OVERNIGHT HEALTHCARE: House Dems target ObamaCare ‘Cadillac’ tax

A group of House Democrats are pushing to repeal ObamaCare’s so-called “Cadillac tax,” which they say unfairly targets people in more expensive areas like the Northeast and West Coast.

Reps. Joe Courtney (D-Conn.), Donald Norcross (D-N.J.) and Dina Titus (D-Nev.) will unveil legislation Tuesday to eliminate the tax on the country’s most expensive insurance plans.

The tax, which goes into effect in 2018, is based on the cost of premiums, which the lawmakers point out are higher in areas with more expensive health costs.

{mosads}Healthcare customers who receive benefits above $10,200 for individual coverage and $27,500 for family coverage will be forced to pay a tax of 40 percent.

Republicans, as well as some Democrats, have blasted the tax because it is tied to general cost of living measures, rather than growth in healthcare costs.

Courtney, Norcross and Titus will announce their bill at a press conference at the Capitol, joined by leaders of the American Benefits Council, National Association of Counties and the Economic Policy Institute. Read more here.

GOP BUDGET INCLUDES RECONCILIATION: Republicans in the House and Senate are closing in on a budget deal that would use a budget procedure known as reconciliation to send a repeal of ObamaCare to the president’s desk.

Negotiators are expected to release the agreement as early as Monday night, according to congressional aides.

Reconciliation was a major hurdle for GOP negotiators because the separate House and Senate budgets adopted in March contained very different approaches. While the House budget issued reconciliation instructions to 13 different authorizing committees, the Senate’s blueprint issued them only to two that have jurisdiction over healthcare.

The final resolution will not include the House’s plan to transition part of Medicare into a premium-support program by 2024 – an idea championed by House Ways and Means Committee Chairman Paul Ryan. Read more here.

DEMOCRATS REAP DOCTOR DONATIONS: More doctors donated to Democrats than to Republicans in the last election cycle, continuing the shift toward the Democratic Party.  

About 55 percent of doctors who made a contribution for the 2014 race donated to Democrats, and 45 percent donated to Republicans, according to a study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association.

The years-long shift in campaign contributions toward Democrats continued in 2014, “even in the 9 states where the Republicans gained Senate seats,” the authors wrote. Read more here.

BIRTH CONTROL CHALLENGE LIVES ON: The Supreme Court on Monday revived a lawsuit challenging ObamaCare’s contraception mandate. It’s the sixth case related to birth control the justices have sent back to lower courts over the last year.  

The justices asked an appeals court in Cincinnati to reconsider a legal challenge filed by Catholic ministries in Michigan and Tennessee against the ObamaCare provision that requires employers to cover birth control for all workers. Read more here.

Tuesday’s schedule

The Senate Finance Committee will hold a hearing on speeding up the process for Medicare appeals.

The Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee will hold a hearing on medical innovation.

HHS Secretary Sylvia Mathews Burwell will co-host a roundtable discussion on drug addiction with Massachusetts Gov. Charlie Baker (R).

State by state

Tennessee’s top Democrat calls for special sessions until Insure TN passage

Texas lawmakers look to ban abortion from health plans

Pennsylvania seeks court order after insurers cancel Medicare Advantage plans

What we’re reading

Congress may be forced to intervene again on mammogram recommendations

Signing up late for Medicare B can trigger a lifelong penalty

Top-paid healthcare CEOs see pay grow faster than profits

What you might have missed from The Hill

US to lower fluoride levels in water

H&R Block: Two-thirds of ObamaCare customers paying back part of refund

Study: Medicaid expansion could boost Hispanic health coverage

Please send tips and comments to Sarah Ferris, sferris@digital-staging.thehill.com, and Peter Sullivan, psullivan@digital-staging.thehill.com. Follow on Twitter: @thehill, @sarahnferris, @PeterSullivan4