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‘Medicare for all’ push could actually be paving way for ‘public option.’ That Sen. Kamala Harris, D-Calif., a leading contender for the 2020 Democratic nomination, was willing in the infancy of her candidacy to freely embrace the idea of eliminating private insurance sent a strong signal that Democrats are taking the prospect of “Medicare for all” seriously. Though Democrats are unlikely to realize this goal should they attain power, if they take control of Washington, it’s quite likely that they’ll at least pass something along the lines of the “public option” — a government-run plan that they couldn’t get across the finish line when Obamacare was passed. Though it was fought bitterly during the Obamacare fight, given the focus on “Medicare for all,” it could be pitched as a compromise relative to a $32 trillion piece of legislation that would kick 177 million individuals off of private insurance that they mostly like. While the CBO is likely to be harsh toward a universal government healthcare proposal, its model has in the past scored the “public option” as deficit reducing. Red state Democrats need to be able to claim some sort of scalp, so they can say that they fought off a more radical idea. Interestingly, the “public option” served this purpose during the Obamacare fight, ultimately playing a useful role in getting centrists Democrats on board once it was eliminated. Liberals may one day get their dream of a government-run healthcare system, but it isn’t going to happen with one giant bill that uproots a mature $3.5 trillion industry in a matter of a few years.

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Kamala Harris’ ‘Medicare for all’ would mean massive disruption for healthcare, and the industry is ready to fight it. Harris wants to ” move on” from the current healthcare system in favor of a plan that would roll everyone in the U.S. onto a government plan known as “Medicare for all,” doing away with private health insurance. As the California Democrat and others in her party make their case, however, they will face considerable opposition not only in the insurance industry, but across the healthcare sector, which would see massive upheaval from the plan. And polling suggests that the public, roughly half of which relies on private insurance, isn’t quite on board. Drug companies, insurers, doctors, and hospitals have united in recent months to fight national government healthcare. One healthcare industry group, called the Partnership for America’s Health Care Future, has launched a five-figure digital ad campaign arguing that “Medicare for all” would cause massive disruption, higher taxes, lower quality care, and less choice for patients. It plans to spend six figures bashing “Medicare for all” over the course of 2019. “Whether it’s called Medicare for all, single payer, or a public option, one-size-fits-all healthcare will mean all Americans have less choice and control over the doctors, treatments, and coverage,” said Lauren Crawford Shaver, the group’s executive director.

Sherrod Brown backs Harris plan to abolish private health insurance. Sen. Sherrod Brown said he backs a proposal from Harris to abolish private health insurance. “I like Kamala,” Brown told MSNBC when asked if he would consider appearing on a ticket alongside Harris in the 2020 elections. “I was amazed at somebody called her un-American today for a proposal she had on health insurance … I stand with her on that, we have stood together on a number of issues, and I think very highly of her.” Brown, D-Ohio, on Wednesday will launch a tour aimed at promoting a possible White House run in 2020, and has said it should become clear whether he runs in the next few weeks. After receiving backlash for proposing a complete elimination of the current healthcare system, Harris walked back a bit on her comments. Harris’ national press secretary Ian Sams said less than 24 hours after the initial comments that the senator is willing to back healthcare proposals that would not eliminate private health insurance. “Medicare for all is the plan that she believes will solve the problem and get all Americans covered. Period,” Sams told CNN. “She has co-sponsored other pieces of legislation that she sees as a path to getting us there, but this is the plan she is running on.”

House to begin Medicare expansion hearings in the spring, and pass legislation next year. Rep. John Yarmuth, D-Ky., who chairs the Budget Committee, told Reuters on Tuesday that it appeared the most feasible option for the party was to pass a bill offering Medicare to people beginning at age 50 or 55. He expects that the party will pass a bill before the end of 2020, after holding hearings that will begin this spring. “I would say a majority (of Democrats) wants to do something, some kind of Medicare expansion,” Yarmuth said. “I’ve had a number of major corporate CEOs say to me we need to go to Medicare for All.”

Fears about association health plans are not bearing out: study. After the Trump administration finalized rules about association health plans, Democrats and pro-Obamacare advocates warned that the plans would be skimpy and fail to provide adequate protections for pre-existing illnesses such as cancer or diabetes. A new study out this morning by AssociationHealthPlans.com shows that the fears haven’t borne out. The plans allow workers, such as a chamber of commerce, to band together for the purpose of obtaining health insurance. By doing so, they operate more similarly to a small business rather than individual small businesses or people who are self-employed. Twenty-eight association health plans have formed in 13 states and so far they’ve carried broad benefits, from maternity coverage to mental healthcare, and have been operated by large insurers, including UnitedHealthcare and Blue Cross Blue Shield. “Not only are we seeing a trend toward comprehensive benefits, but these groups are also claiming double-digit premium savings for their members, a welcome development for small businesses that have long struggled with rising health care costs,” Kev Coleman, president of AssociationHealthPlans.com, said in a statement.

