When an Anti-Vaccine Activist Runs for President

The Host

How ought to journalists cowl political candidates who make false claims in regards to the security and effectiveness of vaccines? That query will should be answered now that famous anti-vaccine activist Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has formally entered the 2024 presidential race.

In the meantime, South Carolina has change into one of many final states within the South to cross an abortion ban, making the process all however not possible to acquire for girls throughout a broad swath of the nation.

This week’s panelists are Julie Rovner of KFF Well being Information, Alice Miranda Ollstein of Politico, Rachel Cohrs of Stat, and Sarah Karlin-Smith of the Pink Sheet.

Among the many takeaways from this week’s episode:

• Republican lawmakers and President Joe Biden proceed to cut price over a deal to avert a debt ceiling collapse. Unspent pandemic funding is on the negotiating desk, because the White Home pushes to guard cash for vaccine improvement — although the administration has drawn criticism for a scarcity of transparency over what can be included in a clawback of unspent {dollars}.
• In abortion information, South Carolina is the most recent state to vote to limit entry to abortion, passing laws this week that may ban abortion after six weeks of being pregnant — shortly after pregnant individuals miss their first interval. And Texas is seeing extra authorized challenges to the state regulation’s exceptions to guard a mom’s life, as circumstances more and more present that many medical doctors are erring on the facet of not offering care to keep away from felony {and professional} legal responsibility.
• Congress is scrutinizing the function of group buying organizations in drug pricing as extra is revealed about how pharmacy profit managers negotiate reductions. So-called GPOs supply well being care organizations, like hospitals, the flexibility to work collectively to leverage market energy and negotiate higher offers from suppliers.
• Lawmakers are additionally exploring modifications to the best way Medicare pays for a similar care carried out in a physician’s workplace versus a hospital setting. At the moment, suppliers can cost extra in a hospital setting, however some members of Congress wish to finish that discrepancy — and probably save the federal government billions.
• And our panel of well being journalists discusses an necessary query after a distinguished anti-vaccine activist entered the presidential race final month: How do you responsibly cowl a candidate who promotes conspiracy theories? The reply could also be present in a “fact sandwich.”

Additionally this week, Rovner interviews KFF Well being Information senior correspondent Aneri Pattani about her undertaking to trace the cash from the nationwide opioid settlement.

Plus, for “additional credit score,” the panelists recommend well being coverage tales they learn this week that they suppose it is best to learn, too:

Julie Rovner: KFF Well being Information’ “Distant Work: An Underestimated Profit for Household Caregivers,” by Joanne Kenen

Alice Miranda Ollstein: Reuters’ “How Docs Purchase Their Method out of Bother,” by Michael Berens

Rachel Cohrs: ProPublica’s “Within the ‘Wild West’ of Outpatient Vascular Care, Docs Can Reap Large Funds as Sufferers Threat Life and Limb,” by Annie Waldman

Sarah Karlin-Smith: The New York Instances’ “Warmth Wave and Blackout Would Ship Half of Phoenix to E.R., Research Says,” by Michael Levenson

Additionally talked about on this week’s episode:

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