Overnight Health Care Presented by the Association of American Medical Colleges Trump officials move to expand non-ObamaCare health plans | ‘Zero tolerance’ policy stirs fears in health community | New ObamaCare repeal plan | TheHill Overnight Health Care Presented by the Association of American Medical Colleges Trump officials move to expand non-ObamaCare health plans | ‘Zero tolerance’ policy stirs fears in health community | New ObamaCare repeal plan
Welcome to Overnight Health Care, ObamaCare edition.
Today, the Trump administration released final rules that would expand cheaper, non-ObamaCare “association health plans.” There aren’t many constants in life, but a Heritage Foundation plan to repeal ObamaCare might be one of them.
And in other health news, fewer American adults are smoking cigarettes than ever before.
We’ll start with the new insurance options:
Trump officials unveil long-awaited Association Health Plan rule.
The Trump administration on Tuesday took a step toward its goal of opening up cheaper, non-ObamaCare insurance options.
The plans, called association health plans, allow small businesses and other groups to band together to buy health insurance.
The details: The plans cannot charge people more for pre-existing conditions, but they don’t have to comply with ObamaCare’s essential health benefits, covering things like prescription drugs or mental health care. “This is low cost, great healthcare.”
He even joked people could “shake hands, form an association, good luck.”
Democrats punch back: Democrats flooded our inboxes with statements denouncing the move.
“Finalizing this rule is simply the latest act of sabotage of our health care system by the Trump administration and a back door to expanding junk insurance plans that weaken protections for people with pre-existing conditions,” said Senate Democratic Leader (N.Y.).
We’ve got more on the move here.
Conservative groups want to try repeal one more time.
There’s a new ObamaCare repeal and replacement plan…though it looks a lot like the bill from Sens. It eliminates ObamaCare’s essential health benefits, the requirement that all plans cover services like mental health and prescription drugs, which backers say would allow for cheaper plans.
Bottom line: There’s no real path forward for a new repeal effort right now, but some Republicans are still pushing at least.
More on the repeal plan here.
The Trump administration’s ‘zero tolerance’ immigration policy separating children from their parents can have lasting impacts on their health.
“The toxic stress resulting from being separated or ripped away from your parents can result in mental health conditions like depression, anxiety and PTSD [post-traumatic stress disorder],” said Dr. This is an all time low in the U.S.
Read more here.
Doctors oppose Aetna-CVS merger
The country’s largest physician lobbying group wants the Trump administration to block a proposed merger between Aetna and CVS.
The American Medical Association (AMA) announced its formal opposition during a hearing Tuesday before the California Department of Insurance.
AMA said it is concerned the proposed merger between the nation’s largest pharmacy and third-largest health insurer will result in reduced competition in the insurance market.
More on the opposition here.
Facebook has launched a new feature aimed at connecting users with opioid treatment services.
What it does: Facebook users seeking to illegally buy opioids or to find treatment for an addiction will be met with a new feature offering the federal government’s national helpline, the company said Tuesday.
Key quote: “We look at this as one of a number of steps that we’ve taken and will be taking to find ways to connect the community on Facebook with the resources they need,” Avra Siegel, Facebook’s policy programs manager who’s running its efforts to counteract the opioid epidemic, told The Hill.
Also: This comes as FDA Commissioner Scott Gottlieb has told social media companies and internet service providers to do more to combat the illegal sale of opioids on their platforms.
