OVERNIGHT HEALTH: Cancer survivors insured by ObamaCare to attend SOTU

by Sarah Ferris and Elise Viebeck - 01/19/15 6:00 PM ET

A two-time breast cancer survivor and a mom who recently underwent surgery to remove a brain tumor will be among the guests at the president’s State of the Union on Tuesday — his first address since millions of people gained insurance coverage under ObamaCare last year.

First lady Michelle Obama announced Monday that she will watch the address alongside a 39-year-old North Carolina woman named Astrid Muhammad, who recently underwent surgery for a potentially deadly brain tumor.

{mosads}Muhammad was first diagnosed in summer 2013 but had skipped treatment until she became insured last year, according to the White House. She wrote to the president in October “thanking him for passing the Affordable Care Act,” according to a statement.

Sen. Chris Murphy (D-Conn.), who leads the Senate Democrats’ campaign to promote the Affordable Care Act, announced Friday that he will host two-time breast cancer survivor Susie Clayton who says her “entire survivorship” depended on new benefits under the healthcare law.

The president has already declared “middle class economics” to be the focus of his sixth State of the Union. He is expected to focus on tax reform, manufacturing and education, though the success of this year’s healthcare sign-ups is almost certain to receive a mention.

Last year, Obama spoke for a little over one minute about healthcare, urging people to buy coverage during the crucial sign-up period.

The politically thorny issue of ObamaCare has been largely absent from the president’s annual addresses since the law’s passage, with barely any mentions in 2012 or 2013.

In 2011, Obama directly addressed his critics and said he was “unwilling” to reverse new benefits and changes under the healthcare law. “Instead of re-fighting the battles of the last two years, let’s fix what needs fixing and move forward,” he said then. Read more here.

Advocates say healthcare reform ‘unfinished’: Medicaid expansion in two dozen states remains one of the biggest hurdles to guaranteeing healthcare coverage after the rollout of ObamaCare, according to a new report from Families USA. Unless the remaining 23 states opt to expand the eligibility for the low-income insurance program, millions of people will continue to lack affordable coverage, the healthcare advocacy group warned.

Many of those who remain uninsured fall in a coverage gap, where they make too little to qualify for tax credits but just above the current eligibility for Medicaid — unless they live in the 28 states that have agreed to the ObamaCare provision that brings a windfall of federal dollars to expand coverage. “States must extend the Medicaid lifeline so that all low-income individuals and families can get the care they need,” according to the group’s report outlining future healthcare challenges “Health Reform 2.0.” Read more here.

Ex-NFL player to meet with Burwell: Former professional football player Steve Gleason will meet with Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Sylvia Burwell Tuesday to discuss amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, or ALS.

The meeting will take place at the office of Sen. David Vitter (R-La.) prior to the State of the Union address, which Gleason will attend as Vitter’s guest, the senator’s office announced.

Gleason, who played safety for the New Orleans Saints, revealed his ALS diagnosis in 2011. The disease, also known as Lou Gehrig’s, is a terminal neurodegenerative condition that leads to paralysis. No longer able to walk or speak in his own voice, Gleason has sought to raise awareness about ALS with his non-profit organization, Team Gleason. Read more here.

Cassidy says ‘tide rising’ against ObamaCare: In the homestretch of the GOP’s battle against ObamaCare, Sen. Bill Cassidy (R-La.) said he is seeing a groundswell of angry voters that is helping advance the party’s chances of a full repeal. “There is a tide rising,” Cassidy repeated three times in an interview with The Hill on Friday.

Fresh off the campaign trail, the newly-elected senator said he is seeing “all these angry people” amplify their calls for repeal as they start seeing the effects of ObamaCare. Ultimately, Republicans argue that growing chorus of criticism provides new fuel in their fight against the healthcare law even as the president remains in office.

“As the tide rises, that which people previously thought could not happen, all the sudden folks begin to look to as a needed option,” Cassidy said in his 7th floor corner office in the Senate’s Hart building.

“It’s only worsening. It’s only getting worse,” Cassidy said of the law. He pointed out recent ObamaCare headaches for the administration, such as incriminating comments from its former adviser Jonathan Gruber and criticism from its longtime supporter Sen. Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.). Read more here.

Burwell marks MLK Day: Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Sylvia Burwell painted ObamaCare as part of the legacy of Martin Luther King Jr. on Monday, calling the law an effective tool for decreasing health inequality between white and black Americans.

“Health inequalities impact our nation’s potential — from access to education to the stability of families and communities,” Burwell said in a speech to the National Action Network, a civil rights group founded by Rev. Al Sharpton.

“And whether you are someone who now has access to health insurance on the marketplace, someone who is newly eligible for Medicaid coverage, or someone who is covered through employer-based care — this new law impacts you.”

The speech marking Martin Luther King Jr. Day came as HHS ramps up its outreach to the uninsured ahead of next month’s deadline for obtaining coverage in 2015. Read more here.

Majority still support single-payer system: More than five years after the single-payer system was scrapped from the ObamaCare policy debate, just over 50 percent of people say they still support the idea, including one-quarter of Republicans, according to a new poll.

The single-payer option – also known as Medicare for all – would create a new, government-run insurance program to replace private coverage. The system, once backed by President Obama, became one of the biggest casualties of the divisive healthcare debates of 2009.

The idea remains extremely popular among Democrats, with nearly 80 percent in support, according to the poll, which was shared first with The Hill by the Progressive Change Institute. Read more here.

Tuesday’s schedule

President Obama will deliver his State of the Union to a joint session of Congress at 9 p.m.

The Supreme Court will hear a case from Idaho dealing with healthcare providers’ ability to sue states to raise Medicaid reimbursement rates.

The Paul G. Allen Family Foundation will hold a breakfast on the Hill honoring healthcare workers who treated Ebola patients, including Dr. Kent Brantly who survived the disease.

Finance Committee Chairman Orrin Hatch (R-Utah) will deliver a speech outlining his policy priorities at the Chamber of Commerce.

The Kaiser Family Foundation will hold a web briefing on Medicaid and CHIP.

State by state

Kansas budget would change Medicaid, hike tobacco tax

Rural Kansas hospitals plead for Medicaid expansion

Montana governor unveils proposed Medicaid expansion plan

Alabama governor says tough choices ahead on healthcare

What we’re reading

Planning the next Obamacare offensive

GOP divided over using budget process on healthcare law

Red states are reinventing Medicaid to make it more expensive and bureaucratic

The coming revolution in much cheaper life-saving drugs