The Weekly Insight: December 11

Texas Insight Reports: December 4-8

• Texas House and Senate: HHS Transition Legislative Oversight Committee: The Transition Legislative Oversight Committee met on Wednesday, December 6, 2017, at 10:00 am to hear invited testimony only. Chair Price called the meeting to order. He stated that certain milestones have been achieved as of September 1, 2017, and that they were hearing that day from HHSC and the Texas Workforce Commission.
• HHSC: The e-Health Advisory Committee: The e-Health Advisory Committee met in their quarterly meeting to address recommendations related to interoperability and required reporting. The eHAC advises the HHS executive commissioner and HHS agencies on strategic planning, policy, rules and services related to the use of health information technology, health information exchange systems, telemedicine, telehealth and home telemonitoring services.

Federal Healthcare News

• Tax Bill is Likely to Undo Health Insurance Mandate, Republicans Say: House and Senate negotiators thrashing out differences over a major tax bill are likely to eliminate the insurance coverage mandate at the heart of the Affordable Care Act, lawmakers say.
• Justice Department Investigating Fetal Tissue Transfers by Planned Parenthood and Others: The Justice Department appears to be laying the groundwork for an investigation into the transfer of fetal tissue by abortion providers, including Planned Parenthood, picking up where several Republican-led inquiries in Congress had dropped off last year.
• Abortion Could Be Deal-Breaker in Alabama Senate Race for Many Torn GOP Voters: GOP Senate nominee Roy Moore could win Tuesday’s special election, notwithstanding sexual misconduct allegations against him. A big reason is that Democrat Doug Jones supports abortion rights.
• RSC chief: House leaders say no funding for ObamaCare subsidies in spending bill: House leaders have promised conservatives that the next spending bill will not contain funding for ObamaCare cost-sharing reduction (CSR) payments, Rep. Mark Walker (R-N.C.) said Thursday.
• AARP: Congress must prevent ‘sudden cut’ to Medicare in 2018: The AARP is urging House and Senate leaders to waive congressional rules so the Republican tax bill doesn’t trigger deep cuts to Medicare.