So much for that quiet August recess: Bloomberg News reported today that the Obama administration is planning to take action to block a high-profile pair of health insurer mergers.
Lawsuits from the Department of Justice could arrive as soon as this week, and definitely by next week, according to Bloomberg and The Wall Street Journal.
{mosads}The administration’s biggest concerns are reportedly about the lack of competition that could result from the nation’s five biggest insurers becoming just three. The legal action will culminate a yearlong review of the proposed mergers, in which the federal government has hinted that it’s skeptical of insurer consolidation.
At stake is the pending $48 billion deal for Anthem to acquire Cigna, and the proposed $37 billion takeover of Humana by Aetna. Read our write-up here: http://bit.ly/29Ke8v1
Wash your hands, Cleveland
Hey, we found the healthcare angle to this week’s convention. At least 11 people are sick with what is believed to be norovirus and are being quarantined outside Cleveland.
Among those infected were the advance team for the California delegation who first arrived in Cleveland, the Sacramento Bee reported, leading to concerns that the highly contagious infection could spread among some 500 other members of the delegation. Story here: http://bit.ly/2a72mco
About that GOP ‘unity’…
Ways and Means Committee Chairman Kevin Brady (R-Texas) is soundly rejecting one of Donald Trump’s most high-profile healthcare pitches: to allow Medicare to negotiate prescription drug prices.
When asked at the RNC convention if he would back Trump’s idea, Brady flatly said, “No,” prompting laughter in the room.
“Study after study shows that that will save no money,” Brady, one of the GOP’s most powerful legislators, told the panel, hosted by the Cleveland Clinic and Bloomberg. Story here: http://bit.ly/2a73Ov9
UnitedHealth to bleed another $200K from ObamaCare markets The nation’s largest insurer has done better than expected over the last quarter, even though its expected to lose another $200,000 in the healthcare law’s exchanges.
UnitedHealth reported a 28 percent increase in profits compared to the same time last year. Its figures are 14 percent better if you look at the whole year. Story here: http://bit.ly/29MLNzW
FDA, Republicans clash over high-risk lab tests
The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is plowing forward with plans to finalize guidelines for the approval of high-risk lab tests despite vocal opposition from Republicans in Congress.
The push forward puts the agency at odds with Republicans on the House Energy and Commerce and Appropriations committees, who have warned the agency not to overreach since the draft guidance was released in 2014.
The rules will cover lab tests such as cancer screenings, and are expected to be finalized by the end of this year. More here: http://bit.ly/2a76Y25
ON TAP TOMORROW
Republican National Convention, day three. On our agenda: Susan B. Anthony List and Family Research Council Action host a luncheon featuring Kansas Gov. Sam Brownback (R), Sen. Deb Fischer (R-Neb.) and former Texas Gov. Rick Perry (R).
Follow @TheHill (and specifically, @PeterSullivan4!) for live updates.
WHAT WE’RE READING
Public health officials are stepping up mosquito control efforts, such as aerial spraying, trapping and larvicide, though some admit they have “very few tools” to protect the public from mosquitoes. (Wall Street Journal)
The newly released GOP platform would halt federal rules requiring nutrition labels on restaurant menus and roll back other regulations on livestock and poultry production. (Bloomberg)
The United Nations’s leading health officials reiterated Tuesday that there is a “low risk” of athletes and spectators catching or spreading the Zika virus during the upcoming Olympic games in Brazil. (Newsweek).
IN THE STATES
Three states that have so far rejected Medicaid expansion will pick a new governor in 2016: Missouri, North Carolina and Utah. (Bloomberg BNA)
A majority of co-ops created under ObamaCare are going out of business, but the rest aren’t going down without a fight. (Governing Magazine).
NYC Mayor Bill DeBlasio makes daily morning trips to a local YMCA, where he’s known to regularly be on his phone and occasionally give live interviews while working out. (New York Times)
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