Health Care — Presented by PhRMA — ObamaCare open enrollment set to begin

View Online    Health Care Health Care   PRESENTED BY PHRMA ObamaCare open enrollment set to begin © Getty Happy Halloween! Send us your pictures of pets in costumes (even if they hate it).    In health news, Tuesday marks the start of ObamaCare's 10th open enrollment period — and experts think it will be busy.   Welcome to Overnight Health Care, where we're following the latest moves on policy and news affecting your health. For The Hill, we're Nathaniel Weixel and Joseph Choi. Someone forward you this newsletter? Subscribe here. Affordable Care Act open enrollment starts Tuesday © Getty Millions of Americans will be able to start signing up for health insurance on Tuesday when ObamaCare's 10th open enrollment period kicks off, as the Biden administration seeks to maintain record low uninsured numbers.  Only 8 percent of Americans were without health insurance as of August, according to the Department of Health and Human Services. "Aside from the very first open enrollment ... this is probably going to be one of the busiest years thus far," said Cynthia Cox, director of the Kaiser Family Foundation's ACA program.  Premiums are increasing this year, but most consumers will largely be shielded from higher costs because Democrats in Congress passed a three-year extension of enhanced subsidies as part of the Inflation Reduction Act.    The Department of Health and Human Services said 4 out of 5 customers will be able to find plans for $10 or less per month after accounting for the subsidies. Enrollees should sign up by Dec. 15 in order to get coverage immediately starting in 2023.    Flashback: Last year, the $1.9 trillion coronavirus relief law boosted tax credits for low-income ObamaCare shoppers, and for the first time made them available to middle-income Americans as well.     The enhanced subsidies were set to expire at the end of the year, but Democrats were finally able to come to an agreement and include an extension into their social spending package that passed over the summer.    Read more here.  A MESSAGE FROM PHRMA 340B: A Hospital and Pharmacy Profit Stream That Was Supposed to Help Patients. Learn more. Court leaves TSA mask requirement ruling in place © AP The Supreme Court on Monday let stand a ruling that allows the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) to require mask-wearing on planes, trains and other forms of transport.      California lawyer Jonathan Corbett had argued that the TSA did not have the authority to mandate masks on airlines and surface transportation, like buses and trains, when it did so during the COVID-19 pandemic.     The U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit found no merit in Corbett's claim and affirmed the TSA did have the agency to maintain security and safety within the transportation system, including imposing the masking requirement.     The TSA stopped enforcing a mask mandate in April of this year after the Centers for Disease Control and Preventions' mask mandate was struck down by a federal judge in Florida.      The Supreme Court's Monday move leaves the precedent in place, denying Corbett's request to consider "the D.C. Circuit's broad expansion of agency authority."    While travel has picked back up since plummeting during the early parts of the pandemic, levels have still not returned to what they were in 2019.    There are currently no states that are enforcing travel restrictions and most countries now allow international visitors to enter without a negative COVID-19 test or quarantine.   Read more here. NEARLY HALF OF VOTERS BACK PRO-ABORTION RIGHTS CANDIDATES Just under half of American voters in a new poll said they would support a candidate who wants to keep abortion legal, highlighting how significant the issue is on voters' minds just over a week before midterm Election Day. The ABC News-Ipsos poll found that 48 percent of registered voters said they would support a candidate who favors keeping abortion legal, with 33 percent saying they would support one who favors limiting abortion except to protect the mother's life. Eighteen percent said the issue does not matter in their vote. Looking more closely at the issue, 61 percent of Americans and 62 percent of registered voters say abortion should be legal in all or most cases. However, pollsters noted that most Americans are in the middle, with 34 percent saying abortion should be legal in most cases and another 30 percent saying it should be illegal in most cases. Seven percent say they favor an outright ban on abortion.   