Overnight Healthcare: Public wants to avoid shutdown over Planned Parenthood, poll finds

A huge majority wants Congress to keep the government open, regardless of whether that means providing funding to Planned Parenthood, according to a CNN/ORC poll released Monday. 

The poll finds that 71 percent of adults say it is more important for Congress to approve a spending bill to keep the government open, compared to 22 percent who say it is more important to eliminate all federal funds for Planned Parenthood. 

The poll comes as Republicans grapple with how to avoid a shutdown. GOP leaders in the House are coming under heavy pressure from conservatives to block funding for Planned Parenthood. Congress must pass a funding bill by Oct. 1.

The percentage looking to avoid a shutdown is somewhat larger than it was in September 2013, ahead of a shutdown fight over ObamaCare. That year, a CNN/ORC poll found 60 percent prioritized avoiding a shutdown, while 31 percent wanted to cut off ObamaCare funds more. The government still ended up shutting down for 16 days that year. 

The poll Monday shows that Republicans slightly prioritize avoiding a shutdown over defunding Planned Parenthood, by a margin of 48 percent to 44 percent. Read more here. 

OBAMACARE COULD PENALIZE SERVING POOR PATIENTS An ObamaCare program could be penalizing certain hospitals for serving more poor patients, according to a study released Monday.  

The study focuses on an ObamaCare program that docks a hospital’s Medicare payments if its readmission rate is above a certain level. The program is meant to provide a financial incentive for hospitals to improve the quality of care and cut down on costly readmissions, in which a patient must return to the hospital after a procedure. 

But the new study, in the Journal of the American Medical Association, finds that many readmissions occur not because of problems with a hospital’s care, but because of socioeconomic factors among the patients. 

For example, the American Hospital Association (AHA) wrote in a report in March, “Research shows that economically disadvantaged patients often have limited access to services and resources that can help support their recovery post-hospitalization and, therefore, reduce their likelihood of being readmitted.” Read more here. 

SANDERS RENEWS UNIVERSAL HEALTH PUSH Presidential candidate Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) doubled down on his push for universal healthcare in a speech at conservative Liberty University in Virginia on Monday. 

 Sanders blasted the nation’s healthcare system for killing “thousands of Americans” every year who can’t afford insurance.  

“That is not justice, that is not morality. People should not be dying in the United States of America when they are sick,” Sanders said. “We are the only major country on earth that does not guarantee healthcare to all people as a right, and I think we should change that.” Read more here. 

Tuesday’s schedule

The Senate returns, as the clock ticks on finding a way to fund the government amid the Planned Parenthood controversy

What we’re reading

Abortion politics biggest obstacle to keeping government open 

Ebola returns to north Sierra Leone district 

State by state

Planned Parenthood braces for fight in Florida 

How Planned Parenthood could survive Bobby Jindal’s newest defunding attempt 

Matt Bevin targets ObamaCare in Kentucky 

What you might have missed from The Hill

GOP: Defund Planned Parenthood even if it didn’t break the law

Kasich: Don’t shut down government over Planned Parenthood

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