First Edition: March 27, 2015
Today's early morning highlights from the major news organizations.
Kaiser Health News:
Some Face A Big Bill From Medi-Cal — After They Die
Catherine Jarett ran into a nasty surprise after she sent a form to Medi-Cal on behalf of her clients. An estate attorney, Jarett was hired by the sons of an elderly Vallejo woman who had died. For more than 20 years, the woman had been enrolled in Medi-Cal, as the state’s Medicaid insurance program for the poor is known. (Aliferis, 3/27)
Kaiser Health News:
House Approves Permanent Fix For Medicare Doctor Payments
For more than a decade, doctors who treat Medicare patients have been threatened with pay cuts due to a faulty formula of how doctors are reimbursed. But in a rare bipartisan agreement, the House of Representatives overwhelmingly passed a deal to permanently end the problem and reward quality of care, not quantity. PBS NewsHour’s Gwen Ifill learns more from Mary Agnes Carey of Kaiser Health News. (3/27)
Kaiser Health News:
FAQ: The House Passes A Bill To Fix Medicare’s Doctor Payments. What’s In It?
Kaiser Health News staff writer Mary Agnes Carey reports: "The troubled payment formula for Medicare physicians is one step closer to repeal. The House Thursday overwhelmingly passed legislation to scrap Medicare’s troubled physician payment formula, just days before a March 31 deadline when doctors who treat Medicare patients will see a 21 percent payment cut. Senate action could come this week as well, but probably not until the chamber completes a lengthy series of votes on the GOP’s fiscal 2016 budget package." (Carey, updated 3/26)
The New York Times:
Senate Approves Budget Of G.O.P. Wishes In All-Night Session
Emerging from an all-night session marked more by exhaustion than drama, Senate Republicans squeaked through a budget blueprint Friday morning that would repeal the Affordable Care Act, fundamentally remake federal health care for the poor and elderly, and push the federal deficit toward zero over the next decade. (Weisman, 3/27)
The Wall Street Journal:
Republican-Controlled Senate Clears Budget Plan
The Senate passed a Republican budget for fiscal year 2016 early Friday morning after a grueling, round-the-clock marathon of amendment votes. ... Budgets are nonbinding and never become law, but they set the overall funding levels used to write spending bills considered later in the year. Top Republicans have said they plan to use spending bills to push GOP policies while avoiding the recent deadline-driven standoffs between Republicans and President Barack Obama. If both chambers can pass a unified budget, Republicans can also tap into procedural shortcuts enabling them to bypass Senate Democrats on some legislation, potentially including a repeal of the Affordable Care Act, though Mr. Obama would veto it. (Peterson and Crittenden, 3/27)
Politico:
Senate Passes Budget As Negotiations With House Loom Ahead
While that deadline has been routinely ignored in the past with little consequence, Republicans are eager to demonstrate they can govern, particularly when it comes to fiscal and budgetary issues. So it’s a good bet GOP leaders will work hard to try and meet that mid-April deadline. It won’t be easy to strike a deal that House Republican firebrands, defense hawks and Senate GOP moderates can all agree on. Hot button issues like the Pentagon budget, Medicare and Medicaid and domestic spending will all need to be resolved. Fiscal conservatives are angling for sharp cuts in government spending, while moderates are wary of going too far. And any budget that calls for major changes to entitlement programs like Medicare could be very risky. (Kim and Bade, 3/27)
USA Today:
Republican-Controlled Senate Approves Budget Plan
The ten-year fiscal blueprint achieves balance in ten years with deep spending cuts and no new taxes. It also calls for full repeal of President Obama's health care law and increased Medicare savings. The contours of the 2016 campaign season took shape throughout the lengthy Thursday debate, where senators powered through a marathon session of votes on politically charged amendments to the GOP's 10-year budget proposal. The voted concluded at 3 a.m. Friday. (Davis, 3/27)
The Associated Press:
GOP-Controlled Senate Ok's Budget Plan
Next up are compromise budget talks between the two houses, after which lawmakers will begin writing legislation to translate the non-binding plan into specific proposals that are likely to spark a struggle with President Barack Obama. (3/27)
The Associated Press:
House, Senate GOP Budgets Have Differences And Similarities
Republicans controlling the House and Senate are pushing competing budget plans, though both nonbinding blueprints call for steep cuts to social programs like Medicaid and to federal subsidies under the Affordable Care Act as the chief means of achieving a small surplus within 10 years. The two plans would boost defense spending by the same level, but they take different approaches on Medicare. (3/26)
The New York Times:
House Approves Bill On Changes To Medicare
The House overwhelmingly approved sweeping changes to the Medicare program on Thursday in the most significant bipartisan policy legislation to pass through that chamber since Republicans regained a majority in 2011. The measure, which would establish a new formula for paying doctors, increase premiums for some Medicare beneficiaries and extend a popular health insurance program for children, has already been endorsed by President Obama and awaits a vote in the Senate. (Steinhauer and Pear, 3/26)
NPR:
Amazingly, Congress Actually Got Something Done
