November 12, 2018 

Volume 5, Number 14

In This Issue

Blue House, Red Senate

HC Top Issue for Voters

Cheap Health Plans Not Built for All

Montana & Medicaid

Medicare Expands to In-Home Support

ID, NE, and UT Vote For Medicaid Expansion

Abortion Rights in Midterm Elections

HHS: Opt Out of Birth Control Mandate

IV Painkiller Alternative

Future of CVS

Possible Universal Flu Vaccine

TJG On Facebook

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Forbes: Blue House, Red Senate: What Now for American Healthcare?
Unlike the 2016 presidential election, which surprised pollsters, the 2018 midterms panned out as predicted: Republicans kept the Senate majority and Democrats wrested control of the House. With these results, the partisan divide in Congress is widening before our eyes. This congressional split bodes poorly for the 71 percent of voters who labeled healthcare as "very important" in determining their vote. (Pearl, 11/2018)

Source: Forbes

NBC News: Midterm Exit Polls: Healthcare is Top Issue for Voters
Voters were highly concerned about health care, according to preliminary exit polls, with more citing it as their top concern than the economy or any other issue — the first time in at least a decade that has happened. A plurality of 41 percent identified health care as the issue most important to their vote, which Democrats made the centerpiece of their campaign in races throughout the country. (Sarlin, 11/18)

Source: NBC News

WRAL: Cheap Health Plans Not Built For All
People with sticker shock over the cost of insurance on the Affordable Care Act exchanges this year will have a wave of short-term health plans to consider, which are much cheaper but also can mean slashed benefits and no coverage for pre-existing conditions. Newly loosened regulations have made these temporary plans once again available for year-long terms with a chance to renew and about a dozen are for sale in the state, according to the Ohio Department of Insurance. (Schroeder, 11/18)

Source: WRAL

Kaiser Health News: Montana’s Legislature Could Decide Medicaid Expansion’s Fate
A ballot initiative that would have continued funding Montana’s Medicaid expansion beyond June 2019 has failed. But advocates say they’ll continue to push for money to keep the expansion going after that financial sunset. “We now turn our attention to the legislature to maintain Montana’s bipartisan Medicaid expansion and protect those enrolled from harmful restrictions that would take away health insurance coverage,” said a concession statement Wednesday from Chris Laslovich, campaign manager with the advocacy group Healthy Montana, which supported the measure. (Whitney, 11/9)

Source: Kaiser Health News

The Associated Press: Medicare Expands Access To In-Home Support For Seniors
In a harbinger of potentially big changes for Medicare, seniors in many states will be able to get additional services such as help with chores, safety devices and respite for caregivers next year through private "Medicare Advantage" insurance plans. The shift reflects a growing recognition that simple help at home can have a meaningful impact on patients' well-being — and reduce some costs for taxpayers. A couple of hundred dollars to install grab bars in the shower can prevent a fall leading to a broken hip, a life-changing injury. (11/9)

Source: The Associated Press

The New York Times: Idaho, Nebraska And Utah Vote To Expand Medicaid
Despite the uncertainty and partisan gridlock that Tuesday’s election results ensure, one policy change seems guaranteed: hundreds of thousands more poor Americans in red states will qualify for free health coverage through Medicaid. Voters in Idaho, Nebraska and Utah, which President Trump won easily in 2016, approved ballot initiatives to expand the government insurance program under the Affordable Care Act. Democratic victories in governors’ races also improved the chances of Medicaid expansion in Kansas and Wisconsin, and all but ensured it in Maine. As a result, Medicaid could see its biggest enrollment bump since the health law began allowing expansion in 2014. (Goodnough, 11/7)

Source: The NY Times

The Washington Post: Here’s How Abortion Rights Played Out In Midterm Elections Across The Country
With the fate of Roe v. Wade hanging in the balance, Tuesday night’s midterm elections brought high stakes for both sides of the abortion debate. Antiabortion advocates gained clear legislative victories in Alabama and West Virginia, where voters passed constitutional amendments paving the way to ban abortion if the new conservative consensus on the Supreme Court overturns the landmark 1973 ruling that outlawed restrictions on the procedure before the fetus is viable. (Schmidt and Boorstein, 11/7)

Source: The Washington Post

The Wall Street Journal: HHS To Let Some Employers Opt Out Of Birth-Control Mandate
The exemptions, which the department of Health and Human Services announced Wednesday, are less sweeping than an original set of rules laid out a year ago that would have allowed virtually any employer to opt out of the contraceptive mandate by claiming a religious or moral objection. Those rules were blocked from going into effect by two federal judges. ... A group of Democratic state attorneys general filed suit last year against the administration’s original set of exemptions, and are likely to pursue legal action to attempt to prevent the new exemptions from taking effect. (Hackman, 11/7)

Source: The Wall Street Journal

The Wall Street Journal: CVS Lays Out Vision For Future As Aetna Merger Looms
CVS Health Corp. executives gave investors a window into its strategy after closing the acquisition of health insurer Aetna Inc., with an eye on becoming a one-stop shop for patients. ... CVS and Aetna operate in largely different businesses, with their most direct overlap coming in selling plans under the Medicare prescription-drug program, known as Part D. (Al-Muslim, 11/6)

Source: The Wall Street Journal

The Associated Press: FDA OKs Powerful Opioid Pill As Alternative To IV Painkiller
The tiny pill was developed as an option for patients who pose difficulties for the use of IVs, including soldiers on the battlefield. The pill from AcelRx Pharmaceuticals contains the same decades-old painkiller often given in IV form or injection to surgical patients and women in labor. (Johnson, 11/2)

Source: The Associated Press

The New York Times: How To Turbocharge Flu Protection (Llamas Required)
On Thursday, an international team of researchers offered a glimpse at something better than the seasonal flu shot. With a sophisticated combination of immunotherapy and gene therapy, they created an artificial antibody that protected mice against dozens of flu strains. It’s an important step toward a type of flu shot that scientists have long sought: a shield against whatever flu strain people happen to pick up. (Zimmer, 11/1)

Source: The NY Times

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