OVERNIGHT HEALTH: Reform implementation continues

Defunding consideration: Rep. Denny Rehberg (R-Mont.), chairman of the House Appropriations health subpanel, introduced an amendment to the seven-month continuing resolution that would block funding for the reform law. 

Tea Party group says lawmakers should shun reform supporters: A leading Tea Party group is urging Republican lawmakers not to help industry groups that aren’t backing full repeal of the reform law, according to a new memo obtained by The Hill. The Freedomworks memo said that repeal is within reach and that Republicans should start offering their own ideas for replacing the reform law. 

Sebelius defends doc fix: Testifying before the House Ways and Means Committee, Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius defended the administration’s decision to propose a two-year “doc fix” in its budget, instead of 10 years. Pointing out that the two-year plan would be the longest fix in the history of Medicare’s Sustainable Growth Rate formula, Sebelius said she looks forward to working with lawmakers on a longer-term solution.

House GOPer says vouchers are all Ryan’s idea: During the Ways and Means hearing, Rep. Geoff Davis (R-Ky.) tried to distance the GOP from Budget Chairman Paul Ryan’s (R-Wis.) “roadmap” proposal to replace Medicare with a voucher system. Democrats, seeing the privatization of Medicare as a politically potent argument against the Ryan plan, have been eager to bring up the voucher system as Republicans promise to propose entitlement reform.

“The roadmap is one person’s idea,” Davis said. “It’s not representative of the party.”

Waiver fight breaks out: The House Energy and Commerce’s first oversight subcommittee hearing on the reform law turned into a battle over waivers granted by HHS. Republicans grilled HHS officials about waivers that have been granted to low-cost plans, while Democrats argued that the law provides the administration flexibility to grant the temporary waivers.

Republicans rip CLASS Act: A day after HHS disclosed it wants $93 million for public outreach on a new long-term insurance program created by healthcare reform, Republican lawmakers criticized the funding request for the troubled program. “It’s unsustainable, it’s irresponsible and it’s something that should be repealed, yet HHS wants to spend over $93 million of taxpayer money to inform and educate the public about this component of the healthcare law that people on both sides of the aisle think needs to go away,” Sen. John Barrasso (R-Wyo.) said on the Senate floor.

The president’s debt commission last year recommended repealing or reforming the Community Living Assistance Services and Support Act, and Sebelius said HHS is working to fix it.

ACO at OMB: A much-anticipated regulation on accountable care organizations has been submitted to the Office of Management and Budget for final review. That means it could be days or weeks before it gets published.

Patient safety rule: The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services issued a proposed rule banning federal Medicaid reimbursement of medical assistance for healthcare-acquired conditions.

Healthwatch update: Healthwatch reported on Tuesday that the
HHS public affairs office’s fiscal 2012 budget request would quadruple its funding while doubling the staff. A department official
explained on Wednesday that the budget request is on level with fiscal
2011 spending, and the employees have already been hired with funds provided  by the healthcare reform law.

Before healthcare reform, the public affairs office was typically funded
at $5 million, but that jumped to nearly $20 million in fiscal 2011.
Nearly all of the increase supports the operation of healthcare.gov, the
consumer health insurance website that HHS launched last summer. More
than 4 million individuals have visited the site so far, said Chris
Stenrud, HHS deputy assistant secretary for public affairs.

Thursday’s agenda:

1099, again: The House Ways and Means Committee will mark up its bill repealing the 1099 reporting provision included in healthcare reform. Unlike the Senate version, the House bill is paid for by increasing recapture subsidies of overpayments in state insurance exchanges. 

Medical device regs targeted: The House Energy and Commerce health subpanel holds a hearing about the impact of medical device regulation on jobs and patients. Jeffrey Shuren, director of the Food and Drug Administration’s Center for Devices and Radiological Health, will testifiy.

Mental health gets celebrity boost: Rep. Grace Napolitano (D-Calif.) and a panel of mental health experts and advocates — including L.A. Laker Ron Artest and boxer Mia St. John — will examine the Mental Health in Schools Act.

Reading list:

European drug makers are criticizing a White House budget proposal to allow generics to enter the market sooner, the Wall Street Journal reports.

Alaska has until Friday to apply for an exchange planning grant, the Associated Press writes.

Virginia Attorney General Ken Cuccinelli (R), who successfully challenged healthcare reform’s individual mandate in federal court, was on the Hill to testify against the law’s constitutionality, the Richmond Times-Dispatch reports. 

The White House took healthcare reform questions over Twitter on Wednesday. You can read the answers and questions, including those that didn’t make the cut, here.

Teen pop star Justin Bieber speaks out against abortion in a new Rolling Stone interview, MSNBC writes.

What you might have missed on Healthwatch:

Rep. Rob Andrews (D-N.J.) rips a new insurance rule for classifying brokers as an administrative cost.

HHS unveiled a 10-year plan to develop new vaccines. 

Most Americans disapprove of GOP efforts to defund healthcare reform, a new poll found. 

House Democrats are looking for another way to fund 1099 repeal.

Comments / complaints / suggestions?

Please let us know:

Julian Pecquet: jpecquet@digital-staging.thehill.com / 202-628-8527

Jason Millman: jmillman@digital-staging.thehill.com / 202-628-8351