General
McCarthy blames Republican loss of House majority on GOP health care bill
Mike DeBonis, The Washington Post
Speaking privately to his donors, House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy squarely blamed Republican losses in last year’s midterm elections on the GOP push to roll back health insurance protections for people with preexisting conditions — and in turn blamed his party’s right flank. McCarthy’s comments, made in a Feb. 6 conference call from which The Washington Post obtained partial recordings, represent a vindication of Democratic efforts to elevate health care as an issue in last year’s campaign.
Thousands of Texans were shocked by surprise medical bills. Their requests for help overwhelmed the state.
Jay Root and Shannon Najmabadi, The Texas Tribune
Thousands of Texans seeking government help with surprise medical bills were hit with another shock last year: a clogged-up consumer protection bureaucracy. A massive backlog that began last summer left state regulators unable to provide timely help to the thousands of Texans who requested mediation from the Texas Department of Insurance.
Three Obamacare tweaks that both parties can love
Lanhee J. Chen And James C. Capretta, Politico
The Republican loss of the House last November brought an official end (at least through 2020) to the party’s long campaign to repeal and replace the Affordable Care Act. The Democrats, despite their new majority, won’t be able to pass their health care agenda either, because the Republican president and Senate will block it.
Parents Blamed for Deadly Measles Comeback Around the World
Ari Altstedter and Riley Griffin, Bloomberg
A growing band of immunization detractors is driving a surge in measles cases from the Philippines to Washington State that threatens to derail efforts to wipe out the disease. Worldwide cases of the viral illness increased by about 50 percent to 2.3 million last year, according to data from the World Health Organization, which included “vaccine hesitancy” in its list of top ten threats to global health this year.
Utah tests Trump on Medicaid expansion
Nathaniel Weixel, The Hill
The Trump administration faces a key test with Utah’s Medicaid program as the state seeks permission to use billions of federal dollars to expand coverage to only a fraction of the state’s residents. Utah Gov. Gary Herbert (R) this week signed into law a limited Medicaid expansion plan, defying voters who approved a full expansion in November.
Facebook under pressure to halt rise of anti-vaccination groups
Ed Pilkington and Jessica Glenza, The Guardian
Facebook is under pressure to stem the rise of anti-vaccination groups spreading false information about the dangers of life-saving vaccines while peddling unfounded alternative treatments such as high doses of vitamin C. So-called “anti-vaxxers” are operating on Facebook in closed groups, where members have to be approved in advance.
Voters in four states have approved Medicaid expansion by ballot. Will Texas do the same?
Marissa Evans, The Texas Tribune
Idaho, Maine, Nebraska and Utah voters approved Medicaid expansion through ballot initiatives. Now Texas legislators have filed bills for a vote over whether the state should expand coverage for the joint federal-state health insurance program.
A political ‘bomb’ over drug prices could threaten NAFTA 2.0
Paul Wiseman, The Associated Press
The clash over free trade in North America has long been fought over familiar issues: Low-paid Mexican workers. U.S. factories that move jobs south of the border. Canada’s high taxes on imported milk and cheese. But as Democrats in Congress consider whether to back a revamped regional trade pact being pushed by President Donald Trump, they’re zeroing in on a new point of conflict: Drug prices.
Trump Pledged to End H.I.V. But His Policies Veer the Other Way.
Robert Pear, The New York Times
In his State of the Union address, President Trump announced a bold plan to end the scourge of H.I.V. by 2030, a promise that seemed to fly in the face of two years of policies and proposals that go in the opposite direction and could undermine progress against the virus that causes AIDS. In November, the Trump administration proposed a rule change that would make it more difficult for Medicare beneficiaries to get the medicines that treat H.I.V. infection and prevent the virus from spreading.
Sherrod Brown separates from Dem pack on Medicare, ‘Green New Deal’ proposals
Daniel Strauss, Politico
Sen. Sherrod Brown (D-Ohio) is declining to say whether he supports “Medicare for all” and “Green New Deal” proposals pushed by other members of his party as he considers a run for president, saying he doesn’t need to weigh in to underscore that he’s progressive. Brown has been pressed on the health care and climate change ideas as he’s toured early primary states and fielded questions from voters and reporters.
Refilling prescriptions and no more date nights: How government workers are girding for another shutdown
Todd C. Frankel et al., The Washington Post
Refill prescriptions. Keep working that side hustle. Make sure at least the rent is paid up. Downsize those date nights to evenings by the TV. And change the computer password before Friday.
Stocks Advance as Trade Hopes Grow; Dollar Gains: Markets Wrap
Robert Brand, Bloomberg
Stocks extended gains on Wednesday after President Donald Trump signaled a more conciliatory stance toward China, fueling hopes of a breakthrough in the trade war. The dollar gained and Treasuries edged lower after data showed U.S. inflation remained contained.