They said it couldn't be done. And for more than a decade they were right. But on Thursday, staring at a deadline that could have disrupted health care to millions of seniors, the House got something done. It voted to fix the flawed formula for compensating doctors who provide services to patients under Medicare. But this time it wasn't just a patch for a few months or years — like the ones Congress has done 17 times since 2003. (Elving, 3/26)
The Associated Press:
House OKs Bipartisan Medicare Doc Bill, Fate Up To Senate
In uncommon bipartisan harmony, the House approved a $214 billion bill Thursday permanently blocking physician Medicare cuts, moving lawmakers closer to resolving a problem that has plagued them for years. (Fram, 3/26)
The Wall Street Journal:
House Passes Medicare ‘Doc Fix’ Bill
Without congressional action, doctors would face a 21% cut in payments starting April 1. The formula, which dates back to a 1997 law designed to rein in the growth of Medicare’s costs, became politically untenable over the years, forcing Congress to override cuts through temporary patches. But lawmakers haven't been able to agree on a long-term fix until now. The agreement marks a shift for Mr. Boehner, who had eschewed dealing with Democrats in the interest of building a consensus with the most conservative members of his caucus. (Hughes, 3/26)
Politico:
Medicare Pay Fix Sails Through House
The bill now goes to the Senate, where Democratic-led opposition appears to be ebbing given the tsunami of support from a wide array of health care and children’s groups. In the last day, several key Senate Democrats — such as Sens. Claire McCaskill of Missouri and Dianne Feinstein of California — told reporters that they plan to support the measure. President Barack Obama said on Wednesday that he backs the legislation. (Haberkorn and Pradhan, 3/26)
The Wall Street Journal:
Senate To Take Up Medicare ‘Doc Fix’ Bill After Recess
The Senate will take up legislation to replace a formula for reimbursing doctors who treat Medicare patients when the chamber returns from a two-week recess, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R., Ky.) said early on Friday. ... Dr. Robert Wah, the president of the American Medical Association, said his group was “extremely disappointed” that the Senate vote was delayed and said that physicians would face a “devastating” cut when the current patch expires just days from now. (Hughes, 3/27)
Los Angeles Times:
House Passes Compromise Package To Change How Medicare Pays Doctors
But prospects were dimming late Thursday that Senate leaders would take up the package to avert an automatic 21% cut in Medicare payments to physicians. Several Republican senators voiced concern about the bill's impact on the deficit, which could preclude Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) from bringing up the bill Friday in an expedited maneuver that under Senate rules requires unanimous consent. Democrats remain concerned that the legislation reauthorizes funding for the Children's Health Insurance Program, or CHIP, for only two years, rather than four, as many advocates and governors want. (Levey, 3/26)
USA Today:
House Passes Bipartisan 'Doc Fix' Medicare Bill
The bill would repeal the current Medicare payment formula for doctors and replace it with one that would increase payments to doctors by one-half of 1% every year through 2019. After that, doctors would receive bonuses or penalties depending on performance scores from the government. Their scores would be based on the value of the care they provide rather than on the volume of patients they see. (Kelly, 3/26)
The Wall Street Journal's Washington Wire:
What Is The ‘Doc Fix’?
The House Thursday passed a bill to permanently change Medicare reimbursement formulas for doctors and other providers, and the Senate is expected to take up the bill sometime in the coming weeks. Passage represents a major bipartisan victory in a Congress that has otherwise been mired in gridlock. What is it and how did it come about? Here are some basics. (Radnofsky and Hughes, 3/26)
USA Today:
Higher Medicare Costs Planned For Some Seniors In 2018
Medicare recipients with income over $85,000 would begin paying higher Part B premiums in 2018 under legislation passed by the House Thursday to avert a cut in physician reimbursements. (Tumulty, 3/26)
The Associated Press:
Pelosi Irks Some Allies Over Bipartisan Bill With Boehner
House Democratic leader Nancy Pelosi bruised some longtime liberal allies when she worked with Speaker John Boehner to craft a rare bipartisan accord on Medicare. But lawmakers say it will enhance her stature as a dealmaker, and may help her party avoid being sidelined by majority Republicans over the next two years. Pelosi and her fellow Democrats disappointed friends in the abortion-rights lobby by backing a bill to avoid future cuts in Medicare physician payments. As Thursday's 392-37 House vote suggests, the bill was a compromise, with appeal to both parties. (3/27)
Politico:
John Boehner Shows He’s Not Dead Yet
It wasn’t even a month ago some of John Boehner’s closest friends feared he was so weak that he might not last as speaker. Now, after big-ticket victories this week on the budget and entitlement reform, the Ohio Republican is about to depart Washington for the two-week Easter recess with the gavel planted firmly in hand. No one’s claiming Boehner suddenly has his fractious conference under his thumb or that his current good fortune will necessarily last once Congress returns to a host of other treacherous legislative challenges this year. (Sherman and Palmer, 3/27)
