Kansas Gov. Brownback: Trump Reportedly Will Send Beleaguered Republican to Rome as Ambassador to U.N. for Food and Agriculture

“Gov. Brownback may be looking for any chance to escape a job that’s been going south virtually since the moment he won reelection in 2014. And don’t expect most Kansans to resent Brownback for abandoning his office: A seemingly never-ending budget crisis has made him one of the nation’s most unpopular governors, and polls taken last year found that barely one-in-four voters approved of his performance.”

Under GOP TrumpCare Replacement, Health Insurance Options for Middle- and Low-Income People Would Shrink

“The insurance tax credits in this bill do not vary with a person’s income and are not pegged to the cost of a particular plan… Premiums would increase more with age than would the federal assistance to help pay for coverage.The bill would allow insurers to set premiums for the oldest adults (64 years old) at least five times higher than premiums for the youngest adults (18 years old) for the same coverage, but the tax credits for the older adults would be only two times as large as those offered the youngest adults.”

Big Tax Changes in the House GOP TrumpCare Plan

“In addition to major revisions to Medicaid and other parts of the health care system, the American Health Care Act proposes several changes to tax law, including repealing nearly all ACA taxes, delaying implementation of the excise tax on high-cost health plans (the “Cadillac tax”), replacing the current premium tax credit with a new refundable health insurance credit, and enhancing Health Savings Accounts (HSAs). Many of the provisions would repeal taxes on high-income households enacted during the Obama administration.”

Paying a Visit to the Doctor: Current Financial Protections for Medicare Patients

“Under current law, Medicare has several financial protections in place that are designed to safeguard Medicare beneficiaries—seniors and people with permanent disabilities—from unexpected and confusing charges when they seek care from doctors and other practitioners.  These protections include the participating provider program, limitations on balance billing, and conditions on private contracting.”

Medicare Under Attack by GOP: Backs “Balance Billing” for Medicare Patients

“HHS Secretary Tom Price is backing legislation that will allow physicians to bill seniors for charges that are more than the rates approved by Medicare. He claims the move would draw more physicians to enroll in the program…Current law does not allow physicians participating in Medicare to bill patients more than the program’s payment rate for any service.”

House Republicans Would Let Employers Require Workers’ Genetic Test Results

“A little-noticed bill moving through Congress would allow companies to require employees to undergo genetic testing or risk paying a penalty of thousands of dollars, and would let employers see that genetic and other health information. Giving employers such power is now prohibited by legislation including the 2008 genetic privacy and nondiscrimination law known as GINA. The new bill gets around that landmark law by stating explicitly that GINA and other protections do not apply when genetic tests are part of a ‘workplace wellness’ program.”