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OVERNIGHT HEALTH: Domino's founder sues over birth control rule
The Catholic man who founded Domino's Pizza is suing the Obama administration for its rule that most employers cover birth control without a co-pay in their health plans.
Billionaire Tom Monaghan, 75, is the latest religious business owner to challenge the mandate, which came as part of the Affordable Care Act, and his suit brings the total number of legal challenges to more than 40.
The administration policy requires most employers to cover a range of birth control methods in their health plans. Churches and houses of worship are exempt, and employees of religiously affiliated institutions such as Catholic schools will be able to obtain birth control directly from their insurance company, but still without a co-pay.
"Despite granting waivers upon a seemingly arbitrary basis, no exemption exists for an employer or individual whose religious conscience instructs him that certain mandated services are unethical, immoral and volatiles to one's religious beliefs," the court filing states.
Monaghan sold Domino's in 1998, and the company is not involved in his lawsuit.
Monaghan's suit was filed Friday in federal court. Read more about it at Healthwatch.
Subsidy suspicions: House Republicans demanded more documents Monday in their investigation into the subsidies provided under the Affordable Care Act. Reps. Dave Camp (R-Mich.) and Darrell Issa (R-Calif.) — respectively, the chairmen of the House Ways and Means Committee and Oversight and Government Reform Committee, said their staffers were allowed to view certain documents about the IRS's decision-making, but only with heavy redaction.
One internal IRS document said "these provisions … may be controversial," followed by heavy redactions, Camp and Issa charged in a letter Monday. They said another edited document was titled "Significant Issues and Considerations."
Healthwatch has the lowdown.
SGR lobbying: Congress should permanently repeal Medicare's flawed payment formula as part of a year-end deal to avoid the so-called fiscal cliff, the Alliance of Specialty Medicine said Monday. Read the Healthwatch post.
Sebelius touts exchanges: HHS Secretary Kathleen Sebelius touted the administration's work on setting up exchanges in a blog post that followed another round of approvals for states' exchange plans.
"We continually strive to give states the resources, flexibility and guidance to design and build a marketplace that meets the needs of their state," she wrote. "While last week was one milestone, we are not taking an “all or nothing” approach to exchanges. Many states are making impressive progress and we are committed to working with all states as we approach open enrollment in October 2013."
Read the whole post here.
Tuesday's agenda
The American Health Care Association will release its annual Medicaid shortfall report.
The Food and Drug Administration will hold a public meeting to discuss the agency's proposed recommendations for reauthorizing the Animal Drug User Fee Act.
State by state
Medicaid expansion is huge issue in Florida
Options fewer as Arizona weighs Medicaid decision
Calif. leads on prostate cancer research
Lobbying registrations
Bockorny Group / Independent Women's Voice
Reading list
Gun violence costs Americans $5.6 billion in medical bills every year
Seven facts about America’s mental healthcare system
Medicare denials rarely challenged, but appeals can succeed
Medical students switch gears after Hurricane Sandy
GlaxoSmithKline wins U.S. approval for new flu vaccine
What you might have missed on Healthwatch
This week: Talking about the Medicare age
Democrats want GOP to show hand on Medicare in deficit negotiations
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