JUDY WOODRUFF: This is an important week for the fate of a bill designed to replace and potentially overhaul the health care law often referred to as Obamacare.

Republican senators are trying to finish drafting key portions of their own bill affecting coverage and costs. But Democrats say the entire battle over repealing the law is quite different from standard operating procedure, and not nearly transparent enough.

Lisa Desjardins looks at how its playing out in the Senate.

LISA DESJARDINS: Right now the debate over health care is red hot in Congress, but only behind closed doors, as Republicans privately try to craft a Senate bill.

And that is something Democrats, like Senator Claire McCaskill last week, have been raising publicly.

SEN. CLAIRE MCCASKILL, D-Mo.: We have no idea whats being proposed. Theres a group of guys in a backroom somewhere that are making these decisions. There were no hearings in the House. I mean, listen, this is hard to take, because I know we made mistakes on the Affordable Health Care Act, Mr. Secretary.

And one of the criticisms we got over and over again, that the vote was partisan. Well, you couldnt have a more partisan exercise than what youre engaged in right now. Were not even going to have a hearing on a bill that impacts one-sixth of our economy.

LISA DESJARDINS: McCaskill wants something called regular order. What is that? Well, it used to be the normal process. A bill goes through committee hearings, where experts and those affected by an issue ring in.

Then senators on the committee can vote to change the bill with amendments. And then, when a bill gets to the Senate floor, regular order means another chance to change it with amendment votes there too.

In 2009, with the Affordable Care Act, two Senate committees held three months of hearings and went through weeks of voting on amendments.

More recently, Senate Leader Mitch McConnell said he wanted regular order when Republicans took over in 2015.

SEN. MITCH MCCONNELL, Majority Leader: We need to open up, open up the legislative process in a way that allows more amendments from both sides.

LISA DESJARDINS: But thats not how Republicans so far have planned this health care debate. Again, in regular order, bills go through committees and amendment votes. Instead, this time around, Senate Republicans have indicated they may send their health care bill straight to the Senate floor with little, maybe no chance to amend it. And they have held no hearings on the bill so far.

Leading this process is Republican Senate Finance Chairman Orrin Hatch.

SEN. ORRIN HATCH, R-Utah: Well, I dont know that theres going to be another hearing, but we have invited you to participate.

LISA DESJARDINS: Who stressed to McCaskill that he wants Democratic ideas, if not more hearings and votes. But that differs from Hatch in 2009, when Republicans were the minority, and he thought Democrats were moving too fast on health care.

SEN. ORRIN HATCH: We at least ought to take the time to do this right.

LISA DESJARDINS: In the end, it took Democrats 14 months to pass their health care bill in 2009 and 2010. Thats why this moment is critical. The Senate will make or break health care reform. And Senate leaders, including Hatch, have said they want to pass a full health care bill by the end of this month. Thats just nine or 10 legislative days away.

For the PBS NewsHour, Im Lisa Desjardins.

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Republican senators are privately crafting a health care bill, raising alarm from Democrats - PBS NewsHour

Several Republican senators have indicated that they would be willing to support a health care bill that funds Planned Parenthood or some abortion services, Fox News has learned.

The GOP is worried that any bill to repeal and replace ObamaCare would have to be carefully structured to hold the support of moderate and conservative Republicans. However, the apparent concession by conservatives might give leadership more room to maneuver.

The pressure is on Senate Republicans to try to move a bill to repeal and replace ObamaCare before the Fourth of July recess. The House of Representatives passed its own bill, the American Health Care Act, last month.

Fox News has also learned that Senate GOP leaders have been sending policy proposals to the Congressional Budget Office for evaluation and scoring. However, a full bill was not expected to be presented at the weekly Republican luncheon Tuesday.

Senate Republicans are winnowing down policy options in an effort to get the necessary 51 votes to pass any health care legislation. Some believe any bill will only get 50 votes, necessitating a tie-breaking intervention by Vice President Mike Pence.

Meanwhile, the government said Monday thatabout 16 percent of consumers who signed up for coverage this year through Healthcare.gov and its state counterparts had canceled their plans by early spring.

Figures released from the Health and Human Services department show that 10.3 million people were signed up and paying their premiums as of March 15. That's 1.9 million fewer than the 12.2 million who initially signed up during open enrollment season, which ended Jan. 31.

