The host
Julie Rovner KFF Well being Information @jrovner.
Julie Rovner is chief Washington correspondent and host of KFF Well being Information’ weekly well being coverage information podcast, “What the Well being?” A number one professional on well being coverage points, Julie is the creator of the critically praised landmark e book “Well being Care Politics and Coverage A to Z,” now in its third version.
As this election yr begins in earnest, making it tough for Congress to go payments, lawmakers on Capitol Hill are nonetheless struggling to fund the federal government for the fiscal yr that started final October. And lots of well being priorities are at stake.
In the meantime, the Supreme Courtroom is wading again into the abortion debate, taking on an Idaho case that pits a federal regulation requiring emergency care, even for pregnant girls, in opposition to the state’s strict abortion ban.
This week’s panelists are Julie Rovner of KFF Well being Information, Sarah Karlin-Smith of Pink Sheet, Tami Luhby of CNN and Alice Miranda Ollstein of Politico.
Panelists
Among the many takeaways from this week’s episode:
- In Washington, legislators have reached an settlement that might pave the best way to approve the required public spending payments. However they’re unlikely to approve a full package deal earlier than the present extensions finish, which would depart many federal well being applications on maintain. And forward of subsequent week’s Iowa caucuses, one wonders what Republicans would do on well being care if the celebration takes again the White Home.
- The Supreme Courtroom re-enters the dialogue on abortion rights and decides to evaluate the battle between Idaho’s abortion ban and a federal regulation requiring emergency medical care. It’s noteworthy that the justices didn’t need to take this case and, by intervening now, they’re establishing one other essential ruling on abortion earlier than the 2024 elections.
- The Biden administration introduced it’ll scale back so-called conscience protections for well being care suppliers that the Trump administration sought to strengthen. The back-and-forth over this coverage (created in the course of the George W. Bush administration) reinforces the significance of urgent presidential candidates on what they’d do administratively on abortion coverage, reasonably than asking what payments they might make into regulation.
- Information from Florida this week: Newly launched laws there would, amongst different issues, classify abortion as a felony and penalize these out of state concerned within the sale or distribution of abortion tablets if they’re “probably for use in Florida” – a Un worrying instance of a state effort to manage entry to abortion all through the nation.
- And the FDA authorised Florida’s request to import medication from Canada, a change for which Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis takes credit score, though each President Joe Biden and former President Donald Trump may additionally take a few of that credit score. However many hurdles stay earlier than the state receives its first shipments, and due to the best way the coverage can be applied, it might not save the state a lot cash anyway.
“This Week in Well being Misinformation” highlights Olympic gold medalist and medical crowdfunding recipient Mary Lou Retton, who mentioned this week she could not afford medical insurance earlier than her headline-grabbing bout with pneumonia as a result of her pre-existing circumstances made it too costly insurance coverage. However a decade into the Reasonably priced Care Act, the actual fact is that sufferers can now not be penalized within the insurance coverage market for preexisting circumstances, and because the 20 million People who signed up for protection can attest. ACA this yr, there are additionally many federal subsidies out there to assist pay for insurance coverage.
Additionally this week, Rovner interviews American Medical Affiliation President Jesse Ehrenfeld, whose objective is to assist the nation’s docs navigate a quickly altering well being care system.
Plus, for “additional credit score,” the panelists recommend well being coverage tales they learn this week that they suppose you need to learn, too:
Julie Rovner: “Bottled water accommodates hundreds of nanoplastics so small they will invade the physique’s cells, in keeping with a research” from CNN, by Sandee LaMotte. Plus, “It seems that paper straws may pose a significant issue, too” from ScienceAlert by Carly Cassella. Additionally, “How Plastic Is Hiding in Supposedly Inexperienced Laundry Merchandise” from the Washington Submit by Michael J. Coren.
Tami Luhby: “Most individuals who left Medicaid ‘disengagement’ by no means tried to resume protection, Utah findings,” KFF Well being Information, by Phil Galewitz.
Alicia Miranda Ollstein: “Texas taxpayers needed to assist the poor get well being care. As a substitute, they’re funding a medical faculty at a rich college,” by Rachel Cohrs.
Sarah Karlin-Smith: “The FDA Warned that an Bronchial asthma Drug Might Induce Despair. Many Have been By no means Informed,” New York Occasions, by Christina Jewett and Benjamin Mueller.
Credit
- Francis Ying Audio Producer
- Emmarie HuettemanEditor
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This text was reprinted from khn.org, a nationwide newsroom that produces in-depth journalism on well being points and is among the primary working applications of KFF, the impartial supply of analysis, polling and well being coverage journalism.
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