Obama, Pelosi to rally for Biden’s reelection
The Obamacare band will make the case to voters while marking the law’s anniversary.
Democratic governors see IVF following a familiar post-Dobbs pattern
So-called personhood laws are on a legal collision course with IVF in some states.
Arizona lawmaker says she announced plans to get abortion to underscore out-of-touch laws
Democratic Sen. Eva Burch of Mesa told fellow lawmakers in a floor speech she was going to get an abortion because her pregnancy is no longer viable.
POLITICO Health Care Summit: The issues that will shape the 2024 campaign
President Joe Biden and Donald Trump’s rematch will center on concerns about cost, access and quality of care.
Doctors are worried about the ideas bots are putting in patients’ heads
Some are proposing the government needs to ensure artificial intelligence-powered chatbots rely on trustworthy health data.
Tanden: National ban is GOP’s ‘moderate’ position on abortion
Tanden said Republicans are virtually unified in their calls for a federal abortion ban — and that the debate is only over how far to go.
Manchin says Biden’s reelection is in jeopardy
At POLITICO’s Health Care Summit, the West Virginia Democrat took aim at the president on fentanyl overdoses and border enforcement.
Conway urges Republicans to flip the script on abortion
The former Trump adviser wants the GOP to stop claiming Democrats support abortion “up until the moment of birth.”
Harris to visit Planned Parenthood clinic that provides abortions in Minnesota
The visit comes as part of Harris’ nationwide “Fight for Reproductive Freedoms” tour.
Becerra leaves the door open to drug testing welfare recipients
The HHS chief also spoke about reproductive health care, saying he doubts Alabama will be the last state to grapple with how to address IVF.
5 takeaways from POLITICO’s Health Care Summit
Biden administration officials, lawmakers and policy experts addressed the health policy issues shaping this year’s elections.
Biden's uneasiness on abortion riles progressives — again
Some on the left are dismayed by what they see as a harmful divide between “good” and “bad” abortions.
‘License to kill’: Anti-abortion groups rage against the GOP
Some groups are running ads against longstanding GOP allies that use the same graphic imagery — blood, babies and scalpels — they have long deployed to oppose Democrats and the abortion-rights movement.
The CDC could shrink under a second Trump administration
A CDC reorganization as some conservatives are calling for could impact the agency’s ability to help prevent or mitigate the spread of disease, according to a former agency director.
Alabama enacts protections for IVF doctors after court rules embryos are children
Gov. Kay Ivey signed the legislation as soon as it reached her desk Wednesday night.
How Biden’s SOTU guest upended the abortion debate
Kate Cox’s fight for an abortion in Texas highlights Dobbs’ knock-on effects.
What Support Services Does the Aesthetics Training Academy Offer to Its Students?
Aesthetics Training Academy Offer to Its Students Whether you are a non-medical professional wanting to start a career in the aesthetic industry or you already have a medical background and want to add medical cosmetic treatments to your existing skill…
‘Our prayer is that it doesn't even reach the ballot’: Inside Arizona’s abortion battle
Opponents of the reproductive rights referendum are waging a campaign to discourage voters from signing petitions.
Democrats invite doctors, patients to SOTU to highlight Dobbs’ ripple effects
Democrats are working to make abortion and reproductive health care a central issue in the 2024 election.
White House turns to health care in Biden’s latest move against ‘corporate greed’
The announcement is expected to be touted this week, alongside efforts to increase competition in food, housing and other kitchen table issues.
Americans overwhelmingly support keeping IVF legal for women, poll finds
Eighty-six percent of those surveyed said IVF should be legal for women trying to get pregnant.
Duckworth to demand vote on IVF bill
The bill would establish federal protections that override any state policy restricting IVF access.
Republicans have an answer on IVF. It's only raising more questions.
At the same time that they are professing support for IVF, dozens of congressional Republicans have signed onto so-called personhood legislation.
CDC loosens Covid isolation guidance
The guidance for Covid now aligns with RSV and the flu and comes amid a marked decrease in Covid-related hospitalizations and deaths, and as many people tell officials they don’t bother to test when ill.
