Daily on Healthcare: Trump tasks GOP with replacing Obamacare if courts kill it

TRUMP TASKS GOP WITH REPLACING OBAMACARE IF COURTS KILL IT: Shortly after his Department of Justice asked an appeals court to strike down Obamacare in its entirety, President Trump urged Republicans to become the “party of healthcare” and to once again take a swing at replacing the healthcare law.

Several senators told the Washington Examiner’s Susan Ferrechio that Trump focused on healthcare during Republican senators’ regular lunch meeting on Tuesday, though the president did not specifically tell them which bills to embrace. His latest budget request would revive the Graham-Cassidy bill that turns the power of creating healthcare systems to states, and members of his administration won’t say what the fallback plan is if the law is struck down.

Sen. John Kennedy, R-La., said Trump told lawmakers he wants them to focus on lowering the cost of health insurance and ensuring coverage for people with pre-existing illnesses. “He thinks it’s the one area where we’ve fallen short and he wants to see us address it,” Kennedy said. “He made it very clear. He spent a lot of time on healthcare.”

Trump promised voters when he was running for president that he would deliver on the Republicans’ long-stated goal to repeal Obamacare, and last week he criticized the late Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., for joining with Democrats and two other Republicans to halt those efforts. Democrats have held Trump’s feet to the fire for saying in the past that he wants “insurance for everybody” and that it would be “much less expensive and much better.”

Past bills Republicans have presented would leave millions more people uninsured. The lawsuit puts Republicans on the spot, who have said in recent weeks that they are prepared to move on from Obamacare in favor of bipartisan efforts to end surprise medical bills and reduce what patients pay for drugs.

Despite the talk with Trump, Republicans appear not to have immediate plans to address healthcare. Sen. Roy Blunt, R-Mo., told reporters the Senate will likely wait until Obamacare challenges churn through the courts in order to determine how they will proceed with a new legislative approach. “It’s really too early for us to know what the court is going to say,” Blunt said. “That is going to make a difference in how we might move forward.”

Meanwhile, Democrats over in the House are working to make the case that healthcare falls under their turf. On Tuesday they introduced a sweeping bill to expand Obamacare, and they’re marking up parts of it in committee this morning. Tune in.

Good morning and welcome to the Washington Examiner’s Daily on Healthcare! This newsletter is written by senior healthcare reporter Kimberly Leonard (@LeonardKL) and healthcare reporter Cassidy Morrison (@CassMorrison94). You can reach us with tips, calendar items, or suggestions at [email protected]. If someone forwarded you this email and you’d like to receive it regularly, you can subscribe here.

HERE’S WHAT’S IN THE DEMOCRATS’ PLAN TO EXTEND OBAMACARE: The bill is known as the “Protecting Pre-Existing Conditions and Making Healthcare More Affordable Act.” Here are a few highlights of what it would do:

* Allow more people to get federal subsidies that will reduce what they pay in premiums.

* Roll back the extension of short-term health insurance allowed under Trump.

* Provide funds for states to set up their own exchanges. This lets states have more freedom to control the market and advertise it.

* Spend $100 million a year on navigators. Under Trump, the budget was cut to $10 million.

* Fund $100 million in outreach so people know to sign up for coverage. Under Trump, the budget is $10 million.

SANDERS DOESN’T SUPPORT OBAMACARE EXPANSION: Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., who is running for president and has greatly influenced Democrats’ policy positions, said Tuesday that he does not support a bill introduced by House leaders to expand Obamacare. “No, I support the ‘Medicare for all’ single-payer program,” Sanders said when MSNBC’s Chris Hayes asked him about the legislation, introduced earlier that day. Asked a second time to clarify his stance and whether he supported incremental changes to the healthcare system, Sanders again replied that he did not support the bill.

Sanders had previously co-sponsored a bill that was similar to the new Democratic plan that he now opposes. He also previously co-sponsored a bill that would let people buy into Medicaid as an alternative to private health insurance.

ROMNEY JUMPS ONTO RUBIO’S PAID FAMILY LEAVE BILL: Sen. Mitt Romney, R-Utah, will join Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla., Wednesday as he re-introduces his paid family leave bill, called the New Parent Act. The bill will allow people to cash in on Social Security early as a way to pay for the time they take off work while caring for a new child, in exchange for delaying retirement. A similar bill was introduced earlier this month by fellow Utah GOP Sen. Mike Lee introduced beside Sen. Joni Ernst, R-Iowa. Tune in at 11:15 a.m.

POMPEO EXPANDS POLICY TO CUT ABORTION FUNDING ABROAD: Trump is denying taxpayer funding to foreign nonprofits “that give financial support to other foreign groups in the global abortion industry” and cutting aid to a key regional organization, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo announced Tuesday. “We will enforce a strict prohibition on backdoor funding schemes and end-runs around our policy,” Pompeo told reporters at the State Department. “American taxpayer dollars will not be used to underwrite abortions.”

