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Julie Rovner
KHN

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

This week, the eyes of the nation are on Texas, the place a federal choose who previously labored for a conservative Christian advocacy group is about to determine whether or not the abortion capsule mifepristone can keep available on the market. Mifepristone is half of a two-pill routine that now accounts for greater than half of the abortions in america.

In the meantime, Novo Nordisk, one other of the three massive drug firms that dominate the marketplace for diabetes remedies, has introduced it would reduce the value of lots of its insulin merchandise. Eli Lilly introduced its cuts early this month. However the push for extra reasonably priced insulin from activists and members of Congress shouldn’t be the one purpose for the change: Due to quirks in the best way the drug market works, chopping costs might truly save the businesses cash in the long term.

This week’s panelists are Julie Rovner of KHN, Jessie Hellmann of CQ Roll Name, Sarah Karlin-Smith of the Pink Sheet, and Alice Miranda Ollstein of Politico.

Panelists

Jessie Hellmann
CQ Roll Name

@jessiehellmann

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Sarah Karlin-Smith
Pink Sheet

@SarahKarlin

Learn Sarah’s tales

Alice Miranda Ollstein
Politico

@AliceOllstein

Learn Alice’s tales

Among the many takeaways from this week’s episode:

The federal choose inspecting the decades-old approval of mifepristone might concern a choice at any time after a listening to largely behind closed doorways, throughout which he appeared open to limiting entry to the drug.
Democratic governors search to counter the coolness of Republican states’ warnings to pharmacies about distributing mifepristone, and a separate lawsuit in Texas seeks to set a precedent for punishing individuals who aren’t medical suppliers for aiding somebody in acquiring an abortion.
In pandemic information, Congress is transferring ahead with laws that might drive the Biden administration to declassify intelligence associated to the origins of covid-19, whereas the editor of Cochrane Evaluations posted a clarification of its lately printed masking examine, noting it’s “inaccurate” to say it discovered that masks should not efficient.
High federal well being officers despatched an uncommon letter to Florida’s surgeon normal, warning that his embrace of vaccination misinformation is dangerous, even lethal, to People. Whereas covid vaccines include some danger of unfavorable well being results, contracting covid carries a better danger of poor outcomes.
Novo Nordisk’s announcement that it’ll reduce insulin costs places stress on Sanofi, the remaining insulin maker that has but to regulate its costs.
The Veterans Well being Administration will cowl Leqembi, a brand new Alzheimer’s drug. The choice comes as Medicare considers whether or not it would additionally cowl the drug. Specialists warning that new medication shaking up the weight-loss market might show expensive for Medicare.
Washington is eyeing adjustments to federal guidelines that might have an effect on the observe of drugs. One change would drive well being plans to hurry up “prior authorization” choices by well being insurers and enhance transparency round denials, which supporters say would assist sufferers higher entry wanted care. One other proposal would ban noncompete clauses in contracts, together with in well being care. Arguments for and in opposition to the change each cite the difficulty of doctor burnout — although they disagree on whether or not the ban would make the issue higher or worse.

Plus, for “additional credit score,” the panelists counsel well being coverage tales they learn this week that they assume you need to learn, too:

Julie Rovner: “Tradeoffs” podcast’s “The Conservative Conflict Over Abortion Bans,” by Alice Miranda Ollstein and Dan Gorenstein

Alice Miranda Ollstein: Politico’s “Sharpton Dodges the Highlight on Newest Push to Ban Menthol Cigarettes,” by Julia Marsh

Sarah Karlin-Smith: Attract’s “With New Laws, You Can Count on Extra Recollects to Hit the Magnificence Trade,” by Elizabeth Siegel and Deanna Pai

Jessie Hellmann: The New York Occasions’ “Opioid Settlement Hinders Sufferers’ Entry to a Broad Array of Medicine,” by Christina Jewett and Ellen Gabler

Additionally talked about on this week’s podcast:

Credit

Francis Ying
Audio producer

Emmarie Huetteman
Editor

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