OVERNIGHT HEALTH: GOP reps. compare birth control to Pearl Harbor, 9/11

by Sam Baker and Elise Viebeck - 08/01/12 10:30 PM ET

Democrats and women’s groups, meanwhile, continued to praise the new benefit requirements, which will make a range of preventive services, including contraception, available without a co-pay or deductible. The Health and Human Services Department said 47 million women will have access to preventive services without cost-sharing.

{mosads}The Hill has the story on the Republican lawmakers’ comments. And the Department of Health and Human Services report on the new benefits is here.

Eyewitness account: The comments brought a swift rebuke from Sen. Daniel Inouye (D-Hawaii), a World War II veteran who witnessed the Pearl Harbor attack. The upper chamber’s most senior member called Kelly’s remarks “misguided” and “insulting.”

“It is complete nonsense to suggest that a matter discussed, debated, and approved by the Congress and the President is akin to a surprise attack that killed nearly 2,500 people and launched our nation into the second World War, or a terrorist attack that left nearly 3,000 dead and led to fighting and dying in Afghanistan and Iraq,” Inouye said in a statement. Read more from his response here.

Abortion law back on ice: Just days after a federal court upheld Arizona’s controversial anti-abortion law, an appeals court on Wednesday blocked enforcement of the law. The 9th Circuit Court of Appeals enjoined the Arizona law while it considers the policy’s merits. The law bans abortion after the 20th week of pregnancy, and critics say there are inadequate protections for cases of rape, incest and threats to the health of pregnant women.

Franken pushes diabetes program: Sen. Al Franken (D-Minn.) urged the Senate on Wednesday to expand a diabetes prevention program to every senior in Medicare. Franken introduced a bill this week to expand the program, with a bipartisan set of co-sponsors that includes Sens. Dick Lugar (R-Ind.), Jay Rockefeller (D-W. Va.) and Susan Collins (R-Maine).

“There’s no question that by preventing diabetes, we can all save money while keeping our seniors healthy,” Franken said in a floor speech Wednesday.

New payment rates: The Medicare agency released final rules Wednesday setting reimbursement rates for acute-care hospitals and long-term care facilities. Acute-care hospitals that participate in Medicare’s quality-reporting program will get a 2.8 percent increase in their payments, while hospitals that don’t participate in the program will only see a 0.8 percent bump. More details are here.

Thursday’s agenda

The House Oversight Committee will hold a hearing on the role of the Internal Revenue Service in implementing the healthcare law.

The Presidential Commission for the Study of Bioethical Issues will convene for the second day of its tenth public meeting.

State by state

Mortality rates are lower in states with expanded Medicaid coverage for the poor

California builds the nation’s largest prison medical facility

State asked to expand medical marijuana program

Lobbying registrations

The Ross Group / ADVault

Reading list

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Five facts about the health law’s contraceptive mandate