Latest Morning Briefing Stories
GOP Bills To Replace Obamacare Do Not Tinker With Lawmakers’ Coverage
Republicans are hoping to overhaul the federal health law. Among the law’s many provisions is a requirement that members of Congress and their staffs buy their health insurance on the law’s marketplaces.
Death By 1,000 Cuts: How Republicans Can Still Alter Your Coverage
There are many ways beyond legislative repeal for the Trump administration and congressional Republicans to unravel the Affordable Care Act.
Trump Budget Blueprint Targets Medicare Counseling Program For Cuts
In California, the proposed federal cuts could mean a 40 percent hit to counseling services that help more than half a million seniors each year.
Markups On Care Can Fatten Hospital Budgets — Even If Few Patients Foot The Full Bill
A study finds that higher charges are associated with greater payments by private insurers, which can drive up costs for employers and consumers who pay their way.
Justice Department Joins Lawsuit Alleging Massive Medicare Fraud By UnitedHealth
The Department of Justice is joining a whistleblower lawsuit in a fraud case against UnitedHealth in which damages could top $1 billion.
Dentistry Advocates Aim To Fill Medicare Gaps
Brushing aside a political climate that favors federal cuts in health care spending, advocates for oral health are pushing to expand Medicare to provide America’s elderly with dental benefits.
California Hospitals Get A Second Law On Notifying Observation Care Patients
A new federal law requires that hospitals give Medicare patients notice after placing them under observation, along with the reason why they were not officially admitted. In California, it comes on top of a state law that requires quicker notice for all observation patients but does not oblige hospitals to explain their decision not to admit.
Trump, Dems Look For Common Ground On Drug Prices
Two Democratic congressmen met with President Trump to seek his support for a bill to expand the government’s ability to negotiate drug prices, but it’s not clear it would have much impact or will gain support.
Docs Bill Medicare For End-Of-Life Advice As ‘Death Panel’ Fears Reemerge
The federal program paid $16 million in the first six months of 2016 to counsel 223,000 patients about treatment preferences in their last days.
Threat Of Losing Obamacare Turns Some Formerly Apolitical Californians Into Protesters
New advocacy groups like Indivisible California weigh strategies for long-haul political activism, including protests.