| Congress funds children's health program Months-long uncertainty over the Children's Health Insurance Program (CHIP) ended Monday after Congress passed a six-year reauthorization of the program in a funding bill that also ended a three-day government shutdown. CHIP expired Sept. 30, but states have been using unused money from last year to keep their programs going. Still, advocates argued that the uncertainty was damaging for families and state governments. "This action ends months of anxiety and worry for the hard-working families who rely on CHIP for life-saving health care," said Frederick Isasi, executive director of Families USA, a health care advocacy group in D.C. "States -- some of which had already sent notices to families warning of looming CHIP enrollment freezes--can now set about restoring trust that CHIP will be there for kids and their families." Reauthorization of the program that covers 9 million low-income children has passed with little controversy in past years, but this time around, Democrats and Republicans could not agree on how to pay for it. While House Republicans passed a CHIP funding bill in November, Democrats voted against it and the Senate ignored it. The two parties squabbled over the program in the past week, with Republicans attaching CHIP to a short-term spending bill to get Democratic support. However, that backfired when the bill couldn't get enough votes in the Senate, resulting in the three-day government shutdown. Read more here. Collins 'optimistic' ObamaCare fixes will pass Sen. Susan Collins (R-Maine) said Monday that she is "optimistic" that the ObamaCare fixes she is pushing for can still pass, despite the deadline for voting on them having "slipped." "Our negotiations with the House are going very, very well," Collins told reporters. "The deadline slipped but the policy is what is important." Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) in December gave a commitment to Collins to support the passage of two bills aimed at stabilizing ObamaCare markets and lowering premiums before the end of the year, in exchange for her vote for the tax reform bill. The end of the year came and went without votes on the two bills, but Collins said Monday she is still "optimistic." Read more here. PhRMA ups lobbying in Trump's first year The pharmaceutical industry's top trade group responded to growing anger over rising drug costs in 2017 by upping its federal lobbying spending by 30 percent. The Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America (PhRMA) increased its lobbying expenditures from $20 million in 2016 to $25.4 million in 2017. The biggest jump in spending came in the first quarter of 2017 when President Trump declared that drug companies were "getting away with murder." PhRMA upped its lobbying expenditures by 35 percent, from $6 million in the first quarter of 2016 to $8 million in the first quarter of 2017. "The other thing we have to do is create new bidding procedures for the drug industry, because they're getting away with murder, pharma," Trump said last January. "Pharma has a lot of lobbies, a lot of lobbyists, a lot of power. And there's very little bidding on drugs." PhRMA often tops the top spenders in lobbying, with only the U.S. Chamber of Commerce and the National Association of Realtors spending more in 2017. It has increased the amount it spends on lobbying over the years, from $16.5 million in 2014 to $25.4 million in 2017. Read more here. Wisconsin's Republican governor looks to shore up ObamaCare market Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker (R) is looking to stabilize the state's ObamaCare marketplace after Republicans failed to repeal and replace the law last year. "Their failure to act on this issue is yet another call for us to step up and lead," Walker told the Wisconsin State Journal. "I wanted to get premiums for that individual market more compatible with where the group insurance premiums are." Walker said he will seek federal permission to set up a reinsurance program, which provides payments to plans that cover higher-cost enrollees in an effort to lower premiums for everyone else. Walker also said he will ask state lawmakers to codify in state law protections for people with pre-existing conditions. Read more here. What we're reading Out of pocket health spending dropped by nearly 12 percent (CNBC) CDC to scale back work in dozens of foreign countries amid funding worries (The Wall Street Journal) 1 son, 4 overdoses, 6 hours (The New York Times) Why do biopharma's elites make the annual pilgrimage to Davos? (Stat) State by state Trump's first year leaves ObamaCare on life support in Ohio valley (WEKU) California may buck Congress with its own health insurance requirement (CALmatters.org) 'Pharmacy deserts' a growing health concern in Chicago, experts, residents say (Chicago Tribune) Louisiana Democratic governor's proposal for Medicaid work requirements is an idea championed by GOP (Associated Press) From The Hill's opinion pages Five Democratic myths on Medicaid are designed to kill reform Trump divides the nation with his 'us vs. them' mentality regarding our drug problem | 
沒有留言:
張貼留言