Latest Daily Edition Stories
Kavanaugh Took Swipe At Administration Just Days Before Nomination With Ruling On Medicare Payments
The hospitals that brought the suit said Medicare had been using the flawed data since 1983. The federal government tried to bar their claims, saying hospitals should not be able to challenge factual determinations made many years ago. “Saving money is a laudable goal,” Judge Brett Kavanaugh said, “but not one that may be pursued by using phony facts to shift costs onto the backs of hospitals.”
House Republicans’ Budget Plan Would Put Medicare In The Cross Hairs
While its not clear the measure would actually get to the floor before the midterm elections, the House Budget Committee’s blueprint shows where Republicans’ priorities lie in the coming years. The budget plan would remake Medicare by giving seniors the option of enrolling in private plans that compete with the traditional program.
The Medicare trust fund, which covers hospitalizations, will be depleted in 2026, the Trump administration reports. An aging population is also putting strain on the reserves.
In Heated Single-Payer Debate, What Are The Facts?
Politifact takes a look at the issue and what the current single-payer bill would entail for California.
Trump Takes Aim At Medicare, Medicaid In $4.4 Trillion Budget Proposal
From gutting safety net programs to funding the opioid epidemic battle, President Donald Trump’s budget includes a host of health issues. The proposed cuts released Monday are unlikely to come to pass, as Congress controls the purse strings, but the plan is a good blueprint of the administration’s priorities.
In the early hours of Friday morning the House passed a spending deal to very quickly reverse a government shutdown that was triggered at midnight. The bill includes many of the Democrats’ top health care priorities, but they had to compromise in some places as well.
With Eye On High-Stakes Mid-Terms, Republicans Decide To Rein In Ambitious Entitlement Agenda
After a weekend retreat with President Donald Trump, Republicans seem to have narrowed their focus for the year down to the basics. Although House Speaker Paul Ryan (R-Wis.) has previously announced that he’d like to tackle safety-net programs, others in the party have no interest in pursuing such issues during a campaign year.
HHS Nominee To Be Grilled At Senate Hearing About Pharma Ties, Any Plans To Cut Medicare
Alex Azar, however, enjoys strong support from Republicans on the Finance Committee, so it’s unlikely the hearing will damage his path to confirmation.
Repeal Of Individual Mandate Will Likely Make It To Final Version Of Tax Bill, GOP Says
The Senate and House must reconcile their two versions, but it’s looking like the long-held Republican goal of repealing the health law’s individual mandate will make it into the legislation. Meanwhile, a study finds that bipartisan ACA fixes that were part of the lure to get Sen. Susan Collins (R-Maine) to support the tax bill would cut premiums by about 18 percent in 2019.
‘Time To Act Is Now’: Report Recommends Government Actions To Lower Drug Costs
Negotiating Medicare drug pricing and withdrawing tax deductions for pharmaceutical ads are among the steps the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering and Medicine’s report urges the federal government to take soon.
