網頁

2018年7月3日 星期二

Overnight Health Care: HHS pushes back on lawmaker visits to detention centers | Abortion rights group targets Susan Collins over Supreme Court | Judge blocks anti-abortion law in Arkansas

 
 
View in Browser
 
The Hill Healthcare
Facebook   Twitter   LinkedIn   Email
 

Welcome to Overnight Health Care. We'll be off tomorrow for the Fourth of July holiday, but will be back Thursday and Friday to bring you the important health stories of the day.

Today, abortion rights groups are targeting Susan Collins, a federal judge blocked Arkansas's anti-abortion law, and HHS officials are scrambling over the fallout from Trump's immigration orders.  

We'll start with immigration:

 

HHS pushes back on lawmaker visits to detention centers

The Department of Health and Human Services is urging lawmakers to pre-arrange visits to detention centers housing migrant children, rather than showing up at the facilities unannounced.

In a letter sent Tuesday to Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) and Rep. Bob Goodlatte (R-Va.), the leaders of Congress' Judiciary committees, HHS asked the lawmakers to help coordinate congressional visits to HHS-funded detention facilities.

The facilities, which are located across the country, house children who have separated from their parents after illegally crossing the southern border.

HHS has come under fire in recent weeks after several Democratic lawmakers were denied access to families at some of the detention centers. The agency said it was because the lawmakers did not give the required two weeks' notice.  

Stat of the day: According to HHS, nearly 500 work hours have been spent facilitating congressional visits for more than 70 lawmakers. There were 50 lawmakers who visited in June alone.

Shade from HHS: "Many of these hours would otherwise have been spent ... verifying parental relationships to prevent child trafficking, facilitating check-in calls between parents and children, facilitating and reviewing foster family home studies, coordinating the delivery of food and medical supplies, and many other duties vital to the health and welfare of the children."

Read the rest of the story here.

 

More on the immigration front...

HHS is in damage control mode. President Trump's "zero tolerance" immigration policy has left the agency scrambling to contain what's quickly becoming a public relations nightmare.

While HHS didn't write the policy, the agency is responsible for implementing the most controversial aspect: housing the children separated from their parents at the U.S.-Mexico border.

Democrats are trying to make HHS Secretary Alex Azar the face of the administration's confusing retreat from Trump's divisive policy, intended to prevent unlawful border crossings. And they're hoping the public will make the same connection.

Read more on that fight here.

 

Abortion rights group targets Susan Collins in first Supreme Court ad buy

The pressure is increasing on Sen. Susan Collins (R-Maine) over her potentially pivotal vote on a Supreme Court nominee, who could go on to overturn Roe v. Wade.

NARAL Pro-Choice America announced full-page print ads and "homepage takeovers" of four Maine newspapers and websites: the Portland Press Herald, Kennebec Journal/Morning Sentinel, Bangor Daily News and Lewiston Sun Journal. The ads begin Wednesday.

The campaign will also include digital ads on Twitter and Google Search.

The print and online ads state: "Trump has been loud and clear in saying he'd pick Supreme Court Justices to end Roe v. Wade. We believe him. Don't you, Senator Collins?"

Collins said Sunday on CNN that she would not support a nominee who has demonstrated "hostility" to Roe v. Wade "because that would mean to me that their judicial philosophy did not include a respect for established decisions, established law."

Read more here.

Don't forget: Collins earlier this week also voiced skepticism that the Supreme Court would overturn Roe. More on those remarks here.

 

CVS Health pushes back on Azar claims they are blocking drug price cuts

HHS Secretary Alex Azar has blamed pharmacy benefit managers (PBMs) like CVS Health for discouraging drug companies from cutting their prices. Azar's theory is that PBMs want to keep prices high so that they can negotiate bigger discounts and take a bigger cut of them.

But CVS Health, a leading PBM, says that's not true.

"I want to assure you that this is not the case for CVS Health," Merlo wrote Azar in a letter dated Friday.

