What Caught Our Eye: Multiple Proposals Continue to Weaken ACA Patient Protections; Breast Cancer Cost Survey; Editing Genes to Treat Cancer

“Understanding Short-Term Limited Duration Health Insurance”

Awaiting the rule from the Trump administration on the expansion of short-term limited duration health plans? Read our explainer on how these plans work: https://t.co/SAeJZ8wLUo pic.twitter.com/94OmPgMsvK

— KFF (Kaiser Family Foundation) (@KFF) February 20, 2018

Karen Pollitz, Kaiser Family Foundation — The Health and Human Services Department published new rules Tuesday that expand access to short term health plans that exclude patients with preexisting conditions and don’t cover basic services like prescription drugs.
Read More »

Op-Ed: “Another day, another attack on the ACA”

Another day, another Trump attack on the Affordable Care Act https://t.co/Jy1juHJFmL by @helaineolen

— Washington Post Opinions (@PostOpinions) February 20, 2018

Helaine Olen, Washington Post Opinion — Under a new proposal, households can purchase a short-term health care plan, one that skirts the ACA’s patient protections, for a year. Previously, short-term health plans were allowable for only three months as a stop-gap and temporary health care option. This proposal could cause serious damage to the ACA and harm individuals who get sick during a year with a bare bones plan.
Read More »

“Idaho is ignoring Obamacare rules. That could set off a catastrophic chain reaction.”

https://twitter.com/sarahkliff/status/967050905156771840

Nicholas Bagley, Vox.com — Ignoring federal law, Idaho intends to sell plans that discriminate against the sick and impose annual caps—and they believe they will get away with it.
Read More »

“What’s the Financial Cost of Breast Cancer?”

My latest for @USNews: What’s the Financial Cost of Breast Cancer? | Patient Advice | US News https://t.co/L9gkRyiF6V

— Elaine K. Howley (@emkhowley) February 23, 2018

Elaine K. Howley, U.S. News and World Report — A recent report by The Pink Fund found that 64 percent of people with breast cancer pay $5,000 or more out of pocket for their treatment and nearly half of respondents said they used their retirement accounts to cover this cost.
Read More »

“Doctors in China Lead Race to Treat Cancer by Editing Genes”

Is the US falling behind the race to turn new gene-editing technique into treatments for disease? https://t.co/mPPLButwKm

— Rob Stein (@robsteinnews) February 21, 2018

Rob Stein, NPR Health — China is testing an experimental treatment for cancer that uses a patient’s own immune system cells that have been genetically modified with a technique called CRISPR.
Read More »

“AstraZeneca’s immunotherapy drug wins key lung cancer approval”

#AstraZeneca's immunotherapy drug wins key lung #cancer approval https://t.co/StBNXEKieN

— Ben Hirschler (@reutersBenHir) February 17, 2018

Ben Hirschler, Reuters — AstraZeneca’s immunotherapy drug Imfinzi has won crucial approval from U.S. regulators for use in lung cancer, opening up a multibillion-dollar market for a medicine that has so far lagged behind competitors.
Read More »