In the first part of last year, the dropout rate was similar, about 13 percent. It increased as the year went on. Monthly enrollment averaged about 10 million people in 2016.

Some of the main reasons for dropping out include finding job-based insurance, problems paying premiums, and becoming eligible for Medicare.

A new analysis from HHS also found higher dropout rates in areas where insurers have left the program. About one-third of U.S. counties only had one participating insurer this year, and next year there may be areas with no available carrier.

The Trump administration said the numbers are a sign of continuing problems with Obamacare, such as sharp premium increases and the departure of some major insurers that suffered financial losses.Democrats have accused Trump of trying to "sabotage" Obama's signature domestic achievement

Fox News' Chad Pergram and Mike Emanuel contributed to this report. The Associated Press also contributed to this report.

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GOP senators may be willing to back health bill that funds Planned Parenthood - Fox News

A majority of likely voters in Georgias sixth congressional district hold an unfavorable impression of the Republican plan to repeal and replace ObamaCare, according to a new poll by The Atlanta Journal-Constitution.

While 62 percent hold an unfavorable impression of the legislation, 25 percent have a favorable impression of the plan, the poll said. Thirteen percent did not know or did not provide an answer.

The results of the poll come with the district about a week away from going to the polls for the special election that has drawn both funds and attention throughout the country.

Republicans in the Senate have said a vote on the legislation could come in July.

Abt Associates conducted the poll from June 5 through June 8, surveying 1,000 registered voters. It has a margin of error of 4 percentage points.

Democrat Jon Ossoff and Republican Karen Handel will face off on June 20 in the special election for the seat vacated by Health and Human Services Secretary Tom Price.

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Majority in Georgia 6th have unfavorable view of GOP healthcare bill: poll - The Hill

As Jeff Immelt (above), GEs outgoing chief executive, prepares to leave, he hands over a company with a health care division that is partnering with area hospitals.

General Electric Co. has been ramping up its activity in the states health care and life sciences sectors for several years. The rise of two health care-focused executives on GEs new leadership team could turbocharge its business in the booming fields.

Mondays announcement that the companys health care chief John Flannery was promoted to chief executive of GE, and the promotion of life sciences boss Kieran Murphy to head its health care operation, was cheered by those involved in Massachusetts medical, life sciences, and technology businesses.

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Industry leaders said it would likely hasten GEs move to integrate health data with its medical devices and more important to local entrepreneurs boost the companys support of medical technology and health data startups.

This is a signal that theyre very serious about enhancing their medical technology business, said Tom Sommer, president of the Massachusetts Medical Device Industry Council, known as MassMEDIC, a business group representing more than 300 companies. GE will now have a front-row seat in scouting the next generation of medical technology companies.

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Even before Mondays announcement, MassMEDIC had scheduled a networking reception next week to showcase efforts by GE Ventures, the companys venture-capital arm, to finance startups. The event is expected to draw hardware and software entrepreneurs involved in the digitization of medical gear, where GE and other companies add features to traditional medical imaging and diagnostic equipment to store, analyze, and transport patient data.

The market is changing so much, said Maria Shepherd, president of Medi-Vantage LLC, a medical technology consulting and strategy firm in Lincoln. Its all about improving clinical outcomes and reducing costs. Having [GE] here in Boston makes them local, so theyll get to know the local entrepreneurs.

But industry veteran Jonathan Fleming, chief executive of Cambridge drug developer Q-State Biosciences Inc., sounded a note of caution. GEs health care business faces many obstacles, he said, including moves by health insurers to reduce payments for overused imaging tests.

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GE is going to be continually challenged in growing its health care business, Fleming warned.

Flannery, who is set to assume the top job at GE in August, has led GE Healthcare since 2014. Its a sprawling business with about 55,000 employees and $18 billion in annual revenue. The division sells critical equipment and technology used by hospitals around the world including MRI and ultrasound machines, ventilators, patient monitors, blood pressure cuffs, and incubators for newborns. It also makes equipment for research labs.

Christopher Anderson, president of the Mass High Technology Council, said Flannery has all of the global experience and is totally focused on innovative tech.

Hell be able to fit right into a number of other successful tech [companies] who have their headquarters in Massachusetts and fit into the global market, he said.

GE has prioritized recruiting in the region, targeting software developers and other digital talent as it seeks to modernize its traditional heavy-machinery businesses with new software and technology, a transformation to what it calls the Industrial Internet.

