Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
A Health Care Election? Voters Say It's No Longer A Top Issue
Forbes: Voters Say Healthcare Not A Top Issue. Covid-19 Explains Why
In a striking departure from recent voting and polling trends, healthcare has tumbled to the 16th-most important problem facing Americans today, according to Gallup data released Friday. At first glance, this shift is bewildering, especially considering the central role healthcare played in the 2018, 2020 and 2022 election cycles. Americans now list the nation’s top problems as immigration (28%), the government (20%), the economy in general (12%), inflation (11%), poverty, hunger and homelessness (5%), unifying the country (4%), crime/violence (4%), and so on. ... Healthcare continues to be a pivotal issue, but its impact now permeates a broader array of societal concerns, reshaping our understanding of what constitutes a “healthcare issue.” (Pearl, 4/1)
The Washington Post: Obamacare Once Cost Democrats Elections. Now Biden’s Hoping To Win On It
President Biden and top Democrats have spent weeks mounting a full-scale blitz to tout the Affordable Care Act, including ads, social media posts, speeches — and a video that blasts rival Donald Trump for “running to ‘terminate’ the ACA.” Trump — who as president pushed to kill the law and last November reiterated that he wants to “replace” it — has angrily countered on social media that Biden “DISINFORMATES AND MISINFORMATES ALL THE TIME,” and that all Trump wants to do is make the 14-year-old law better. (Diamond, 3/30)
In other government news —
Axios: Russia Linked To U.S. Officials' "Havana Syndrome"
A joint media investigation into "Havana syndrome," a mysterious health condition that's affected U.S. diplomats and government officials, has found evidence that a Russian military assassination unit may be responsible. "60 Minutes" noted that the findings from its five-year probe with The Insider and Der Spiegel that Russia's GRU Unit 29155 may be behind the neurological symptoms marked the first evidence linking a foreign adversary to the cases. (Falconer, 3/31)
The Hill: In 2018, Republicans Accidentally Legalized Cannabis. Now 22 AGs Want Them To Undo It
A coalition of 22 state attorneys general is calling on Congress to address “the glaring vagueness” that has led to legal cannabis products being sold over the counter across the country — including sometimes from vending machines or online. A letter dated March 20 addresses the consequences of Republican lawmakers’ choice to legalize hemp production in the 2018 omnibus Farm Bill — a decision that perhaps inadvertently led to a multibillion-dollar market in intoxicating cannabis products that are arguably federally legal. (Elbein, 3/30)
The Texas Tribune: Migrants With Disabilities Struggle To Access U.S. Asylum System, Advocates Say
Migrants with disabilities can’t access the asylum system the way others can, according to a complaint that advocacy organizations filed against the U.S. Department of Homeland Security earlier this week. (Bohra, 3/29)
On the effort to lower the price of drugs —
CQ-Roll Call: Experts Say Medicaid Rebate Change Is Behind Inhaler Price Cuts
A recent tweak to a Medicaid formula could be behind the shake-up to inhaler products, a series of changes that have both benefited and harmed patients with asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, or COPD. (Clason, 3/29)
Military.com: More Specialty Drugs Cost Less With New Pharmacy's Addition To Tricare Home Delivery
Tricare beneficiaries with prescriptions for specialty drugs can now get more of them at the lower copays of Tricare Home Delivery with the addition of Accredo, a specialty pharmacy, to the program. Two pharmacies, Express Scripts and Accredo, are now part of Tricare Home Delivery. Defense Health Agency officials confirmed that some users will have mail-order prescriptions with both Express Scripts and Accredo if they have both non-specialty and specialty prescriptions. (Miller, 3/29)
