| Welcome to another soggy Thursday edition of Overnight Health Care. Today, the Trump administration said it would continue a program that gives funding to Planned Parenthood, cities are suing the Trump administration over its "sabotage" of the health law, and we take a look at the liberal group bankrolling Medicaid expansion ballot measures in red states. But we'll start with a lawsuit... Four cities sue Trump saying ObamaCare 'sabotage' violates Constitution Four cities (Columbus, Cincinnati, Chicago and Baltimore) are opening up a new front in the Democratic fight against President Trump's "sabotage" of ObamaCare. Democrats have already made this a key part of their message for the midterms, but now there is a legal front too. Details of the case: The cities say Trump's actions violate the Constitution's provision that the president "shall take care that the laws be faithfully executed." Trump's actions that the lawsuit point to include expanding insurance options that do not comply with the health-care law's rules, cutting funding for outreach to help people sign up for coverage, and shortening the sign-up period for ObamaCare. Word of caution: Cases on this constitutional provision face a tough road because the president has considerable discretion. Read more here. The Trump administration will continue funding Planned Parenthood through a national family planning program, despite calls from Republicans to exclude it from the grants. The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) on Thursday announced the 96 organizations across the U.S. that would receive Title X family planning grants, including 13 Planned Parenthood affiliates. Most of the organizations that will receive funding also participated in the program last year, though 12 new grantees were added, HHS said. The recipients should be receiving the grants no later than Sept. 1. Why it matters: The administration is facing considerable pressure from Republicans and anti-abortion groups to cut off Title X funds to Planned Parenthood. But HHS is limited in what it can do until it finalizes a rule that would dramatically change the Title X program and give it more power to steer grants away from Planned Parenthood. Context: Planned Parenthood plays a big role in Title X, serving 40 percent of patients that get care through the program. Read more about the grants here. Meet the group funding the fight to expand Medicaid in red states Voters in Idaho, Nebraska and Utah may have the chance to do something their state lawmakers would not: expand Medicaid to thousands of residents. After years of being told "no" by GOP-controlled state legislatures, health-care advocacy groups have spent much of 2018 leading campaigns to put the question on the ballot before voters in November. Behind the scenes, those groups have been aided by The Fairness Project, a Washington-based organization that has become the primary funder of these ballot-initiative campaigns, spending close to $5 million in five states over the past year. "In so many places throughout the country, you have activists and also people who are impacted, folks who are desperate for health care, who just feel so disempowered because they go to their legislators and they hear 'no' over and over and over again," said Jonathan Schleifer, executive director of The Fairness Project. Why it matters: The number of states that haven't expanded Medicaid is slowly shrinking. Currently, 33 states, and D.C., have expanded Medicaid. Maine expanded via voter referendum last year, and Virginia expanded this summer. Read more here. Senate Dems will force vote to block non-ObamaCare plans Top Senate Democrats said they are planning to force a vote on a measure that would overturn the Trump administration's rule expanding access to cheap, controversial insurance plans. The resolution of disapproval will be introduced by Sen. Tammy Baldwin (D-Wis.). Senate Minority Leader Charles Schumer (D-N.Y.) said he thinks there will be unanimous support among Democrats once the resolution is introduced. The resolution aims to overturn the Trump administration's new rule that expands access to non-ObamaCare insurance plans. The details: The administration touts these plans because they offer lower premiums for healthy people, but the plans don't need to follow ObamaCare rules, meaning they can charge people with preexisting conditions higher premiums and leave out coverage of certain health services. The politics: The idea is pure messaging; Schumer wants to get Republicans on the record of voting against protecting pre-existing conditions. But the maneuver is one they had relative success with earlier this year involving net neutrality. Read more on Schumer's plan here Express Scripts pushes back on criticism of pharmacy benefit managers Express Scripts, one of the largest pharmacy benefit managers (PBMs), which negotiate with drug companies over prices, is trying to get its side of the story out as it faces attacks from the administration and pharmaceutical companies who deride them as "middlemen." Dr. Steve Miller, Senior Vice President & Chief Medical Officer at Express Scripts, told reporters Thursday that the drug pricing problem lies with drug companies themselves. "If they want to lower the price of a drug that's fully within their power; they can do it anytime they want," he said. He pushed back on the idea the Trump administration has explored of eliminating rebates -- discounts that drug companies give to PBMs -- in favor of a simpler system. Miller said rebates keep drug prices down. "If rebates just go away it's probably a big gift to pharma," he said. Trump calls for food stamp work requirements in farm bill President Trump on Thursday urged House and Senate lawmakers to adopt strict work requirements for food stamps when they craft a merged farm bill. "When the House and Senate meet on the very important Farm Bill – we love our farmers - hopefully they will be able to leave the WORK REQUIREMENTS FOR FOOD STAMPS PROVISION that the House approved," Trump tweeted. "Senate should go to 51 votes!" State of play: Both the House and Senate passed their respective farm bills in June. However, the House bill imposes new work requirements on the food stamp program and tightens overall eligibility on who can qualify for the federal assistance. Trump factor: House Republicans have insisted they will fight for their version of the legislation, and Trump's explicit support for work requirements could complicate an already fraught process when the two chambers formally meet in the fall to merge their respective bills.
Read more here. Thursday roundup: A new study reveals that the rate of opioid prescriptions in the country has not significantly declined for many patients over the past decade. Another study, from the Brookings Institute, found ObamaCare premiums would likely be decreasing next year if the Trump administration and congressional Republicans had left the law alone. The Washington Post reports that Maryland state Speaker of the House Michael E. Busch will push to have abortion rights enshrined in the state's constitution. What we're reading Allergan sues Pfizer over costs of opioid litigation (Reuters) FDA did not intervene to curb risky fentanyl prescriptions (The New York Times) Lack of dental coverage hampers Medicaid recipients, suit says (The New York Times) State by state Nevada GOP senator's health care views heat up tough race (AP) Overturning Roe v. Wade wouldn't end abortion fight in California (Sacramento Bee) Tennessee Dem gubernatorial candidate: Failure to expand Medicaid is state's 'greatest moral failure' (Jackson Sun) From The Hill's opinion page Palliative care for the living -- more education is needed Comprehensive health care must include mental substance abuse treatments | 
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