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‘MEDICARE FOR ALL’ QUESTIONS TURN TO JOBS: Democratic presidential candidates faced questions this weekend about what would happen to the jobs of people who work in the health insurance industry, just shortly after Elizabeth Warren put out a funding plan for “Medicare for all.”
It was an unexpected line of questioning. The industry itself isn’t terribly popular with the public. That’s one of the reasons why candidates like Warren and Bernie Sanders aren’t afraid to go after them on a regular basis when they advocate for “Medicare for all,” while at the same time avoiding talk about taking on high costs in the hospital and drug industries, which people view more favorably even though their costs to the system are significantly higher than those of insurers or even drug companies. All of those industries, too, would face tremendous disruption under “Medicare for all.”
Warren had already acknowledged her plan would eliminate 2 million jobs in health insurance, both among people who work directly in the industry and among administrators in hospitals who negotiate with insurers about price. This weekend, she said those laid off workers could switch over to the auto and life insurance industries.
But Sanders had a different answer, saying those people would transition into providing healthcare, and that if elected he would “do everything we can” to provide training and support. He noted that more generous coverage that left no one uninsured would create a shortage of healthcare workers, so there would actually be a need for more jobs on net.
“We will transition those workers from sitting behind a desk arguing with you about whether or not you’re entitled to the coverage you thought you were into a more productive area of providing real healthcare,” Sanders said.
Cory Booker, who supports the Medicare for All Act but also has promised to sign any bill into law that moves in that direction, called job losses “fearmongering,” though he appeared to misunderstand that the question focused specifically on the private health insurance industry, which would be abolished under the bill. Colorado’s Michael Bennet, who supports a public option and has been critical of “Medicare for all,” said he wasn’t worried about what would happen to the health insurance industry. “We’re trying to get to universal healthcare as fast as we can,” he said.
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.
COURT BLOCKS TRUMP ADMINISTRATION FROM FORCING IMMIGRANTS TO GET HEALTH INSURANCE: Federal Judge Michael Simon of the Federal District Court in Portland, Oregon, on Saturday temporarily blocked the Trump administration from carrying out a policy that will require immigrants to show they can get health insurance before getting a visa.
OBAMACARE OPEN ENROLLMENT OFF TO A ROCKY START: On the first day of open enrollment for plans on the Obamacare exchanges, widespread technical glitches on HealthCare.gov made signing up for insurance difficult and even impossible in many cases, according to the Associated Press. The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services said they were aware that people were having issues signing up and receiving error messages on the site, and promised its highest priority is to remedy the problem. Americans have until Dec. 15 to enroll in a plan through the site.
PELOSI NOT A ‘BIG FAN’ OF ‘MEDICARE FOR ALL’: Speaker Nancy Pelosi tamped down expectations for ‘Medicare for all’ Friday, the same day that Warren released her funding plan for the government-financed healthcare system. “I’m not a big fan of ‘Medicare for all,’” Pelosi told Bloomberg Friday.
“But it is expensive. Who pays is very important. What are the benefits that come in there?” she asked. “I would think that, hopefully, as we emerge into the election year, the mantra will be more ‘healthcare for all Americans.'”
TRUMP ADMINISTRATION REVERSES OBAMA-ERA ANTI-DISCRIMINATION LAWS: Organizations that receive at least $500 billion in grants from Health and Human Services, including those that provide healthcare services and foster care, will no longer be required to show they won’t discriminate against gay or transgender people, as they were under Obama administration rules published in 2016. Gay and transgender-rights groups were quick to respond. Lambda Legal tweeted: “This rule will openly encourage discrimination on the basis of sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, AND religion in *all* HHS programs. This is taxpayer-funded discrimination. Religion is NOT a #LicenseToDiscriminate.”
Religious organizations, like the Catholic Association Foundation, applauded the decision having fought for years against the Obama policy, which they said violated freedom of speech and the Religious Freedom Restoration Act. “The proposed HHS rule frees faith-based adoption and foster care groups participating in programs that receive federal grants from the prior administration’s demand they include sexual orientation as a protected trait under anti-discrimination protections,” said Andrea Picciotti-Bayer, a legal adviser for the foundation.
TRUMP NOMINATES CANCER SPECIALIST TO HEAD THE FDA: Dr. Stephen Hahn, chief medical executive at the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center in Houston, was tapped for the top position at the Food and Drug Administration Friday. If confirmed, he will replace fellow oncologist Dr. Ned Sharpless. While Hahn doesn’t have experience running a government agency, he’ll have to hit the ground running as the FDA is currently entangled in debates about banning e-cigarette flavors and methods of remedying the opioid crisis.
Trump’s nomination came just under the wire. His deadline was Friday, because the Federal Vacancies Reform Act bars people from serving in an “acting” capacity for more than 210 days — in this case, Sharpless. Hahn will face the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee for questioning, followed by the full Senate for a vote.
The Rundown
The New York Times China effectively bans online sales of e-cigarettes
NPR Rural seasonal workers worry about Montana Medicaid’s work requirements
Tampa Bay Times Tampa will ask federal appeals court to reinstate ban on conversion therapy
Bloomberg Blood test to detect breast cancer could be five years away
ProPublica How one employer stuck a new mom with a $898,984 bill for her premature baby
Calendar
MONDAY | Nov. 4
House in recess.
Nov. 4-5. Capital Hilton. Patient-Centered Primary Care Collaborative Annual Conference. Details.
TUESDAY | Nov. 5
8 a.m. Capital Hilton. Politico event on “Fixing Kidney Care.” Details.
WEDNESDAY | Nov. 6
8:30 a.m. 1330 G St NW. Alliance for Health Policy event on “Navigating the Frontiers of Innovation and Value Summit.” Details.
THURSDAY | Nov. 7
Nov. 7-8. Renaissance Washington. World Anti-Microbial Resistance Congress. Brochure.
