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Senate to vote on ‘born alive’ abortion bill. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., will bring a bill to the floor on Feb. 25 that would mandate doctors provide medical care to babies that survive an attempted abortion. Anti-abortion advocates have been pressing such a vote, saying that they need to get lawmakers on the record to see where they stand on the issue. “A lot of Senators spend a lot of time telling people how they fight for the little guy,” tweeted Sen. Ben Sasse, R-Neb., the lead sponsor of the bill. “Well, here’s the chance for them to prove it.” Sen. Patty Murray, D-Wash., who objected to unanimous consent on the bill on the grounds that the U.S. already has laws against infanticide, said the legislation was “unnecessary, harmful, and would put Vice President Pence and Republicans in Congress right where they don’t belong: in between a woman and her health care provider as she is making deeply personal health decisions.” She vowed Democrats would oppose it, meaning that the bill is unlikely to get the 60 votes it would need to advance out of the chamber.

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Medicare to allow ambulances more leeway in where they take patients for care.  Medicare will start paying ambulances for taking patients to healthcare facilities other than the emergency department under a plan the Trump administration rolled out Thursday. “Medicare only pays if they bring you to the hospital, or a few alternative sites, which you may not need, which may be really expensive, and may not be the best place for you to get care,” said Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar, speaking at a press conference held at a fire department in southwest Washington, D.C. Medicare for the most part only reimburses ambulances if they take patients to a hospital emergency department, which can result in crowded hospitals, expensive care, and long waits for patients. The new plan, which is voluntary and will be called the “Emergency Triage, Treat, and Transport” model, is part of the Trump administration’s goal under Azar to help deliver healthcare services more effectively and at a lower cost. The plan would allow for reimbursing ambulances and medics for caring for patients at the site of the medical emergency, whether at home or elsewhere, or alternatively would allow for reimbursing patients for calling in a doctor through telehealth. Seema Verma, administrator for the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, said that patients out-of-pocket costs wouldn’t change as far as the ambulance is concerned, but expected that patients would save money by avoiding the out-of-pocket costs they would face at the emergency department.

Trump now obese after neglecting doctor’s orders and gaining weight. President Trump has gained 4 pounds since his medical exam last year despite advice from his former doctor to eat healthier and set up an exercise regimen. Trump weighed in at 243 pounds during his annual physical Friday at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center in Bethesda, Md., his new physician, Dr. Sean Conley, said Thursday in a letter circulated by the White House. At 6 feet, 3 inches tall, Trump’s weight puts him in the category of “obese” under the body mass index. Trump’s weight puts him in the same category as many people in the U.S., where nearly 40 percent of people are obese. Conley revealed information about Trump’s blood pressure, heart rate, and temperature, and said that he increased Trump’s dosage of rosuvastatin, a cholesterol-lowering drug. The doctor also reported Trump’s vaccinations were up to date. Trump is the latest in a line of presidents who have been categorized as obese.

Flu season is less severe this year than last year. The flu vaccine appears to offer moderate protection against the illness, showing that 47 percent of those who were vaccinated and still got sick do not get ill enough to need care from a doctor, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported Thursday. The data, covering Sept. 30, 2018, to Feb. 12, 2019, also show fewer deaths have been reported. CDC only reports estimates for adults, pegging the number anywhere from 9,600 to 15,900 deaths. Its pediatric data show 28 children have died, compared to 68 children who died at the same time last year.

Congressional committees prepare to highlight importance of vaccines. The Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee is holding a hearing March 5 to focus on the importance of vaccination, and the House Energy and Commerce Oversight and Investigations Subcommittee will hold one of its own Feb. 27. The HELP hearing comes on the heels of a letter committee leaders sent to the CDC regarding the outbreak of measles in Washington State, in an area where children weren’t vaccinated. Lawmakers wanted to know what more the CDC could to to encourage higher vaccination rates and what it was doing to temper the current spread. House committee leaders released a statement saying the re-emergence of the illness “presents a serious public health threat, especially for those who rely on ‘herd immunity.’” Despite the latest outbreak, data show that vaccination against measles, using the MMR vaccine, remains high in most of the U.S.

RUNDOWN

Stat Draft federal spending deal includes largest boost for FDA in five years

The Hill Federal court agrees to let Democrats defend Obamacare in court

Washington Post Black-white cancer disparities narrow sharply amid progress against common malignancies

Milwaukee Journal Sentinel If Wisconsin remains in Obamacare lawsuit, it likely will not switch sides, AG says