General
Fed Up With Deaths, Native Americans Want to Run Their Own Health Care
Mark Walker, The New York Times
When 6-month-old James Ladeaux got his second upper respiratory infection in a month, the doctor at the Sioux San Indian Health Service Hospital reassured his mother, Robyn Black Lance, that it was only a cold.
‘Medicare for All’: Elizabeth Warren and Pete Buttigieg Clash at Debate
Thomas Kaplan, The New York Times
Pete Buttigieg directly criticized Elizabeth Warren over health care at Tuesday night’s debate, saying that she had not been forthcoming about whether she would raise taxes on the middle class to help finance “Medicare for all.”
Kamala Harris slams Republicans on abortion, says they’re killing poor women of color
Michael Finnegan, Los Angeles Times
California Sen. Kamala Harris said Tuesday it was outrageous that organizers of the 2020 presidential debates had devoted almost no time to discussing Republican efforts to roll back abortion rights.
Federal judge in Chicago stops Trump administration rule aimed at denying green cards to immigrants on public benefits
Katherine Rosenberg-Douglas, The Associated Press and Chicago Tribune
Hours before President Trump’s contested “public charge rule” would have taken effect Tuesday, a federal judge in Chicago issued an injunction stopping the rule from going into effect, the latest order to block the president’s aggressive move requiring immigrants wanting to enter or remain in the United States to support themselves and not rely on government benefits.
State court halts Whitmer’s flavored vaping ban
Beth LeBlanc, The Detroit News
A state judge has granted a preliminary injunction to vape shop owners who opposed Gov. Gretchen Whitmer’s flavored vaping ban, temporarily stopping the state from enforcing emergency rules banning the sale of the products.
Federal judge overturns ObamaCare transgender protections
Nathaniel Weixel, The Hill
A federal judge on Tuesday overturned ObamaCare protections for transgender patients, ruling that a 2016 policy violates the religious freedom of Christian providers.
Oil Steady After Two Days of Losses as Demand Outlook Worsens
Elizabeth Low and Grant Smith, Bloomberg
Oil steadied near $53 a barrel after two days of declines as the fragile economic environment and unresolved U.S.-China trade war continue to deteriorate the outlook for global fuel demand.
Payers
Oscar will appeal dismissal of Florida Blue antitrust challenge
Shelby Livingston, Modern Healthcare
Insurance company Oscar Health said it will appeal a federal court’s decision to dismiss its antitrust lawsuit against Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Florida.
Biden Gets Too Specific On ‘Medicare For All’ Tax Hikes
Shefali Luthra, Kaiser Health News
Sparring over “Medicare for All” and universal health care, former Vice President Joe Biden leaned on a new variation of his attack line, highlighting potential costs to middle-class Americans.
Providers
Amazon, City of Hope partnership gives workers access to cancer support
Shelby Livingston, Modern Healthcare
Amazon is the latest employer to contract with Duarte, Calif.-based cancer treatment center City of Hope to offer its workers an array of cancer support services.
Pharma, Biotech and Devices
New Study: Opioid Crisis Cost US Economy $631B Over 4 Years
Geoff Mulvihill, The Associated Press
The opioid crisis cost the U.S. economy $631 billion from 2015 through last year — and it may keep getting more expensive, according to a study released Tuesday by the Society of Actuaries.
Your Guide To The Massive (And Massively Complex) Opioid Litigation
Colin Dwyer, NPR News
In less than a week, a landmark battle over who bears responsibility for the U.S. opioid crisis will begin in federal court.
Non-opioid medication on the rise as U.S. combats opioid crisis
Alex Kacik, Modern Healthcare
Use of opioid-alternative pain medications is surging as the U.S. tries to wean off the addictive painkillers, giving physicians concern that the opioid crisis will be substituted by a new prescription drug epidemic, according to a new report.
Most Americans back various ideas to lower drug costs, but some fear impeachment will get in the way
Ed Silverman, Stat News
As Congress debates how to lower prescription drug costs, a large majority of Americans want the federal government to negotiate with drug makers to reduce prices paid by Medicare, according to a new poll by the Kaiser Family Foundation.
Biohacker Investigation Is Dropped by California Medical Board
Kristen V Brown, Bloomberg
California regulators have closed an investigation into whether the infamous biohacker Josiah Zayner was practicing medicine without a license.
Health IT
Flu’s spread is wildly unpredictable. Can AI deliver more reliable forecasting?
Megan Thielking And Rebecca Robbins, Stat News
Flu season reliably arrives around this time every year — but where the virus heads and how it will spread can seem wildly unpredictable. Now, artificial intelligence is playing a bigger role in trying to change that.
Here are all the areas in health care Amazon could look to expand to, according to one analyst
Kevin Stankiewicz, CNBC
Retail giant Amazon’s expansion into health care has already begun, but there’s a lot more room for it to grow, Loop Capital Markets’ Anthony Chukumba told CNBC on Tuesday.
A Message From Better Medicare Alliance:
Congress: Co-sponsor H.R. 1398 and S. 172 and talk to leadership to stop the Health Insurance Tax on seniors. In previous years, Congress has recognized the serious consequences of reinstating the Health Insurance Tax and has suspended it from going into effect. Allowing the tax to return would impact seniors who rely on Medicare Advantage. Medicare Advantage keeps costs low, provides additional benefits and protects seniors. Click here to learn more.
Opinions, Editorials and Perspectives
You Can’t Haggle Over the Price of a Medicine That Was Never Made
Kirsten Axelsen, Morning Consult
Legislation recently proposed by the House of Representatives risks sending the wrong message to pharmaceutical drug developers. Intended to curb the growing costs of drugs, the process proposed in the legislation isn’t really a negotiation.
Research Reports
From Incremental to Comprehensive Health Reform: How Various Reform Options Compare on Coverage and Costs
The Urban Institute and The Commonwealth Fund
This study analyzes eight health care reforms and their potential effects on health insurance coverage and spending. Each of the analyzed reform proposals makes health insurance considerably more affordable by reducing people’s premiums and cost sharing. Some reforms also reduce US health care costs, and all require additional federal dollars.
Drug Price Increases Have Slowed, But New Analysis Shows Launch Prices Pushing Costs Into Orbit
46Brooklyn
The U.S. drug pricing system is complicated. But at its core is the premise that we as Americans willingly grant exclusive patents to drug manufacturers to entice them to bring new, hopefully-innovative, brand-name drugs into the market.
Economic Impact of Non-Medical Opioid Use in the United States
Stoddard Davenport et al., Society of Actuaries
We estimate that the total economic burden of the opioid crisis in the United States from 2015 through 2018 was at least $631 billion. This estimate includes costs associated with additional health care services for those impacted by opioid use disorder (OUD), premature mortality, criminal justice activities, child and family assistance programs, education programs and lost productivity
Prescription Drug Misuse in America
Quest Diagnostics
The 2019 Quest Diagnostics Health Trends™ report provides diagnostics insights based on clinical drug monitoring into the prescription drug epidemic in the United States.
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