Supreme Court asked to halt Louisiana abortion restrictions. Abortion rights groups filed an emergency request asking the Supreme Court to block restrictions from going into effect in Louisiana that are similar those the Supreme Court struck down more than two years ago. The Louisiana law requires doctors who provide abortions to have admitting privileges at a local hospital in case anything goes wrong during an abortion. The Supreme Court in 2016 struck down similar laws in Texas in Whole Women’s Health v. Hellerstedt, but the 5th Circuit upheld Louisiana’s law. Plaintiffs, which include the Center for Reproductive Rights and abortion providers in the state, asked the Supreme Court on Friday to halt the Fifth Circuit’s ruling. The filing appeared in the Supreme Court docket on Monday and the law will go into effect Feb. 4 if the Supreme Court does not act. The organizations are asking Supreme Court Justice Samuel Alito to make a decision by Thursday. Alito has the option of referring the request to the full court.

Hospital-acquired conditions decline by about 1 million. Avoiding hospital errors such as infections, pressure ulcers, and bad drug reactions prevented 20,500 hospital deaths from 2014 to 2017, according to the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality and the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services. As a result, hospitals saved $7.7 billion in healthcare costs. The report, out Tuesday, shows hospital-acquired conditions fell by 910,000 from 2014 to 2017, a drop of 13 percent. “CMS is delivering on improving quality and safety at America’s hospitals,” Seema Verma, CMS administrator, said in statement.  “Our work isn’t done and we will continue our efforts to hold providers accountable for delivering results.” The work has been driven by rules in Obamacare that penalize hospitals through Medicare if patients don’t get better.

Verma takes a shot at ‘Medicare for all.’ Verma said “the reality is we can barely afford the program we have,” when faced with the prospect of whether the country should move to a government healthcare system dubbed by supporters as “Medicare for all.” She noted that the trustee’s report says Medicare’s trust fund will run out in 2026, resulting in one in every five healthcare dollars being spent on healthcare. In a speech delivered at the CMS Quality Conference that the Trump administration was reducing regulation in healthcare and providing information and web tools to patients to help them make decisions about their care. “ We are prioritizing a well-informed, empowered consumer rather than a government agency to make our healthcare decisions,” she said. “We are repositioning the government’s role from one prescribing processes through heavy regulation to one focused on safeguarding outcomes and taxpayers’ dollars.”

More senators sign on to undo ‘pay for delay’ in drug pricing. Sens. Patrick Leahy, D-Vt., and Joni Ernst, R-Iowa, have joined on to the Preserve Access to Affordable Generics and Biosimilars Act. The bill was initially introduced by Sens. Amy Klobuchar, D-Minn., and Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, to limit the use of “pay for delay” deals in which drug companies use pay-off agreements to delay the introduction of cheaper substitutes. “High drug prices affect all Iowans, especially our seniors and those living on a fixed income. When competition is artificially stifled and affordable alternatives are purposely kept off the market, prices stay high and our seniors and middle-class Americans foot the bill,” Ernst said. “Our bipartisan legislation will help increase competition and lower drug costs.”

Senators introduce bill to encourage new payment models. Sens. Bill Cassidy, R-La., and Mark Warner, D-Va., have introduced the Patient Affordability, Value, and Efficiency Act that would allow drugs to be paid for in new ways. One example is setting up a “Netflix” or “subscription model” that Louisiana has proposed, where drug companies receive a subscription fee to have unlimited access to a drug, rather than paying for drugs individually. It would also let pricing for prescription drugs be tied to how effective those drugs are at treating an illness. “With input from experts and key stakeholders, we’ll be able to ensure that pharmaceutical companies and medical device manufacturers are incentivized to develop more effective treatments at a better price,” Warner said.

Gwen Moore reveals cancer prognosis during Ways and Means Committee hearing. Rep. Gwen Moore, D-Wis., announced Tuesday at a Ways and Means hearing about Obamacare’s protections for pre-existing illnesses that she was in remission after an almost yearlong fight against a cancer that was attacking her immune system. “I’m so glad to be here. And when I say I am glad to be here, I mean I am glad to be here,” she said, according to the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. “In the spring of 2018, I joined an exclusive club of millions of Americans with the cursed ‘C’ disease, cancer, a disease that guarantees discrimination in the insurance marketplace, for many a death sentence,” she said. But Moore, 67, said Tuesday she was now “in great health with an excellent prognosis of living with this disease.” In a statement explaining her decision to go public with her recent scare, she said, “Ways and Means Republicans have voted to defund, undercut, and undermine our country’s health care system. They have made it clear as day that they care more about the cost of the ACA than the value of human life,” Moore wrote. “I am announcing my remission today to remind everyone on this committee that I am a living example of the lifesaving value of essential health benefits. For my children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren that is a cost worth paying.”

RUNDOWN

STAT News It’s not just Democrats: In dueling drug pricing hearings, at least some Republicans slam pharma, too

Politico Congress takes on unexpected medical bills, sparking industry turf war

NBC News This billionaire couple is taking on Big Pharma to lower your prescription drug prices

Washington Post New Planned Parenthood head Leana Wen goes on offensive against Trump administration

CNN Michael Bloomberg: Medicare-for-all ‘would bankrupt us for a very long time’