Axios

President Trump's rallying behind the Senate GOP's health care bill continued this afternoon as he tweeted that the bill actually increases Medicaid spending rather than cutting it:

Our thought bubble: The Senate bill would cut Medicaid spending by $772 billion over a decade from its levels under the Affordable Care Act. Some Republicans argue, as the the New York Times summed up yesterday, that health care spending under the ACA is dangerously out of control, so the Senate bill doesn't include "cuts," it simply increases Medicaid funding at a more reasonable rate.

Anthem will only sell health plans on Nevada's Affordable Care Act exchange in three counties next year: Clark (where Las Vegas is located), Nye and Washoe. The 14 counties Anthem is leaving could potentially have no ACA options in 2018 — making a total of 61 counties throughout the country that may have no insurers selling ACA coverage, per the Kaiser Family Foundation.

Why it matters: Anthem, one of the largest ACA insurers and a well-known Blue Cross Blue Shield brand, has already exited the exchanges in Indiana, Ohio and Wisconsin.

Yes, but: Kaiser Family Foundation data show that even though Anthem is exiting 14 total counties, the insurer will offer plans in Nevada's most populated areas that cover 90% of people in the individual market, raising questions about why Anthem chose to exit the state's more rural counties. (An aside: Anthem supports the Senate's health care bill, but Republican Dean Heller of Nevada currently does not.)

President Trump touched on health care during an energy roundtable Wednesday, saying he'd had a "tremendous meeting" yesterday with Republican senators, and that although the Senate bill will be "very tough" to get approved, he thinks the GOP will "get at least very close" to passing it, and will ultimately get it over the line. More from Trump:

• "Obamacare is dying, it's essentially dead... It's been a headache for everybody, it's been a nightmare for many and we're looking at a health-care that will be a fantastic tribute to your country."
• "It will be far better than Obamacare and much less expensive for the people and also much less expensive for the country."
• From the WH pool: "Healthcare is working along very well...we're gonna have a big surprise. We have a great Healthcare package. ... we're going to have a great, great surprise."

NPR and PBS NewsHour are out this morning with a Marist poll showing 17% approval of the Senate's healthcare plan, and 21% approval of the GOP's handling of health care. That may partly reflect how the question was asked.

• But it's a disgrace when your party controls the whole federal apparatus. And it shows the foreboding feat Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell faces in trying to revive repeal-and-replace after his stunning gamble to punt the vote until after the July 4 break.
• The announcement was followed by a swarm of defections — opposition was suddenly cost-free.
• The lull gives more time for negotiation but, more likely, more time for opposition to metastasize and spook senators when they're home for the holiday.

The stock price of Australian biotech firm Innate Immunotherapeutics plunged 92% to about 4 cents per share Tuesday after the company's experimental multiple sclerosis drug bombed its clinical trial, STAT and Bloomberg report.

Why it matters: Republican Rep. Chris Collins of New York is Innate's largest investor, owning almost 17%, and lost about $17 million on the failed drug news. Collins has bragged about how he has attracted investors to Innate, including other Republican House members, but so much for that stock tip. Tom Price, President Trump's Health and Human Services secretary, also owned Innate stock but cashed out in February for at least $250,000 — a windfall that has raised ethics questions.

A group of Democratic senators from around the country came together this morning to highlight the impact that they believe the Senate GOP's health care bill would have on those in their states suffering from opioid addiction.

They argued the bill's $2 billion grant funding for opioid addiction is a distraction from its Medicaid cuts that so many suffering from opioid addiction rely on — especially when their addiction is caused by other underlying health conditions that also necessitate Medicaid coverage.

"This Senate Republican health care bill would be a death sentence for those patients suffering from opioid addiction," said Massachusetts Sen. Ed Markey.

While the health care world was glued to the main Congressional Budget Office report yesterday, two separate but important CBO health care documents didn't garner nearly the same attention. One is about physician prices, and the other is about hospital prices.

The takeaways: The amount commercial health insurers pay doctors and hospitals is vastly higher than what Medicare pays for the same services, and often depends on market power. This fundamentally affects the premiums everyone pays. Medicare Advantage insurers, meanwhile, pay similar prices to traditional Medicare.

Worth noting: Doctors and hospitals do not charge private insurers more to make up for lower Medicare payments. Research shows the exact opposite happens.

Dr. Ken Davis is CEO of Mount Sinai Health System in New York City, one of the largest hospital systems in the country. He's been monitoring the health care reform efforts and described the Senate bill bluntly last week: "If the House bill is mean, by our president's description, this bill could even be meaner."

Davis, a psychiatrist by training, spoke with me about the Senate Republican bill and why the Medicaid cuts worry him the most. But we also talked about other things, like the future of hospital care and mergers. Read on for an edited and condensed version of our conversation.