OVERNIGHT HEALTH: Pa.’s Corbett pitches alternative Medicaid expansion

by Elise Viebeck - 09/16/13 10:45 PM ET

“He has chosen a path of politically motivated delays and inaction hurting nearly 500,000 working Pennsylvanians who need affordable coverage and now won’t be eligible under his proposal at the earliest until January of 2015,” Schwartz said in a statement.

{mosads}Twenty-six states are now pursuing the expansion in some form. The policy was made optional by the Supreme Court in its 2012 decision to uphold the healthcare law. Read more at Healthwatch.

Co-sponsor count: The number of Republicans who support Rep. Tom Graves’s (R-Ga.) bill to fund the government minus ObamaCare is up to nearly 60. The Hill’s On the Money blog has the latest.

Negative ad watch: Powerful business interests have launched an ad campaign against ObamaCare’s health insurance tax, which critics say will make health coverage more expensive starting next year. The Chamber of Commerce, America’s Health Insurance Plans and the National Retail Federation are among the groups behind the new campaign. Advertisements are running in Beltway publications and in markets around the country.

The law’s taxes aren’t the only target this week — a group called Public Notice, which opposes ObamaCare, launched a six-figure online ad buy criticizing the Obama administration’s exchange fix for Capitol Hill. The policy will allow the federal government to continue subsidizing lawmakers’ and their staffers’ healthcare when they obtain coverage on the new marketplaces. See the video here.

No more ‘train wreck’ fears: Sen. Max Baucus (D-Mont.) on Monday said he no longer fears ObamaCare will be a “train wreck.” Baucus, the chairman of the Senate Finance Committee, said his memorable warning about the law earlier this year served its intended purpose by forcing the White House to deal with concerns about the rollout.

“We’ll see Oct. 1, but I think they are doing a pretty good job,” Baucus said in an interview with Fox Business Network. “I think the train is going to keep running, maybe not totally on time, but it’s going to be pretty efficient.” Healthwatch has more.

Enrollment predictions: A new survey by Citigroup found that investors expect 4 million people to sign up for ObamaCare’s new marketplaces starting Oct. 1. Researchers predicted that the enrollment would “propel” healthcare stocks, even though the numbers may be less than the 7 million projected by the Congressional Budget Office. Read the story at Reuters.

FLOTUS to fight junk food ads: Michelle Obama on Wednesday will urge companies to stop marketing unhealthy food choices to children. The first lady will ask food and media executives to promote healthy choices while decreasing the marketing of unhealthy products to kids, according to a White House notice about the event.

The move could prove politically controversial, as Obama has come under fire from conservatives who charge the first lady is trying to dictate what people eat and drink. Read more at The Hill.

Tuesday’s schedule

Sen. Debbie Stabenow (D-Mich.) will speak to mental health providers and advocates on her bill, the Excellence in Mental Health Act. The speech will take place at the Hyatt Regency Hotel.

The Health IT Now! coalition will host a panel on innovative health technology in the Rayburn House Office Building.

The American Association for Cancer Research will highlight its Cancer Progress Report for 2013 at an event at the National Press Club. Rep. Mike Fitzpatrick (R-Pa.) will speak.

State by state

Calif. businesses work to adapt to healthcare law

Deadly amoeba found for first time in municipal water supply

Little evidence to back Texas abortion law, according to official records

Lobbying registrations

J M Burkman & Associates / APOP Logic

Reading list

Why Trader Joe’s is choosing to cut health coverage

US: Drug-resistant ‘superbugs’ deemed urgent threats

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