CVS, Walgreens to begin dispensing abortion pills this month
The move comes just weeks before the Supreme Court will hear oral arguments in a case that could prohibit brick-and-mortar pharmacies from dispensing the commonly used abortion pill.
Senate Dems set up IVF showdown
Any one senator could block the unanimous consent request.
Alabama legislature votes to restore IVF access
The votes in the House and the Senate come nearly two weeks after the state Supreme Court ruled that frozen eggs are children, setting off a national debate about how IVF is performed in the U.S.
These states say fetuses are people. Could one of them be the next Alabama?
The Alabama Supreme Court ruling that granted legal personhood to frozen embryos puts a new spotlight on states with laws that confer rights on fetuses from the moment of fertilization.
Graham opposes IVF ruling: 'Nobody's ever been born in a freezer'
Graham opposes IVF ruling: 'Nobody's ever been born in a freezer'
GAO: Billions wasted on federal health insurance program
And it’s surprisingly easy to do. The Office of Personnel Management, which oversees health insurance for 8 million federal workers and their families at a cost of more than $60 billion a year, has never checked the eligibility of those…
Alabama Republicans want to give IVF doctors immunity after court rules frozen embryos are kids
The proposal comes a little more than a week after the state’s high court ruled that frozen embryos should be considered children under a state law on wrongful deaths of minors — leading three fertility clinics to pause their operations,…
Alabama said frozen embryos are kids. The GOP isn’t sure what to do about it.
IVF — and specifically how to handle unused, frozen embryos — was rarely, if ever, discussed outside of the rightmost fringes of anti-abortion and religious circles. As Republicans rush to understand what the procedure entails and the ripple effects from…
‘Another hot potato’: Alabama’s IVF ruling risks political, legal backlash
“It certainly intersects, badly, with general election politics for Republicans,” said Stan Barnes, a political consultant and former Republican state senator in Arizona. “When a state, any state, takes an aggressive action on this particular topic, people are once again…
Trump embraced a conservative vision for Medicaid. States want to try it again
The Trump administration authorized 13 states’ work requirements, which tied Medicaid to employment, though only Arkansas’ got off the ground. More than 18,000 people were removed from the rolls in that state before a U.S. District Court judge blocked the…
‘No one’s coming to save us’: Abortion campaigns scramble for limited cash
The scramble is pitting abortion-rights supporters in states with near-total bans against those in states where abortion is legal but under threat against those in battleground states where Democrats hope a strong abortion access campaign will juice turnout and propel…
Artificial intelligence is making critical health care decisions. The sheriff is MIA
Unlike medical devices or drugs, AI software changes. Rather than issuing a one-time approval, FDA wants to monitor artificial intelligence products over time, something it’s never done proactively. President Joe Biden in October promised a coordinated and fast response from…
Advocates hope Jimmy Carter’s endurance in hospice care drives awareness
“It’s been massive to have the Carters be so public,” said Angela Novas, chief medical officer for the Hospice Foundation of America, based in Washington. “It has shed hospice in a new light, and it’s raised questions” for people to…
Trump won’t rule out 16-week abortion ban, but won’t commit either
“As President Trump has stated, he would sit down with both sides and negotiate a deal that everyone will be happy with,” Karoline Leavitt, campaign press secretary, said in a statement. Trump’s reported proposal would be less draconian than some…
What State of the State addresses tell us about the 2028 presidential race
The partisan, cross-border swipes during the late January speech may say more about American politics in 2028 than in 2024. Many of the country’s highest-profile state executives — several talked up as likely presidential contenders in four years — are…
