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Click on right here for a transcript of the episode.
With these on either side of the abortion debate anticipating that the Supreme Court docket this yr will weaken or overturn Roe v. Wade, which established the best to the process, activists are arguing about how finest to proceed. The Biden administration has to date averted a lot point out of the divisive concern, whereas anti-abortion forces disagree on whether or not to attempt to ban abortion on the state degree in a single step, or extra regularly.
In the meantime, tens of millions of People who’ve been lined by the Medicaid program because the pandemic struck are susceptible to dropping that protection when the federal authorities ends the declared covid-19 “public well being emergency,” probably later this yr.
This week’s panelists are Julie Rovner of KHN, Alice Miranda Ollstein of Politico, Shefali Luthra of The nineteenth, and Rachana Pradhan of KHN.
Among the many takeaways from this week’s episode:
- The Senate is scheduled to vote Feb. 28 on the Ladies’s Well being Safety Act, which might codify the best to an abortion into federal legislation and proceed these protections if the Supreme Court docket had been to upend its Roe v. Wade determination, which legalized abortion nationwide. It isn’t anticipated to get the 60 votes essential to go, however Senate Democratic leaders wish to get all senators on the document on the problem earlier than the midterm elections.
- President Joe Biden will ship his State of the Union speech on March 1 earlier than Congress. Though he’s certain to stipulate home priorities, the Russian invasion of Ukraine is more likely to loom massive and make nationwide safety a key matter.
- Even with what might be a pivotal Supreme Court docket determination on abortion rights probably this yr, it might be a shock if Biden utters the phrase “abortion” within the speech. He has not carried out so publicly since taking workplace, though he has spoken about Roe v. Wade.
- The American public is usually confused in regards to the Roe ruling. Many individuals comprehend it affected abortion rights however don’t essentially know what would occur if the choice had been to be overturned.
- Lawmakers in key Republican states — Arizona, Florida, and West Virginia — are rewriting their abortion legal guidelines on the idea that the justices would possibly overturn or slender the protections from the 1972 Roe determination. However as an alternative of copying the extremely publicized Texas legislation that bans abortions after six weeks, they’re copying Mississippi’s legislation that will ban abortions after 15 weeks. The Supreme Court docket is predicted to rule on that state legislation later this yr.
- At the same time as states attempt to restrict abortion entry, different nations are loosening their requirements, particularly in Latin America. Colombia grew to become the most recent nation to take action. It follows strikes in recent times by Argentina and Mexico.
- The Biden administration has not but signaled when it is going to finish the covid public well being emergency designation. When it does occur, large confusion round Medicaid enrollment is more likely to come up. Through the emergency, the federal authorities has given states further Medicaid funding, however in return it has forbidden them from eradicating anybody from the medical insurance program designed for individuals with low incomes. When the emergency ends, states might want to evaluation their large membership rolls and confirm who’s eligible. Some advocates for Medicaid members are afraid that folks pushed off this system might not simply discover different insurance coverage.
- State efforts to roll again covid precautions, together with masks mandates, is probably not absolutely supported by public opinion. Polls have discovered that the general public is mostly in favor of masks mandates to assist cease the unfold of the virus that causes the illness. These rollback efforts — endorsed in latest weeks by many Democratic officers — could also be propelled by enterprise supporters involved in regards to the pandemic’s long-term financial impression.
- Democrats are arguing amongst themselves about the way forward for a Medicare “direct contracting” demonstration program that some say threatens to denationalise this system’s conventional “fee-for-service” plan. Others say this system may assist Medicare enhance the worth of the care it supplies.
Additionally this week, Rovner interviews KHN’s Jay Hancock, who reported and wrote the most recent KHN-NPR “Invoice of the Month” installment about new child twins, their keep in a neonatal intensive care unit, and the declare by the household’s insurer that the care didn’t represent an emergency. In case you have an outrageous medical invoice you’d prefer to share with us, you are able to do that right here.
Plus, for further credit score, the panelists advocate their favourite well being coverage tales of the week they assume you must learn, too:
Julie Rovner: The Scientist’s “Robert Malone Targets Doctor Who Alerted Medical Board to Misinformation,” by Catherine Offord
Alice Miranda Ollstein: The New York Occasions’ “A Key to Returning to Regular Is Paid Sick Depart, Democrats Say,” by Claire Cain Miller
Shefali Luthra: KHN’s “Different States Preserve Watchful Eye on Snags in Washington’s Pioneering Public-Choice Plan,” by Markian Hawryluk
Rachana Pradhan: KHN’s “’Injections, Injections, Injections’: Troubling Questions Observe Closure of Sprawling Ache Clinic Chain,” by Anna Maria Barry-Jester and Jenny Gold
Additionally mentioned on this week’s podcast:
KHN’s “Covid Nonetheless Threatens Hundreds of thousands of People. Why Are We So Desirous to Transfer On?” by Victoria Knight
The Washington Submit’s “Hong Kong’s ‘Zero Covid’ Days Are Over. However The place’s the Exit Plan?” by Keith B. Richburg
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KHN (Kaiser Well being Information) is a nationwide newsroom that produces in-depth journalism about well being points. Along with Coverage Evaluation and Polling, KHN is among the three main working applications at KFF (Kaiser Household Basis). KFF is an endowed nonprofit group offering info on well being points to the nation.
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