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TRUMP BAITS DEMOCRATS WITH CLAIMS ABOUT PRE-EXISTING CONDITIONS: President Trump is baiting Democrats with his claims on Twitter that he is “stronger than anyone in protecting your healthcare with pre-existing conditions,” but so far top-polling Democratic presidential candidates aren’t attacking.
Trump’s tweets aren’t backed up by his actions. The Trump administration has signed onto a lawsuit that threatens to throw out all of Obamacare, including its rules prohibiting insurers from turning away the sick or charging them more. He also backed the replacement legislation that would have weakened Obamacare’s protections on pre-existing conditions, and at his rallies he still laments the late Sen. John McCain’s “thumbs down” that put a stop to repealing the healthcare law in Congress.
Obamacare’s defenders have been frustrated that Democratic presidential candidates have been fighting among themselves on healthcare, rather than criticizing Trump. Yet top-polling Democratic presidential candidates don’t seem to be listening. They were silent on Twitter about the claims, and it remains to be seen whether they’ll blast Trump during Tuesday night’s debate or continue infighting over “Medicare for all.”
The only candidate to speak out was Michael Bloomberg. Trump had referred to Bloomberg as “Mini Mike Bloomberg” in tweets, attacking him for “fake advertising” he ran on healthcare. Trump promised healthcare in America “will become the best ever, by far. I will always protect your Pre-Existing Conditions, the Dems will not!”
Bloomberg responded with a video of McCain voting “no” on Obamacare repeal. “This is an insult to the countless people who have actually stood for the protection of healthcare,” he wrote. And over in the House, Speaker Nancy Pelosi brought attention to the lawsuit and tweeted out numbers of people who have pre-existing conditions in different states.
It’s hard to say at this point what will matter most to voters in November, and of course whoever is the Democratic nominee will dictate a lot of the conversation. Obamacare has been pretty stable, and the Obamacare court case isn’t likely to get decided until far after the 2020 election.
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.
‘MAN-MADE CRISIS’: OKLAHOMA SUES OPIOID DISTRIBUTORS: State Attorney General Mike Hunter, a Republican, on Monday sued Cardinal Health Inc., McKesson Corp., and AmerisourceBergen Corp., accusing the distributors of allowing a massive supply of pills to go to patients in the state without alerting authorities. The state already one a lawsuit against a drug manufacturer and has reached settlements in other cases. “It is a man-made crisis,” the lawsuit says. “It was brought into being by the pharmaceutical industry.”
BUTTIGIEG AND WARREN WEIGH IN ON VAPING REGULATIONS: Elizabeth Warren said in Iowa Monday that she’s seen some data showing that vaping could be a safer alternative to smoking regular cigarettes, but she has more to consider before making a plan to combat youth e-cigarette use. “I want a rule that is based in science,” she said. “I want a rule that is based in the interests of the health of the people of the United States of America.” Pete Buttigieg also told Iowa voters that part of his strategy for stemming youth use includes having government regulators “who actually believe in protecting consumers rather than being beholden to those whose profits are at stake.”
Other presidential candidates, including Joe Biden and Bernie Sanders, have teased tough policies on the vaping industry. Sanders, for example, said he would “shut down” the vaping industry if people continued to get sick from “inhaling a lot of bad stuff,” but then his advisor Jeff Weaver walked the comments back. Weaver told Politico that Sanders didn’t mean he would immediately shut down the industry, but that he would wait for more scientific evidence to come out that proves e-cigarettes and vapes are harmful.
FIRST SUPERVISED DRUG INJECTION SITE PLANS TO OPEN DESPITE FEDERAL OPPOSITION: Safehouse, a Philadelphia-based organization to minimize health risks for opioid users, intends to open its doors as soon as possible despite opposition from federal officials, who argue that the charity would facilitate drug use. Safehouse would allow opioid users to bring their own drugs to a medically supervised center that will provide clean needles in the hope of preventing them from getting diseases like HIV and hepatitis C. Healthcare professionals will stand by with opioid-reversal drugs like naloxone and then provide the user with addiction treatment options before they leave.
