What We're Reading: Trump Asks for Spending Cuts; Opioid Distributors on the Hill; Farm Bill Tackles Health Insurance

Trump Seeks $15 Billion in More Cuts, Including $7 Billion from CHIP

The Trump Administration is proposing to ask Congress to cut $15 billion in spending, including about $7 billion from the Children's Health Insurance Program (CHIP), Reuters reported. The targeted cuts reportedly would cover money that is not being spent and would not have an effect on the CHIP program itself, an administration official said.

Opioid Distributors Face Lawmakers

Lawmakers are set to question opioid distributors Tuesday during a hearing of a House Energy and Commerce subcommittee about the role they may have played in the nation’s substance use disorder epidemic. The Wall Street Journal reported that at least 1 company official—from Cardinal Health—is expected to say that his industry did have a hand in the crisis by shipping too many pills and he regrets it.

House Includes Association-Like Health Plan Proposal in Farm Bill

The House is proposing to include in its version of the farm bill a provision that would allow cheaper but less comprehensive health insurance than plans offered through the Affordable Care Act, Kaiser Health News reported. The plans would be similar to association-type health plans and would involve $65 million in loans and grants administered by the Department of Agriculture.