Overnight Healthcare: Zika fight enters new phase

This week brings a flurry of action on Zika funding, but it remains unclear what can be signed into law, and when.

House Republicans on Monday introduced a bill to provide $622 million in funding to fight the Zika virus this year. The measure is fully paid for, in part by shifting over unspent money that was intended to fight Ebola, the House Appropriations Committee said.

{mosads}The House is likely to vote this week on the bill, which would provide about one-third of the $1.9 billion requested by the White House. Some top Republicans had previously stated that funding could wait until next year, but Democrats have been increasing pressure on the GOP to act.

Still, the path forward for funding is unclear, with just a few weeks until the mosquitoes could begin spreading the disease locally in the continental U.S.

While both House and Senate Republicans are now moving forward with funding, they are working with significantly different amounts. The Senate is expected to vote this week on a $1.1 billion bill.

Drew Hammill, a spokesman for House Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi (Calif.), did not rule out the possibility that Democrats would vote for the GOP proposal, but said it is inadequate.

“While we are reviewing the proposal just introduced by Chairman Rogers, the funding level is less than one-third of the amount of the President’s emergency request, and further depletes the ability of the U.S. to respond to the ongoing global threat of Ebola,” Hammill said. “The growing threat of Zika demands passage of the President’s full $1.9 billion supplemental now, not a woefully inadequate proposal tied to an appropriations bill that is six months away from the President’s desk.” Read more here. http://bit.ly/1TFj1k7

SCOTUS punts on ObamaCare birth control case

The Supreme Court on Monday gave the Obama administration a final chance to work out a compromise with religious groups opposed to the birth control mandate under the Affordable Care Act.

In an opinion released Monday, the high court vacated the judgments of the high-profile case, Zubik v. Burwell, and sent it back to the lower courts.

The court’s ruling Monday ignores the major question in the case, which is whether religious groups, like Little Sisters of the Poor, have been “substantially burdened” by the ObamaCare mandate.

It also doesn’t decide whether the federal government “has a compelling interest” to enforce the mandate.

Instead, the justices unanimously instructed both parties to find a tweak to the contraceptive mandate to eliminate any faith-based concerns “while still ensuring that the affected women receive contraceptive coverage seamlessly.” Read more here. http://bit.ly/1Xgm3Ax

ObamaCare insurer losses grew in 2015

Insurers’ losses on the ObamaCare marketplaces increased in 2015, but the market is still expected to remain viable, according to a new study.

The study from McKinsey & Company finds that in 2014, insurers had a margin of minus 4.8 percent, translating to an overall loss of $2.7 billion on the individual health insurance market, which includes ObamaCare’s marketplaces.

Still, not all insurers lost money. In 45 states, there was at least one profitable insurer in the market in 2014, and 30 percent of insurers nationwide were profitable. Read more here. http://bit.ly/1Th3XcG

Majority of Americans support single-payer

A majority of Americans are in favor of a federally funded healthcare system that provides insurance to all Americans, according to a new Gallup poll.

Among Republicans, 41 percent support the proposal, which has been backed by Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) on the campaign trail. Only 16 percent of Republicans support keeping ObamaCare in place. Read more here: http://bit.ly/1rQ7F6g

ON TAP TOMORROW

The House Democratic Caucus holds a press briefing on the GOP’s Zika funding proposal at 10 a.m.

The House Ways and Means Committee holds a hearing on tax treatment under healthcare plans.

The House Energy and Commerce health subcommittee holds a hearing on the Obama administration’s drug pricing proposal to help lower Medicare costs.

WHAT WE’RE READING

Planned Parenthood’s $30 million push to elect Hillary Clinton will focus on convincing 5 million voters known as “swing women” not to vote for Donald Trump (Huffington Post)

More than 650 counties, many of them rural, appear on track to have just one health insurer on the exchanges next year (Wall Street Journal)

A federal agency sought to clarify medical privacy laws to help employers launch workplace wellness programs (Reuters)

Australia is giving its Olympic athletes condoms that are said to kill the Zika virus (Los Angeles Times)

The New York Times Editorial Board takes a stand against recently passed legislation on opioids, which includes no new funding for the epidemic (NYT)

IN THE STATES

Vermont is the first state to see a pricing transparency bill pass both houses of its Legislature (Associated Press)

Alabama’s new anti-abortion laws are likely to land in federal court (Montgomery Advertiser)

ICYMI FROM THE HILL

Senate Minority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) called Republicans “beyond reckless” with their $622 million Zika funding proposal http://bit.ly/1rQ5Sy9

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