OVERNIGHT HEALTH: Obama faces tough challenge to defend reform

Cantor promises abortion agenda at rally: House Majority Leader Eric Cantor (R-Va.) vowed Monday to leverage the “biggest and the most pro-life freshman class in memory” to institute a “permanent government-wide prohibition on taxpayer funding of abortion” at the annual March for Life on Monday. House Republicans last week introduced two bills that would ban federal funding for abortion. However, the Obama administration denied last week that the federal government funds abortions. http://bit.ly/fZ3OXx

Lipinski provides lone Democratic voice: Rep. Dan Lipinski (D-Ill.), who voted to repeal the reform law, provided the only Democratic voice at the march. “If we are going to change this country’s laws, we need to have pro-life members of both parties,” said Lipinski, who is co-sponsor on an abortion bill. http://bit.ly/hO7qKx

More abortion legislation coming: Sen. Roger Wicker (R-Miss.) said he would introduce a bill that establishes in law that life begins at conception. The 1973 landmark abortion case Roe v. Wade said Congress has the leeway to establish such a definition, Wicker said.

Feds recover fraudulent healthcare payments: The federal government recovered more than $4 billion in healthcare fraud prevention and enforcement efforts in fiscal 2010, the Obama Administration announced Monday. Officials attributed the record-high collection to the administration’s heightened anti-fraud focus.

The administration also announced new regulations, required by the reform law, that emphasize uncovering fraud before the government makes payments. However, Former House Speaker Newt Gingrich (R-Ga.) and Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) recently cast doubt on the success of the administration’s anti-fraud efforts. http://bit.ly/fqaylB

Dem joins GOP on liability reform: Rep. David Scott (D-Ga.) signed on to a GOP effort to reform the nation’s medical liability laws, a highly partisan issue that has become a major part of Republicans’ plans to replace the healthcare reform law. The bill, numbered H.R. 5, would set limits on settlement amounts, deadlines for making a claim, and sets standards for defining malpractice. http://bit.ly/eX2lP5

Poll links shooting to mental health: Fifty-five percent of Americans believe the Arizona shooting that left six dead and Rep. Gabrielle Giffords (D-Ariz.) seriously wounded was caused by the failure of the mental health system to identify dangerous individuals. http://bit.ly/fQYEsJ

Meanwhile, few aware of mental health law: According to the American Psychological Association, 87 percent of Americans are unaware that Congress in 2008 passed the Mental Health Parity and Addiction Equity Act, which requires most group health plans to provide mental health coverage similar to coverage provided for physical health.

New Oversight subpanel details plans: The GOP freshman put in charge of a congressional Oversight subcommittee on health says he’ll use his powers to investigate waivers given to businesses or individuals for any part of the new healthcare reform law. Rep. Trey Gowdy (R-S.C.) told The Hill that the new oversight subcommittee will likely prioritize fraud and abuse in government health programs. http://bit.ly/fNKIia

Sebelius hits back at oversight plans: Sebelius said Republican criticisms of waivers given to unions, companies and other groups for a healthcare reform provision are “pretty ludicrous.” In a sit-down interview with The Hill last week, Sebelius denied the waivers are gifts to Democratic allies or proof that the reform law is flawed. http://bit.ly/hbO473

Heart disease costs skyrocketing: The cost of treating heart disease will triple within 20 years, partially because of an aging population, according to a new American Heart Association report. http://bit.ly/fWL1Po

Report finds little reform impact on employers: A new study from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, prepared by the liberal Urban Institute, said the reform law will have little effect on employer coverage and employer health spending.

On the agenda for Tuesday:

Dems blast Ryan ahead of GOP response: Democrats are hammering Budget Chairman Paul Ryan (R-Wis.) for his economic plan released last year, which outlined cuts to Social Security and Medicare. Democrats are again seizing on his the budget plan before Ryan delivers the GOP response to Obama’s State of the Union address. http://bit.ly/eNkHda

1099 saga continues: Sens. Mike Johanns (R-Neb.) and Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.) will discuss on Tuesday bipartisan support for repeal of a healthcare reform provision that requires businesses to report to the IRS purchases of more than $600 per year from a vendor. Repealing the provision is non-controversial — the Obama Administration and congressional Democrats largely support it. However, Democrats and Republicans have not yet agreed on how to fund the $19 billion repeal.

Entitlement spending: A new Kaiser Family Foundation poll released Tuesday examines Americans’ willingness to impose major spending reductions in Medicare and other entitlement programs as Congress looks to tackle the deficit.

Getting organized: The House Education and the Workforce Committee, one of four committees tasked with proposing replacements to the reform law, will hold an organizational meeting Tuesday.

Rural health focus: Tuesday marks the second day of the National Rural Health Association’s policy meeting in Washington.

Around the Web:

Nutrition labels are moving from the back to the front of packaging, the Associated Press reports. http://wapo.st/dG5qLv

Earnings for hospital chains are healthier than other care providers, USA Today reports. http://usat.ly/gxQAc3

Christian healthcare co-ops are attracting more members who want to avoid the reform law’s mandates, but state insurance regulators are wary, Stateline reports. http://bit.ly/fACsEh

Tea Party Caucus leader Rep. Michele Bachmann (R-Minn.) called on her state to reject the expansion of Medicaid under the healthcare reform law, Minnesota Public Radio reports. http://bit.ly/gf1ET6

A Justice Department lawsuit in Arkansas against residential institutions for people with severe disabilities has sparked an emotional debate, reports the Wall Street Journal. http://on.wsj.com/hbKcjW

New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg (I) said gun control measures are flawed because more than half the states don’t sufficiently track mental health records, the New York Times reports. http://nyti.ms/hJwO4z

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