The corporation has also become an investor in the Boston areas startup scene. GE Ventures owns parts of companies including Catalant, Desktop Metal, Tamr, and Rethink Robotics.

Jeff Bussgang, a general partner at Boston-based venture capital firm Flybridge Capital Partners, said Flannerys background could be a particular asset given Boston is a center of medical and biotech research.

I assume he is equally committed to Boston and the fact that hes a health care executive, which is in our regions wheelhouse, strikes me as a very good thing, Bussgang said.

The company has been pushing to expand in health care technology, in part by teaming up with Boston-based hospitals to develop new software programs. Last month, GE and Partners HealthCare the parent company of Massachusetts General and Brigham and Womens hospitals launched a 10-year initiative on artificial intelligence.

GE and Partners plan to build software targeting several aspects of medical care, starting with programs that can help doctors read medical images more accurately. They want to develop an open platform that can house hundreds of different applications. Flannery told reporters in May that he considers data and analytics and machine learning the future of health care.

The company is also developing software with experts at Boston Childrens Hospital.

Though GEs health care business is headquartered in Chicago, Flannery is a familiar name in Bostons medical and tech industries.

John has been highly engaged in getting to know the Boston health care community and the opportunities and challenges that exist within the industry, Brigham and Womens president Dr. Betsy Nabel said in a statement.

Childrens Hospital chief executive Sandra Fenwick said Flannerys background in digital health and life sciences will serve him well.

Our collaboration with GE Healthcare, established under John Flannerys leadership, continues to make progress, Fenwick said in a statement. His elevation to CEO should keep our work moving forward.

GEs decision last year to move its headquarters to Boston, plus the promotion of its top health care executive, means the company likely wants to stay focused on health care, said Jonathan P. Gertler, a life sciences industry consultant.

I cant imagine theyve appointed the person who ran GE Healthcare to the top position in order to take their eye off health care, said Gertler, chief executive of Back Bay Life Science Advisors.

Massachusetts has welcomed the growth of GEs presence in health care here. A year ago, Governor Charlie Baker and other state officials joined Murphy, then president of the GE Healthcare Life Sciences business unit, for the opening of a new $27 million, 210,000-square-foot site in Marlborough as North American headquarters for the life sciences business.

That part of the company markets products such as bioreactors used for drug manufacturing and contrast agents for medical imaging, and is the fastest-growing part of the GE Healthcare division, which Murphy will now head. It is leading the companys push into precision medicine, enabling the small-scale production of personalized treatments for genetic diseases.

Like Flannery, Murphy is already well known to many locally. Some say the pair, with Flannerys background in finance and Murphys in science, has complementary skill sets.

These are people with vision, said Lexington health care consultant Harry Glorikian, a former entrepreneur in residence at GE Ventures who knows both executives. Both of them have a positive disposition toward looking at new ideas and supporting them. This bodes well for the health care and life sciences side of the business. And I think theyre going to take a major role in Massachusetts.

Continued here:

Promotion of health care execs could lift GE's efforts in life sciences and health data - The Boston Globe

Senator Dan Sullivan speaks to public in Afognak building on Near Island, Kodiak. Kayla Desroches/KMXT

Republican Senator Dan Sullivan held a town hall in the city of Kodiak Saturday and attracted a sizable crowd. He dedicated the bulk of the meeting to the publics questions, and most focused on healthcare.

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One commenter, Mike Milligan, said the United States has a health care system based on money.

He connected his statement to Sullivans support of putting outside funds into political campaigns.

Other people have a healthcare system based on health and you have been a consistent supporter of [the] Citizens United [Supreme Court] decision, which keeps money in politics, Milligan said. How can you address this money associated with healthcare delivery when youre such an ardent supporter of Citizens United?

In response, Sullivan told a story about a woman who approached him and his family at dinner. The person said she and her husband were paying $3,000 dollars a month under the affordable care act with a $10,000 dollar deductible.

Come on, thats $33,000 dollars before you get any coverage, Sullivan said. Thats completely unaffordable. So, its complex, its very personal, as you mention Mike. I get it. And thats why weve been trying to meet with everybody.

Sullivan said theyre working towards reform for the state.

Scattered among the many comments on health care were several about protecting fisheries resources.

