OVERNIGHT HEALTHCARE: Dems fight back on HealthCare.gov security issues

by Sarah Ferris and Elise Viebeck - 09/17/14 5:57 PM ET

House Democrats will bring a new weapon into a fight with the GOP over ObamaCare on Thursday: a homeland security official who says consumers’ data wasn’t affected by data breaches.

The Democrats announced their new witness one day before the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform’s hearing, which aims to point out the Obama administration’s failures to fix the healthcare website. The GOP will be armed with fresh evidence of those shortcomings from a Government Accountability Report that outlined a host of security issues.

{mosads}The hearing comes at a crucial time for ObamaCare, with new sign-ups beginning Oct. 1. Concerns about the website are also growing nationally: A new poll released Wednesday found that 54 percent of voters are concerned about the security of government healthcare websites. Read more here.

GOP demands answers on HealthCare.gov: Top Republicans are calling on the Obama administration to share more details about HealthCare.gov’s security after federal investigators reported weaknesses in the site. Eight GOP committee leaders in the House and Senate wrote to the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) on Wednesday, raising concerns about the site and accusing the agency of negligence.

“These continuing security issues surrounding HealthCare.gov are cause for concern not just by Congress, but for all Americans who have a right to expect that the government will protect their information,” the lawmakers wrote to CMS Administrator Marilyn Tavenner. Read more here.

An ethics debate on early Ebola drugs: Lawmakers said Wednesday that they were “shocked” and “bewildered” that the Federal Drug Administration was not allowing clinical trials of certain Ebola drugs. While some of the drugs have been in the works for years by the National Institutes of Health, officials maintain that they are not ready for public use. Rep. Betty McCollum (D-Minn.) said despite mounting global pressure, she didn’t want Africa to become “a testing ground” for drugs that haven’t been properly vetted. Read more here.

Sunscreen bill advances: A key Senate panel passed a bill to streamline the regulatory process for approving new ingredients for sunscreen. The Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions (HELP) Committee unanimously approved the measure by voice vote on Wednesday. Twelve members were present at the time.

The Sunscreen Innovation Act, which passed the House in late July, would be the first major update to the Food and Drug Administration’s (FDA) sunscreen approval process since the 1990s. Some ingredients currently used in sun protection products outside the United States have “languished at the FDA for years,” said Sen. Johnny Isakson (R-Ga.) in the hearing. Read more here.

Frieden calls attention to sepsis danger: Centers for Disease Control Director Tom Frieden is working alongside Sen. Charles Schumer (D-N.Y.) to raise awareness about the dangers of sepsis, a condition of widespread inflammation caused by a severe immune response to bacteria or infection. The Rory Staunton Foundation held the first national forum on sepsis Wednesday to raise awareness and call for policymaking to fight the illness.

“We have a long way to go to educate clinicians and inform the public about this all-too-common illness, and I am thankful that the Rory Staunton Foundation is taking a proactive role in raising awareness of this horrible disease,” Frieden said. Read more about the campaign here.

Planned Parenthood blasts Ernst: Planned Parenthood’s political arm is turning its attention to Iowa with a new TV ad blasting Republican Senate candidate Joni Ernst. Planned Parenthood Votes announced Tuesday that it will spend $450,000 on its first Iowa TV buy highlighting Ernst’s positions on birth control and abortion.

In the 30-second spot, set to air in the Des Moines market, women around a kitchen table criticize Ernst on a slew of women’s health issues. “I had no idea her record was this bad. Joni Ernst thinks my boss should have control over whether I get birth control? … Bottom line, Joni Ernst just does not trust women,” individual women say in turn. Read more here.

Thursday’s schedule

The House Oversight Committee will hold a hearing on HealthCare.gov.

The House Energy and Commerce Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations will hold a hearing on suicide prevention.

The House Small Business Subcommittee on Health will hold a hearing on ObamaCare’s Small Business Health Options Program (SHOP).

Dr. Karen DeSalvo, National Coordinator for Health Information Technology, will deliver the keynote speech at National Health IT Week.

The Partnership for Safe Medicines will hold a conference on counterfeit drugs featuring remarks by Howard Sklamberg, deputy commissioner of the Food and Drug Administration.

State by state

Poll: Most back VA Medicaid expansion

VT Health Connect website shut down for repairs

Gov. Snyder touts Michigan Medicaid expansion in re-election bid

Reading list

HIV treatment works, says CDC, Time

Study: US needs better end-of-life care, Reuters

ObamaCare: From gamechanger to background noise, Politico

What you might have missed from The Hill

Senate Dems block House’s keep-your-plan bill

Ebola responders look to lessons from HIV

Planned Parenthood blasts Ernst in new ad