Comment Happy Congress-back on Monday, everyone. On our radar this morning: The Food and Drug Administration will receive its first over-the-counter birth control application today (h/t NYT). Today’s Edition: A deep dive into Biden’s two-week scramble to respond to Supreme Court reversal Roe v. Wade. The risk of re-infection of Covid-19 is increased due to the BA.5 subvariant. But first…
Medicare solvency and drug prices have room in the Democrats’ economic package The race to pass a long-term economic package this month is underway. Momentum — and optimism — has been building in recent weeks as party leaders try to broker a compromise with Sen. Joe Manchin (DW.Va.) on a package that could hit the floor before the August recess. . Several key health issues remain unresolved, though Senate Democrats recently secured deals on efforts to lower seniors’ prescription drug prices and improve Medicare’s financial health. For months, there has been growing concern among Democrats and supporters about what failure to pass such a package could mean for the party in the midterm elections. Any such bill would be much smaller than the roughly $2 trillion package the House passed last fall, but party leaders are eager to give their members a victory to return to voters before November. Today, we’re evaluating the status of several potential health care components of the package. Resolved: A plan to strengthen Medicare’s solvency Manchin has expressed concern about the program’s shaky financial outlook for seniors and people with disabilities. Last week, Senate Democrats finalized a plan intended to assuage some of Manchin’s concerns, a key piece to getting a revamped package to the finish line, our colleague Tony Rohm reported. Democrats aim to impose taxes on high-income Americans, who would pay a 3.8 percent tax if they own a type of business called a pass-through. That would close a tax loophole that Democrats decry and help preserve a critical Medicare trust fund through 2031. On the move: Democrats’ drug pricing proposal In a sign of renewed momentum around the package, Senate Democrats sent a new version of the party’s drug pricing bill to the Senate last week. That’s a critical piece of the reconciliation puzzle, as the congressman serves as an arbiter of which policies can be included in the quick budget maneuver Democrats want to use to pass their economic plan without GOP votes. Manchin has consistently advocated allowing Medicare to negotiate drug prices, which also serves as a key payment method for the financial package. The new drug pricing deal would reduce the deficit by nearly $288 billion over a decade, according to a Congressional Budget Office analysis released Friday. NEW: For the first time in months, Democrats see hope for a spending deal with Manchin as Congress returns. It won’t be easy and they may stumble again, but they will try in July. Our preview: https://t.co/u0Dy2rH4x5 — Tony Romm (@TonyRomm) July 10, 2022 Unresolved: An extension of enhanced Obamacare subsidies Longtime Democrats are urging the party to avoid a major headache during the midterm elections. Millions of Americans could soon learn that their health insurance premiums will rise significantly if Democrats fail to extend enhanced Obamacare subsidies that are set to expire at the end of the year. Manchin has privately rejected initial plans to extend financial aid, Tony reports, although there is talk of reducing eligibility for tax credits based on a person’s income. Unclear: A proposal to close the Medicaid coverage gap Medicaid advocates are trying to ensure the inclusion of a plan to expand the safety net program in a dozen states where GOP officials have long rejected Obamacare’s Medicaid expansion. But it’s unclear whether such a policy will make it into the package, as Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (DN.Y.) and Manchin continue to haggle over other unrelated policies. Manchin has long said he would not support legislation with a large price tag. Some policy advocates are heightening the urgency in light of the Supreme Court’s reversal Roe v. Wade. Protect Our Care — a Democratic-aligned group — plans to issue memos on Capitol Hill this week on the need to extend Obamacare’s enhanced tax credits and close the Medicaid coverage gap, arguing that both are key to help women access other reproductive and maternity care.
Abortion bans combined with a lack of Medicaid expansion “impact women of color and their families, leaving them without coverage and at risk for serious birth outcomes,” the group wrote in one of the memos shared with The Health 202. Meanwhile … five prominent groups — including the Leadership Conference on Human Rights and the NAACP — wrote a letter to Democratic leaders last week with a similar message.