Gina Friccero referred to an incident in 2014 where a massive flow of mining waste in Canada escaped into lakes that served as spawning grounds for sockeye salmon.

The residents of the great state of Alaska have made it clear across party lines that we do not want to put the salmon habitat at risk, Friccero said. After the failure of Mount Polley mine, it is obvious that there is no viable way to protect our watershed from the pollution caused by mining. We ask that you make us a priority and stand against mining in any area that threatens the ecology of salmon habitat.

Sullivan said he believes in responsible resource development and transparency. He discussed the ongoing issue of Pebble Mine in the Bristol Bay watershed. The Environmental Protection Agency recently settled a lawsuit with the Pebble Limited Partnership that allows the company to apply for a federal permit for a mine in the area.

If that mine ever goes to permitting, which its not at permitting at all yet state, federal permitting it has to meet the highest standards, Sullivan said. And we shouldnt trade one resource for another. We already know we have great resources, as you mentioned, in Bristol Bay.

He said the permitting process should be fair.

At the town hall, Sullivan also spoke about some of the bills hes started or contributed to, including one to bolster missile defense and another to encourage new entrants into the fishing industry and provide training for young fishermen.

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Healthcare questions dominate Sen. Dan Sullivan town hall - Alaska Public Radio Network

Continuing a dropout trend seen in the Obama years, about 16 percent of consumers who signed up for coverage this year through public health insurance markets had canceled their plans by early spring, the government said Monday.

Figures released from the Health and Human Services department show that 10.3 million people were signed up and paying their premiums as of March 15. That's 1.9 million fewer than the 12.2 million who initially signed up during open enrollment season, which ended Jan. 31.

Created by Obama's Affordable Care Act, HealthCare.gov and its state counterparts offer subsidized private health insurance to people who don't have coverage through their jobs. The latest numbers seem to reflect the usual ups and downs of the program, more than the heated political debate over its future.

The Trump administration said the numbers are a sign of continuing problems with "Obamacare," such as sharp premium increases and the departure of some major insurers that suffered financial losses. President Donald Trump has declared the program "dead," and he's trying to replace it with a Republican plan that's currently even less popular in public opinion polls.

Meanwhile, Democrats are accusing Trump of trying to "sabotage" Obama's main domestic achievement, which has been credited with reducing the U.S. uninsured rate to a historic low of about 9 percent. With Republicans in full control of government, this year could bring the unwinding of Obama's law.

But independent analysts say the new numbers are no big surprise.

"The dropout rate is very similar to last year, with some people failing to pay their premiums or finding alternative coverage after signing up during open enrollment," said Larry Levitt of the nonpartisan Kaiser Family Foundation. "What's new here is a new administration spinning numbers in a very different way from the last one."

In previous years many people who initially signed up also wound up dropping out, for a variety of reasons.

In the first part of last year, the dropout rate was similar, about 13 percent. It increased as the year went on. Monthly enrollment averaged about 10 million people in 2016.

Some of the main reasons for dropping out include finding job-based insurance, problems paying premiums, and becoming eligible for Medicare.

A new analysis from HHS also found higher dropout rates in areas where insurers have left the program. About one-third of U.S. counties only had one participating insurer this year, and next year there may be areas with no available carrier.

The dropout rate was a sore spot for the Obama administration, which updated the numbers only a few times a year. The Trump administration says it will provide more frequent updates.

Link:

HealthCare.gov dropout trend continues under Trump - ABC News

AARP is targeting 11 GOP senators, including key centrists, to oppose the House-passed healthcare bill that would raise premiums for seniors.

The ad campaign expands a May effort that ran ads targeting five senators, calling for the House-passed American Health Care Act to be scrapped. The expansion comes at a pivotal time as Senate leadership hopes to vote on a healthcare bill by the end of July.

AARP is targeting Sens. Lisa Murkowski and Dan Sullivan of Alaska, Jeff Flake of Arizona, Cory Gardner of Colorado, Joni Ernest and Chuck Grassley of Iowa, Dean Heller of Nevada, Rob Portman of Ohio, Lamar Alexander and Bob Corker of Tennessee, and Shelley Moore Capito of West Virginia.

The list includes some key centrists who will be critical to the GOP leadership's hopes of passing its own version of the American Health Care Act before Congress' August recess.

Heller and Flake are up for re-election in 2018. Heller, Portman and Capito are pushing leadership for a seven-year phaseout of Obamacare's Medicaid expansion.