Southern Republicans learn to love Obamacare
The shift is partly a byproduct of a historic realignment that has seen more working-class voters gravitate to the GOP, largely driven by an affinity for the populist rhetoric of Donald Trump. The changing attitudes could reshape health care in…
Alzheimer’s program renewal on the way, lawmakers say
“It could easily be part of this package,” he said. “I’ll certainly push that it should be part of it.” Kaine said he was among those fine-tuning the package for reauthorization. “We want to do it sooner rather than later,”…
Five takeaways from POLITICO’s ‘How Fast Can We Solve Alzheimer’s’ Event
Here are the top takeaways: 1. The Senate is trying to advance a health care package in 2024. “We need to do it,” Kaine said, pointing to health care workforce and pharmacy benefit manager bills that passed out of the…
Biogen to cease production of controversial Alzheimer’s drug
“When searching for new medicines, one breakthrough can be the foundation that triggers future medicines to be developed,” Christopher A. Viehbacher, Biogen’s president and CEO, said in a statement. “ADUHELM was that groundbreaking discovery that paved the way for a…
Syphilis cases spike as budget cuts threaten efforts to contain outbreaks
“It’s really quite concerning,” Laura Bachmann, acting director of the CDC’s STD office, told POLITICO. “We need to do things differently. We need more investment in infrastructure, innovation, treatment, diagnosis, prevention — there’s a lot of work to be done.”…
The anti-abortion plan ready for Trump on Day One
Many of the policies they advocate are ones Trump implemented in his first term and President Joe Biden rescinded — rules that would have a far greater impact in a post-Roe landscape. Other items on the wish list are new,…
Biden’s got pharma’s back in global pandemic treaty negotiations
For those countries and their advocates, it’s a striking stance — given what happened after Covid arrived: They shared data about new variants only to see the rich world hoard most of the vaccines. “There’s a contradiction, [an] enormous amount…
Covid killed 170,000 in nursing homes. Most residents still haven’t gotten the latest shot.
“Americans look to you as the highest public health official in the land; it would speak volumes if, in addition to other actions, you appealed directly to residents and their family members,” Katie Smith Sloan, president of industry group LeadingAge,…
Ohio bans gender-affirming care and restricts transgender athletes
Officials expect the law to take effect in roughly 90 days. The Republican-majority House had voted to override the veto earlier this month. Two of Kat Scaglione’s three children are transgender, and the Chagrin Falls artist is devastated, but not…
Biden leans into abortion, contraception as 2024 campaign strategy takes shape
The Biden strategy: The ad released Sunday features a Texas OB-GYN forced to travel out of state to terminate her wanted but nonviable pregnancy. On Monday, the White House announced executive actions to improve access to abortion and contraception. Vice…
Republicans fume over lack of anti-abortion policies in funding fight
Rep. Bob Good (R-Va.), chair of the House Freedom Caucus, warned “the majority of the Republican conference” will be “disappointed and upset” if Johnson doesn’t do more to fight for the anti-abortion policy riders that conservatives have demanded since last…
States get serious about limiting kids’ social media exposure
The states are moving because they believe social media is contributing to increasing rates of mental illness among children, and because Congress hasn’t. There’s bipartisan support on Capitol Hill to do more, but lawmakers there can’t agree on whether a…
Florida gets FDA approval for Canadian drug importation plan
“Florida has demonstrated that [the drug importation plan] will significantly reduce the cost of [drugs] to the American consumer without posing additional risk to the public’s health and safety,” the FDA said in its letter authorizing the Florida plan. Before…
DeWine bans gender-affirming surgery for minors one week after veto
DeWine bans gender-affirming surgery for minors one week after veto
The FDA just cleared the way for drug importation. What now?
