Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Biden Budget Also Takes On Hep C And Cancer Moonshot
Stat: An $11 Billion White House Plan To End Hepatitis C
The Biden administration is calling on Congress to fund a more than $11 billion program to eliminate hepatitis C in the United States. It’s a significant price tag for a single line in the broader budget request; while the $11 billion ask would cover five years of the new initiative, it still dwarfs the annual budget request for the entire Food and Drug Administration, at $7.2 billion. The annual request for the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration also comes in below the hepatitis C topline, at $10.8 billion. (Florko, 3/9)
Los Angeles Times: Biden Seeks Billions To Stop A Killer: Hepatitis C
White House officials said the medicines can now cost roughly $20,000 per patient, but researchers have found curing patients can ultimately save money that would later be spent treating liver ailments. One recent study of the Veterans Affairs system concluded that treating each hepatitis C patient would save more than $62,000 over time, resulting in billions in savings for the system. The Biden administration argued that its plan would reduce Medicaid spending by “hundreds of millions of dollars” annually by 2032. (Alpert Reyes, 3/9)
On the cancer 'moonshot' —
AP: Biden To Seek More Than $2.8B From Congress For Cancer Fight
President Joe Biden is asking Congress for more than $2.8 billion in the federal budget he’s sending to Capitol Hill on Thursday to help advance his cancer-fighting goals. More than half of the money, $1.7 billion, would go to the Department of Health and Human Services to support the Democratic president’s cancer initiatives across an array of departments and agencies, according to White House officials, who spoke on the condition of anonymity to share details with The Associated Press before Biden formally unveils his spending blueprint later Thursday in Philadelphia. (Superville, 3/9)
Stat: Biden Requests Big Cancer Research Spending Bump
President Biden is banking on longtime bipartisan interest in eliminating cancer deaths to secure some of his most significant health spending increases for next year. In a long-awaited 2024 budget proposal released Thursday, the president asked for a combined $3.6 billion over the next few years to be channeled to the Cancer Moonshot, a mission to end cancer that he first launched as vice president in 2016, less than a year after his son Beau’s death from brain cancer. (Owermohle, 3/9)
On pandemic funding —
Stat: Biden Requests $20B Cash Infusion To Bolster Public Health
The Biden administration is calling for a big boost for public health funding across the federal health department, but left out specific funding for Covid-19 activities. In its budget request to Congress on Thursday, the White House asked for $20 billion over five years to support pandemic preparedness efforts at the Administration for Strategic Preparedness and Response, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Institutes of Health, and the Food and Drug Administration. The request aligns with the White House’s National Biodefense Plan. (Cohrs, 3/9)
On programs for children and families —
Reuters: Analysis: Why Biden's Child Programs Likely Won't Go Anywhere
U.S. President Joe Biden's budget proposal, released on Thursday, envisions a dramatic expansion of the federal safety net for children and families. Unlike programs that benefit older Americans, it stands little chance of gaining traction. Biden's fellow Democrats widely back his family-focused proposals: Tax credits, free preschool, subsidies for child care and paid family leave. But Democrats failed to pass them into law when they controlled both chambers of Congress last year, and Republicans who now control the House of Representatives are considering steep cuts to existing family programs. (Sullivan, 3/9)
Newsweek: Biden Wants To Send Americans More Checks
Under Biden's proposed budget, the American Rescue Plan's Child Tax Credit would be restored in full to its 2021 amount. According to a fact sheet provided by the White House, the tax credit cut child poverty in half in 2021, and if approved, would expand the credit to $3,000 per child, an increase of $1,000. Parents with children under the age of 6 would see an even bigger credit, with $3,600 proposed. (Skinner, 3/9)
