A federal district court docket choose in Washington, D.C., has blocked work necessities for Medicaid recipients in Arkansas and Kentucky. Since the Arkansas program took impact in 2018, greater than 18,000 folks have misplaced well being protection as a result of they didn’t report their work hours to the state.
Meanwhile, the Trump administration modified its place in a lawsuit filed by Republican state officers difficult the constitutionality of the Affordable Care Act. The administration is now formally supporting cancellation of the complete well being legislation in mild of Congress’ elimination within the 2017 tax invoice of the penalty for failing to have insurance coverage.
This week’s panelists are Julie Rovner of Kaiser Health News, Joanne Kenen of Politico, Margot Sanger-Katz of The New York Times, and Kimberly Leonard of the Washington Examiner.
Also, Rovner interviews filmmaker Mike Eisenberg about his film “To Err Is Human: A Patient Safety Documentary.”
Among the takeaways from this week’s podcast:
In blocking the Arkansas Medicaid and Kentucky work necessities (Kentucky for the second time), U.S. District Judge James Boasberg stated the Trump administration’s approval “did not address … whether and how the project would implicate the ‘core’ objective of Medicaid: the provision of medical coverage to the needy.” A final-minute Department of Justice submitting in one other pending court docket case — this one renewing questions of whether or not the Affordable Care Act is constitutional — has thrown the nationwide well being care debate on its ear. The Trump administration Monday night time modified its place on the case. Last summer season, it refused to defend the well being legislation in full, however stated the tax legislation modifications eliminating the penalty for not having insurance coverage ought to end in just a few carefully associated provisions being declared unconstitutional. Now the administration agrees with the lower-court ruling within the case that the complete ACA is invalid. Democrats had been thrilled by what they see as a political misstep by the president. Democrats rode the well being problem to victory in lots of 2018 elections and see this as a gap to pursue the problem much more strongly in 2020. House Democrats this week additionally unveiled proposals to broaden and shore up the ACA. The remaining sign-up numbers are in for people buying protection on the ACA’s well being exchanges. While enrollment dropped barely, to 11.four million, the continued stability of the person insurance coverage market means that eliminating the tax penalty is having much less of an affect than some supporters of the legislation had feared.
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Plus, for additional credit score, the panelists suggest their favourite well being coverage tales of the week they assume it’s best to learn, too:
Julie Rovner: The New York Times’ “My Friend’s Cancer Taught Me About a Hole in Our Health System,” by Aaron E. Carroll
Joanne Kenen: The Dallas News’ “Pain & Profit: Investigating Medicaid Managed Care in Texas,” by J. David McSwane and Andrew Chavez
Margot Sanger-Katz: Kaiser Health News’ “Medicaid Expansion Boosts Hospital Bottom Lines — And Prices,” by Phil Galewitz
Kimberly Leonard: CNN’s “The Inside Story of How John Roberts Negotiated to Save Obamacare,” by Joan Biskupic
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