Gregg's Top Three Health Policy Articles

Health policy impacts everyone, but it can be hard to know what is important. If you can only read three things about health policy this week, I suggest...

The Top Three...

Politico: Biden Expands Window To Try And Keep Millions More Low-Income Americans Insured President Joe Biden is widening a critical window for low-income Americans to join Obamacare, in a move aimed at reinforcing a central element of his reelection bid: That he presided over a historic expansion of health care coverage. Tens of millions of people eliminated from Medicaid would now have until Nov. 30 to sign up for new coverage under a plan to be announced Thursday by the Department of Health and Human Services and first shared with POLITICO — an extension from the July 31 deadline initially set for the special enrollment period. (Cancryn, 3/28)

The New York Times: Biden Administration Finalizes Rule Curbing Use Of Short-Term Health Plans The Biden administration announced on Thursday that it had finalized a new regulation that curbs the use of short-term health insurance plans that do not comply with the Affordable Care Act, reversing a move by the Trump administration to give consumers more access to cheaper but skimpier plans. Under the new rule, the short-term plans will be able to last for only 90 days, with an option for a one-month extension. (Weiland, 3/28)

AP: Supreme Court Could Leave Current Abortion Medication Rules In Place The Supreme Court on Tuesday seemed likely to preserve access to a medication that was used in nearly two-thirds of all abortions in the U.S. last year, in the court’s first abortion case since conservative justices overturned Roe v. Wade two years ago. In nearly 90 minutes of arguments, a consensus appeared to emerge that the abortion opponents who challenged the FDA’s approval of the medication, mifepristone, and subsequent actions to ease access to it, lack the legal right or standing to sue. (Sherman, 3/26)

For a Deeper Dive...

Axios: Government Spending Deal Keeps Health Programs Near Status Quo The latest government funding deal wasn't just stripped of big health policy changes — it also lacks significant raises for a host of federal health agencies. (Knight and Sullivan, 3/22)

Fortune: Is Medicare Keeping Pace With Our Aging Population? Experts Say 'We Need To Double Down And Go Faster' Americans are living longer than they did in 1965, when Medicare was established. Back then, average U.S. life expectancy was about 70; today it’s about 77 and a half—down slightly from a pre-pandemic high of nearly 79. ... That also means needing Medicare benefits for another 20 years. ... But Medicare was never designed to help us live this long, and services have sometimes been slow to adjust to the needs of the aging population, say some experts. (Seegert, 3/26)

AP: Biden And Harris Argue That Democrats Will Preserve Health Care And Republicans Would Take It Away President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris on Tuesday promoted their health care agenda in the battleground state of North Carolina, arguing that Democrats like themselves would preserve access to care while Republicans would reverse gains made over the past decade and a half. ... Republicans have opposed Biden’s signature initiatives to lower medical costs, and they’ve seized opportunities to restrict abortion rights after the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade. (Megerian, 3/27)

KFF Health News: The Burden Of Getting Medical Care Can Exhaust Older Patients Susanne Gilliam, 67, was walking down her driveway to get the mail in January when she slipped and fell on a patch of black ice. Pain shot through her left knee and ankle. After summoning her husband on her phone, with difficulty she made it back to the house. And then began the run-around that so many people face when they interact with America’s uncoordinated health care system. (Graham, 3/27)

Modern Healthcare: How FDA Approval Could Jumpstart AI Use In Medical Devices When it comes to commercializing artificial intelligence solutions, many digital health companies face a long road that runs directly through Silver Spring, Maryland. Silver Spring is the headquarters of the Food and Drug Administration, the agency providing clearances, designations and approvals for an increasing number of AI-enabled medical device and software products. (Perna, 3/22)

You Might Also Enjoy...

JAMA: Early Lessons From State-Based Public Option Plans. LJ Chen

JAMA: The Subjective Interpretation of the Medical Evidence. H Bauchner, JPA Laonnidis

For the Visual Among Us...

A few years ago I started a weekly e-mail for friends and colleagues who want to keep up on major federal health policy developments but did not have time to plod through all the minutiae--they were busy doing important things like running organizations and taking care of patients! Much to my surprise, it became pretty popular. I have now converted to a weekly newsletter format so you can manage your own subscription preferences and forward to others that might be interested.

These summaries represent my judgement on health policy issues that may not on the front pages, but are relevant to clinicians, administrators, and educators. I monitor many news sources and clipping services to identify content for this newsletter and I try hard to be as factual, balanced, and non-partisan as possible. While the articles are written by others (with credit attributed), the choice of what to include is entirely mine. If you are interested in receiving a daily summary of health policy news, you might consider signing up for the KHN Morning Briefing. If you enjoy podcasts, I suggest What the Health? and Tradeoffs.

-Gregg S. Margolis, PhD