Daily on Healthcare: Maryland moves to steer residents into Obamacare through their tax returns

MARYLAND MOVES TO STEER RESIDENTS INTO OBAMACARE THROUGH THEIR TAX RETURNS: The Maryland House of Delegates on Saturday passed a bill with bipartisan support that would help people who are uninsured enroll in coverage more easily. It could be considered by the state Senate as early as Monday.

The measure, dubbed the Maryland Easy Enrollment Health Program, would steer residents toward plans, either through the Obamacare exchange or by auto-enrolling them in Medicaid, if they check a box on their state tax return saying they lack insurance. Residents could alternatively check a box saying they prefer to remain uninsured.

The state treasury would forward information to the Maryland Health Benefit Exchange for customers who qualify, allowing customers to be contacted by the exchange and told about what types of plans they can get. In all, about 120,000 more people are expected to be enrolled in coverage, with 50,000 of those receiving coverage at no cost to them under Medicaid, projects Families USA, a group that backs expanding Medicaid under Obamacare. It’s not clear how many of the customers would not qualify for subsidies under Obamacare.

“Maryland will be the first state in the nation that lets its families take the information they already compile for tax purposes and use it to qualify for health programs,” Stan Dorn, senior fellow at Families USA, wrote in a blog post. “This approach slashes red tape and eliminates paperwork, making it easier for busy families to get the health coverage they need to thrive.”

Blue states have looked to make their own changes to Obamacare given the impasse over the law in Congress. The Maryland proposal, however, is different from the types of fixes other states have implemented, which mostly either reinstate the penalty on the uninsured or ban the sale of short-term plans that were extended by the Trump administration as an alternative to Obamacare plans. Maryland lawmakers initially had started negotiating a plan to reinstate the fine on the uninsured, but the bill evolved into the latest proposal, which leans on the carrot rather than the stick.

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.

FEDERAL JUDGE PAUSES KENTUCKY ABORTION BAN: A federal judge has blocked a Kentucky abortion ban from taking effect for at least 14 days until a hearing can be scheduled. The action, by Judge David Hale, occurred just hours after Republican Gov. Matt Bevin signed the abortion ban into law. Had it gone into effect immediately as scheduled, it would have banned abortion past six or eight weeks into a pregnancy, which is roughly the amount of time at which a heartbeat can be detected and before many women know they are pregnant. The law was challenged by the ACLU on behalf of the only abortion clinic remaining in the commonwealth.

Bevin, who is up for re-election this year, retweeted the ACLU’s tweet about the lawsuit, writing in a comment, “Bring it! Kentucky will always fight for life… Always! #WeAreProLife #WeAreKY.” The ACLU is challenging Kentucky on a second bill awaiting Bevin’s signature that would ban abortions on the basis of race, gender, or disability status.

TRUMP ADMINISTRATION APPROVES MEDICAID WORK RULES IN OHIO AS JUDGE WEIGHS THEIR LEGALITY: The Trump administration has approved Medicaid work rules in Ohio, even as a federal judge is currently weighing whether they are legal. “With unemployment steady under 5%, there are great opportunities to connect adults on #Medicaid w/ opportunities to improve their lives & health – so I’m pleased to send @GovMikeDeWine the 9th approval of a community engagement waiver!” tweeted the administrator for the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, Seema Verma, after she signed off on the rules Friday.

Roughly 18,000 people are expected to fall from Medicaid rolls in Ohio once the rules go into effect, according to a report by the state.

MORE THAN 13,000 ON TRACK TO LOSE MEDICAID IN ARKANSAS BECAUSE OF WORK REQUIREMENTS: More than 13,000 people on Medicaid in Arkansas failed to report whether they had worked in February, according to figures provided Friday by the state, putting them on track to lose coverage under the work requirements. The number of enrollees who did not work, or failed to report that they worked, jumped in February to 13,373. In January, 10,258 did not meet the requirement. Anyone who fails to meet the requirement for three months is kicked off the program for the rest of the year. So far, 6,472 people have not met the work requirement in both January and February, and if they fail to report hours in March they will be kicked off Medicaid.

