| And groups responded quickly... The National Health Law Program (NHeLP) is pressing the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) to give the public more time to comment on state proposals to impose work requirements in the Medicaid program. NHeLP sent a letter to the agency just hours after CMS unveiled guidance letting states apply for waivers requiring certain Medicaid enrollees work or participate in community engagement in order to get health coverage. The guidance marked a major policy shift in the joint federal-state health program for low-income and disabled Americans. The state and federal comment periods have closed for at least seven states that have already asked CMS to allow them to institute work requirements, according to NHeLP. Though the public has already commented on those specific waivers, NHeLP argues that "as advocates, we had no opportunity to respond to the various, specific issues raised in CMS's letter." Read more here. GOP chairman eyes floor action for CHIP next week House Energy and Commerce Committee Chairman Greg Walden (R-Ore.) said on Thursday that he is aiming to bring a six-year reauthorization of the Children's Health Insurance Program (CHIP) to the floor next week. Speaking to reporters, Walden pointed to new Congressional Budget Office estimates as the catalyst that broke the logjam over funding for the program, which covers 9 million children. "If we go to six years, it may have no cost," Walden told reporters. "The good news is you can do six years and it costs you nothing." Funding for CHIP has been stalled for months amid partisan fighting over how to pay for the program. Its reauthorization could be attached to a short-term government funding bill that must pass before Jan. 19. Broader leadership negotiations, however, will determine whether the reauthorization is ultimately tied to the bill. Read more here. Sanders to host 'Medicare for all' town hall Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) will host a town hall on his "Medicare for all" proposal, a 90-minute event that will be streamed online Jan. 23. The event comes as some high-profile Democrats -- including potential 2020 candidates and thus potential rivals if Sanders decides to run again -- have gotten on board with Sanders's plan: expanding Medicare into a national health insurance program so every American would have health coverage. Sanders will aim to answer a pressing question -- how exactly a "Medicare for all" system would work -- and will be joined by "leading health care experts," according to a news release. The Washington Post reports that the town hall will break out into three segments: the current state of health care in the country, the possible economic impacts of single-payer and the way universal health care works in other countries. Read more here. Lawsuit filed against ObamaCare insurer over coverage The insurance carrier Centene misled enrollees about the benefits of its ObamaCare exchange plans and offered far skimpier coverage than promised, according to a class-action lawsuit filed Thursday. The lawsuit, filed in federal court in Washington state, claims that customers who bought Centene's ObamaCare plans had trouble finding in-network doctors or hospitals, and often found that doctors who were advertised as in-network actually were not. According to the lawsuit, Centene targets low-income customers who qualify for substantial government subsidies "while simultaneously providing coverage well below what is required by law and by its policies." Read more here. Officials defend canceling 'flawed' mental health, drug abuse database The Trump administration ended a national database for evidence-based behavioral interventions and programs because it was "flawed" and potentially dangerous, officials said Thursday. The administration announced earlier this month it would discontinue the database, which was created in 1997 to help people, agencies and organizations identify and implement evidence-based programs and practices in their communities. But officials told reporters on a press call Thursday that the database, called the National Registry of Evidence-Based Programs and Practices (NREPP), virtually ignored serious mental illnesses and drug abuse disorders, and that its standards for being included in the registry were poor. Read more here. Trump admin moves to block abortion for fourth undocumented minor The Trump administration has moved to block a fourth undocumented minor from receiving an abortion, according to the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU). The woman, known to the court as Jane Moe, has requested an abortion but has been prevented from getting one by the Office of Refugee Resettlement (ORR), an office within the Department of Health and Human Services. A spokesperson said HHS does not believe it is required to facilitate the abortion. Read more here. Doctors group gets a new name as it pushes to change the health system The doctors group formerly known as CAPG is renaming itself America's Physician Groups and stepping up its efforts to reform the health care system to make spending more efficient. The group is pushing to move Medicare payments away from paying for the quantity of services provided, and towards a more efficient system of paying to reward healthy outcomes in patients. "We like to think of ourselves as the tip of the spear in terms of the movement from volume to value," CEO Don Crane told The Hill. He praised efforts by the Obama administration to change how Medicare pays for care, as well as comments by HHS nominee Alex Azar endorsing the same idea at his confirmation hearings. He acknowledged that "change is hard" for some doctors, particularly older ones, but said once they come to understand the new system, they often like it better. For example, in the new system doctors can be paid for patients not showing up because they are healthy enough they don't need to make an appointment in the first place. | 
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