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As s measles cases continue to mount in the United States—the District of Columbia is the latest to report a fresh case—the media is depicting the issue of vaccinations as an increasingly partisan one. But it isn’t. Here is an overlooked fact about vaccines and politics: For the most part, there is broad bipartisan support for immunizations. Vaccine policy is one of those rare areas in which Republicans and Democrats have worked together to address vital public health issues. (Sarah Despres, 2/4)

Ah, the tempest of a media maelstrom. Headlines claim falsely that I am against vaccines or say they cause disorders. Quite ironic, that the press called me anti-vaccine on the same day I received my booster vaccine for Hepatitis A. In two interviews on the subject this week, I spent the bulk of my time defending vaccines as one of the greatest advancements in medicine. As a doctor, I am well aware of their need and effectiveness. (Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky., 2/4)

Early this morning, I posted about the newly vocal majority on vaccination—the parents who are willing to fight back against the anti-vaccination trend that has been implicated in the latest outbreak of measles. Cases have reached more than 100. It’s still surprising to read the number of comments from people who say, why should anyone care? The vaccinated kids are protected. So before moving on to the good news of the day, here are the reasons why parents who vaccinate – and the public at large – have every reason and right to care deeply about this issue. (Karen Klein, 2/4)

So say to parents: You have a perfect right not to vaccinate your children, and we will not force you. But unless you have a vaccination certificate, a letter from a doctor explaining that your child falls into a small number of well-recognized medical exemptions, or a testament from your minister that vaccinating violates the tenets of a church of which you are an active member, failing to vaccinate your child also means failing to qualify for any public benefits for those children. No tax deduction. No public school, college or municipal activities. No team sports that practice on public land. No federally subsidized student loans. No airplane rides for anyone under 18 unless the TSA gets an up-to-date vaccination certificate. If you will not help society protect itself, then society will deny its help to you, and it will do its best to keep your child out of crowded spaces where they might infect someone. (Megan McArdle, 2/4)

Here comes one of Washington’s least favorite rituals: the “doc fix.” Every year, and sometimes more often, Congress passes a bill to make sure that doctors don’t absorb a big pay cut from Medicare. ... there is a movement in Congress to pass a “permanent doc fix.” ... The proposal, while a long shot because of its expense, has bipartisan support. But here’s the thing: The pressure on Congress to find a way to finance doctors’ pay every year has actually reduced federal health spending in general and the Medicare budget in particular. Even though Congress doesn’t let the doctors’ payments go down, the doc fix still usually achieves the deficit-cutting goals of the formula’s drafters. With only a few exceptions, Congress simply cuts other parts of the budget to compensate for the extra money for the doctors. (Margot Sanger-Katz, 2/5)

It has been five years since the Affordable Care Act became law, crystallizing partisan division in our national health care debate. The law made fundamental changes to how health care is financed, delivered and structured, yet serious challenges remain. What we need now is a conversation about how to truly strengthen our broken health care system by empowering patients, lowering costs, increasing quality and protecting the most vulnerable. Now is the time to present Americans with a path forward that is better than Obamacare. Thursday, we are unveiling our vision of policies that would strengthen our health care system while reducing federal spending and taxes. (Sen. Orrin Hatch, R-Utah, Rep. Fred Upton, R-Mich., and Sen. Richard Burr, R-N.C., 2/4)

Once again, the mostly male, mostly well-insured Republican majority of the House of Representatives voted to repeal the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, the law that extends health insurance to millions of Americans through Medicaid expansion, subsidies and mandates. Those who keep count say this was the 56th time Republicans voted to kill Obamacare. Remarkably, three Republicans sided with the Democrats and voted against repeal this time. Unremarkably, Andy Harris, Maryland's only Republican member of Congress, voted against the ACA, along with 238 other prophets of doom. (Dan Rodricks, 2/4)

In three ... jurisdictions -- Connecticut, San Francisco and Seattle -- researchers have examined the impact of [mandatory paid sick-leave] laws by surveying businesses and, in some cases, workers about what happened once they took effect. The findings suggest that while the economic consequences of those laws shouldn't be ignored, they aren't terribly strong either. (Christopher Flavelle, 2/4)