NO NEW CO-SPONSORS ON THE MEDICARE FOR ALL ACT: The ambitious proposal to provide healthcare for everyone, seen as socialist by Republicans, has failed to win the support of even half of the House Democratic caucus, effectively dooming any chance of floor consideration. Support appears to have plateaued for the ‘Medicare for all’ national health insurance proposal, as it hasn’t added any co-sponsors since being introduced by Rep. Pramila Jayapal, D-Wash., on Feb. 27.

KLOBUCHAR SAYS OBAMACARE WAS A MISSED CHANCE TO BRING DOWN DRUG PRICES: Sen. Amy Klobuchar, D-Minn., said Friday that the Obama administration missed the chance to put Big Pharma in its place when it drafted Obamacare. “I would have liked to see this be part of the Affordable Care Act,” Klobuchar said of drug pricing measures in an appearance on CNN. “But it wasn’t, in part because they were working with the pharmaceutical companies on the premiums issue, on getting support for the Affordable Care Act because they knew pharma could stop that bill in its tracks.”

GOTTLIEB WARNS THE FDA COULD BAN E-CIGARETTES LIKE JUUL ALTOGETHER: Outgoing Food and Drug Administration Commissioner Scott Gottlieb warned Friday that pod-based e-cigarettes could be banned altogether if rates of teen vaping continue to rise. Gottlieb said the 2019 National Youth Tobacco Survey, released in August, would help determine whether such dramatic action was needed. “If that shows another 30, 40, 50 percent increase of e-cigarette use among kids … I think we’ll have to look at actions that address this as a category,” Gottlieb said.

SENATORS RE-INTRODUCE BIPARTISAN DRUG PRICING BILL TO ENCOURAGE COMPETITION: The Health and Human Services secretary could order an expedited review or temporary importations to help with a drug shortage or when fewer than five drug competitors are in the market under a bipartisan Senate bill re-introduced Friday by Klobuchar, Sens. Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, Mike Lee, R-Utah, and Dick Durbin, D-Ill. The bill, the Short on Competition Act, was introduced meant to address instances in which a pharmaceutical company significantly hikes the price of a drug that has been on the market for at least a decade.

LAWMAKERS RENEW WAR ON ‘MILK’ THAT DOESN’T COME FROM COWS: Republicans and Democrats in Congress this week introduced legislation aimed at banning the sale of dairy alternatives labeled as “milk” even though they are made from nuts, seeds or other non-dairy sources. The DAIRY PRIDE Act, which stands for Defending Against Imitations and Replacements of Yogurt, Milk, and Cheese To Promote Regular Intake of Dairy Everyday, from Reps. Peter Welch, D-Vt., and Mike Simpson, R-Idaho, would give the FDA 90 days to issue guidance on how it will enforce current law that says only products that derive from cows qualify as dairy, to make sure products labeled as “milk” or “cream” aren’t delivered or sold if they don’t meet the FDA’s definition.

MURRAY DEMANDS ANSWERS FROM CLAIRE’S STORES AFTER FDA FINDS ASBESTOS: Sen. Patty Murray, D-Wash., Ranking Member of the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee, has sent a letter to Ron Marshall, CEO of Claire’s Stores, following the FDA’s announcement last week that it had found asbestos in Claire’s products. “I am writing to understand more about the possible sources of asbestos contamination, and the process and procedures Claire’s takes to assess the safety of its products,” Murray wrote.

The Rundown

The Texas Tribune In Iowa, Beto O’Rourke works to find his footing on health care

San Francisco Chronicle Southern Illinois Healthcare seeks trauma center status

Fortune/Kaiser Health News Death by a thousand clicks: Where electronic health records went wrong

The Wall Street Journal New guidelines advise against aspirin to prevent heart disease

The Associated Press Newer heart valves may let more people avoid surgery

Los Angeles Times Anti-vaccine activists have doctors ‘terrorized into silence’ with online harassment

Calendar

MONDAY | March 18

House and Senate in recess all week.

March 18-21. National HIV Prevention conference. Program.

TUESDAY | March 19

2:30 p.m. 1775 Massachusetts Ave. NW. Brookings interview with departing Food and Drug Administration Commissioner Scott Gottlieb. Details.

THURSDAY | March 21

10:30 a.m. 1225 I St. NW. Bipartisan Policy Center event on “Overcoming Health Care Challenges in Immigrant Communities.” Details.