Biden price range touches all of the bases

The host

Julie Rovner KHN @jrovner. Julie Rovner is chief Washington correspondent and host of KHN’s weekly well being coverage information podcast, “What the Well being?” A famous knowledgeable 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.

President Joe Biden’s fiscal 2024 price range proposal consists of new insurance policies and funding boosts for most of the Democratic Celebration’s essential constituencies, together with advocates for folks with disabilities and reproductive rights. It additionally proposes methods to shore up Medicare’s dwindling Hospital Insurance coverage Belief Fund with out slicing advantages, principally daring Republicans to match him on the politically potent concern.

In the meantime, 5 ladies in Texas who have been denied abortions when their pregnancies threatened their lives or the viability of the fetuses they have been carrying are suing the state. They cost that the language of Texas’ abortion ban makes it unattainable for docs to supply wanted care with out worry of huge fines or jail sentences.

This week’s panelists are Julie Rovner of KHN, Shefali Luthra of The nineteenth, Victoria Knight of Axios, and Margot Sanger-Katz of The New York Occasions.

Panelists

Victoria Knight Axios @victoriaregisk Shefali Luthra The nineteenth @Shefalil Margot Sanger-Katz The New York Occasions @sangerkatz

Among the many takeaways from this week’s episode:

• Biden’s price range manages to toe the road between preserving Medicare and holding the Medicare belief fund solvent whereas advancing progressive insurance policies. Republicans have but to suggest a price range, however it appears seemingly any GOP plan would lean closely on cuts to Medicaid and subsidies supplied underneath the Reasonably priced Care Act. Democrats will combat each of these.
• Although the president’s price range consists of one thing of a Democratic “want record” of social coverage priorities, the proposals are much less sweeping than these made final yr. Reasonably, many — equivalent to extending to non-public insurance coverage the $35 month-to-month Medicare price cap for insulin — construct on achievements already realized. That places new deal with issues the president has completed.
• Walgreens, the nation’s second-largest pharmacy chain, is caught up within the abortion wars. In January, the chain stated it will apply for certification from the FDA to promote the abortion capsule mifepristone in states the place abortion is authorized. Nonetheless, final week, underneath threats from Republican attorneys common in states the place abortion remains to be authorized, the chain wavered on whether or not it will search to promote the capsule there or not, which brought on a backlash from each abortion rights proponents and opponents.
• The 5 ladies suing Texas after being denied abortions amid harmful being pregnant issues should not asking for the state’s ban to be lifted. Reasonably, they’re in search of clarification about who qualifies for exceptions to the ban, so docs and hospitals can present wanted care with out worry of prosecution.
• Though anti-abortion teams have for many years insisted that those that have abortions shouldn’t be prosecuted, payments launched in a number of state legislatures would do precisely that. In South Carolina, those that have abortions may even be topic to the demise penalty. Up to now none of those payments have handed, however the wave of measures may herald a serious coverage change.

Additionally this week, Rovner interviews Harris Meyer, who reported and wrote the 2 newest KHN-NPR “Invoice of the Month” options. Each have been about households going through surprising payments after childbirth. When you’ve got an outrageous or exorbitant medical invoice you need to share with us, you are able to do that right here.

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

Julie Rovner: KHN’s “Women in Texas Might Get Delivery Management at Federal Clinics, Till a Christian Father Objected,” by Sarah Varney

Shefali Luthra: The nineteenth’s “Language for Treating Childhood Weight problems Carries Its Personal Well being Dangers to Youngsters, Specialists Say,” by Jennifer Gerson

Victoria Knight: KHN’s “After Folks on Medicaid Die, Some States Aggressively Search Compensation From Their Estates,” by Tony Leys

Margot Sanger-Katz: ProPublica’s “How Obamacare Enabled a Multibillion-Greenback Christian Well being Care Seize,” by J. David McSwane and Ryan Gabrielson

Additionally talked about on this week’s podcast:

Credit

Francis Ying Audio producer Stephanie Stapleton Editor