“The likelihood of this actually materializing is negligible,” said Eric Miller, a Washington-based trade consultant. “[The FDA knows] that the pharmaceutical companies are not going to oversupply the Canadian market.” While the move allows Biden to claim another drug pricing…
A starring role for NASA in Biden’s push to end cancer
Pharmaceutical companies are increasingly interested in space to develop and improve drugs, and to extend their patents. “We’re right on the cusp of some major new developments,” NASA Administrator Bill Nelson told POLITICO. “They’ve got a full-time laboratory with all…
When ‘elective’ doesn’t mean optional: Lloyd Austin’s cancer surgery
A prostatectomy, the surgery Austin underwent last month, can be serious and is required for some patients, even if not urgently, said Dr. Quoc-Dien Trinh, co-director of the Dana-Farber/Brigham and Women’s Prostate Cancer Center. The procedure removes some or all…
Supreme Court to decide whether hospitals must provide life-saving abortions
The high court’s Friday order also effectively allows Idaho to enforce its prohibition on performing abortions, even in medical emergencies. The order temporarily freezes a lower court decision that blocked the law. The Justice Department did not immediately respond to…
Why Democrats can’t rely on abortion ballot initiatives to help them win
Those initiatives are likely to draw some support from Republican voters. The POLITICO analysis of data from five states that have held abortion referendums since 2022 shows varied levels of crossover voting, with a decisive share of voters in some…
‘No longer the 1960s’: Congress wants to treat drug users in mental hospitals
“It is no longer the 1960s, and there is no longer the same stigma against the treatment of mental health,” said GOP Rep. Michael Burgess, a doctor representing Dallas’ affluent northern suburbs who sponsored a House bill to change the…
AI’s big test: Making sense of $4 trillion in medical expenses
“Everyone’s trying to maximize revenue while towing the line on, effectively, fraud,” said Nick Stepro, chief product and technology officer at Arcadia, a company that works with health care organizations on both sides of the divide looking to build the…
Ohio governor vetoes ban on gender-affirming care, school sports for trans youth
DeWine said he spoke with physicians, lawmakers and families on all sides of the issue before making his decision. He added that he would pursue regulations to ban gender-affirming surgery on minors and address what he described as ideologically driven…
Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine vetoes bill banning gender-affirming care
Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine vetoes bill banning gender-affirming care
Tobacco settlement architect Mike Moore warns about risks of wasting opioid dollars
There are a lot of tools in the toolbox when it comes to addressing the opioid crisis. But sometimes it seems like state and local governments are grasping at straws when it comes to actually putting them into practice. Do…
Georgia’s public health insurance experiment is off to a slow start
Democrats have long tried to persuade red states to expand the federal Medicaid program and bring health insurance to more of their most vulnerable residents. The Biden administration sweetened the pot in 2021 with additional federal money, but GOP officials,…
Conservatives move to keep abortion off the 2024 ballot
The emerging strategy aims to prevent abortion rights groups from notching their third, and largest, set of ballot measure victories since Roe v. Wade was overturned. And while conservatives celebrated the fall of Roe for returning the question of abortion…
Biden administration pleads with states after millions of kids lose Medicaid coverage
Becerra also asked the states to remove barriers to Children’s Health Insurance Program enrollment for children no longer eligible for Medicaid, reduce call center times for families and expand their Medicaid programs if they haven’t already. “Because all children deserve…
230,000 more RSV shots on the way after pressure from Biden officials
“The CDC is still recommending [the shot] on their website even though it’s nowhere to be found,” said Dr. Jesse Hackell, a pediatrician and past president of the American Academy of Pediatrics’ New York chapter. “The messaging is not consistent…
Kellyanne Conway pushes Republicans to embrace contraception
Trump himself has blamed anti-abortion groups and the strict laws they support for electoral defeats in 2022 and 2023. And several prominent conservatives have implored Republicans in the post-Roe era to focus on issues such as contraception and maternal care…
Texas woman who sought court permission for abortion leaves state for the procedure, attorneys say
The organization did not disclose where Cox went. On Monday, she would have been 20 weeks and six days pregnant. Hours after the announcement, the Texas Supreme Court issued its decision, ruling against Cox. “These laws reflect the policy choice…
How America’s coming mining boom could upend local health care
‘It’s a problem’ These primary care and hospital challenges have their own ripple effects. The mines and other large employers, looking to avoid the hospital’s high prices, have contracted with a surgery management company that coordinates out-of-town care, often in…
Dems want to focus on abortion rights. A Trump ally may have just helped.