"We do not instruct manufacturers on how they price their products," Merlo wrote.

"Consistent with that practice, we have not as part of the current dialogue or in any other circumstance, instructed manufacturers not to lower list prices."

He added: "To be clear, we support the administration's efforts to address high drug costs."

The bigger picture: This is all part of a long-running exercise in finger-pointing between insurers, PBMs, drug companies, the government, etc. over who is really to blame for drug prices. Everyone says something needs to change, but they don't agree on what.

Read more here.

 

Federal judge blocks enforcement of anti-abortion law in Arkansas

A federal judge temporarily blocked a law that critics say would make Arkansas the first state to ban abortion pills.

U.S. District Judge Kristine Baker issued a preliminary injunction Monday evening in favor of Planned Parenthood.

The 2015 law requires that doctors who provide medical abortions have a contract with a second doctor who has admitting privileges at a hospital. The injunction prevents the state from enforcing the law, but abortion clinics must continue trying to contract with physicians.

The state is temporarily banned from imposing any civil or criminal penalties on providers who continue to perform medication abortions while they look for physicians to contract with.

Read more here.

 

What we're reading

ObamaCare to be central to Democrats' fight against Trump's Supreme Court pick (Huffington Post)

When health insurance prices rose last year, around a million Americans dropped coverage (The New York Times)

Dead of AIDS and forgotten in potter's field (The New York Times)

 

State by state

Maine governor vetoes 23 bills, including funds for Medicaid expansion, 'direct care' workers (Portland Press Herald)

Michigan state lawmaker introduces single-payer health care plan (mlive.com)

 
 
 
 
  Facebook   Twitter   LinkedIn   Email  
 
Did a friend forward you this email?
Sign up for Healthcare Newsletters  
 
 
 
 
 
THE HILL
 
Privacy Policy  |  Manage Subscriptions  |  Unsubscribe  |  Email to a friend  |  Sign Up for Other Newsletters
 
The Hill 1625 K Street, NW 9th Floor, Washington DC 20006
©2016 Capitol Hill Publishing Corp., a subsidiary of News Communications, Inc.
 
 

Breaking News: The buzzword at center of Supreme Court clash

 
 
View in your browser
 
News Alert
Facebook   Twitter   LinkedIn   Email
 
The buzzword at center of Supreme Court clash
Stare decisis, the Latin term that means courts should “stand by things decided,” has jumped to the forefront of the Senate debate over President Trump’s next pick to the Supreme Court.

Centrist senators are calling for a nominee who would respect prior rulings as a way to protect the Roe v. Wade decision legalizing abortion. Liberals, pressing centrist senators to block anyone they believe would overturn Roe v. Wade, say the centrists are hiding behind meaningless language.
Read the full story here
 
 
Learn more about RevenueStripe...
 
 
 
  Facebook   Twitter   LinkedIn   Email  
 
Did a friend forward you this email?
Sign up for Breaking News  
 
 
 
You Might Like
 
 
 
Learn more about RevenueStripe...
 
 
 
 
THE HILL
 
Privacy Policy  |  Manage Subscriptions  |  Unsubscribe  |  Email to a friend  |  Sign Up for Other Newsletters
 
The Hill 1625 K Street, NW 9th Floor, Washington DC 20006
©2016 Capitol Hill Publishing Corp., a subsidiary of News Communications, Inc.
 
 

On The Money: Trump defends tariffs as allies strike back | China says it's ready for trade war | Maxine Waters is done with 'nice guy' politics | ZTE allowed to resume some operations

 
 
View in your browser
 
On the Money - The Hill Finance
Facebook   Twitter   LinkedIn   Email
 

Happy Tuesday and welcome back to On The Money, where will be returning to your inbox on Thursday after taking tomorrow off to celebrate America's birthday. I'm Sylvan Lane, and here's your nightly guide to everything affecting your bills, bank account and bottom line.

