It wasn’t the biggest headline out of the debate, but there was actually some talk about healthcare policy on the stage in St. Louis Sunday night.
Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton acknowledged that rising premiums and healthcare costs in general are a problem for ObamaCare. But she was adamant that the White House and Congress need to work together to fix the law – not start over.
{mosads}”I’m gonna fix it because I agree with you — premiums have gotten too high,” Clinton said, also pointing to increasing deductibles and prescription drug costs.
Clinton strongly opposed repealing the law, which she argued would eliminate gains such as health coverage to 20 million people and the ban on insurance companies putting lifetime limits on health insurance benefits.
Donald Trump pushed for repealing ObamaCare in full.
Trump, who has said people with pre-existing conditions could still get care under his plan, was pressed by moderator Anderson Cooper to explain how he would convince insurance companies to keep this policy.
The GOP nominee pointed to his proposal to allow insurance to be sold across state lines.
Experts in both parties have said, though, that that proposal would not allow for people with pre-existing conditions to get coverage or expand coverage to a large swath of people.
An analysis from the Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget found that Trump’s plan would cause 21 million people to lose coverage due to the repeal of ObamaCare. It also found that allowing insurance to be sold across state lines would add coverage for just 400,000 people. Read more here. http://bit.ly/2dfTvaj
Remember Jonathan Gruber? Now he’s clashing with Donald Trump
Guess who’s back? Jonathan Gruber is firing back at Donald Trump after the Republican presidential nominee called him out for comments about ObamaCare.
“My only comment is that last night showed the difference between a candidate with a strong and coherent health care agenda (Clinton) and one with a garbage salad of right wing talking points (Trump),” Gruber, a professor at MIT, wrote in a statement, as first reported by Boston Business Journal.
Trump at Sunday night’s presidential debate said the passage of ObamaCare “was a fraud.”
“You know that, because Jonathan Gruber, the architect of ObamaCare, was said — he said it was a great lie; it was a big lie,” Trump said. Read more here. http://bit.ly/2drtVNc
Another House GOP ObamaCare lawsuit?
A House Republican is circulating a letter among his colleagues urging Speaker Paul Ryan (R-Wis.) to sue the Obama administration to prevent millions of dollars in legal settlements with ObamaCare insurers.
The letter from Rep. Chris Stewart (R-Utah) says a lawsuit should be initiated to prevent a potential payout from an obscure legal fund at the Treasury Department.
While making payouts from the fund could help shore up health insurers that have lost money from ObamaCare plans, Republicans say it would be a “bailout” that would illegally circumvent restrictions imposed by Congress.
“We urge you to initiate a civil action on behalf of the House of Representatives in Federal court,” to stop the payments, the letter to Ryan reads. Read more here. http://bit.ly/2d3qMqv
Wisconsin wants folks to shop around:
The head of insurance regulation in Wisconsin is urging ObamaCare customers to manually go through the open enrollment period this year to make sure they won’t be facing sticker stock.
Insurance commissioner Ted Nickels announced Friday that health premiums will go up an average of 17 percent next year, a figure that he touted as “lower than many other states.”
Still, he stressed that ObamaCare customers should manually enter the HealthCare.gov portal – in part because so many insurers this year are fleeing the state’s marketplace.
“These rate changes and the recent exiting of numerous national carriers make it even more important for individuals to actively explore their health insurance options to ensure appropriate coverage,” Nickels said in a statement. Read more here.
ON TAP TOMORROW:
Jason Furman, chairman of the Council of Economic Advisers, speaks at an event hosted by the Mercatus Center at the National Press Club starting at 9 a.m.
Rep. Dan Donovan (R-N.Y.) will hold a press conference in his home state at 11 a.m. to unveil a plan to combat the national surge in overdose deaths caused by a synthetic opioid called fentanyl.
WHAT WE’RE READING:
Hillary Clinton has presented a far more detailed plan to tackle the nation’s opioid epidemic than GOP rival Donald Trump. (Associated Press)
Voters in California, Colorado, Missouri and North Dakota will all be asked to increase their state’s cigarette tax this fall, a move that health experts say has a chance of curbing the habit. (Governing)
Donors are increasingly demanding “biorights” on their samples. (Boston Globe)
With powerful new types of immunotherapy drugs, doctors are grappling with the best way to treat cancer. (Reuters)
IN THE STATES:
Connecticut lawmakers are eying changes to medical malpractice laws as they hope to keep more medical students in the state after graduation. (Associated Press)
Texas may owe $4.5 million to abortion providers’ lawyers over a Supreme Court case. (Texas Tribune)
Funeral home directors say they’ve seen an unprecedented surge in heroin-related overdoses, particularly among young people, on Staten Island. (New York Times)
ICYMI FROM THE HILL DOT COM
EpiPen maker to pay $465M to settle overcharging case http://bit.ly/2dX2jjq
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