Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Biden Hints At 14th Amendment Debt Limit Strategy
The Hill: Biden Says He Thinks He Has Authority To Use 14th Amendment On Debt Ceiling
President Biden on Sunday said he believes he has the authority to use the 14th Amendment to unilaterally address the debt ceiling, but he acknowledged potential legal challenges could still lead the nation to default if he went that route. “I’m looking at the 14th Amendment as to whether or not we have the authority — I think we have the authority,” Biden told reporters at a press conference in Hiroshima, Japan. (Samuels, 5/21)
The Hill: McCarthy Says Biden Call On Debt Limit ‘Productive,’ Leaders To Meet Monday
Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) said on Sunday that a call he had with President Biden about the debt limit and looming default earlier in the day was “productive” and that the pair will meet in-person on Monday upon the president’s return from Japan. “I believe it was a productive phone call,” McCarthy told reporters, noting that Biden had spoken to him from Air Force One. (Mueller, 5/21)
NPR: These Are The People Who Will Be Impacted By A U.S. Debt Default
Veterans, seniors and government employees: These are just some of the people who stand to be impacted if Congress fails to raise the debt ceiling. Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen warns that without additional borrowing authority, the U.S. could run short of cash to pay its bills as early as June 1. ... It would also be felt very directly by ordinary people. (Horsley, 5/22)
On drug prices —
The Hill: Drug Price Caps In Inflation Reduction Act Exacerbating Shortages, Gottlieb Says
Former Food and Drug Administration (FDA) Commissioner Scott Gottlieb said on Sunday that drug price caps in the Inflation Reduction Act are exacerbating drug shortages. “The features under the Inflation Reduction Act will exacerbate this problem, because it’ll prevent these generic manufacturers from being able to take price increases,” Gottlieb, who now serves on the board of Pfizer, told CBS’ “Face the Nation.” (Shapero, 5/21)
KFF Health News: Are US Prescription Drug Prices 10 Times Those Of Other Nations? Only Sometimes
Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), whether in Congress or as a presidential candidate, has always taken strong positions against the high cost of prescription drugs. Since becoming the chair of the influential Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee this year, he’s made lowering drug costs a top priority. It’s therefore not surprising that the senator would, during a recent Sunday morning TV interview, rail against high drug prices in the United States and compare what Americans pay with what people in other countries must fork over. (Andrews, 5/19)
In other health care news from the Biden administration —
AP: Death Of 8-Year-Old Girl In Border Patrol Custody Highlights Challenges Providing Medical Care
The recent deaths of an 8-year-old Panamanian girl and 17-year-old boy from Honduras who were under U.S. government supervision have again raised questions about how prepared authorities are to handle medical emergencies suffered by migrants arriving in the U.S., especially as agencies struggle with massive overcrowding at facilities along the southern border. (Spagat, 5/22)
