Au Revoir, Public Health Emergency

The Host

Julie Rovner
KHN

@jrovner

Learn Julie’s tales.

Julie Rovner is chief Washington correspondent and host of KHN’s weekly well being coverage information podcast, “What the Well being?” A famous professional on well being coverage points, Julie is the creator of the critically praised reference e-book “Well being Care Politics and Coverage A to Z,” now in its third version.

The general public well being emergency in impact for the reason that begin of the covid-19 pandemic will finish on Might 11, the Biden administration introduced this week. The tip of the so-called PHE will deliver a couple of raft of coverage adjustments affecting sufferers, well being care suppliers, and states. However Republicans in Congress, together with some Democrats, have been agitating for an finish to the “emergency” designation for months.

In the meantime, regardless of Republicans’ less-than-stellar exhibiting within the 2022 midterm elections and broad public assist for preserving abortion entry, anti-abortion teams are pushing for even stronger restrictions on the process, arguing that Republicans did poorly as a result of they weren’t strident sufficient on abortion points.

This week’s panelists are Julie Rovner of KHN, Victoria Knight of Axios, Rachel Roubein of The Washington Submit, and Margot Sanger-Katz of The New York Occasions.

Panelists

Victoria Knight
Axios

@victoriaregisk

Learn Victoria’s tales

Rachel Roubein
The Washington Submit

@rachel_roubein

Learn Rachel’s tales

Margot Sanger-Katz
The New York Occasions

@sangerkatz

Learn Margot’s tales

Among the many takeaways from this week’s episode:

• This week the Biden administration introduced the covid public well being emergency will finish in Might, terminating many flexibilities the federal government afforded well being care suppliers in the course of the pandemic to ease the challenges of caring for sufferers.
• Among the largest covid-era adjustments, just like the enlargement of telehealth and Medicare protection for the antiviral remedy Paxlovid, have already been prolonged by Congress. Lawmakers have additionally set a separate timetable for the top of the Medicaid protection requirement. In the meantime, the White Home is pushing again on reviews that the top of the general public well being emergency may even imply the top of free vaccines, testing, and coverings.
• A brand new KFF ballot exhibits widespread public confusion over remedy abortion, with many respondents saying they’re not sure whether or not the abortion capsule is authorized of their state and methods to entry it. Advocates say remedy abortion, which accounts for about half of abortions nationwide, is the process’s future, and state legal guidelines concerning its use are altering typically.
• On abortion politics, the Republican Nationwide Committee handed a decision urging candidates to “go on the offense” in 2024 and push stricter abortion legal guidelines. Abortion opponents have been sad that Republican congressional leaders didn’t push by means of a federal gestational restrict on abortion final 12 months, and the occasion is signaling a need to enchantment to its conservative base within the presidential election 12 months.
• This week, the federal authorities introduced it would audit Medicare Benefit plans for overbilling. However in line with a KHN scoop, the federal government will restrict its clawbacks to current years, permitting many plans to maintain the cash it overpaid them. Medicare Benefit is poised to enroll the vast majority of seniors this 12 months.

Additionally this week, Rovner interviews Hannah Wesolowski of the Nationwide Alliance on Psychological Sickness about how the rollout of the brand new 988 suicide prevention hotline goes.

Plus, for “further credit score,” the panelists counsel well being coverage tales they learn this week that they suppose you must learn, too:

Julie Rovner: Axios’ “Republicans Break With One other Historic Ally: Medical doctors,” by Caitlin Owens and Victoria Knight

Margot Sanger-Katz: The New York Occasions’ “Most Abortion Bans Embody Exceptions. In Observe, Few Are Granted,” by Amy Schoenfeld Walker

Rachel Roubein: The Washington Submit’s “I Wrote About Excessive-Priced Medication for Years. Then My Toddler Wanted One,” by Carolyn Y. Johnson

Victoria Knight: The New York Occasions’ “Emailing Your Physician Might Carry a Payment,” by Benjamin Ryan

Additionally talked about on this week’s podcast:

Credit

Francis Ying
Audio producer

Emmarie Huetteman
Editor

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KHN (Kaiser Well being Information) is a nationwide newsroom that produces in-depth journalism about well being points. Along with Coverage Evaluation and Polling, KHN is likely one of the three main working applications at KFF (Kaiser Household Basis). KFF is an endowed nonprofit group offering data on well being points to the nation.

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