AARP, the nation's biggest seniors lobby, has been opposed to the American Health Care Act for some time, angry over a proposed change to premiums for senior citizens in insurance plans on the individual market.

Obamacare allowed insurers to charge seniors three times the amount they charge a younger person. The American Health Care Act would increase that to five times.

"Our members and other Americans over age 50 are very worried about legislation that would raise their premiums through what is, in effect, an age tax," said AARP Executive Vice President Nancy LeaMond.

It is not clear what pieces of the legislation the Senate will keep, including the age-rating ratio.

AARP also derided problems with Medicaid and hurting "protections for people with pre-existing conditions."

A controversial last-minute amendment to the legislation, which passed the House last month by a 217-213 vote, let states opt out of community rating mandate. States could get a waiver that would let insurers charge sicker people more money.

House Republicans say that $23 billion included in the legislation for high-risk pools could help offset any increases. A recent estimate from the Congressional Budget Office said that money wasn't enough to offset major increases for people with pre-existing conditions such as cancer or diabetes.

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AARP targets more Republicans in new healthcare ad buy - Washington Examiner

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What does the U.S. and the U.K. have in common when it comes to healthcare? Their healthcare sector continues to be under siege, and renewed efforts need to be made to lift the level of focus on protecting patient information. It is as if a Sword of Damocles hangs over this sector.

As asinine as it sounds, we may have finally reached the tipping point where patients are now accepting, by default, their information will be at risk when they accept medical care?

Government entities, one in the U.S. and another in the U.K. recently issued reports on the state of affairs within the healthcare sector. The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Health Care Industry Cybersecurity Task Force issued itsfirst report to Congress, and the HHS Office of Inspector General (IG) submitted its semi-annual report to Congress. In the U.K., the Information Commissioners office (ICO) released its data protections and concerns report. The content demonstrates how the issues being faced on the IT side of the healthcare equation know no borders.

The HHS Task Force recognized how vulnerable the sector is with its observation: "Over the next few years, most machinery and technology involved in patient care will connect to the internet; however, a majority of this equipment was not originally intended to be internet accessible nor designed to resist cyber attacks."

The HHS Task Force recognizes that a cultural change is required if cybersecurity and patient privacy are to be kept from "digitally sourced harm"a fancy way of saying being affected by a breach.

Interestingly, the HHS IG report highlights as areas of concern enhancing safety and quality care, efficiency of operations, reducing fraud and improper payments, and improving "data integrity and information security." The HHS IG recognizes the bang that can be acquired via implementing big data analytics to the fraud equation as a means to detect and prevent improper payments. Similarly, the HHS IG identifies "penetration testing" as its area of focus.

While across the pond in the U.K., the ICO notes the 31.5 percent increase in the number of self-reported incidents of data mishandling in the healthcare sector. The report also identifies with specificity that care homes (known in the U.S. as assisted living or nursing homes) continually avoid responding to IOC's requests. The Register notes how data breaches within the health sector accounted for 43 percent of all data breaches in the UK.

What is not surprising is the amount of breaches across both the U.S. and U.K. that are caused by human error. Sharing patient information in press releases or presentations is a self-inflicted wound. Copying data in a clear-text state to a storage medium, again a self-inflicted wound. Throwingpatient files awayvia normal garbage disposal methods instead of destroying patient data, again a self-inflicted wound. The recent WannaCry crisis brought the U.K.'s health service to its knees was also a self-inflicted wound because they continued to use Window XP machines (an operating system that was end-of-life in April 2014). And of course, the "clicking" of links within emails that serve as the hook-setting event for some of the larger breaches, a lack of awareness by the insider.

Patients need to be asking, "How is my data being protected?" The U.K., interestingly enough, has provided via the ICO a means for an individual to check if their information is being handled correctly.

It's up to you. Are you prepared to trade your privacy for treatment? Hold your healthcare providers accountable for how they handle your information.

Christopher Burgess is an advocate for effective security strategies, be they at the office or home for you and your family. Christopher, served 30+ years within the Central Intelligence Agency. He co-authored the book Secrets Stolen, Fortunes Lost, Preventing Intellectual Property Theft and Economic Espionage in the 21st Century.

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Healthcare: Are you prepared to trade privacy for treatment? - CSO Online