HEALTH CARE HIGHLIGHTS – ACA Pre-Existing Conditions Protections are at Risk – As we reported last week, the Department of Justice (DoJ) determined that it will NOT defend the Affordable Care Act (ACA) in the lawsuit filed by the state of Texas and several other states. In fact, the DoJ is breaking with long-held legal precedent to defend laws passed by Congress. Instead, the DoJ has decided to support the legal argument of several attorneys general [...]

Virginia Votes to Expand Medicaid — Both chambers of the Virginia Legislature moved a budget bill Wednesday that would expand Medicaid through the Affordable Care Act (ACA). The bill would make Virginia the 33rd state to expand Medicaid under Obamacare and could lead to as many as 400,000 people being newly covered. "As a doctor, I'm so proud of the significant step we've taken together to help Virginians get quality, affordable [...]

HEALTH CARE HIGHLIGHTS – Annual Cancer Status Report Released – On Tuesday, the Annual Report to the Nation on the Status of Cancer was released. This report is a collaborative effort of NCI, CDC, ACS, and NAACCR. The report includes mortality data through 2015. It shows that, from 1999 to 2015, overall cancer death rates decreased by 1.8 percent per year among men and by 1.4 percent per year among women. [...]