The Host
Having spent its complete first week selecting a speaker, the Republican-led U.S. House lastly acquired all the way down to legislative enterprise, together with passing two payments backed by anti-abortion teams. Neither is prone to grow to be regulation, as a result of they received’t move the Senate nor be signed by President Joe Biden. But the transfer highlights how abortion is bound to stay a high-visibility situation within the nation’s capital.
Meanwhile, as open enrollment for the Affordable Care Act nears its Jan. 15 shut, a file variety of individuals have signed up, benefiting from renewed subsidies and different assist with medical prices.
This week’s panelists are Julie Rovner of KHN, Margot Sanger-Katz of The New York Times, Alice Miranda Ollstein of Politico, and Sarah Karlin-Smith of the Pink Sheet.
Among the takeaways from this week’s episode:
- The House now has a speaker after 15 rounds of full-chamber roll name votes. That paved the way in which for members to be sworn in, committee assignments to be made, and new committee chairs to be named. Cathy McMorris Rodgers (R-Wash.) and Jason Smith (R-Mo.) will probably be taking the helm of main well being committees.
- McMorris Rodgers will lead the House Energy and Commerce Committee; Smith would be the chairman of Ways and Means. Unlike McMorris Rodgers, Smith has little background in well being points and has principally targeted on tax points in his public speaking factors. But Medicare is prone to be on the agenda, which would require the enter of the chairs of each committees.
- One factor is for certain: The new GOP-controlled House will do lots of investigations. Republicans have already reconstituted a committee to analyze covid-19, though, in contrast to the Democrats’ panel, this one is prone to spend time looking for the origin of the virus and observe the place federal {dollars} could have been misspent.
- The House this week started contemplating a collection of abortion-related payments — “statement” or “messaging” payments — which might be unlikely to see the sunshine of day within the Senate. However, some within the caucus query the knowledge of holding votes on points like these that might make their extra average members extra susceptible. So far, payments have had principally unanimous assist from the GOP. Divisions usually tend to emerge on matters like a nationwide abortion ban. Meanwhile, the Title X program, which pays for issues like contraception and testing for sexually transmitted infections, is changing into a scorching subject on the state degree and in some lawsuits. A case in Texas would prohibit contraception availability for minors via this program.
- It’s more and more clear that abortion tablets are going to grow to be a fair greater a part of the abortion debate. On one hand, the FDA has relaxed a few of the danger analysis and mitigation methods (REMS) from the prescribing guidelines surrounding abortion tablets. The FDA places these further restrictions or safeguards in place for sure medication so as to add further safety. Some advocates say these tablets merely don’t carry that degree or danger.
- Anti-abortion teams are planning protests in early February at giant pharmacies resembling CVS and Walgreens to attempt to get them to stroll again plans to distribute abortion tablets in states the place they’re authorized.
- A rising variety of states are pressuring the Department of Health and Human Services to permit them to import cheaper pharmaceuticals from Canada — or, extra precisely, importing Canada’s value controls. While this has lengthy been a bipartisan situation, it has additionally lengthy been controversial. Officials on the FDA stay involved about breaking the closed provide chain between medication being manufactured and delivered to accepted U.S. patrons. The coverage is well-liked, nevertheless, as a result of it guarantees decrease costs on not less than some medication.
- Also within the information from the FDA: The company granted accelerated approval for Leqembi for the remedy of Alzheimer’s illness. Leqembi is one other costly drug that seems to work, but additionally carries large dangers. However, it’s usually considered as an enchancment over the much more controversial Alzheimer’s drug Aduhelm. Still to be decided is whether or not Medicare — which gives insurance coverage to most individuals with Alzheimer’s — will cowl the drug.
- As the Affordable Care Act enrolls a file variety of Americans, it’s notable that repealing the regulation has not been talked about as a precedence for the brand new GOP majority within the House. Rather, the highest well being situation is prone to be learn how to scale back the value of Medicare and different well being “entitlement” applications.
Plus, for further credit score, the panelists advocate their favourite well being coverage tales of the week that they assume it’s best to learn, too:
Julie Rovner: The Washington Post’s “Social Security Denies Disability Benefits Based on List With Jobs From 1977,” by Lisa Rein
Margot Sanger-Katz: Roll Call’s “Providers Say Medicare Advantage Hinders New Methadone Benefit,” by Jessie Hellmann
Alice Miranda Ollstein: The New York Times’ “Grant Wahl Was a Loving Husband. I Will Always Protect His Legacy.” By Céline Gounder
Sarah Karlin-Smith: KHN’s “Hospitals’ Use of Volunteer Staff Runs Risk of Skirting Labor Laws, Experts Say,” by Lauren Sausser
Also talked about on this week’s podcast:
To hear all our podcasts, click on right here.
And subscribe to KHN’s What the Health? on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Stitcher, Pocket Casts, or wherever you take heed to podcasts.