DCMedical News: Thursday, March 28, 2019
DCMedical News-DCMN
Washington, D.C.
Thursday, March 28, 2019
DCMedical News is published every day both the House and the Senate are in session. Subscription information below.
THE BIG STORY IN HEALTH CARE
Administration Attempts to Boost Alternatives to Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act:
The Hill reports (here) that the President had extensive conversations with Republican members of the Senate to create an alternative (perhaps state-based) health insurance plan, in the event Judge Reed O’Connor in the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals accepts the administration’s invitation to void PPACA entirely. The New York Times examines (here) the likely consequences of PPACA repeal, and the reaction of Democratic leaders (here) to the Administration’s renewed “repeal and replace” push.
DOCTORS, NURSES AND OTHER HEALTH PROFESSIONALS
End of an Era:
The “alternative physician spokesperson” community lost a voice with the announcement that “Rebel.MD” is “going dark.” A pioneer in physician blog posts, Rebel.MD contends (here) that “Many of us watched in astonishment as these organizations [mainstream medical societies] lobbied for the exact laws and regulations that were harming physicians and patients,” generally referring to the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act. In addition to Doximity, Skeptical Scalpel and many specialty-specific blogs, Rebel.MD leaves behind Practicing Physicians of America, Docs 4 Patient Care Foundation, the Association of Independent Doctors (see story for links to all), and a number of others, including the Association of American Physicians and Surgeons (born to attack secrecy in the development of ClintonCare).
The Best States in Which to be a Physician:
WalletHub took some measuring sticks (here), and found that the best states (#s 1-5) were Montana, Wisconsin, Idaho, Minnesota and Iowa, and the worst (#s 45-50) were Hawaii, Connecticut, New Jersey, the District of Columbia and New York.
HOSPITALS AND OTHER HEALTH CARE FACILITIES
National Coverage Determination Issued for TAVR:
The Transcatheter Aortic Valve Replacement (see DCMN 3-27-19) national coverage was announced by CMS Wednesday. The request for reconsideration of the existing NCD, filed in October, 2017 by representatives of the Providence Saint John’s Health Center in Santa Monica (here) has been approved by CMS (here).
MEDICARE, MEDICAID, COMMERICAL HEALTH INSURANCE
Searching for Work in Order to Qualify for Medicaid Does Not Contribute to Your Health:
So said a federal district judge, voiding (again) the work requirements of the Kentucky and Arkansas Medicaid programs. Judge James Boasberg ruled in both cases, here and here. The Arkansas program, which has led to the loss of Medicaid for 18,000 enrollees in that state, has been in place since June, 2018, while the Kentucky program was scheduled to begin next Monday, April 1.
DRUGS & DEVICES
Class Action Against GE, Anesthesia Machine Maintenance:
Monroe County Health Care Authority has undertaken a class action suit (Complaint here) against GE Healthcare Inc. and its service subsidiaries, alleging a monopoly in the servicing of GE gas anesthesia machines. The case raises an important and expensive issue in American medical technology, the opportunity for independent service organizations (ISOs) to sell services in competition with equipment manufacturers. As noted in the suit, the expense (and often the profitability) of services and service contracts frequently is greater than that associated with the sale of equipment being serviced. GE is the largest service market provider in the U.S. The Complaint alleges that GE has kept parts, tools, test equipment, service manuals and specifications away from ISOs, and has also denied them training necessary for servicing of GE gas anesthesia machines.
READINGS AND REFERENCES
County Health Rankings:
How healthy is your county? Countyhealthrankings.org (sponsored by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation) has looked at housing affordability (cost burden); homelessness; and the relationship of place, race and health (“more segregated counties have higher housing cost burden”). Key findings here.
Changes in Medical Practice Location of Physicians with Malpractice Claims:
From The New England Journal of Medicine 3-28-2019, referred to in DCMN 3-27-2019, here.
U.S. House of Representatives:
Members at https://www.house.gov/representatives, Committees and Members at https://www.house.gov/committees.
U. S. Senate:
Members at https://www.senate.gov/general/contact_information/senators_cfm.cfm, Committees and Members at https://www.senate.gov/committees/membership_assignments.htm.
House and Senate 2019 Calendar of Regularly Scheduled Sessions, here.
PUBLICATION SCHEDULE FOR DCMEDICAL NEWS
April publication dates: 1, 2, 3, 4, 9, 10, 11, 12, 29, 30
May publication dates: 1, 2, 7, 8, 9, 10, 14 15, 16, 17, 20, 21, 22, 23
Notes to: Fred Hyde, MD, JD, MBA; fredhyde@aol.com.