“All of this confusion is revealing that Dobbs is not itself workable,” said Greer Donley, a law professor at the University of Pittsburgh, referring to the case that overturned Roe. “Dobbs is premised on the distinction between elective and therapeutic…
What you need to know about the first-ever approved gene-editing therapy
Private insurers may be reluctant to since Americans typically change insurers every few years. An insurer who covers the enormous cost of the therapy won’t necessarily gain savings later when patients no longer need other treatment options: pain medication, blood…
‘Not where I wanted to be’: PEPFAR champion acknowledges impasse
McCaul, chair of the House Foreign Affairs Committee that oversees the President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief, had been cautiously optimistic for months that he could broker a deal to re-up a program that is credited with saving 25 million…
A Texas Republican is working with Democrats to take on Mexico’s fentanyl cartels
“My son came back from a funeral two weeks ago. His best friend died,” he told POLITICO this summer, adding that the scope of the problem demands the U.S. do more. “My oldest daughter has been to four funerals, all…
Conservatives target Ohio to end their abortion referendum losing streak
Six states voted last year on abortion referendums. In all six, including deep-red Kansas, Kentucky and Montana — the anti-abortion side lost, and it wasn’t particularly close. The losing streak continued this year, as state supreme court races and special…
Fentanyl is killing thousands, but Congress has no answer for the opioid crisis
“We are in the middle of a crisis of proportions we couldn’t have imagined even five years ago when the original SUPPORT Act was passed,” said Libby Jones, program director of the Overdose Prevention Initiative at the Global Health Advocacy…
‘On track’: 3 percent of Americans have gotten the new Covid shot, but the CDC director remains confident
More people, by far — 16 million — have gotten their annual flu vaccine, Cohen said, attributing the difference to long-held routines. Cohen is in the middle of a national tour promoting vaccination targeting elderly people at most risk from…
AI is driving Google’s health care business. Washington doesn’t know what to do about it.
“There is great promise in many of these tools to save more lives,” said Sen. Mark Warner (D-Va.), adding that “they also have the potential to do exactly the opposite — harm patients and their data, reinforce human bias, and…
Biden’s NIH nominee set to advance with GOP votes, but not Bernie Sanders’
Seven of the panel’s 10 Democrats, Patty Murray (D-Wash.), Tammy Baldwin (D-Wis.), Tim Kaine (D-Va.), Tina Smith (D-Minn.), Bob Casey (D-Pa.), Maggie Hassan (D-N.H.) and Ed Markey (D-Mass.), have stated their support publicly. If at least two of the other…
George W. Bush steps up campaign to renew his AIDS-fighting program
“We must continue this lifesaving program that symbolizes America at its best,” the group, which includes representatives of the Bipartisan Policy Center, the National Association of Evangelicals, the Carter Center and World Vision, wrote. It’s the first time Bush’s institute,…
Senate panel approves Monica Bertagnolli to lead NIH over Bernie Sanders’ objections
Democrats rejected Sanders’ case, that Bertagnolli had not demonstrated she would “take on the greed and power of the drug companies and health care industry and fight for the transformative changes the NIH needs at this critical moment.” “I have…
Detecting Covid surges is getting harder, thanks to a contract dispute
“The thing I’m concerned about is continuity of our surveillance data while this protest is playing out,” said Chad Gubala, a wastewater official in Juneau, Alaska. After an open bidding process earlier this year, the CDC decided to replace its…
Why an expanded Obamacare is even harder to repeal today
Now, he said in an interview Thursday, while he remains critical of the law, “it’s not that simple.” Idaho, Maine, Missouri, Nebraska, North Carolina, Oklahoma, South Dakota, Utah and Virginia have expanded Medicaid in the past six years. And the…
GOP senators: Halt travel with China to stop ‘mystery illness’
American public health experts seconded that assessment in interviews with POLITICO. They said it was likely that China, which only ended its Covid-19 lockdowns in January, was experiencing the same return of seasonal respiratory diseases that the U.S. and other…
Newly united House GOP faces abortion policy divide
“If mifepristone stays in the bill it’s dead. If mifepristone comes out it’s dead,” said Rep. Kelly Armstrong (R-N.D.). “So, until we solve that problem, we can’t get to the next one.” Johnson told Republicans he wants the agriculture bill…
