Vote delayed as Republicans challenge Senate health bill passage

Last week, a group of conservative Republican senators came out against the GOP health care bill. This week, a small group of moderate Republican senators expressed concerns that the bill could damage the social safety net. According to the Washington Post, they could “pose at least as significant an obstacle to the measure’s passage as their colleagues on the right.” And on Tuesday, Majority Leader Mitch McConnell announced he would delay a vote until after the July 4 recess--a signifcant setback after he said he wanted it passed this week. (Washington Post; The Atlantic)

Latest on the Senate bill: CBO and lapsed coverage lockout
The Senate bill to repeal the Affordable Care Act would increase the number of uninsured by 22 million by 2026, according to Congressional Budget Office analysis released Monday. The legislation would decrease federal deficits by a total of $321 billion over a decade. On Monday, the Senate released a revised version of the bill that would make those who had a lapse in coverage for 63 or more days wait six months before obtaining insurance. ( The New York Times; The Hill)

The basics of the Senate bill

Over at Vox, Sarah Kliff offers a detailed overview of the Senate health care bill. Among other things, it phases out Medicaid expansion and cuts the program’s budget; provides smaller subsidies for less-generous health insurance plans with higher deductibles; and “seems to allow” states to opt out of the ACA exchanges and the essential health benefits requirement.“ In aggregate, these changes could be advantageous to younger and healthier enrollees, but…costly for older and sicker Obamacare enrollees…[who] would be asked to pay more for less generous coverage.” (Vox)

New tool may predict colorectal cancer outcomes

In a study published in the British Medical Journal, researchers tested a new web-based survival calculator in patients with colorectal cancer. QCancer Colorectal Survival can be accessed by doctors and patients alike; it is intended to help people make more informed decisions around treatment and manage expectations following diagnosis. ( BMJ; announcement; Clinical Innovation + Technology)

Patients like video visits
Patients express satisfaction with telehealth primary care video visits, with most reporting interest in continuing use of video visits as an alternative to in-person visits, according to a study published in the May/June issue of the Annals of Family Medicine. Patients identified convenience, efficiency, communication, privacy and comfort as potentially important considerations when assessing video visits vs. in-person encounters. ( Annals of Family Medicine ; Physician’s Weekly)

Drug costs keep going up
Prescription drug costs for Americans under 65 years old are projected to jump 11.6 percent in 2017, compared to 11.3 percent in 2016, according to research from Segal Consulting. For those 65+, costs are projected to rise 9.9 percent next year, compared with 10.9 percent in 2016. Wages are expected to rise just 2.5 percent in 2017. Meanwhile, Blue Cross and Blue Shield released its own analysis that shows prescription drug spending has increased 10 percent annually for members since 2010, an overall rise of 73 percent. ( CBS News; BCBS )

DPC pioneer Qliance closes its doors
Direct primary care, which offers patients unlimited primary care services for a low flat fee, had been gaining traction. But a DPC pioneer--Seattle-based Qliance--closed all its public clinics this month. The company had lost some big employer clients, and its patient base had dwindled to 13,000. CEO Erika Bliss, MD, says the market is reluctant to pay what’s required for primary care to flourish. In some cases, she says, payers were resistant to rewarding Qliance even when it exceeded its targets for quality and savings. ( Kaiser Health News  via NPR)