine health care system. But patients who are less well-equipped, whether because of poverty, education level, or cultural barriers, are at a particular disadvantage when it comes to getting the health care they need. For these patients, seemingly small concerns, such as how and when to make a doctor’s appointment or how to get to the clinic, play an outsize role in their care. For instance, women without the skills to understand and process essential health information — a capacity known as health literacy — are twice as likely to have never received a Pap test and are 50 percent less likely to have had a mammogram in the past two years compared to those with better health literacy. (Bond, 1/4)

Kaiser Health News: New Nursing Home Rules Offer Residents More Control Of Their Care
About 1.4 million residents of nursing homes across the country now can be more involved in their care under the most wide-ranging revision of federal rules for such facilities in 25 years. The changes reflect a shift toward more “person-centered care,” including requirements for speedy care plans, more flexibility and variety in meals and snacks, greater review of a person’s drug regimen, better security, improved grievance procedures and scrutiny of involuntary discharges. (Jaffe, 1/4)

Reuters: Sanofi, Regeneron Lose Bid To Overturn Amgen Win In Patent Case
A federal judge on Tuesday refused to throw out a court verdict upholding two Amgen Inc patents related to the company's cholesterol drug, a defeat for Sanofi SA and Regeneron Pharmaceuticals Inc, which make a rival drug. In an October 2014 lawsuit, Amgen had sought to stop Paris-based Sanofi and Tarrytown, New York-based Regeneron from selling Praluent, a drug intended to lower bad LDL cholesterol by blocking a protein known as PCSK9. (Pierson, 1/3)

The Associated Press: FDA Probes Dangers Of Exploding E-Cigarette Batteries
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration is probing the dangers of exploding batteries in e-cigarettes, following dozens of reports of devices that have combusted, overheated or caught fire and sometimes injured users. (1/3)

The Bakersfield Californian: Charles Manson Receiving Treatment At A Bakersfield Hospital, According To Reports 
Notorious mass murderer Charles Manson remained hospitalized in Bakersfield Tuesday for treatment of an undisclosed ailment, according to numerous media reports that were confirmed to The Californian by a local source. Manson's hospitalization was first reported by TMZ, which said the 1960s cult leader was suffering from gastrointestinal issues. An unnamed source told the Los Angeles Times that Manson, who has also previously suffered from heart problems, was seriously ill. Manson, 82 and imprisoned 65 miles north of Bakersfield at Corcoran State Prison, arrived at Mercy Hospital's downtown location Sunday night via the ER and was signed in as "Joe Doe," according to The Californian's source, who requested anonymity. (1/3)

Stat: Gun Violence Spreads Like Infectious Disease, Study Finds
With infectious diseases, predictions are fairly simple: The more relationships an individual has with sick people, the more likely he is to be infected. The longer it’s been since exposure, the less likely infection becomes. Now, researchers at Harvard and Yale have adopted that same type of mathematical model to predict potential victims of gun violence in Chicago. In 63 percent of the shootings they studied, they found that social contagion played a key role. Their study was published Tuesday in JAMA Internal Medicine. (Thielking, 1/3)

The Bakersfield Californian: Kern Teen Birth Rates Down, But Still Lead State
Teen pregnancy rates in Kern County have dropped by more than 60 percent over two decades but still trend roughly twice the state average, according to data released Tuesday by the Kern County Department of Public Health. Despite the decline, Kern County maintains the highest teen birth rate statewide. Those rates have dropped from 102 births per 1,000 teens ages 15 to 19 in 1994 to fewer than 41 births per 1,000 teens in 2014, the latest year for which data is available. The state average is about 21 births per 1,000 teens.  (Pierce, 1/3)

The New York Times: Pregnancy Complication Tied To Eye Problems Later In Life
Pre-eclampsia — the pregnancy complication characterized by high blood pressure and potential organ damage — is linked to eye problems in the mother later in life, new research has found. (Nicholas Bakalar, 1/3)