Payers
Health plans don’t want patients on opioids. So what are they doing for pain?
Paul Demko, Politico
The national effort to curb the opioid crisis faces another big potential obstacle — insurers who won’t pay for less-addictive ways to control patients’ pain. Patients seeking other pain treatment options often find that their insurers won’t foot the bill or are forcing them to jump through maddening hoops to get coverage.
Providers
Nonprofit Hospitals Exempt From Taxes, Not From Hill Scrutiny
Shira Stein, Bloomberg Law
The Senate Finance Committee is planning to review how nonprofit hospitals are earning their tax-exempt status and how the Internal Revenue Service is enforcing those standards, according to multiple sources familiar with the committee’s plans.
Hospital tightens drug access, rules after excessive dosages
Kantele Franko, The Associated Press
The Ohio hospital system that found a doctor ordered possibly fatal doses of powerful painkillers for dozens of patients has tightened policies and drug access to address problems in pharmaceutical services that jeopardized Medicare participation for two hospitals, according to corrective plans submitted to the U.S. Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services.
Younger patients more dissatisfied with traditional healthcare
Harris Meyer, Modern Healthcare
Younger consumers in the U.S. and six other advanced countries are more dissatisfied than older people with many characteristics of traditional healthcare, such as treatment effectiveness and lack of convenience and responsiveness, a new Accenture survey found. In addition, millennials and the generation that follows them, Gen Zers, are much less likely to have a regular primary-care physician compared with baby boomers and Gen Xers.
Pharma, Biotech and Devices
CVS Health shows off new HealthHUB store design in Houston. Makeover includes dietitians, wellness rooms for yoga
Angelica LaVito and Bertha Coombs, CNBC
CVS Health unveiled its new health-focused concept store that’s designed to help the pharmacy chain become more of a health-care provider than a place to pick up prescriptions and greeting cards. The three new pilot stores in Houston, Texas have been redesigned with much more space devoted to services to help customers manage chronic conditions like diabetes, hypertension and asthma.
AbbVie must fork over Humira documents after judge slams a ‘nonsense’ argument
Ed Silverman, Stat News
In a setback to AbbVie (ABBV), a federal judge rebuked the drug maker for failing to cough up a ream of documents in a closely watched lawsuit that accuses the company of untoward behavior in creating a so-called patent thicket to protect its best-selling Humira medication. At issue has been a simmering battle between AbbVie and Boehringer Ingelheim, which are locked in patent litigation, over access to internal AbbVie documents that discuss its strategy for bolstering Humira sales and fending off competition from lower-cost biosimilar alternatives.
Lawmakers ask FDA to explain a controversial decision to approve a powerful painkiller
Ed Silverman, Stat News
A pair of Democratic lawmakers is asking the Food and Drug Administration to provide documents that would explain its decision last fall to approve Dsuvia, a tablet version of a decades-old intravenous painkiller that is up to 10 times more potent than the highly addictive fentanyl.
Health IT
More than 26 million people shared their DNA with ancestry firms, allowing researchers to trace relationships between virtually all Americans: MIT
Jessica Bursztynsky, CNBC
More than 26 million people — more people than in all of Australia — have shared their DNA with one of the four leading ancestry and health databases, allowing researchers to extrapolate data on virtually all Americans and raising some serious privacy concerns, according to the MIT Technology Review.
Apple is getting so serious about health, it’s started hosting heart-health events at Apple Stores
Christina Farr, CNBC
Apple hosted its first health-focused event at its Union Square store in San Francisco on Monday evening. It started with a panel on the topic of heart health and ended with an walk around the block to demonstrate the activity features on the Apple Watch.
Opinions, Editorials and Perspectives
Medicare for All Is a Trap
William A. Galston, The Wall Street Journal
A political party is asking for trouble when it embraces a position on a high-profile issue that most Americans oppose. But it isn’t easy to avoid this pitfall when a majority of the party’s own members endorse that position.
Having surgery? Beware of risk from post-op opioids
Sesh Mudumbai et al., USA Today
Two VA patients were discharged from the hospital on the same day. One, a 70-year-old retiree, had an arthritic knee replaced. The other, a 24-year-old auto mechanic, underwent a hernia repair.
A Message from America’s 340B Hospitals:
At no cost to taxpayers, the 340B program is critical to the health of America’s patients because it allows hospitals serving vulnerable communities to address the health care needs of their communities, including providing free or substantially discounted prescriptions to low-income and rural patients, operating free clinics, treating patients with substance use disorders, and sustaining access to other lifesaving services for patients. Weakening this vital program will hurt patients.
Research Reports
Beyond Wellness For the Healthy: Digital Health Consumer Adoption 2018
Sean Day and Megan Zweig, Rock Health
Results from our fourth national consumer survey (2018 data) on digital health adoption and sentiments. Adoption continues to rise while consumers leverage digital health tools to address concrete health needs.
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