Maybe It’s a Health Care Election After All

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 turn into his respective get together’s nominee. And well being care is popping out to be an unexpectedly front-and-center marketing campaign subject, as Trump in current weeks has prompt he could also be fascinated by slicing 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 big UnitedHealth Group, continues to roil the well being trade, as hundreds of hospitals, medical doctors, nursing houses, 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 offered a gap for Biden to pounce. By working because the candidate who would shield entitlements, Biden may place himself properly, notably with older voters, as the final election begins.
• Well being care is shaping as much as be the sleeper subject 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 kids. Plus, Republicans are eyeing what modifications they might make ought to Trump reclaim the presidency.
• In the meantime, Republicans are grappling with an inside get together divide over entry to in vitro fertilization, and Trump’s blended messaging on abortion might not be serving to him along with his base. May a working mate with extra reasonable 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 Court docket heard the case a conservative-majority ruling would broaden the regulation’s influence to different states might dampen the possibilities of additional appeals, leaving the regulation in impact. Additionally, the federal courts are making it more durable to file instances in jurisdictions with pleasant judges, a tactic often known as judge-shopping, which conservative teams have used 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 couple of new, four-part documentary collection 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 you need to learn, too:

Julie Rovner: The Washington Put up’s “Navy Demoted Ronny Jackson After Probe Into White Home Conduct,” by Dan Diamond and Alex Horton.

Joanne Kenen: The Atlantic’s “Frigid Workplaces May Be Killing Ladies’s Productiveness,” by Olga Khazan.

Margot Sanger-Katz: Stat’s “Inflexible Guidelines at Methadone Clinics Are Jeopardizing Sufferers’ Path to Recuperate From Opioid Dependancy,” by Lev Facher.

Anna Edney: Scientific American’s “How Hospitals Are Going Inexperienced Below Biden’s Local weather Laws,” by Ariel Wittenberg and E&E Information.

Additionally talked about on this week’s podcast:

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