Overnight Health Care — Presented By National Partnership for Women & Families —New Iowa plans can disqualify those with pre-existing conditions | Health groups press Azar over funding for migrant children | Map breaks down opioid deaths by state, county

Welcome to Thursday’s edition of Overnight Health Care.

There was a lot of Brett Kavanaugh news today as senators spent the day viewing a new FBI report in a secure room in the Capitol. The two parties sparred over the report, with Republicans insisting they will move ahead Friday with a key vote on Kavanaugh’s nomination to the Supreme Court.

In the health world, Iowa will soon start selling health plans that can discriminate against people with pre-existing conditions.  We’ll start there… 

 

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Iowa to sell health plans that can disqualify people based on pre-existing conditions

New health plans that will soon be sold through Iowa’s Farm Bureau will be able to ask applicants if they have any pre-existing conditions.

According to a checklist posted online by the Farm Bureau, applicants will be asked about a list of conditions related to mental health, blood pressure, reproductive system, lungs or the respiratory system, among others.

In an interview with the Des Moines Register, Farm Bureau Vice President Steve Kammeyer said some applicants for the new coverage could be turned away or face higher premiums if they have pre-existing health issues. He could not say which conditions would trigger those actions.

According to the checklist, if an applicant says they have been treated for any of the 16 conditions in the past five years, they will be required to provide detailed explanations of the treatments, medications and current status.

The plans will be available starting Nov. 1.

How is this legal? The plans were made legal under a law signed by Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds (R) in April that allows the Iowa Farm Bureau to collaborate with Wellmark Blue Cross Blue Shield on self-funded “health benefit plans.” The law takes advantage of a loophole in ObamaCare by contending that the health benefit plans offered by the Farm Bureau and Wellmark are not actually health insurance plans. Since they are not technically insurance, they don’t have to meet ObamaCare’s protections. They’re also not regulated by the Iowa Insurance Division, so consumers might have a harder time if they run into issues.  

Why would anyone want to do this? If you have no pre-existing conditions, and make too much money to qualify for ObamaCare subsidies, the plans may be appealing.

Read more about the new plans here.

 

 

Planned Parenthood’s political arm is targeting vulnerable GOP Sen. Dean Heller over comments he made about the sexual assault allegations against Brett Kavanaugh.

A six-figure digital ad buy focuses on Heller reportedly saying the nomination had run into a “hiccup” following Christine Blasey Ford’s allegations against Kavanaugh.

“Let’s remind Sen. Heller that sexual assault is never a ‘hiccup,'” a narrator says in the ad.

Context: Heller received a lot of criticism last month for saying: “We got a little hiccup here with the Kavanaugh nomination” on a “VIP” conference call arranged by the Nevada GOP. He later defended himself saying the “hiccup” comment was directed at Democrats’ handling of the allegations.

Heller is one of the most endangered Senate Republicans up for reelection in November. He’s already a “yes” on Kavanaugh, and Democrats hope that will lead to his defeat in Nevada, where Hillary Clinton won in 2016.

Read more here.

 

Check out this new website that breaks down opioid overdose death rates by state and county from NORC at the University of Chicago and the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

A quick glance at the map shows a large cluster of counties in West Virginia that have the highest rates of drug overdose deaths.

The website also shows the relationship between overdose deaths and unemployment, poverty and education.
“This resource goes far beyond demonstrating the impact of opioid abuse in each state,” said Michael Meit, who led the NORC research team in developing the tool with the USDA. “By revealing underlying, systemic factors that may contribute to this epidemic, community leaders and policymakers can better respond.”

 

Health groups want to know how HHS will respond to cost overruns on separated children policy

In a letter to Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar, more than 100 health organizations called on him to present a comprehensive budget request for children and families at the border. The groups said they are concerned about HHS’s plan to divert nearly $200 million from health programs to fund the detention of unaccompanied migrant children who crossed into the country illegally.

“We urge the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) to make public its plan to respond to and recover from this public health crisis, and to request that Congress provide the funding necessary, through annual or supplemental appropriations legislation, to ensure the health and wellbeing of children and families in the Department’s care,” the groups wrote.

Read the letter here.

 

Just weeks before the midterms, Democrats zero in on pre-existing conditions.

The latest example comes in the form of a new statewide ad from Sen. Jon Tester (D-Mont.), who is defending his Senate seat in a toss up race against insurance commissioner Matt Rosendale.

“Jon has fought relentlessly to make sure that insurance companies can’t deny coverage to Montanans with pre-existing conditions,” said Christie Roberts, campaign manager for Montanans for Tester.

Watch the ad here.

 

Sponsored content – National Partnership for Women & Families

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What we’re reading:

GOP candidates pay the price for attempts to kill ObamaCare and its guarantee of coverage for preexisting conditions (The Washington Post)

GOP want the official scorekeeper to give a second opinion on ObamaCare (Washington Examiner)

Trump administration to step up oversight of hospital watchdogs (The Wall Street Journal)

Alarm as Red Cross workers attacked in Congo Ebola efforts (Associated Press)

 

State by state:

Candidates square off on ObamaCare in Ohio governor’s race (WOSU)

Wisconsin Medicaid program paid nearly $600,000 for care of people already dead (Journal Sentinel)

 

From The Hill’s opinion page

We’re entering the lawless age of health care