See something I missed? Let me know at slane@thehill.com or tweet me @SylvanLane. And if you like your newsletter, you can subscribe to it here: http://bit.ly/1NxxW2N.

Write us with tips, suggestions and news: slane@thehill.com, vneedham@thehill.com, njagoda@thehill.com and nelis@thehill.com. Follow us on Twitter @SylvanLane, @VickofTheHill, @NJagoda and @NivElis.

 

THE BIG DEAL--Trump defends tariff moves as allies strike back: President Trump is defending his plans to levy billions of tariffs on the nation's closest trading partners even as allies retaliate one by one.

Trump and his top administration officials remain steadfast on his protectionist trade policies, arguing that growing trade deficits prove the United States has been losing on the global stage for years.

The United States has levied hefty steel and aluminum tariffs for national security reasons on all but a handful of countries, hit China with duties over the alleged theft of intellectual property and is contemplating another round of taxes on imported cars.

The tariffs have rocked the relationships with close allies such as Canada, Mexico and the European Union, all of which have retaliated, pushing the world's top economies to the brink of a global trade war. The Hill's Vicki Needham tells us what's at stake here.

 

Reactions:

  • "It's going to all work out." -- President Trump
  • "Tariffs that beget tariffs that beget more tariffs only lead to a trade war that will cost American jobs and economic growth." -- Thomas Donohue, president and CEO of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce
  • "I think all these claims about the sky is falling are at best premature and probably quite inaccurate." -- Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross
  • "It's not positive. We have to work something out." -- Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte

 

What comes next: China intends to hit $45 billion in U.S. exports after Trump said he would levy tariffs on $50 billion in Chinese goods. The first round of 25 percent tariffs on $29.6 billion of U.S. exports is expected to start on Friday. Beijing will implement the remaining $15.4 billion at a later time, after gauging U.S. reaction.

Trump has since countered with another round of tit-for-tat tariffs on $200 billion in Chinese goods. As of this week, approximately $75 billion worth of U.S. exports will be subject to retaliatory tariffs.

 

ON TAP TOMORROW

  • Happy Independence Day!

 

LEADING THE DAY

Maxine Waters is done with 'nice guy politics': From the perspective of some House Democrats, Rep. Maxine Waters (D-Calif.) has the right message. She's just not always the best messenger.

The Los Angeles lawmaker's early calls for President Trump's impeachment and viral showdowns with administration officials have endeared Waters to the party's young, liberal base. And those stances have also garnered the respect of many House Democrats, who admire how Waters, 79, sticks to her political convictions.

"She is up-to-date, she is smart, she is authentic and she is not scared to express herself," Rep. Gwen Moore (D-Wis.) told The Hill, adding that her constituents in Milwaukee often ask her if she knows Waters.

Yet her most recent remarks -- encouraging public confrontation with Cabinet members -- rankled some of those colleagues and raised concerns about how Waters would handle increased authority if Democrats regain control of the House in November. I explain it all here.

 

  • "She is transformative in terms of appealing to different generations of people." -- Rep. Gwen Moore (D-Wis.).
  • "We've got a division, because some people are very concerned that she's going to be pushing an ideological agenda." -- A House Democrat on the Financial Services Committee.
  • "She also takes some very hard stands, and you know the Republicans don't like it and they try to push back. But she's every bit as tough or tougher than they are." -- Rep. Ed Perlmutter (D-Colo.).
  • "What Maxine and her generation did was make this country a better country by protesting, by sitting at lunch counters, by marching. She reached back into that era of saying, 'When you see them, protest.'" -- Rep. Cedric Richmond (D-La.).
  • "She is very, very much a minority in the House of Representatives, and that hasn't dissuaded her from speaking her truth in a room surrounded by people who do not look like her. It's easy to be quieted because you're scared, and she's not scared." -- A former aide to Waters.

