The Host

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 carry 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 displaying within the 2022 midterm elections and broad public help 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 Instances.

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 growth of telehealth and Medicare protection for the antiviral medicine 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 studies that the top of the general public well being emergency will even imply the top of free vaccines, testing, and coverings.
• A brand new KFF ballot exhibits widespread public confusion over medicine abortion, with many respondents saying they’re uncertain whether or not the abortion tablet is authorized of their state and find out how to entry it. Advocates say medicine abortion, which accounts for about half of abortions nationwide, is the process’s future, and state legal guidelines concerning its use are altering usually.
• 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 had been sad that Republican congressional leaders didn’t push via a federal gestational restrict on abortion final yr, and the occasion is signaling a need to attraction to its conservative base within the presidential election yr.
• This week, the federal authorities introduced it is going to audit Medicare Benefit plans for overbilling. However in accordance with a KHN scoop, the federal government will restrict its clawbacks to latest years, permitting many plans to maintain the cash it overpaid them. Medicare Benefit is poised to enroll the vast majority of seniors this yr.

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 it is best to learn, too:

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

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

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

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

Additionally talked about on this week’s podcast:

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