Biden Moves Slowly On Canadian Drug Importation

Axios: Biden Administration Sides With States In Canadian Drug Import Lawsuit 
The Biden administration filed a motion in federal court on Friday to dismiss a lawsuit looking to prevent the import of Canadian prescription drugs, which have lower prices because the country limits how much drugmakers can charge. By moving to toss the U.S. drug companies' lawsuit, the White House is siding with Florida and New Mexico, states that are applying to import Canadian prescriptions, Politico reports. (Gonzalez, 5/29)

KHN: Biden Administration Signals It’s In No Rush To Allow Canadian Drug Imports 
The Biden administration said Friday it has no timeline on whether it will allow states to import drugs from Canada, an effort that was approved under President Donald Trump as a key strategy to control costs. Six states have passed laws to start such programs, and Florida, Colorado and New Mexico are the furthest along in plans to get federal approval. (Galewitz, 5/28)

In updates on Biden's proposed budget plan —

NPR: Biden's Budget Removes A Longstanding Ban On Abortion Funding
President Biden's budget proposal fulfills a campaign promise to remove a longstanding ban on federal funding for most abortions known as the Hyde Amendment. The budget plan, released late last week, would drop the policy which has restricted funding for abortion through federal programs such as Medicaid. The rule, in effect since 1980, includes exceptions in cases of rape, incest, or to save a pregnant woman's life. Biden has been under pressure from progressive Democrats to reverse Hyde, which reproductive rights groups say disproportionately harms low-income women and people of color. (McCammon, 5/31)

Axios: Biden Budget Overturns Decades-Old Ban On Federal Funds For Abortions 
President Biden’s proposed 2022 budget lifts a decades-old ban on federal funding for most abortions. Presidential budgets rarely survive intact even with broad support within the party, but they are a reflection of a given administration’s priorities. Many Republicans and some Democrats will push to keep the amendment, named after the late Republican Rep. Henry Hyde of Illinois. It became law in 1976 and has been renewed every year since. But House Appropriations Committee Chairwoman Rosa DeLauro (D-Conn.) has said this is one of her priorities. (5/29)

Modern Healthcare: Biden Budget Boosts Funds For Health, Pandemic Preparedness
President Joe Biden's proposed budget requests a 23% funding increase for HHS and urges Congress to take action on high drug costs while expanding and improving health coverage. The fiscal 2022 budget plan reiterates Biden's calls on Congress to pass legislation allowing the federal government to negotiate for lower prices on drugs covered by Medicare, reducing deductibles in ACA plans, improving Medicare benefits to include dental, hearing and vision, creating a public option, lowering the Medicare eligibility age and closing the Medicaid coverage gap in non-expansion states. (Hellmann, 5/28)

Politico: New Attention On Abortion Pill Dispensing Amid Challenge To Roe V. Wade
The Supreme Court’s decision to take a Mississippi case that poses a direct challenge to Roe. v. Wade has raised the stakes for the Biden administration’s newly launched review of restrictions on abortion pills, which could dramatically expand access to the procedure. A ruling for Mississippi, which is petitioning for the right to ban abortion after 15 weeks of pregnancy, would allow states to implement restrictions farther-reaching than any seen in decades, abortion-rights advocates say. Texas, Idaho, Oklahoma and South Carolina moved this year to ban abortions after six weeks of pregnancy, with similar limits pending in several other Republican-led states. (Ollstein, 5/31)