Health Headlines for Tuesday, January 17
Health Law’s Repeal Could Raise Costs and Number of Uninsured, New Report Says
New York Times
The nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office said on Tuesday that repealing major provisions of the Affordable Care Act, while leaving other parts in place, would cost 18 million people their insurance in the first year and could increase the number of uninsured Americans by 32 million in 10 years, while causing individual insurance premiums to double over that time.
Trump’s Strategy for Cutting Drug Prices Is DOA
Bloomberg
Trump didn’t say a whole lot in his press conference on Wednesday, but his remark that America needed to revise its process for buying pharmaceuticals made some enormous waves.
Fear Spurs Support for Health Law as Republicans Work to Repeal It
New York Times
President-elect Donald J. Trump and congressional Republicans appear to have accomplished a feat that President Obama, with all the power at his disposal, could not in the past seven years: They have galvanized outspoken support for the Affordable Care Act.
State considering earmarking Medicaid funds for school-readiness programs
Politico
The Cuomo administration is considering a program, first tested in Oregon, that would use Medicaid dollars to better prepare kids for school, a move advocates say would be a step toward better health and a better education for children.
Trump spokesman says Obamacare replacement will harness marketplace competition
Washington Post
A spokesman for Donald Trump sought Monday to elaborate on the president-elect’s plans to replace the Affordable Care Act, vowing that the new administration would lower health-care costs by infusing more competition into the marketplace, including by allowing insurers to sell health plans across state lines.
Republicans move to spend billions on Obamacare — before they kill it
Politico
On their way to killing Obamacare, Republicans are leaning toward funding up to $9 billion in health care subsidies this year to keep the program afloat — even though they sued the Obama administration to stop those exact payments.
The G.O.P.’s Health Care Death Spiral
New York Times
Last week, President-elect Donald J. Trump called Obamacare “a complete and total disaster,” and pushed for a swift repeal of the Affordable Care Act and a replacement within weeks.
EXCLUSIVE: State officials looking to merge three ailing Brooklyn hospitals in healthcare overhaul
New York Daily News
State officials are preparing to move ahead with long-awaited efforts to overhaul the healthcare network in central and eastern Brooklyn, including the likely merger of at least three money-losing hospitals into a single care-providing entity for the region.