Abortion has weighed heavily on voters' minds, taking higher priority with Democrats since the Supreme Court struck down Roe v. Wade in June. Now, abortion access could be impacted in various states based on the results of the upcoming election.    Read more here. CDC chief tests positive for COVID again after treatment © Screenshot Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Director Rochelle Walensky has tested positive for COVID-19 again after completing a round of the coronavirus antiviral treatment Paxlovid, the agency said. Walensky tested positive for COVID-19 earlier this month, going into isolation and taking "appropriate action" for her health. On Monday, the CDC said Walensky had experienced "mild symptoms" during her infection and eventually tested negative for the virus after completing a round of Paxlovid.  "On Sunday, Dr. Walensky began to develop mild symptoms and has again tested positive. Consistent with CDC guidelines, she is isolating at home and will participate in her planned meetings virtually," the agency said.    Déjà vu: This apparent case of Paxlovid rebound is not surprising. White House chief medical adviser Anthony Fauci and President Biden both tested positive for COVID-19 again following a round of Paxlovid.   A similar phenomenon has been observed in the Merck and Ridgeback coronavirus antiviral molnupiravir. COVID-19 rebound can also occur when antivirals are not administered.    When a rebound in COVID-19 symptoms after antiviral treatments was first observed, it was hypothesized that it was due to insufficient exposure to the medicine.     This hypothesis led some stakeholders to suggest courses of antivirals to last longer than the five days that are currently authorized by the CDC.    Read more here.  HOGAN TESTS POSITIVE FOR COVID  Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan (R) announced on Monday that he has tested positive for COVID-19.    "Just wanted to let Marylanders know that after testing positive for COVID-19, I am working from home," Hogan wrote in a tweet.    "Fortunately, I'm up to date on my boosters and my symptoms are minimal," added Hogan, whose second term as Maryland's governor is coming to an end in January.    Repeat infection: Hogan, who has been mentioned as a potential 2024 presidential candidate and is a frequent critic of former President Trump, tested positive for the virus in a breakthrough case last year.    Read more here.  A MESSAGE FROM PHRMA 340B: A Hospital and Pharmacy Profit Stream That Was Supposed to Help Patients. Learn more. WHAT WE'RE READING Death of patient in closely watched Alzheimer's trial raises concern about risk for some groups (Stat)  Cholera outbreaks surge worldwide as vaccine supply drains (The New York Times)  FDA says providers offering medication abortion before pregnancy have gone rogue (Politico)  STATE BY STATE California patients fear fallout from third dialysis ballot measure (Kaiser Health News) Arizona tests a progressive take on medical debt relief (Axios) South Carolina health officials report first pediatric flu death (WFAE)  That's it for today, thanks for reading. Check out The Hill's Health Care page for the latest news and coverage. See you tomorrow. Sign up for Health Care Privacy Policy  |  Manage Subscriptions  |  Unsubscribe Sign Up for Other Newsletters 1625 K Street NW, 9th Floor, Washington, DC 20006 © 1998 - 2022 Nexstar Media Inc. | All Rights Reserved.

Hillicon Valley — Musk dissolves Twitter's board

View Online    Hillicon Valley Hillicon Valley   Musk dissolves Twitter's board © Hill Illustration, Madeline Monroe / AP Elon Musk is now the sole director of Twitter after dissolving the board as part of the $44 billion acquisition, the company said in a securities filing Monday.     In more Twitter news, a Senate Democrat is calling for a committee to probe Saudi Arabian investors in the company following Musk's takeover. We'll also look at possible plans to charge for verified accounts on the platform.   This is Hillicon Valley, detailing all you need to know about tech and cyber news from Capitol Hill to Silicon Valley. Send tips to The Hill's Rebecca Klar and Ines Kagubare. Someone forward you this newsletter? Subscribe here. Musk becomes the sole director at Twitter © Getty Elon Musk has been named sole director of Twitter, dissolving the board in place before he completed his $44 billion acquisition of the company, the social media platform said in a securities filing on Monday. Musk became the sole director of the company "in accordance with the terms of the Merger Agreement," the company told the Securities and Exchange Commission. Twitter's board members Bret Taylor, Parag Agrawal, Omid Kordestani, David Rosenblatt, Martha Lane Fox, Patrick Pichette, Egon Durban, Fei-Fei Li and Mimi Alemayehou will no longer serve on the board, the company said.   