A yearlong court battle with U.S. Attorney William McSwain isn’t Safehouse’s only obstacle to opening, though. Running a charity is expensive, especially if that charity hopes to treat as many people as possible for as long as possible. “We still get small showings of support. We get small checks and some foundation support. I’m hoping if we can get open and stay open, that’ll show funders we’re legit,” Ronda Goldfein, vice president of Safehouse, told Cassidy. The charity has yet to find a location for the first center, too, so when the first site will open remains unknown.
NEW U-HAUL SMOKING HIRING POLICY CRITICIZED AS DISCRIMINATORY: A new U-Haul hiring policy will disqualify candidates who use nicotine products on and off the job, including e-cigarettes, in the 21 states that allow employers to reject candidates for using nicotine. “It’s a terribly misguided policy,” Dr. Michael Siegel, a professor at the Boston University School of Public Health, told Cassidy. “There’s no question that this policy is discriminatory because it’s based on essentially discriminating against people based on a group to which they belong that has nothing to do with their job qualifications.” Usually it’s only hospitals and medical centers to enact such policies. Read more about it here.
DEMOCRATS URGE ICE TO RELEASE TRANSGENDER MIGRANTS IN CUSTODY: Illinois Democrat Mike Quigley is leading an effort to mandate that Immigration and Customs Enforcement release all immigrants in custody who identify as transgender, as they are often the targets of violence in detention facilities. In a draft letter to ICE obtained by the Washington Examiner, Quigley said: “LGBT people in ICE custody are 97 times more likely to be sexually victimized than non-LGBT people in detention.” Quigley’s office is working on getting more co-signers in Congress and is expected to send a final draft of the letter to acting DHS Secretary Chad Wolf and ICE Director Matt Albence later this week.
TWO TRANSGENDER WOMEN ARE TAKING FLORIDA TO COURT: Two transgender women, Jami Claire, 62, and Kathryn Lane, 38, argue in a lawsuit that a Florida state policy barring employer-provided health insurance from covering gender reassignment surgery violates the Constitution and Title VII of the Civil Rights Act. The suit says that Florida’s policy exacerbates gender dysphoria, contributing to depression, anxiety, and suicidal thinking. Claire and Lane have teamed up with advocacy organizations including the ACLU of Florida and the Southern Legal Counsel to represent them in the suit. “Transgender state employees are singled out and explicitly denied coverage for one reason: They are transgender. That is discrimination, and it cannot stand,” said Simone Chriss, an attorney with the Southern Legal Counsel and lead attorney in the suit.
The Rundown
Kaiser Health News Loopholes limit new California law to guard against lofty air ambulance bills
NPR ‘Concierge’ medicine gets more affordable, but is still not widespread
Boston Globe Consumers made 2,600 health complaints to Juul about e-cigarettes, FDA says
The Baltimore Sun Planned Parenthood expands Annapolis health center to meet rising demand for health services
The Wall Street Journal Drugmakers test new ways to pay for six-figure treatments
Chicago Tribune Dry January isn’t for everyone, experts say
Calendar
TUESDAY | Jan. 14
Jan. 13-16. San Francisco. JPMorgan Chase & Co. 38th Annual Healthcare Conference. Details.
10 a.m. Rayburn 2123. House Energy and Commerce’s Oversight and Investigations Subcommittee hearing on “A Public Health Emergency: State Efforts to Curb the Opioid Crisis.” Tune in.
WEDNESDAY | Jan. 15
8:45 a.m. UnitedHealthCare fourth quarter earnings call. Details.
10 a.m. 2123 Rayburn. Energy and Commerce’s Health Subcommittee hearing on “Cannabis Policies for the New Decade.” Details.
Noon. Cato Institute event on “Needle Exchange Programs: Benefits and Challenges,” with Surgeon General Jerome Adams. Details.
THURSDAY | Jan. 16
8 a.m.-4 p.m. The Spy Museum. 700 L’Enfant Plaza SW. Council for Affordable Health Coverage event on “The Price of Good Health.” Details.