Larry Levitt, of the Kaiser Family Foundation: Expanding ACA help to avoid a premium shock is getting more attention. However, coverage of people in poverty in states that have not expanded Medicaid under the ACA is also an issue. https://t.co/TvI1tQH07F — Larry Levitt (@larry_levitt) July 7, 2022
📅 See what else we’re watching this congressional work session This is the first week lawmakers will be back after the Supreme Court’s reversal Roe. The House is set to vote this week on legislation to protect the right to travel out of state for an abortion. And parliament will also vote on the Women’s Health Protection Act — a bill to be codified Roeof the federal law that Parliament already passed in September.
Why another vote? The rationale, according to a senior Democratic adviser: It shows House Democrats’ commitment to abortion rights, while “more reports[ing] House GOP extremism,” as Republicans will almost certainly vote against the measure amid conservative states enacting abortion bans.
Can the Senate Pass a Bipartisan Insulin Bill? The insulin measures were taken from Democrats’ broader drug pricing proposal, such as a $35 monthly cap on the lifesaving drug for patients with private insurance or Medicare. This comes amid a push to pass bipartisan insulin legislation by Sens. Jeanne Shaheen (DN.H.) and Susan Collins (R-Maine).
An aide to Shaheen said they expect action on the legislation this work session. However, the pair face an uphill battle in trying to secure the support of 10 Republicans.
Schumer has tested positive for the coronavirus and will work remotely this week as lawmakers return from a two-week recess. He has been vaccinated and had two booster shots and has “very mild” symptoms, according to a spokesman. “Anyone who knows Leader Schumer knows that even if he is not physically at the Capitol, through virtual meetings and his trademark cell phone, he will continue with his robust schedule and remain in near-constant contact with his colleagues,” said representative, Justin Goodman. in a statement.
Inside the response of the White House Roe Our colleagues Ashley Parker, Yasmeen Abutaleb and Tyler Pager spoke to 26 senior White House officials, Democratic lawmakers, abortion rights activists, Democratic strategists and other Biden allies to piece together what he looked like inside the White House as Roe v. Wade overturned. Officials took a cautious approach, staying away from any responses that could be legally vulnerable, but disappointing progressive activists, who were deeply unhappy with what they saw as a cowardly response to a monumental moment:
In a call with activists hours after the ruling, administration officials reiterated promises Biden had made earlier in the day, including making abortion pills available and protecting women who cross state lines. It was not the fiery call to action and detailed road map that activists had hoped for. White House officials have evaluated a proposal to build abortion clinics on federal lands. But they found that while they could protect federal employees who used that option, they couldn’t protect other women or providers when they left federal land, putting them at legal risk. Some in the White House and the Department of Health and Human Services supported the idea of declaring a public health emergency, but other aides and agency officials warned it could backfire.
But … Biden told reporters yesterday that he is considering declaring abortion access a public health emergency, The Post’s Matt Viser reports. Nancy Cook, White House Correspondent for Bloomberg News: NEWS: Just before his bike ride, the president stopped to speak and said he had asked his administration to consider the possibility of a public health emergency for abortion access again, and said he had not yet made a decision on tariffs in China. (He and his assistants had a meeting about the invoices Friday) pic.twitter.com/UIGlf4ysX0 — Nancy Cook (@nancook) July 10, 2022 White House communications director Kate Bedingfield appeared to hit back at the criticism in this statement, provided to our colleagues: “Joe Biden’s goal to meet Dobbs it is not to satisfy some activists who have been firmly out of step with the Democratic Party mainstream. It’s about reaching out to women at risk and gathering a broad-based coalition to defend a woman’s right to choose now, just as she gathered such a coalition to win during the 2020 campaign,” she said. The White House began planning a possible coup Roe last summer Ashley, Yasmeen and Tyler write. Biden appointed Jennifer Klein, director of the Gender Policy Council, and White House counsel Dana Remus to lead a response team.
As BA.5 predominates, the risk of reinfection increases The latest omicron subvariant, BA.5, is driving a wave of cases across the country because of its ambiguity when dealing with the human immune system, The Post’s Joel Achenbach reports.