The disbanding of the board is among the string of changes the billionaire Tesla and SpaceX CEO put in place after assuming ownership of the company last week, concluding a six-month process.    Read more here.   Murphy seeks probe of Musk's Twitter deal © Haiyun Jiang, The Hill Sen. Chris Murphy (D-Conn.) called on Monday for a Committee on Foreign Investment investigation into Saudi Arabian investors in Twitter in the wake of Elon Musk's takeover.   "Today I am requesting the Committee on Foreign Investment — which reviews acquisitions of U.S. businesses by foreign buyers — to conduct an investigation into the national security implications of Saudi Arabia's purchase of Twitter," Murphy wrote. The tweet by Murphy came days after Saudi Arabian Prince Alwaleed bin Talal al Saud released a statement on behalf of Riyadh-based Kingdom Holding Company (KHC) announcing the corporation's massive investment in Twitter. The statement broadcast the rollover of KHC and Prince Al Waleed's combined 34,948,975 shares to "the 'New' Twitter, led by Elon Musk."  Read more here.   BLUE CHECK PRICE CHECK   In one of his first moves at Twitter, Elon Musk is moving to charge users $20 per month to be verified on the social media platform, The Verge reported. Twitter employees have until Nov. 7 to launch the new subscription feature, or they will be fired, Musk reportedly told the staff on Sunday. Users who are already verified will have 90 days to subscribe or lose their blue checkmarks.  Musk tweeted on Sunday that "the whole verification process is being revamped right now."    The reported move to charge for blue checkmarks drew widespread criticism among users.   Read more here.   INSTAGRAM ISSUES Instagram officials are working on fixing an issue that prevented some users from logging into their accounts Monday.   Some Instagram users attempting to login into their accounts reported receiving messages stating that their accounts had been suspended for violating community guidelines.    A spike in users reporting being locked out of their Instagram accounts peaked at 10 a.m. Monday, with more than 7,600 problem reports submitted on the platform, according to downdetector.com, a site that tracks real-time service outages.    Read more here.   War in Ukraine, nuclear provocations and policy decisions affecting U.S. troops. Get the latest in The Hill's Defense & National Security newsletter. Click here to sign up 👾 BITS & PIECES An op-ed to chew on: Time for the United States to extend SpaceX's Starlink to Russia    Notable links from around the web:    Lyft money saved a California climate measure. It could kill it too. (Protocol / Issie Lapowsky)    Scoop: Musk team working to reboot Vine this year (Axios / Sara Fischer and Dan Primack)     Letters, Tweets, TV: How Midterm Disinformation Has Washed Over Pennsylvania (The New York Times / Steven Lee Myers)    Spy agency embraces meme culture and the internet is here for it (CyberScoop / Suzanne Smalley)  🐕 Lighter click: Happy pets in costumes day to all who celebrate   One more thing: Musk's first moves © AP Elon Musk wasted no time beginning to remodel Twitter after closing his deal to acquire the company Thursday night, quickly cutting key staff, doubling down on plans to lift lifelong bans and previewing plans for a council to determine content decisions.     The changes he's made so far confirmed suspicions critics had about the direction the billionaire space and auto executive, known for being a Twitter troll himself, would take the company in, and are adding fuel to the chorus of critics worried Musk's reign at Twitter will allow misinformation and hate speech to thrive on the platform.    Musk's decision to take Twitter private will also allow him to transform the platform — including its content moderation policies and financial priorities — with less oversight from regulators and without having to publicly disclose updates every few months to show how the company is performing.    Read more here.   That's it for today, thanks for reading. Check out The Hill's Technology and Cybersecurity pages for the latest news and coverage. We'll see you tomorrow. Sign up for Hillicon Valley Privacy Policy  |  Manage Subscriptions  |  Unsubscribe Sign Up for Other Newsletters 1625 K Street NW, 9th Floor, Washington, DC 20006 © 1998 - 2022 Nexstar Media Inc. | All Rights Reserved.

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