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OVERNIGHT HEALTH: Roe v. Wade turns 40
The day after President Obama's second inauguration marked another historic milestone — the 40th anniversary of Roe v. Wade, the historic Supreme Court decision that legalized abortion nationwide. Abortion-rights supporters heralded the day as a landmark for women's rights and healthcare, while opponents took the opportunity to reiterate their strong desire to overturn the decision.
"Someday, future generations will look back on America and wonder how and why such a seemingly enlightened society ... could have failed to protect the innocent and inconvenient," Rep. Chris Smith (R-N.J.) said at a news conference Tuesday.
House Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi (Calif.), meanwhile, vowed to fight GOP efforts to restrict abortion access at the state level.
“Today, we reaffirm our commitment to these same values and pledge to preserve the right to choose," Pelosi said in a statement. "We promise to fight any and every effort to chip away at the hard-won freedoms of America’s women, and protect women’s health. We believe the most private decision for a woman is when and whether to have a child, and we stand ready to keep that decision out of the hands of politicians."
Healthwatch has more on Smith's comments. And we'll have more to say in the morning on abortion and President Obama's second-term agenda.
SCOTUS hits hospitals: Here's one way to cut entitlement spending — get the Supreme Court do it. The high court ruled Tuesday that Medicare doesn't have to pay billions of dollars in hospital payments because the hospitals filed their claims too late. SCOTUSBlog has a much fuller explanation here.
Tavenner's limbo continues: Marilyn Tavenner, President Obama's nominee to lead the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, didn't get a hearing last year before the Senate Finance Committee, despite an endorsement from House Majority Leader Eric Cantor (R-Va.). Will she get one now? Senate Finance Committee Chairman Max Baucus (D-Mont.) didn't have a good answer when asked about Tavenner in a scrum of reporters Tuesday.
Mandate repeal: It's about the longest of long shots, but Senate Republicans are still fighting the Affordable Care Act's individual mandate. Sens. Orrin Hatch (R-Utah) and Lamar Alexander (R-Tenn.) introduced a bill Tuesday to repeal the mandate, calling it affront to the Constitution despite the Supreme Court's ruling that the policy is constitutional. Healthwatch has more.
New in mental health: Sen. Al Franken (D-Minn.) promised new bills to improve mental health in the United States at a congressional briefing Tuesday. He will bring forward the Mental Health in Schools Act, a measure from Rep. Grace Napolitano (D-Calif.) that provides funding for on-site mental health professionals in schools, and the Justice and Mental Health Collaboration Act, a bill to "address when the criminal justice system and mental illness collide."
"Too many people in our prisons who have mental health issues are getting treatment that doesn't help them or makes them worse," Franken said. Of the schools measure, he said, "This bill isn't just about preventing violence; it's about making all of our kids and communities happier and healthier."
Franken made his remarks at a panel discussion sponsored by the House Democratic Gun Violence Prevention Task Force and led by Napolitano. Rep. Ron Barber (D-Ariz.), who was wounded alongside former Rep. Gabrielle Giffords (D-Ariz.) in 2011, also spoke, touting his Mental Health First Aid Act. The event took place shortly after a gunman opened fire at a Texas college Tuesday.
Busy day: In addition to approving its rules, the House Energy and Commerce Committee advanced three healthcare bills on Tuesday by unanimous consent. The measures would reauthorize an act that supports medical residency programs in children's hospitals for five years; ease the process for military veterans to become emergency medical technicians; and allow the National Institutes of Health (NIH) to fund pediatric research networks comprised of several institutions committed to cooperating on their efforts. Versions of all three bills were previously approved by the full House, according to a press memo.
It's official: The Senate Republican Conference ratified Sens. Orrin Hatch (Utah), Lamar Alexander (Tenn.) and Susan Collins (Maine) as the GOP leaders of the Finance; Health, Education, Labor and Pensions; and Special Aging committees. The selections were expected and now move to the full Senate, which will adopt committee resolutions to make the picks final. Commenting on his appointment, Alexander praised Tennessee for "helping lead the country in healthcare" and promised to lend a "strong voice in reducing regulations."
Wednesday's agenda
The Kaiser Family Foundation will release its annual state-by-state survey on Medicaid policy, followed by a briefing.
The American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network will release a poll on the healthcare law's Medicaid expansion.
State by state
Health law needs delay, says state insurance chief
Fla. looks to Mass. for healthcare advice
Controversial Kansas abortion clinic to reopen
Maryland sued over Medicaid delays
Lobbying registrations
Chamber Hill Strategies / GlaxoSmithKline
Alston & Bird / BNN Holdings
SLC Health Strategies / Eisai
SLC Health Strategies / Novo Nordisk Pharmaceuticals
SLC Health Strategies / Millennium: The Takeda Oncology Company
SLC Health Strategies / Cubist Pharmaceuticals
Reading list
Protests mark anniversary of landmark abortion ruling
The geography of abortion access
A round-up of abortion pieces from The Atlantic, starting in 1965
How Roe v. Wade changed abortion rights
Opinion: Insurance brokers prep clients for 'ObamaCare' sticker shock
Poor U.S. hospitals likeliest to pay readmission fine
What you might have missed on Healthwatch
Tuesday: Biohazard bill in the House
House votes to reauthorize bio, chemical countermeasure programs
Grassley pushes White House on Sunshine Act regs
Harkin health bill orders stack of federal prevention efforts
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