More than 50% of Americans have reported receiving surprise medical bills, when a provider charges more than an insurer will pay — but Congress is proposing a fix, over the health care industry's objections.
Former FDA commissioner Dr. Scott Gottlieb told Axios' Mike Allen at an event Wednesday that Juul, a vaping company that has the largest market share of e-cigarettes, "should be pulled off the market entirely."
Why it matters: The Trump administration has stalled talks to ban flavored tobacco products as millions of teens within the past few years have become addicted to nicotine.
Roughly 4.7 million people who have no health insurance could get coverage next year without paying a dime for the monthly premium, according to a Kaiser Family Foundation analysis.
Why it matters: If you make less than $50,000 as an individual or $103,000 as a family of four — and you can't get health insurance through your job or Medicaid — you could get coverage for free.
The Supreme Court appeared to side with insurers over their claim that the federal government owes them $12 billion in Affordable Care Act risk corridor payments, AP reports.
Between the lines: The program was included in the ACA to help protect insurers participating in its new marketplaces from financial losses, but Congress inserted provisions into spending bills limiting those payments.
Pharma didn't get what it wanted on trade, but it's still doing just fine.
The big picture: In this political climate, with this much scrutiny on drug prices, preserving the status quo is an enormous victory for this incredibly powerful industry. And though it failed to win a new victory on trade, the status quo is perfectly intact.
The health care industry is not very happy with Congress' latest proposal on surprise medical bills, which also includes other provisions designed to lower health costs.
Driving the news: The bill, championed by Sen. Lamar Alexander and Reps. Frank Pallone and Greg Walden, cracks down on industry behavior that is often profitable at patients' expense.
A group of insurers will make their case to the Supreme Court today for billions of dollars in Affordable Care Act payments.
Driving the news: The court will hear oral arguments in a long-running dispute over the ACA’s risk corridors program. Insurers say they’re owed billions of dollars from that program; the government says it doesn’t have to pay.
As they took in Game 5 of the World Series together, President Trump told House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy he doesn't want to fight for the most prominent prescription drug component of the administration's trade pact with Mexico and Canada — despite it being a key priority for Republicans.
Why it matters: The biologics provision has beenone of the final sticking points keeping the USMCA from finalization, with Democrats fighting for it to be removed or watered down. But McCarthy has known for more than a month that Trump probably won't go to bat to keep it.
