Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Biden May Extend Enrollment Window To Sign Up For ACA Health Plans
Bloomberg: Biden Considers Expanding Obamacare Enrollment Window Past May
The Biden administration is considering extending the special enrollment window for Americans to purchase Affordable Care Act health plans beyond its current expiration date of May 15, according to an administration official familiar with the situation. President Joe Biden ordered a new enrollment period from Feb. 15 to May 15, giving Americans a chance to purchase Obamacare health plans outside the usual year-end window. Meanwhile, the $1.9 trillion American Rescue Plan enacted last week includes subsidies to offset costs for buying the plans. (Wingrove and Tozzi, 3/17)
In news about the stimulus legislation —
Roll Call: Ohio Files Suit Over COVID Relief Package
Ohio filed a lawsuit Wednesday that questions congressional power to put certain conditions on federal assistance money in the $1.9 trillion COVID-19 relief that President Joe Biden signed into law last week. The state argues the law means it can claim about $5.5 billion, but only if officials agree that they won’t use that money to “directly or indirectly” offset revenue loss from tax reductions. That amount is about 7 percent of the state’s $74.6 billion in spending in 2020. (Ruger, 3/17)
Politico: Poll: 72 Percent Approve Of Covid Relief Law
The coronavirus relief and stimulus legislation signed into law by President Joe Biden last week is earning high marks from voters, according to a new POLITICO/Morning Consult poll. More than seven in 10 voters, 72 percent, support the new law, the poll shows — far greater than the paltry 21 percent who oppose it. (Shepard, 3/17)
KHN: Landmark Covid Relief Law Pumps More Than $100 Billion Into Public Health
Acknowledging that chronic underfunding of public health contributed significantly to the nation’s fragmented response to the coronavirus pandemic, Democrats included more than $100 billion in the recently enacted relief package to address urgent needs and enhance future efforts. “The pandemic has given us possibly the best chance we’ve ever had of getting on the right track to shore up our public health resources,” said Jeffrey Levi, a professor of health management at the George Washington University School of Public Health. “Tens of millions of us have directly experienced what happens when our country is not prepared.” (Findlay, 3/18)
In vaccine news from the Biden administration —
Bloomberg: Biden To Reach 100 Million Vaccinations Goal Six Weeks Early
President Joe Biden is poised to meet his goal of delivering 100 million Covid-19 vaccine shots in his first 100 days in office as soon as Thursday, reaching the milestone more than a month ahead of time. As of Wednesday, his 57th day in office, the U.S. had vaccinated nearly 98 million people since Biden’s inauguration. The pace of shots has risen to an average of nearly 2.5 million per day for the last week. (Wingrove, 3/18)
Politico: Vaccine Passports Pose Ethical Thicket For Biden Administration
States, airlines and tech companies are pressuring the Biden administration to develop a federal standard for vaccine passports — a policy that could speed the economic recovery but might also discriminate against disadvantaged groups and jeopardize privacy. Digital credentials showing proof of a person's Covid-19 test results and vaccination status are rapidly being embraced as a tool to redesign workplaces and jump start travel and tourism. New York State is trying out an “Excelsior Pass” to fast track reopening theaters and venues like Madison Square Garden. Hawai'i is developing a version that would let visitors skip the state's mandatory 10-day quarantine. (Tahir, 3/17)