USA Today:
Gingrich: GOP Really Doesn't Want To Repeal Obamacare
Former House Speaker Newt Gingrich doesn't think Obamacare should be repealed, and congressional Republicans who say they want to repeal it really don't want to either, he told a Washington, D.C. health conference Wednesday. Instead, he thinks more minor parts of the law that aren't working will be addressed because the core parts of the law have broader support than is often acknowledged. (O'Donnell, 3/26)
The Wall Street Journal:
Maryland Should Repay $28 Million, Audit Says
Maryland officials misallocated $28.4 million of federal funds when they were building the state’s health insurance exchange and should pay the money back, a federal audit concluded. (Radnofsky, 3/26)
Politico:
Administration Drafts Plan To Fight Antibiotic-Resistant Bacteria
The Obama administration is about to release a long-awaited plan to fight the spread of antibiotic-resistant bacteria – but scientists and lawmakers are already dismissing it as too weak to make enough progress against one of the most urgent public health risks. (Wheaton and Purdy, 3/26)
The Associated Press:
FDA To Scrutinize Unproven Alternative Remedies
Federal officials plan to review the safety and evidence behind alternative remedies like Zicam and Cold-Eeze, products that are protected by federal law, but not accepted by mainstream medicine. The Food and Drug Administration says that it will hold a two-day meeting next month on regulations for homeopathic medicines, which have long occupied a place on the fringes of U.S. health care. Similar to dietary supplements, homeopathic products are not required to prove they are safe or effective before being sold on the market. But unlike supplements, homeopathic medicines state that they are designed to treat specific medical conditions. (Perrone, 3/26)
The Washington Post:
Maryland Senate Unanimously Approves Budget
The House Appropriations Committee restored the reductions in education spending and a 2 percent cost-of-living adjustment for state workers. But it also halved a $150 million additional payment to the state employees’ pension system. The committee made various reductions to Medicaid and the Temporary Cash Assistance Program and saved $90 million by making changes to the local income tax reserve fund. (Wiggins, 3/26)
The Associated Press:
McAuliffe Signs State Budget With Raises For State Workers
The GOP-controlled General Assembly did not include expanding Medicaid in its budget, which has been a top priority for McAuliffe and state Democrats. Medicaid expansion is a key part of the Affordable Care Act and about half of the states have implemented it. Democrats say the mostly federally funded expansion would help the poor and the state’s health care system, Republicans say Medicaid expansion is financially unsustainable. (Suderman, 3/26)
The Washington Post's Wonkblog:
Arizona Is Moving To Block Abortion Coverage, Cutting Off Poor Women
Arizona could soon become the latest state to block women from purchasing insurance plans through the federal health-care exchanges that cover abortion. The trend started soon after the Affordable Care Act created the marketplaces, granting states the power to decide if and how Obamacare plans cover termination. Supporters argue Arizona’s controversial measure will stop taxpayer money from funding procedures some deem immoral. (Pacquette, 3/26)
The Wall Street Journal:
The Push For ‘Right To Try’ Drugs For The Seriously Ill
A divisive measure called “right to try” is getting a tryout in Indiana. As Gov. Michael Pence deals with an outbreak of HIV in the state, his agenda also includes an unrelated health initiative about drug access. Earlier in the week, the governor signed a bill allowing people who are battling life-threatening conditions to gain access to experimental medicines. Known as a “right to try” law, the idea is to leapfrog a drug-development process that takes years before new treatments become available. (Silverman, 3/26)
Los Angeles Times:
Kaiser Ordered To Pay Woman More Than $28 Million
A Los Angeles jury awarded more than $28 million to a woman who said Kaiser Permanente doctors wrongly delayed an MRI that could have detected an aggressive cancerous tumor that caused her to lose her right leg. Attorneys for 23-year-old Anna Rahm of Chatsworth argued that a cancerous tumor in her pelvis grew during the three months she and her mother tried to persuade Kaiser doctors to authorize an MRI. By the time the test was finally approved, doctors were forced to amputate Rahm's right leg, half of her pelvis and part of her spine. (Pfeifer, 3/26)
The Associated Press:
Indiana Governor Overrides Law To Authorize Needle Exchange
Indiana Gov. Mike Pence overrode state law and his own anti-drug policies Thursday to authorize a short-term needle-exchange program designed to help contain HIV infections in a rural county where more than six dozen cases have been reported, all of them tied to intravenous drug use. (3/26)
The New York Times:
Indiana Declares Health Emergency After H.I.V. Outbreak
Officials said that 71 cases of H.I.V. identified since mid-December have been traced to intravenous use of a prescription painkiller in Scott County north of Louisville, Ky. Nine more cases are still under investigation, and state health officials predicted that more would appear in coming weeks. The governor authorized a short-term exchange program that would provide drug users with access to sterile needles so that contaminated needles were less likely to be shared. (Schwarz and Smith, 3/26)