 

ZTE back in business (for now): The Trump administration will allow Chinese phone maker ZTE to temporarily resume some of its operations as the U.S. considers undoing its seven-year ban on the manufacturer doing business with American companies.

The reprieve: The new authorization from the Commerce Department will go from July 2 to Aug. 1, according to a document obtained by Bloomberg. The company told the outlet that it will be in compliance with U.S. demands by the end of this period.

The background: President Trump has said he is working to ease the penalties on ZTE that the Commerce Department imposed on the company for violating sanctions with Iran. His move has sparked heavy backlash from lawmakers on both sides of the aisle. Lawmakers last month passed the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) with amendments including provisions aimed at reversing Trump's attempts to ease the penalties. They see the company as a national security threat because of its ties to the Chinese government.

Our Ali Breland has the latest in the fight.

 

MARKET CHECK: From CNBC: "Stocks fell on Tuesday as tech shares dropped sharply, while lingering concerns over a trade dispute between the U.S. and other major economies rattled investors.

"The Dow Jones Industrial Average declined 132.36 points to close at 24,174.82, with Apple falling more than 1.5 percent. The S&P 500 fell 0.5 percent to 2,713.22, with tech sliding 1.4 percent. The Nasdaq composite pulled back 0.9 percent to 7,502.67 as Micron and Facebook dropped 5.5 percent and 2.4 percent. The indexes also snapped their three-day winning streaks."

 

GOOD TO KNOW

  • Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Lu Kang told reporters that China hopes the U.S. will "do something conducive to the mutual trust," but that the country is prepared to take "necessary measures" when the U.S. imposes tariffs on Chinese goods this week.
  • A leaked propaganda notice from the Chinese government states that the country is using to tariffs to try to disrupt and split President Trump's base, Business Insider reported on Tuesday.
  • A Senate panel will hold a hearing next week on paid family leave -- an issue that has become a priority for some lawmakers in both parties as well as for the president's daughter and adviser, Ivanka Trump.
  • Saudi Arabia's government said Tuesday that the nation has the capacity to increase oil production, days after President Trump claimed that Saudi King Salman had agreed to increase output by as much as 2 million barrels per day to make up for the loss of Iran's capacity as the United States starts enforcing sanctions.
  • China is putting pressure on the European Union to issue a strong joint statement against President Donald Trump's trade policies at a summit later this month but is facing resistance, Reuters reported.
  • Spending on U.S. construction projects edged up 0.4 percent in May, while April's figure was revised down significantly -- signs that new building is still uneven despite a growing economy, according to the AP.
  • In their hyperinflationary South American country, where bank notes are as difficult to find as chronically scarce food and medicine, Venezuelans are increasingly relying on barter for basic transactions, according to Reuters.

 

ODDS AND ENDS

  • A new New 'Family Feud'-style game show wants to pay off your student loans.
  • David Kostin, chief U.S. equity strategist at Goldman Sachs, told Bloomberg News that 100 percent of the S&P 500's total return of nearly 3 percent in the first half is attributable to just 10 stocks.



Join us Wednesday, July 11, for "Latino Entrepreneurship & The American Dream," featuring Reps. Carlos Curbelo (R-Fla.)Jenniffer González-Colón (R-P.R.), and Adriano Espaillat (D-N.Y.). Topics of discussion include what leaders in government and industry are doing to support Latino entrepreneurs and how barriers related to lending, training, and growth can be eliminated We will also explore the role mentoring can play in empowering Hispanic small business owners. RSVP Here.

 
 
 
 
 
  Facebook   Twitter   LinkedIn   Email  
 
Did a friend forward you this email?
Sign up for Finance Newsletters  
 
 
 
 
 
THE HILL
 
Privacy Policy  |  Manage Subscriptions  |  Unsubscribe  |  Email to a friend  |  Sign Up for Other Newsletters
 
The Hill 1625 K Street, NW 9th Floor, Washington DC 20006
©2016 Capitol Hill Publishing Corp., a subsidiary of News Communications, Inc.