Daily on Healthcare: Budget office warns of longer waits, less access under Medicare for All

BUDGET OFFICE WARNS OF LONGER WAITS, LESS ACCESS UNDER MEDICARE FOR ALL ACT: The Congressional Budget Office warned Wednesday that a fully government-financed healthcare system could result in “increased wait times and reduced access to care.”

The analysis, published by Congress’ nonpartisan agency, hedged throughout that much of the success of the system, which has been championed by Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders and backed by other Democratic candidates for president, would depend on the details — especially whether there would be enough providers to match the higher demand for healthcare services — and how quickly lawmakers act when problems emerge.

It did not contain a cost estimate, although it did predict government spending on healthcare “would increase substantially.”

Caveats: The report noted that a system along the lines of the Medicare for All Act could lower administrative costs and eliminate other costs by doing away with the profits of private health insurers.

Also, it said it was possible that more people would get coverage and that the coverage would be better. The analysis acknowledged, though, that people would not have a choice of health insurance plan or of the healthcare benefits that are covered, meaning that it might not quickly meet patients’ needs.

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YARMUTH ON GOVERNMENT HEALTHCARE: ‘NOT A MATTER OF IF BUT WHEN’: Rep. John Yarmuth, D-Ky., chairman of the House Budget Committee who requested the CBO analysis, said in a statement Wednesday that he was certain the U.S. would eventually move to a fully government-financed healthcare system.

“The fact remains that we have made immense progress in the past 10 years, yet access to quality and affordable health care is still too often out of reach for families and hardworking Americans across the country,” he said in a statement after the CBO analysis came out. “We must do more, which is why I believe it is no longer a matter of if we will have a single-payer health care system in our country, but when. I hope this report and upcoming hearings help advance that timeline.”

DOJ FINALIZES ARGUMENT FOR GUTTING OBAMACARE: The Department of Justice on Wednesday spelled out its arguments siding with a federal judge who ruled last year that Obamacare was unconstitutional and needed to be thrown out.

“Instead of rewriting the statute by picking and choosing which provisions to invalidate, the proper course is to strike it down in its entirety,” officials from the Department of Justice wrote in a brief filed ahead of the deadline Wednesday with the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 5th Circuit in New Orleans. The hearing on the case, Texas v. United States, is expected in July.

DEMOCRATS REINTRODUCE MEDICARE FOR AMERICA BILL: Democratic Reps. Rosa DeLauro of Connecticut and Jan Schakowsky of Illinois on Wednesday reintroduced the Medicare for America Act, which would preserve private insurance but also give people the option to enroll in Medicare.

Highlights: The uninsured and newborns would be automatically enrolled and premium payments would be based on income, allowing those with very low incomes to pay nothing. The plan also requires pharmaceutical companies to justify any drug price changes to the Department of Health and Human Services, and report all spending on research, development, and marketing to give full transparency as to why the company would increase prices.

While there is no hearing for the bill scheduled yet, the plan has been embraced by Democratic presidential candidate Beto O’Rourke. However, the bill has fewer cosponsors, 14, than the Medicare for All bill introduced by Rep. Pramila Jayapal, D-Wash.,which currently has 108 cosponsors.

DEMOCRATS INTRODUCE CHOOSE MEDICARE ACT: Sen. Jeff Merkley, D-Ore., and 14 other Democrats introduced the Choose Medicare Act Wednesday, which would allow people to use federal subsidies to enroll in Medicare instead of in a private plan. The bill also would let employers buy Medicare for their workers.

BILLBOARD BATTLE OVER MEDICARE FOR ALL AND GREEN NEW DEAL HEATS UP ARIZONA SENATE RACE: The fight for the late Sen. John McCain‘s seat started to heat up with a big red billboard outside Phoenix. “Mark Kelly silent as 3,471,500 Arizonans would lose their private health insurance,” it said. The billboard, put up in late April, knocked Kelly for what Republicans see as his pattern of avoiding answers on divisive public policy issues, like the Medicare for All plan.

SINGLE VOTE PREVENTS KANSAS MEDICAID EXPANSION BILL FROM ADVANCING: Legislation to advance the Obamacare Medicaid expansion in Kansas failed by a single vote Wednesday, likely killing the bill until the next legislative session. Senate Majority Leader Jim Denning, a Republican, voted “pass” on a Democratic procedural motion to advance the bill, meaning that it fell one short of the 24 votes to keep it alive as the state legislative session winds down. The final vote was 23-13.

‘BUREAUCRATIC CRAP’: CONGRESS BLASTS PENTAGON OVER VETERAN MEDICAL RECORD FAILURES: The Department of Defense and the Department of Veterans Affairs can’t share medical records digitally, just one of the outstanding reforms the House Appropriations Committee blasted Pentagon officials for Wednesday. “In the meantime, we’ve got young veterans dying, going blind, suffering interminable illness because of bureaucratic crap,” Rep. Hal Rogers, R-Ky., told a panel of Pentagon officials during the committee hearing.

CMS REQUESTS PUBLIC INPUT FOR NEW STATE HEALTHCARE WAIVER PLANS: The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services asked states and outside groups to submit ideas for Obamacare waivers, known as 1332 or “innovation” waivers, that would help strengthen states’ markets. “As experience with the [Affordable Care Act] shows, when Washington imposes a one-size-fits-all approach on every state, any problems with the approach become nationwide problems,” CMS Administrator Seema Verma said. Last year, CMS published four ideas for states to consider.

BUTTIGIEG WALKS BACK STANCE ON VACCINE EXEMPTIONS: 2020 Democratic candidate Pete Buttigieg backtracked after a representative for his campaign told BuzzFeed News he supported “some” exemptions to mandatory vaccines except during a public health emergency. After the comments were published, the campaign said in a “clarifying statement” that Buttigieg only supported medical exemptions.

WHITE HOUSE SEEKS $4.5 BILLION IN EMERGENCY FUNDING TO COPE WITH MIGRATION SURGE: The White House is requesting an extra $4.5 billion from Congress in emergency funding to tackle the crisis at the southern border, which includes $3.3 billion to pay for shelter and food for unaccompanied children and the care of families, as well as $1.1 billion for personnel at a time when the Department of Homeland Security says it is struggling to cope with an influx of migrants.

FDA APPROVES CONTROVERSIAL VACCINE TO PREVENT DENGUE: The Food and Drug Administration announced Wednesday that it has approved the first vaccine for the prevention of dengue disease, the most common mosquito-borne viral disease in the world. The approved vaccine, Dengvaxia, has been shown to work in children who have had dengue at least once, but increases the risk of serious infection among children who have never had it. FDA approved it only for people between the ages of 9 and 16 who have been infected before.

The Rundown

KPBS Public Media The VA is again expanding its private healthcare options, but many veterans remain skeptical

Miami Herald Critics deplore this migrant shelter. Its operator just got a huge, hush-hush no-bid deal.

The Hill Dems turn black maternal deaths into powerful 2020 issue

Stat From protégée to whistleblower: A former Theranos scientist says Elizabeth Holmes should ‘come forward and apologize’

Bangor Daily News Expanded Medicaid has increased access to opioid treatment, but waitlists have ballooned

Calendar

THURSDAY | May 2

House and Senate in session.

TUESDAY | May 7

10 a.m. 430 Dirksen. Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee hearing on “Implementing the 21st Century Cures Act: Making Electronic Health Information Available to Patients and Providers.” Details.

WEDNESDAY | May 8

10 a.m. 1100 Longworth. House Ways and Means Committee on paid family and medical leave. Details.