Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Partisan Fireworks On Display As Ways And Means Committee Holds Hearing On Preexisting Conditions
The powerful House Ways and Means Committee used its first policy hearing of the new Congress to hammer Republicans on pre-existing conditions, an issue that helped propel Democrats into the majority during the 2018 midterm elections. Democratic panel members highlighted actions by the Trump administration that they argue have hurt people with pre-existing conditions, like the expansion of non-ObamaCare plans that could draw healthy people from the markets, raising premiums for those left behind. (Hellmann, 1/29)
Essentially every committee Republican expressed support for guaranteeing coverage for people with pre-existing conditions and called on Congress to lower health care costs. Democrats on the panel pushed back on that, criticizing Republicans for a previous lack of support for pre-existing conditions protections that were in the 2010 health care law (PL 111-148, PL 111-152). In between partisan comments, lawmakers mentioned health policies the panel could consider this year. Those include efforts to lower health care costs, improve association health plans or allow people to buy into the Medicare program. (McIntire, 1/29)
A bipartisan fix for surprise medical bills that are socking even well-insured Americans could be one of the few issues uniting Democrats and Republicans this year, but only if lawmakers find a way to contend with competing factions of the health industry, none of whom want to pick up the entire tab. The political appeal of the issue is such that even President Donald Trump last week hosted a roundtable of patients who shared stories of jaw-dropping medical costs — like a $16,000 charge for one emergency room visit. (Roubein and Cancryn, 1/29)
U.S. Democratic Senator Patty Murray sent a letter to Johnson & Johnson on Tuesday seeking information related to allegations in a Reuters Special Report that the healthcare company knew about the presence of asbestos in its talc-based baby powder. The letter addressed to J&J Chief Executive Alex Gorsky asks for documents and information related to testing of its talc products for the presence of carcinogens and "how it presented that information to regulators and consumers." (1/29)
