Second Judge Enjoins Trump Spending Freeze Indefinitely
President Trump’s spending freeze now has been indefinitely reversed by a second federal judge. The order was handed down late Friday. In the first case, a judge is to determine next week if a temporary injunction in the pause will be extended. Despite the rescinding of the Office of Management Budget (OMB) freezing certain spending, Democrats’ cases continued as Trump indicated the freeze is still on to ensure consistency with his executive orders that have been issued.
As I have noted, this is a clear misstep by the new administration. The cases will likely weigh in on the issue of whether the executive branch is obligated to execute spending directed by the legislature and signed into law.
#trump #congress #spending
Trump May Challenge 1115 Waivers Issued Just Before Transition
The Trump administration is looking at whether it can revoke approval of 1115 waivers issued to state Medicaid agencies in the twilight of the Biden administration. Biden famously revoked work requirements in a number of state waivers after he took over from Trump. But a federal court ruled the move invalid in the case of a Georgia waiver. Trump is likely to see the same outcome if he does seek to revoke such waivers. Trump’s objection is that the waivers tend to expand eligibility or services.
In related news, the Kaiser Family Foundation (KFF) issued a brief on Biden’s waivers, which include social needs coverage expansion, coverage for those who are released from incarceration, and continuous eligibility for children.
(Some articles may require a subscription.)
#medicaid #1115waivers #trump #biden
https://insidehealthpolicy.com/daily-news/cms-plan-review-1115-waivers-compliance-sparks-concern
Bill Of The Month: Outrageous Cost For IUD
Kaiser Health News’ Bill of the Month features an almost $14,700 charge for an IUD because the woman was on a grandfathered plan that did not cover contraception. The provider failed in two ways here: it did not check for coverage and costs and its billed charges were outrageous. The settlement had her pay $5,200 – still outrageous. The cost could have been as low as $1,200. The non-profit Geisinger should be ashamed and is a good example of providers abusing their non-profit status. In the end, a member should never trust the provider is doing what it should and should always research all costs.
#nsa #surprisebilling #healthplans #providers #hospitals
https://kffhealthnews.org/news/article/surprise-bill-iud-pennsylvania-january-bill-of-the-month/
AIDS Program PEPFAR Frozen
One of the most successful programs attacking AIDS throughout the world has been frozen under Doanld Trump’s freeze of spending. The global AIDS program known as PEPFAR was started by President George W. Bush and has gained bipartisan support throughout its two decades of operation. Annual funding is about $6.5 billion. It has been credited with saving 25 million lives.
The aid, delivered through the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) has been halted due to Trump’s freeze on international aid for 90 days to determine if aid aligns with foreign policy goals.
Trump should immediately exempt PEPFAR and related programs.
#pepfar #hivaids #trump #healthcare
https://thehill.com/policy/healthcare/5117741-trump-freeze-halts-pepfar-aid/
Democrats Want Answers On Repeal Of Biden Drug Payment Models
House Democrats want to know what the Trump administration plans to do after rescinding the former administration’s study of potential payment models for lowering prescription drug costs. The ideas included:
- Setting a $2 monthly co-pay limit on select generic drugs in Part D
- Incentivizing confirmatory clinical trials
- Pooling bargaining power across multiple states for high-cost specialty drugs
I think Trump was simply rescinding executive orders of the prior administration. These proposals can be investigated anyway. I also feel that dictates in Part D actually create burdens that hurt plans’ abilities to reduce costs in general.
#drugpricing #partd #trump #biden
Life Expectancy in U.S. Lower Than Other Developed Nations
A new Kaiser Family Foundation-Peterson Health System Tracker briefer looks at the U.S. decline in life expectancy between 2019 and 2022 compared with other developed nations. The U.S. experienced a sharper decline and a slower rebound in life expectancy due to increased mortality and premature death rates from the COVID-19 pandemic.
Updated life expectancy estimates show that in 2023, life expectancy in the U.S. returned to pre-pandemic levels, but remains lower than that of comparable countries.
#lifeexpectancy #quality #healthcare
https://www.healthsystemtracker.org/chart-collection/u-s-life-expectancy-compare-countries/
— Marc S. Ryan
