| Opioid deaths mounting, lawmakers hit gas on new legislative push Congress is moving to take a second crack at opioid legislation, with lawmakers broadly agreeing that they need to do more to deal with a crisis that's killing more than 42,000 people per year. There's a sense of urgency to the push, as lawmakers continue to hear story after story of people in their communities dying from overdoses. The crisis is showing no signs of abating, as the rate of opioid overdose deaths increased nearly 28 percent from 2015 to 2016. Congress already passed the Comprehensive Addiction and Recovery Act (CARA) in 2016, but lawmakers and advocates broadly agree that it's only one part of the puzzle. "CARA in a lot of ways provided a starting point for a lot of the work that needs to be done," said Grant Smith, the interim director for the Drug Policy Alliance's office of national affairs. On the House side, the Energy and Commerce Committee will begin its push for new opioid legislation Wednesday, holding a hearing on eight enforcement and patient safety-related bills. It's the first of three hearings, the other two of which will focus on prevention and insurance coverage. On the other side of the Capitol, Sens. Sheldon Whitehouse (D-R.I.) and Rob Portman (R-Ohio) are working on legislation that Whitehouse referred to as "CARA 2.0." Part of their goal is to help ensure the $6 billion for combating opioids and mental health that lawmakers included in a spending deal this month goes to the right places. Read more here. HHS chief pitches new measures to expand opioid addiction treatment Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar is touting medication-assisted treatment (MAT) as a crucial component of stemming the opioid crisis plaguing the nation. In his first extensive remarks on the opioid epidemic delivered Saturday, Azar announced two measures aimed at increasing this form of treatment. "Medication-assisted treatment works," Azar said in prepared remarks for a session of the National Governors Association's winter meeting that were shared with The Hill. "The evidence on this is voluminous and ever growing." Read more here. Democrats march toward single-payer health care Single-payer health care is gaining ground among Democrats. In a sign of the party's move to the left on the issue, the Center for American Progress (CAP), a bastion of the Democratic establishment, last week released a plan that comes very close to a single-payer system. That's a dramatic change from just two years ago, when Hillary Clinton -- tied closely to CAP -- dismissed Sen. Bernie Sanders's (I-Vt.) push of "Medicare for all" as politically unrealistic. In another sign of the increased prominence of single-payer among Democrats, many lawmakers seen as top contenders for the party's presidential nomination in 2020, including Sens. Kamala Harris (D-Calif.), Cory Booker (D-N.J.), and Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.), are backing Sanders's latest Medicare for all bill. Democrats acknowledge the embrace of single-payer is part of a broader leftward shift for their party. But they say the experience of trying to make private markets work in ObamaCare -- a system that Republicans have opposed at every turn -- has changed their perspective on the likelihood of achieving universal coverage. Read more here. Study: ObamaCare premiums to rise 18 percent from GOP-backed changes ObamaCare premiums will rise an average of 18.2 percent next year due to GOP-backed changes to the health law, according to a study from the left-leaning Urban Institute released Monday. The study finds that the combination of repealing ObamaCare's individual mandate and expanding access to cheaper, skimpier health insurance policies known as short-term plans will lead to the premium increase. Both of those actions have the effect of leaving fewer healthy people in ObamaCare plans, which drives up premiums for the remaining group of sicker enrollees. The flip side of the expansion of short-term plans, announced by the Trump administration last week, is that some people, particularly those who make too much to qualify for financial assistance and are facing high costs, will be able to find cheaper coverage. The study finds 4.2 million people will enroll in the new short-term plans, with 1.7 million of those being otherwise uninsured. Read more here. Iowa lawmakers move to allow health plans that skirt ObamaCare rules State lawmakers in Iowa are moving to allow the Iowa Farm Bureau Federation to offer health insurance plans that don't comply with ObamaCare protections. Two bills moving through the state legislature aim to provide Farm Bureau members with plans that cost much less than plans that are currently available on Iowa's individual market. But since the plans will be exempt from ObamaCare protections, people with pre-existing conditions could be charged more. According to the Des Moines Register, the proposal calls for the Iowa Farm Bureau to partner with Wellmark Blue Cross and Blue Shield to offer "benefit plans." The plans would not be subject to state or federal insurance regulations, which critics say drive up the cost of health care for younger, healthier people. Iowa is not the only state attempting to skirt ObamaCare's regulations. Read more here. FDA committee to analyze changing flu vaccine for next year A Food and Drug Administration (FDA) advisory committee will consider whether to change the flu vaccine for next year as the country faces a worse-than-expected flu season. The FDA convenes a panel annually to analyze what will make up next flu season's vaccine. The panel examines the World Health Organization's recommendations to help decide the composition of the next year's shots. WHO recommended changing two of the strains that are in this year's flu vaccine for the Northern Hemisphere, and the advisory panel will consider those changes March 1. "Following that meeting, the FDA will also work to apply all the knowledge that we gain from this year's flu season to ensure that the best possible vaccines are available next season to protect against the flu," according to a statement from FDA Commissioner Scott Gottlieb. This year's flu season has been "especially difficult," according to Gottlieb. It's resulted in 97 pediatric deaths and a record number of hospitalizations. Read more here. Judge holds Martin Shkreli responsible for $10.4 million in losses A federal judge ruled Monday that former drug company CEO Martin Shkreli will be held responsible for $10.4 million worth of financial losses related to his time as head of Turing Pharmaceuticals. Judge Kiyo Matsumoto rejected Shkreli's argument that he did not cause any losses for investors because they eventually came out with a profit, Reuters reported. The total losses will likely play a factor in Shkreli's sentencing on March 9. Matsumoto ruled Shkreli should not get credit for the money that was repaid to investors because he only returned it after they became suspicious. Read more here. What we're reading Why your pharmacist can't tell you that $20 prescription could cost only $8 (The New York Times) Aetna CEO Mark Bertolini on acquisition by CVS, health care costs (CBS News) Buffett expects health care effort with Amazon, JPMorgan to open up to other companies (CNN Money) State by state Ohio accuses drug distributors of helping fuel opioid epidemic (Reuters) Arizona could face fines in lawsuit over prison health care (Associated ) Maryland health care costs lower than other states, analysis finds (Baltimore Sun) From The Hill's opinion page: FTC can play a critical role in making health care more affordable Sugary drinks are causing chronic illnesses -- we need policy changes to combat them | 
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