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Former Vice President Joe Biden has mentioned if he’s elected president he would construct on the Affordable Care Act somewhat than transfer to an entire new well being care system, such because the “Medicare for All” plan supported by a few of his main opponents for the Democratic nomination. But his marketing campaign’s new well being plan would come with many issues Congress tried and didn’t cross as a part of the well being legislation, together with a government-run “public option” plan that will be extensively accessible.
Meanwhile, the U.S. House voted to repeal one of many ACA’s key financing mechanisms, voting overwhelmingly to cancel the so-called “Cadillac tax,” which was set to take impact in 2022. It is a 40% excise tax on probably the most beneficiant employer-provided well being plans.
And it was not a great week for Planned Parenthood. The ladies’s well being supplier parted methods with its president of lower than a 12 months, Leana Wen. And the Trump administration introduced it will start enforcement of latest guidelines for the federal household planning program that Planned Parenthood mentioned will pressure it to cease collaborating.
This week’s panelists are Julie Rovner from Kaiser Health News, Joanne Kenen of Politico, Kimberly Leonard of the Washington Examiner and Margo Sanger-Katz of The New York Times.
Among the takeaways from this week’s podcast:
Biden’s well being proposal seeks to decrease out-of-pocket prices for many individuals in a number of methods. For instance, it will make federal premium assist accessible to all who purchase their very own insurance coverage, not simply these with low and center incomes. It would additionally change how federal premium subsidies are decided. It would base the help on the price of a gold plan, somewhat than the present follow of utilizing the second lowest priced silver plan. Since gold plans are extra beneficiant, utilizing that normal may decrease the quantity of deductibles and copayments individuals getting subsidies must pay. The ACA’s Cadillac tax has been strongly endorsed by well being economists, who view it as a method to lower the quantity of pointless care some individuals with beneficiant plans search. But many employers, customers and labor unions don’t wish to tinker with the present tax system of job-based insurance coverage. The administration’s resolution to go ahead with its new guidelines for the Title X household planning program — whereas critics are difficult these rules within the courts — could have a major impact on Planned Parenthood’s funds. But the group will get much more authorities cash by way of the Medicaid program. Despite two setbacks final week within the administration’s efforts to scale back drug costs, President Donald Trump is constant to trace that he needs to go ahead with a plan to tie some Medicare drug costs to what individuals in different nations pay for the medicines. Federal officers have introduced that opioid deaths have declined, however it isn’t clear that opioid overdoses or habit has declined.
Plus, for additional credit score, the panelists suggest their favourite well being coverage tales of the week they suppose it’s best to learn too:
Julie Rovner: The New York Times’s “Where Roe v Wade Matters Most,” by Quoctrung Bui, Claire Cain Miller and Margot Sanger-Katz.
Joanne Kenen: Scientific American’s “Why Doctors Are Drowning in Medical School Debt,” by Daniel Barron.
Margot Sanger-Katz: Bloomberg News’ “Deadly Disease Is Treatable, But Newborn Screening Patchwork Leaves Many Vulnerable,” by Michelle Cortez.
Kimberly Leonard: The Washingtonian’s “DC Types Have Been Flocking to Shrinks Ever Since Trump Won. And a Lot of the Therapists Are Miserable,” by Britt Peterson.
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Kaiser Health News (KHN) is a nationwide well being coverage information service. It is an editorially unbiased program of the Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation which isn’t affiliated with Kaiser Permanente.
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