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DEMOCRATS SPAR OVER WHETHER TO ABOLISH PRIVATE INSURANCE: Elizabeth Warren broke with most Democrats on the primary debate stage Wednesday night in saying that she did not want to keep private insurers in business. Instead, she said, she was “with Bernie” Sanders in backing a proposal known as “Medicare for all,” which would enroll everyone in the U.S. in a government plan.
Warren and New York Mayor Bill de Blasio were the only candidates to raise their hands to affirm they would trade in private health insurance for a government-financed healthcare plan during the Democratic debate on MSNBC.
Beto O’Rourke of Texas defended his position of letting private insurers stay in the game, but still advocated for extending the government’s role in healthcare. When he ran a failed campaign for the Senate he supported the Medicare for All Act, but he’s since changed his stance.
“How do you defend a system that’s not working?” De Blasio asked him, noting that the cost of deductibles and premiums was high.
O’Rourke replied that if people thought private insurance wasn’t working for them, then they could choose a government plan.
Sen. Cory Booker of New Jersey said that he was also in favor of the Medicare for All Act but indicated he was open to a more gradual expansion of government healthcare, whether an expansion of Obamacare or the addition of a public option to compete with private plans.
Other candidates said they were worried about government becoming the sole payer of healthcare.
Sen. Amy Klobuchar of Minnesota said she was concerned about removing people from private plans over the course of four years, as the Senate legislation calls for, and John Delaney, a former Maryland congressman, said Democrats “should be the party that keeps what’s working and fixes what’s broken.”
Good morning and welcome to the Washington Examiner’s Daily on Healthcare! This newsletter is written by senior healthcare reporter Kimberly Leonard (@LeonardKL) and healthcare reporter Cassidy Morrison (@CassMorrison94). You can reach us with tips, calendar items, or suggestions at [email protected]. If someone forwarded you this email and you’d like to receive it regularly, you can subscribe here.
TRUMP POLICIES AND ALTERNATIVES TO SHAPE 2020 OBAMACARE RATES: Rates for Obamacare plans next year will vary based on a number of new options that have entered the market under the Trump administration, according to an analysis out Thursday by the American Academy of Actuaries. The analysis did not make predictions about whether premiums would rise or fall, but noted that health reimbursement arrangements will be allowed to be used to purchase Obamacare plans, that more people may purchase short-term health plans, and that the rule on association health plans letting small employers and the self-employed band together was on hold by the courts. At the same time, the price of medical care continues to rise and states have worked to pass reinsurance plans that help lower premiums.
FUTURE OF OBAMACARE LAWSUIT IN QUESTION: Judges for the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 5th Circuit in New Orleans on Wednesday asked for more information from Democratic-led states and the House of Representatives about whether they have standing to appeal the Texas v. U.S. case that seeks to invalidate Obamacare.
If it’s determined they don’t have standing, it’s possible that no one could appeal the ruling and that the lower-court decision that Obamacare is unconstitutional would stand. The oral arguments are set for July 9.
NO-SHOWS WARREN AND SANDERS VOTE AGAINST PACKAGE TO END SURPRISE MEDICAL BILLS: Senate legislation to curb unexpected high medical costs for patients moved ahead 20-3 without the support of Warren and Sanders, who voted against the measure by proxy because they were preparing for the Democratic debates in Miami.
The Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee advanced the Lower Health Care Costs Act Wednesday, putting it on track to hit President Trump‘s desk ahead of the August recess. The only other senator to vote against the bill was Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky., who said he didn’t think it would work.
CMS APPROVES LOUISIANA SUBSCRIPTION ARRANGEMENT FOR HEP C DRUGS: The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services on Wednesday approved a plan from Louisiana to allow the state to pay for hepatitis C drugs through a “Netflix-style” subscription model where the state’s Medicaid program would pay for the drugs with a flat fee every month and have access to an unlimited amount of medication. Louisiana is the second state to receive such an approval after Washington state’s plan was approved earlier this year.
NEW BIPARTISAN ALS CAUCUS: Reps. Terri Sewell, D-Ala., Brian Fitzpatrick, R-Pa., Jason Crow, D-Colo., and Ken Calvert, R-Calif., on Wednesday launched the ALS Caucus to work toward policies that would cure the fatal amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, or Lou Gehrig’s disease. The members also plan to arrive at policies to help support families of people with the disease, which gradually weakens a person’s muscles until they can no longer move.
COCAINE PRODUCTION LEVELING OFF: The White House Office of National Drug Control Policy reported Wednesday that coca cultivation and cocaine production in Colombia is leveling off, finding that crops didn’t increase for the first time since 2012. Potential pure cocaine production saw a minor decrease in 2018 to 887 pure metric tons from 900 pure metric tons in 2017.
LA POLICE ARREST USC OB-GYN ACCUSED OF SEXUAL MISCONDUCT BY 500 WOMEN: The Los Angeles Police Department arrested former University of Southern California gynecologist Dr. George Tyndall on Wednesday on 16 counts of sexually abusing his patients.
Tyndall, 71, maintains that he is innocent. According to the women, Tyndall regularly used crude language, took inappropriate photographs, and groped women under the auspices of giving them a medical examination.
The Rundown
Modern Healthcare Senate health committee may change surprise billing proposals ahead of floor vote
Vox The Trump administration is quietly helping people get kidneys
CQ Roll Call Abortion foe goes from Trump skeptic to trump champion
Stat CBD is all the rage among patients. It’s launching their physicians into uncharted territory
The Washington Post HPV vaccine now recommended through age 45 in some cases
Calendar
THURSDAY | June 27
House and Senate in session.
June 26-27. 1615 H St. NW. U.S. Chamber of Commerce Foundation “Ignite Wellness Summit.” Details.
10 a.m. Dirksen 226. Senate Judiciary Committee executive session on drug-pricing bills. Details.
Noon. Hart 902. Alliance for Health Policy briefing on “Addressing the Drivers of Maternal Mortality.” Details.
Noon. 2044 Rayburn. American Association for Cancer Research briefing on ““Let’s End HPV-related Cancers.” Details.
FRIDAY | June 28
9 a.m. 1789 Massachusetts Ave. NW. American Enterprise Institute event on “What Do We Tell Our Children? The Health Risks and Policy Problems of Cannabis Legalization.” Details.
10 a.m. National Press Club. 529 14th St. NW. Bipartisan Policy Center event on “Good Health is Good Business.” Details.
MONDAY | July 1
Congress not in session.
THURSDAY | July 4
Fourth of July holiday.
