Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Rep. McDermott, Fierce Health Law Proponent, Retiring
Longtime Democratic Rep. Jim McDermott of Washington state announced Monday that he will not seek re-election for a 15th time when he completes his term at the end of the year. McDermott said he was proud of the many things he has accomplished during his time in office, including reforms to foster care, affordable housing for people with AIDS, but most important, he said, was his work on the national health plan. (1/4)
The House of Representatives will vote on a measure this week to repeal the Affordable Care Act, President Barack Obama’s legacy accomplishment. ... This is the health care repeal bill that the Senate passed before adjourning for the holidays. If the bill clears the Republican-controlled House, it would be the first ACA repeal measure to reach Obama’s desk. (Douglas, 1/5)
A GOP-led effort to repeal the biggest parts of ObamaCare would cost about $42 billion less than previously expected, saving more than a half-trillion dollars over a decade, the congressional budget scorekeeper said Monday. Legislation to gut most of ObamaCare's mandates and taxes, known as Restoring Americans’ Healthcare Freedom Reconciliation Act, would reduce the deficit by $516 billion over 10 years, according to the Congressional Budget Office. (Ferris, 1/4)
In other Capitol Hill news, the Senate Agriculture, Nutrition and Forestry Committee is taking a look at nutrition standards for school meals, and the Senate will vote on an FDA nominee —
Federal school meal nutrition standards under fire in Congress improved by 29 percent the overall quality of meals for several thousand students in a Washington state school district, according to a study released Monday. The report comes as the Senate Agriculture, Nutrition and Forestry Committee chairman and ranking member say they plan a markup this month of child nutrition reauthorization legislation that would revisit the 2010 law that set tougher standards for federal school lunch and breakfast meals. (Ferguson, 1/4)
The nominee, Dr. Robert Califf, is a cardiologist and longtime Duke University researcher who joined the FDA as a deputy commissioner in February. He has received praise from Chairman Lamar Alexander (R-Tenn.) and is expected to have relatively smooth sailing. (Sullivan, 1/4)
