OVERNIGHT HEALTH: Republicans enter vaccine debate

by Sarah Ferris and Elise Viebeck - 02/02/15 4:58 PM ET

Republican leaders are starting to grapple with the debate over childhood vaccines as a measles outbreak widens in 14 states. Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.) said on Monday that most vaccines should be “voluntary,” weighing in after New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie (R) said there should be “some measure of choice” for parents leery of vaccinating their children.

“I’m not anti-vaccine at all, but most of them ought to be voluntary,” Paul said Monday on the “Laura Ingraham Show,” in a segment circulated by the Democratic National Committee along with criticism of Paul’s views. “While I think it’s a good idea to take the vaccine, I think that’s a personal decision for individuals to take and when they take it.”

{mosads}Paul, an ophthalmologist, added that he staggered the vaccines given to his children.

“I was annoyed when my kids were born that they wanted them to take Hepatitis B in the neo-natal nursery, and it’s like, that’s a sexually transmitted disease or blood-born disease, and I didn’t like them getting 10 vaccines at once, so I actually delayed my kids’ vaccines and had them staggered over time,” he said.

Christie’s office later clarified his comments. “To be clear: The Governor believes vaccines are an important public health protection and with a disease like measles there is no question kids should be vaccinated,” this office said in a statement emailed by aide Kevin Roberts. “At the same time different states require different degrees of vaccination, which is why he was calling for balance in which ones government should mandate.” Read more here and here.

CDC chief urges vaccination: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Director Tom Frieden said Monday that people who do not vaccinate their children pose a health threat. “Vaccines are tremendously important in protecting our children,” Frieden said at a press briefing on the 2016 White House budget. “Not vaccinating your child has implications not only for your family but families around you.”

Frieden noted that people who are not vaccinated can infect very young infants or ill individuals with diseases like measles, a highly infectious illness that is spreading in the Western United States. The concept of “herd immunity” made headlines late last month, when a California father asked his school district to bar unvaccinated children because they might pass measles to his son, who is in remission from leukemia and cannot receive vaccines. Read more here.

House to vote to repeal ObamaCare: The House is poised to vote once again to repeal ObamaCare on Tuesday, nearly the 60th time the lower chamber has voted against the healthcare law, and the occasion has Democrats invoking Groundhog Day. “If the #GOP sees its shadow, it means we have 6 more weeks of #Obamacare repeal votes. #GroundhogDay,” tweeted Rep. Sam Farr (D-Calif.). Read more here.

Burwell calls budget ‘fiscally responsible’: Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Sylvia Burwell touted the administration’s 2016 budget as a “fiscally responsible proposal” that will save taxpayers an estimated $250 billion over the next 10 years. Burwell, discussing the $4-trillion budget on Monday, praised the blueprint for working to “provide Americans with the building blocks of healthy, productive lives” and to reduce cost growth in Medicare.

The budget would …

… Fully fund ObamaCare: President Obama’s proposed 2016 budget would fully fund the healthcare law and make no serious changes to its implementation. The budget document, released Monday, praised ObamaCare as a success and vowed continued funds for premium tax credits on the health insurance marketplaces. “The Affordable Care Act has helped millions more Americans get covered,” Obama wrote in an introduction to the budget. Read more here.

… Extend CHIP funding: The White House’s proposed budget for 2016 would extend funding for the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP) through 2019. CHIP funding is due to expire on Sept. 30, and without action from lawmakers, more than 8 million children could lose their health insurance coverage. Obama’s budget would provide funds for CHIP by raising certain tobacco taxes. Read more here.

… Allow HHS to negotiate drug prices in Part D: The White House said Monday that it is “deeply concerned with the rapidly growing prices of specialty and brand name drugs,” a victory for critics of pharmaceutical companies. The remark came in a summary document for the administration’s proposed 2016 budget, which would give the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) the ability to negotiate drug prices for biologics and other medications in Medicare Part D.

“I think it’s something we believe will help with the issue of drug prices,” HHS Secretary Sylvia Burwell said during a briefing with reporters. Burwell added that the administration would work with Congress to establish that authority. Read more here.

… Fight prescription drug abuse: The White House’s 2016 budget proposal takes aim at prescription drug abuse with a variety of new measures designed to lower the number of Americans killed by opioid overdoses. The budget would increase funding for programs at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Administration, and other agencies to fight prescription drug abuse. The administration also proposes increasing funding for states to expand their own prescription drug monitoring programs and to support the increased use of naloxone by first responders. Read more here.

Tuesday’s schedule

The House Energy and Commerce Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations will hold a hearing on vaccine effectiveness in light of the measles outbreak and the severe flu season.

House Energy and Commerce Committee Chairman Fred Upton (R-Mich.) and Rep. Diana DeGette (D-Colo.) will speak at a congressional hearing on the 21st Century Cures Act.

State by state

Kasich asks for sales tax hike, Medicaid premiums

Wyoming Senate continues work on Medicaid expansion bill

Florida leads HealthCare.gov sign-ups

Guide to the health policies in the NY governor’s budget

What we’re reading

Specialist docs head for exit as US shifts payments

First major Ebola vaccine trials begin in Liberia

Cost of having diabetes has doubled in two decades

Docs resist federal electronic records push

Will insurers take a bath on risk corridors?

Feds reach $75M settlement in Medicaid false claims case