OVERNIGHT HEALTH: Supreme Court rejects patents on human genes

by Sam Baker and Elise Viebeck - 06/13/13 10:30 PM ET

Issa requested a briefing with the two officials as well as written responses to earlier inquiries about the programs. He threatened to issue subpoenas if the HHS does not provide the information within the next two weeks.

Read more at Healthwatch.

White House blasts Franks: White House press secretary Jay Carney said Rep. Trent Franks (R) showed an “alarming disregard for women” on Wednesday when the Arizona congressman commented that the “incidence of rape resulting in pregnancy are very low.”

{mosads}”As when similar comments were voiced, we take great issue with them,”
Carney told reporters, alluding to the infamous “legitimate rape” remark from former GOP Senate candidate Todd Akin (Mo.). Carney added that Franks’s statement “reflects an
alarming misunderstanding of what is a crime and what that means.”

Franks made the comment during a committee markup of his national late-term abortion ban, which is due for a House vote next week. He has said he meant that the overall number of pregnancies resulting from rape compared to normal intercourse is low.

Healthwatch has the story.

Sebelius busts a move: Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius showed off her dance moves Thursday at a reception for Rep. John Dingell (D-Mich.), who recently became the longest-serving member in House history. Mary Wilson, an original member of The Supremes, sang “Stop in the Name of Love” at Dingell’s event — with backup from Sebelius and House Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.), among others.

The Washington Post has the video.

Brewer win: The Arizona Senate passed a budget Thursday that will expand the state’s Medicaid program to 300,000 more beneficiaries. The vote followed a similar approval by the state House earlier in the day, meaning the ObamaCare expansion will take effect in the GOP-led state. The approvals are a major victory for Republican Gov. Jan Brewer, who has fought for months to expand her state’s Medicaid rolls using mostly federal dollars. The Medicaid expansion is optional under the Affordable Care Act thanks to the Supreme Court’s 2012 decision on the law.

Read more at The Associated Press.

Friday’s schedule

The House Energy and Commerce subcommittee on Health will hold a hearing on the government’s response to prescription drug abuse in the United States.

The House Ways and Means subcommittee on Health will discuss bipartisan proposals to reform post-acute care in Medicare.

The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, the GE Foundation and the University of New Mexico Health Sciences Center will host a briefing on how to meet the growing need for mental health services and substance abuse treatment at the primary care level. The event will take place at the Newseum.

State by state

Fallin asks Obama administration to reconsider Medicaid decision

How Mississippi could end up killing Medicaid

Feds: NH can end Medicaid expansion later

Calif. may bar Anthem from selling small business plans

Lobbying registrations

University of South Florida / self-registration

Van Scoyoc Associates / Chesapeake Bay Ventures

Alpine Group / American College of Surgeons

Reading list

Court ruling may open up breast cancer gene tests

Flu season doctor visits reached record at early peak