Obama Pressing Undecided Lawmakers To Back Health Reform Measure.

Obama Pressing Undecided Lawmakers To Back Health Reform Measure.
Media reports continue to describe aggressive White House efforts to woo undecided House Democrats, against the background of what analysts see as a very fluid vote count. The AP (3/8, Babington) reports that in his "private pitches to Democrats, President Barack Obama says he will persuade Congress to pass his healthcare overhaul even if it kills him and even if he has to ask deeply distrustful lawmakers to trust him on a promise the White House doesn't have the power to keep." Obama is "making healthcare pitches Monday in Philadelphia and Wednesday in St. Louis, and instructing aides to address every question or concern Democratic lawmakers possibly can raise."
The Los Angeles Times (3/8, Hook, Levey), meanwhile reports that his "final push is giving Obama a chance to redeem himself among Democrats who have complained that he has been too detached from the nitty-gritty of crafting the healthcare bill. In recent weeks, he has taken control of the debate, giving his party a second chance after a string of setbacks."
But, NBC Nightly News (3/7, story 3, 2:10, Holt) reported that "it's not yet clear that the votes are there," and added (Viqueira) that "a top official backed off a deadline for passage of the healthcare bill, set just three days ago by the White House." David Gregory, NBC News: "Yes, no, or maybe? Do you get passage by the Easter break?" HHS Secretary Kathleen Sebelius was shown saying, "I think we'll have the votes when the leadership decides it's time to call for the vote." NBC added, "The uncertainty on the timeline reflects doubt about the final outcome." The Hill (3/8, Romm), meanwhile, reports that Sebelius "dodged a series of questions about the White House's plans for healthcare reform in the event lawmakers failed to pass it by the Easter recess." ABC World News (3/7, story 4, 1:40, Harris) reported that on the Sunday shows, "it appeared that" Obama "does not yet have the votes he needs."
USA Today (3/8, Kiely, Fritze) reports that "it's unclear if House Democratic leaders can get enough Democrats to vote for the Senate healthcare bill, which contains controversial provisions on abortion and taxes. The House passed its version 220-215 and since then one member who voted 'yes' died and two others have left Congress." Moreover, "even if the House passes the Senate healthcare bill and a separate reconciliation bill, Senate Republicans can throw up an unlimited number of amendments to the reconciliation bill. They can also raise points of order on provisions that don't deal with spending."
White House To Use Goldman Sachs Analysis In Making Final Case. The New York Times (3/7, A24, Herszenhorn) reported the White House "is seizing on a new analysis by Goldman Sachs...recommending that investors buy shares in two big insurance companies, the UnitedHealth Group and Cigna, because insurance rates are up sharply and competition is down." On Saturday, Obama Administration officials said the analysis "would be a 'centerpiece' of their closing argument in the push for major healthcare legislation." It "shows that while insurers can be aggressive in raising prices, they also walk away from clients because competition in the industry is so weak, the White House said. And officials will point to a finding that rate increases ran as high as 50 percent, with most in 'the low- to mid-teens' -- far higher than overall inflation."
Drug Approvals
FDA Approves First Skin-Injection Immunodeficiency Treatment.
MedPage Today (3/7, Petrochko) reported that the Food and Drug Administration "has approved the first 20% skin-injection primary immunodeficiency treatment, Immune Globulin Subcutaneous 20% Liquid (Hizentra), as a once-weekly replacement therapy." This "therapy boosts the immune system by providing normal levels of immunoglobulin in patients with hormonal immune defects, X-linked agammaglobulinemia, Wiskott-Aldrich syndrome, and severe combined immunodeficiencies that render them prone to serious infections."
Quality and Safety
Similar Drug Names, Bottles Cause Thousands Of Mistakes Annually.
ABC World News (3/5, story 6, 2:55, Sawyer) reported on how some drug bottles look alike and how the FDA "said it gets thousands of reports of such mix-ups every year." The FDA's Dr. Gerald Pan said, "Today's near-miss, today's medication error that doesn't cause harm to somebody could cause harm to someone tomorrow." ABC noted the name-change for Kapidex (dexlansoprazole) last week, but "that still leaves several hundred sound-alike and lookalike drug combinations to go."
Health Coverage and Access
Governors Want Senate To Pass Jobs Bill That Includes Increased Medicaid Funds.
CQ HealthBeat (3/6, Norman) reported, "Democratic governors and senators issued pleas Friday for the Senate to act soon on a $137.9 billion jobs bill that includes money for health-related items viewed by supporters as vital for human services as well as propping up the economy." Michigan Gov. Jennifer M. Granholm (D) told reporters on Friday, "If we didn't get this extension...for Michigan this would be another $500 million cut and it means we would have to cut rates again. ... It is an emergency." The Senate jobs bill "continues increased Medicaid payments to cash-strapped states that began under the economic stimulus law. The six-month extension would cost $25 billion over 10 years."
North Carolina Insurance Department To Aid Residents Who Lost Medicare Part D Coverage.
The Triangle Business Journal (3/5, Weisbacker) reported, "The North Carolina Department of Insurance wants to help 24,000 North Carolinians whose Medicare Part D prescription drug coverage has been interrupted by the suspension of New York-based Fox Insurance." CMS suspended Fox "for allegedly failing to provide timely access to prescription drugs covered under Medicare Part D. ... As a result, Fox's North Carolina customers are being given the option of calling the insurance department's Seniors' Health Insurance Information Program."
Health Business
Drugmakers Increase Customer-Targeted Ad Spending.
The AP (3/6, Johnson) reported, "Pharmaceutical companies boosted their spending on ads directly targeting consumers by barely two percent last year, according to data compiled by the Nielsen Co." Drugmakers "spent a combined $4.51 billion on ads for prescription medicines aimed at consumers," two-thirds of which "went for television ads, and another $1.19 billion was spent on magazine ads in 2009, with both levels nearly the same as the year before." Pfizer Inc., AstraZeneca PLC, Eli Lilly & Co., Merck & Co. and GlaxoSmithKline PLC were the top five spenders, respectively.