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Washington State Makes Progress in Rules on Short-Term “Junk” Plans
Pending any relief from the lawsuit against short-term “junk” insurance plans, Washington Insurance Commissioner Mike Kreidler released proposed rules for Washington State and held a hearing yesterday. NoHLA’s comments recognize the improvements over the initial draft but emphasize the need for additional consumer safeguards and for clearly informing people of the limitations of these plans.
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Both House and Senate Pass Opioid Legislation, But More Funding Needed to Combat Crisis
The House is expected to adjourn after this week until after the mid-term elections, and are looking to cross one more item off their to-do list before they leave town. The House passed the Substance Use-Disorder Prevention that Promotes Opioid Recovery and Treatment (SUPPORT) for Patients and Communities Act (H.R. 6) back in June, and […]
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New Legislation to Protect Consumers from High Costs of Health Care
High health care costs lurk throughout the health care system – in premiums, deductibles and cost-sharing and the costs of treatment. Congress has two new proposals that would help to address these issues. A bipartisan group of Senators proposed the Protecting Patients from Surprise Medical Bills Act, which would help to address the issues of […]
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Federal Proposals to Curb Maternal Mortality Trends
The USA Today investigation into maternal mortality and morbidity found issue with maternal mortality review committees. Instead of focusing attention on the quality of care hospitals provide or on advocating for improvements, they tend to focus more on lifestyle choices in their reports on maternal deaths. Representative Jaime Herrera-Beutler (WA) will be in front of […]
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What an Interesting Way to Message Against Medicare for All…
Medicare for All proposals have gained steam this year as more and more Democrats throw in their support. The most recent endorsement came from President Barack Obama, who called it a “good new idea.” But Republicans now claim that Medicare for All will instead take health care away from senior citizens(!). Political ads with pro-Medicare […]
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Medicaid Work Requirements Kick People Off Coverage
The new trend of work requirements for Medicaid is troubling. The LA Times’ Michael Hiltzik began an article about the recent news out of Arkansas this way: The Republican project to turn Medicaid from a healthcare program into an obstacle course for the most vulnerable members of society has passed its first proof-of-concept test: Arkansas […]
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Voters Concerned About Health Care Costs
The upcoming mid-term elections are a big deal because they will determine control of Congress and the legislative agenda for the remainder of the Trump Administration. But while the Republicans were focused on repeal and replace of the ACA and Trump was making decisions with health care market impacts, consumers faced higher health care costs […]
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No Ruling Yet on ACA Lawsuit Threatening People with Pre-existing Conditions
The good news this week is that Senator McConnell indicated the Senate has no plan to repeal the ACA again soon, despite a likely “yea” vote from newly-(re)minted Senator Jon Kyl who stepped in to temporarily fill Senator John McCain’s shoes. The bad news is that the ACA and over 130 million people with pre-existing […]
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Tough Hearings for Trump’s Latest Supreme Court Nominee
Judge Brett Kavanaugh was in the Senate Judiciary Committee’s hot seat last week. The Supreme Court confirmation hearings were intense with protesters and leaked confidential (or at least recently “committee confidential”) information to The New York Times and the general public. Public opinion remains divided – with 38% supporting and 39% opposing his confirmation. The […]
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Immigrants Dropping Benefits in Anticipation of New Public Charge Rules
Advocates continue to expect the Trump administration to issue proposed “public charge” rules. A leaked draft earlier this year changes the definition of when a legal immigrant (and their families) are considered a “public charge” to the government—impacting their qualification for permanent resident status. But even without proposed rules, fear within the immigrant community is […]
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