What Caught Our Eye: Trump Acts to Undermine ACA; Susan Gubar Reviews ‘Cancer Humor’ Books; Life After Cancer; and More

“Trump Administration To End Obamacare Subsidies For The Poor”

White House is ending ACA subsidy that would have cost $10B in FY '18; one analysis says move will cost $2.3B more. https://t.co/MYNGyfKjPg

— NPR (@NPR) October 13, 2017

Danielle Kurtzleben & Scott Neuman, NPR — The Trump administration said Thursday that it would end the Affordable Care Act’s cost-sharing reduction payments designed to help low-income Americans get health care. Not paying the subsidies, health care experts have warned, could send the health insurance exchanges into turmoil.
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“What Did Trump’s Health Care Executive Order Do?”

https://twitter.com/sangerkatz/status/918610068005847040

Margot Sanger-Katz, New York Times — President Trump signed an Executive Order on Thursday that he said would begin “saving the American people from the nightmare of Obamacare.” There’s a lot that’s still uncertain about how the order will change the health law.
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“In New Test for Obamacare, Iowa Seeks to Abandon Marketplace”

Iowa wants to exit ACA marketplace in 2018, redirect funding so the well-off get subsidies, etc. Will Trump say yes? https://t.co/2aSNpoQT5p

— Abby Goodnough (@abbygoodnough) October 10, 2017

Abby Goodnough, New York Times — Iowa is anxiously waiting for the Trump administration to rule on a request that is loaded with implications for the law’s survival. If approved by the federal Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, it would allow the state to jettison some of Obamacare’s main features next year — its federally run insurance marketplace, its system for providing subsidies, its focus on helping poorer people afford insurance and medical care — and could open the door for other states to do the same.
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“Trump’s Cuts to Health Law Enrollment Efforts Are Hitting Hard”

The Trump administration cut funds for assisting consumers ahead of the open enrollment period by 89 percent https://t.co/KpAgowaa8J

— NYT Politics (@nytpolitics) October 10, 2017

Robert Pear, New York Times — Michigan Consumers for Health Care, a nonprofit group, has enrolled thousands of people in health insurance under the Affordable Care Act and was honored last year as one of the nation’s top performers — a “super navigator” that would serve as a mentor to enrollment counselors in other states. So the group was stunned to learn from the Trump administration that its funds for assisting consumers ahead of the open enrollment period that begins Nov. 1 would be cut by 89 percent, to $129,900, from $1.2 million.
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“Cancer Humor”

3 books of "Cancer Humor," reviewed by Susan Gubar @nytimeswell – https://t.co/aLF774s49S #coping

— Elaine Schattner MD, MA (@ESchattner) October 12, 2017

By Susan Gubar, New York Times Well Blog — During periods of hardship, laughter can lighten the load. Cracking up may be a better option than breaking down, or so the recent publications of three young adults with cancer suggest. Somewhat discomfiting, the jests of these authors serve as an antidote and alternative to the despairing negativity or fake positivity that plagues patients like me. Their punch lines zing with pleasure that offsets the pain of their edgy insights.
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“Life after cancer: ‘The real battle happened after treatment.'”

Life after cancer: “The real battle happened after treatment” https://t.co/UAsDdW01dL

— L.A. Times News 24/7 (@latimesfirehose) October 12, 2017

Eryn Brown, L.A. Times — McLaurin was lucky. Doctors detected his prostate cancer early, and he successfully completed the surgery, radiation and hormone therapy he needed to keep the disease at bay. But two years out from his 2014 diagnosis, McLaurin didn’t feel so great. He had gained 60 pounds during treatment, and the hormones he was taking sapped his energy and drive.
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“Immunotherapy is the newest weapon in the fight against cancer”

Immunotherapy is the newest weapon in the fight against cancer – Los Angeles Times https://t.co/CCoEv2grKS

— Cancer Review (@CancerReview) October 13, 2017

Melissa Healy, L.A. Times — A new approach to cancer treatment — immunotherapy — aims to unmask the disease for the deadly threat it is, then direct the full force of the immune system on malignancies that would otherwise grow and spread unchecked. Our multilayered immune defenses spot most foreign invaders and crush them decisively. But cancer, arising out of one or more mutations in our DNA, is a home-grown threat with a deceptively reassuring look. Even as cells multiply and spread, malignant cells cloak themselves in innocent garb.
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