CDC director: Illness in China not caused by new pathogen
CDC director: Illness in China not caused by new pathogen
‘He’s not a dictator’: Anti-abortion groups unbothered by Johnson downplaying the chances of a federal ban
Still, abortion opponents’ hopes for Johnson remain high. Some influential conservative groups interpreted those remarks as a call to action, while others said it reflects a basic political reality in Washington that extends beyond the contentious question of federal abortion…
Unregulated AI is already at work in your doctor’s office
“There’s no good testing going on and then they’re being used in patient-facing situations — and that’s really bad,” Suresh Venkatasubramanian, a Brown University computer scientist, said of the AI systems physicians are adopting. Venkatasubramanian has a unique vantage point…
Vulnerable Ohio Democrats hope to ride abortion referendum to victory in 2024
Two other members the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee put on its list of most vulnerable “frontline” incumbents — Reps. Marcy Kaptur and Emilia Sykes — have gone door-knocking for the initiative, while Sen. Sherrod Brown has led phone banking efforts…
Sen. Chris Murphy wants to solve the loneliness epidemic
They admit there’s no quick fix, so they are batting around ideas, from funding community groups to regulating social media, as they grapple with how government can help us break out of our malaise. “I care about it,” Murphy said….
Congenital syphilis jumped tenfold over the last decade
Congenital syphilis, which was nearly eliminated at the turn of this century, jumped 755 percent over the last decade, according to CDC data released Tuesday, reaching 3,761 cases in 2022. The rise occurred across all geographic regions as well as…
Chinese hospitals are full of sick children, but don’t worry
Many children have never previously encountered the viruses or bacteria that can cause illness, and are particularly susceptible. Still, last week’s demand by the World Health Organization for information from China on “reported clusters of pneumonia in children in Northern…
Senate confirms Monica Bertagnolli as NIH director
While Bertagnolli won confirmation with ease, her road there was rocky. After President Joe Biden tapped her to lead NIH in May, Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) held up her nomination for months in an effort to extract a comprehensive plan…
China says surge in respiratory illnesses caused by flu and other known pathogens
“Efforts should be made to increase the opening of relevant clinics and treatment areas, extend service hours and increase the supply of medicines,” said ministry spokesman Mi Feng. He advised people to wear masks and called on local authorities to…
No one’s promising you can keep your doctor anymore
“You’re not going to go back to the old days,” Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), the chair of the Senate panel with responsibility for the nation’s health care, said in an interview. Both Republicans and Democrats agree the old way is no…
Five takeaways from the Milken Institute Future of Health Summit
Here are POLITICO’s top takeaways from the summit: Advanced AI can improve care — but it comes with challenges. AI was the hottest topic of the conference — whether on or off the stage. Industry leaders, experts and government officials…
Abortion rights win elections, even in deep-red states
When the right to abortion is on the ballot, it wins. It wins in red states that voted for President Donald Trump. It wins in counties President Joe Biden lost by more than 20 points. It wins when popular Republican…
Donald Trump’s HIV-fighting program is under threat in the GOP House
When POLITICO asked Rep. Robert Aderholt (R-Ala.), the chair of the subcommittee overseeing the Department of Health and Human Services’ budget, about the reasoning behind the cut, he cited a need to prioritize. “It’s one of those things where it’s…
The rationing of popular weight-loss drugs Ozempic and Wegovy has already begun
Since July, state health plan members seeking drugs like Novo Nordisk’s Ozempic and Wegovy for weight loss must first take part in a clinical lifestyle management program called Flyte, which offers online tools for weight management. Participants can meet with…
Medicare Advantage plans under Congress’ microscope for care denials
“It was stunning how many times senators on both sides of the aisle kept linking constituent problems with denying authorizations for care,” Sen. Ron Wyden (D-Ore.) said in an interview, referring to a bevy of complaints from colleagues during a…