The Host
The final election marketing campaign for president is (unofficially) on, as President Joe Biden and former President Donald Trump have every apparently secured sufficient delegates to grow to be his respective occasion’s nominee. And well being care is popping out to be an unexpectedly front-and-center marketing campaign difficulty, as Trump in current weeks has instructed he could also be excited about reducing Medicare and taking one other swing at repealing and changing the Inexpensive Care Act.
In the meantime, the February cyberattack of Change Healthcare, a subsidiary of insurance coverage large UnitedHealth Group, continues to roil the well being trade, as hundreds of hospitals, medical doctors, nursing properties, and different suppliers are unable to course of claims and receives a commission.
This week’s panelists are Julie Rovner of KFF Well being Information, Anna Edney of Bloomberg Information, Joanne Kenen of Johns Hopkins College and Politico Journal, and Margot Sanger-Katz of The New York Instances.
Among the many takeaways from this week’s episode:
- It’s unclear precisely what Trump meant in his current remarks about attainable cuts to Medicare and Social Safety, although his feedback supplied a gap for Biden to pounce. By operating because the candidate who would shield entitlements, Biden may place himself nicely, significantly with older voters, as the final election begins.
- Well being care is shaping as much as be the sleeper difficulty on this election, with excessive stakes for protection. The Biden administration’s expanded subsidies for ACA plans are scheduled to run out on the finish of subsequent 12 months, and the president’s newest funds request highlights his curiosity in increasing protection, particularly for postpartum ladies and for youngsters. Plus, Republicans are eyeing what modifications they may make ought to Trump reclaim the presidency.
- In the meantime, Republicans are grappling with an inside occasion divide over entry to in vitro fertilization, and Trump’s blended messaging on abortion might not be serving to him together with his base. May a operating mate with extra average views assist soften his picture with voters who oppose abortion bans?
- A federal appeals courtroom dominated {that a} Texas regulation requiring youngsters to acquire parental consent for contraception outweighs federal guidelines permitting teenagers to entry prescription contraceptives confidentially. However issues that if the U.S. Supreme Courtroom heard the case a conservative-majority ruling would broaden the regulation’s affect to different states might dampen the possibilities of additional appeals, leaving the regulation in impact. Additionally, the federal courts are making it tougher to file circumstances in jurisdictions with pleasant judges, a tactic referred to as judge-shopping, which conservative teams have used just lately in reproductive well being challenges.
- And weeks later, the Change Healthcare hack continues to trigger widespread points with medical billing. Some small suppliers worry continued fee delays may power them to shut, and it’s attainable that the hack’s repercussions may quickly block some sufferers from accessing care in any respect.
Additionally this week, Rovner interviews Kelly Henning of Bloomberg Philanthropies a few new, four-part documentary sequence on the historical past of public well being, “The Invisible Defend.”
Plus, for “additional credit score” the panelists counsel well being coverage tales they learn this week that they assume it’s best to learn, too:
Julie Rovner: The Washington Publish’s “Navy Demoted Ronny Jackson After Probe Into White House Behavior,” by Dan Diamond and Alex Horton.
Joanne Kenen: The Atlantic’s “Frigid Offices Might Be Killing Women’s Productivity,” by Olga Khazan.
Margot Sanger-Katz: Stat’s “Rigid Rules at Methadone Clinics Are Jeopardizing Patients’ Path to Recover From Opioid Addiction,” by Lev Facher.
Anna Edney: Scientific American’s “How Hospitals Are Going Green Under Biden’s Climate Legislation,” by Ariel Wittenberg and E&E Information.
Additionally talked about on this week’s podcast:
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