Pompeo is expanding the so-called Mexico City Policy, first implemented by President Reagan in 1984, that bars nongovernmental organizations from using taxpayer dollars to promote abortion. The policy is typically reversed by Democratic presidents and renewed during Republican administrations, but Pompeo is implementing the rule “to the broadest extent possible” by ensuring that foreign nonprofits don’t give U.S. funding to groups that would direct the money to abortion.

OKLAHOMA KEEPS UP OPIOID FIGHT AGAINST BIG PHARMA AFTER $270 MILLION PURDUE DEAL: Oklahoma Attorney General Mike Hunter promised to press forward with a lawsuit against three prescription drugmakers on Tuesday after reaching a $270 million settlement with a fourth, Purdue Pharma, over claims that it misled doctors and patients about the risks of opioid painkillers. Hunter sued the companies — including Allergan, Teva, and Janssen, a division of Johnson & Johnson — in state court in June 2017, alleging they helped fuel a nationwide opioid epidemic that has taken a particularly harsh toll in his state. Oklahoma leads the country in prescription painkiller abuse by people 12 and older, the Hunter said. While the state isn’t ground zero in the epidemic, it’s “pretty close,” he added. “Today’s agreement is only the first step in our ultimate goal of ending this nightmarish epidemic.”

FEDERAL JUDGE DEEMS NORTH CAROLINA 20-WEEK ABORTION BAN UNCONSTITUTIONAL: District Judge William Osteen of the Middle District of North Carolina ruled Monday that a North Carolina law banning abortions after 20 weeks of pregnancy is unconstitutional and ran afoul of the 1973 Roe v. Wade Supreme Court ruling. This decision comes on the heels of numerous proposed abortion bans across the country, often called “heartbeat bills,” as the procedure would be banned after six weeks, the point at which a fetus’ heartbeat can be detected.

MEDICARE BUY-IN POLLS BETTER THAN ‘MEDICARE FOR ALL’: The latest Quinnipiac University poll shows a slim majority of Americans, 45 percent, are opposed to a “Medicare for all” style healthcare system, while 43 percent are in favor. A Medicare buy-in option is markedly more popular, with 51 percent favorability versus an unfavorability of 30 percent.

CDC CONFIRMS 314 CASES OF MEASLES SO FAR IN 2019: The CDC released new data Monday saying there have been 314 cases of measles in 2019 so far. This number of cases is only 58 fewer than all of the cases reported in 2018, which makes this the second-highest number of cases in 20 years. CDC data shows the majority of people who got measles were unvaccinated and warns that the disease can spread quickly among unvaccinated groups of people. The measles vaccination is 97 percent effective.

SCALISE ANNOUNCES HE WILL FILE PETITION FOR ABORTION SURVIVORS BILL: Minority Whip Steve Scalise announced Tuesday that he will file the discharge petition for the Born Alive Abortion Survivors Protection Act on April 2.

THE MILITARY DRINKS MORE THAN ANYONE ELSE: The armed forces drank more frequently than members of any other industry, 130 days per year, while the average across industries was 91 days, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention data analyzed by the Delphi Behavioral Health Group. According to a recent survey conducted by the Department of Defense, one-third of service members meet the criteria for hazardous drinking as well as a possible alcohol misuse issue. The military was also the industry that engaged most heavily in binge drinking, at 41 days, while healthcare and social assistance industries drank the least, at nine days of binge drinking a year.

OPINION: HOW JOHN ROBERTS TURNED THE SUPREME COURT INTO A LEGISLATIVE BODY TO SAVE OBAMACARE

The Rundown

POLITICO White House Obamacare reversal made over Cabinet objections

Kaiser Health News Analysis: Why should Americans be grateful for $137 Insulin? Germans get it for $55

Wall Street Journal Trump Administration expands global anti-abortion policy

Cleveland.com Gov. Mike DeWine vows to keep protections for Ohioans with pre-existing conditions

The Washington Post A job-scarce town struggles with Arkansas’s first-in-nation Medicaid work rules

Calendar

WEDNESDAY | March 27

House and Senate in session.

March 26-29. St. Louis. National Association of County and City Health Officials preparedness summit. Details.

March 27-28. Washington Hilton. Health Datapalooza. Agenda.

THURSDAY | March 28

8 a.m. The Willard. Politico event on “Opioid Misuse, Hepatitis C and HIV: An Emerging Crisis.” Details.

10:30 a.m. 138 Dirksen. Food and Drug Administration Commissioner Scott Gottlieb to testify on President Trump’s budget request. Details.

Noon. 214 Massachusetts Ave. NE. Heritage Foundation event on “The Medical Harms of Hormonal and Surgical Interventions for Gender Dysphoric Children.” Details.

TUESDAY | April 2

Time and location TBD. House Education and Labor Committee Health Subcommittee to hold hearing on surprise medical bills.

WEDNESDAY | April 3

9 a.m. 1789 Massachusetts Ave NW. Sen. Bill Cassidy, R-La., discusses paid family leave with the American Enterprise Institute. Details.