Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Democratic Lawmakers Aim For Paid Time Off Following A Pregnancy Loss
Axios: Democratic Lawmakers Push Paid Leave For Pregnancy Loss
Democratic lawmakers on Thursday introduced legislation that would require employers to provide at least seven days of paid time off following a pregnancy loss. Miscarriages are common, occurring in an estimated 10% to 20% of known pregnancies. While more employers are offering paid leave following a pregnancy loss, there's no national paid leave program. (Goldman, 10/26)
In abortion news —
AP: Abortion Rights Supporters Far Outraise Opponents And Rake In Out-Of-State Money In Ohio Election
Supporters of a ballot measure that would enshrine abortion rights in the Ohio Constitution far outraised their anti-abortion opponents in the months leading up to the November election, bringing in nearly $29 million from donors since Sept. 8, the campaign’s latest filings show. The effort against Issue 1, which would amend the constitution to protect abortion rights, raised just under $10 million in the same period, according to Thursday’s filings. (Swenson, 10/26)
St. Louis Public Radio: Lawsuit Calls Wording And Fiscal Notes For Abortion-Rights Ballot Initiatives Unfair
A group seeking to scale back Missouri’s ban on most abortions is suing over how Secretary of State Jay Ashcroft described the measures and how much state Auditor Scott Fitzpatrick estimated they could cost. The Missouri Women and Family Research Fund filed six initiatives earlier this year that would allow for abortions in the case of rape, incest, fatal fetal abnormalities or risks to health or safety of a mother. Several also would allow abortions up to 12 weeks of pregnancy. (Rosenbaum, 10/26)
Axios: Republicans, Democrats Seek New Abortion Labels Ahead Of 2024 Race
"Pro-life" and "pro-choice" — decades-old labels around abortion in the U.S. — are rapidly losing favor among lawmakers and advocates. Abortion rights are set to remain a major issue in the 2024 election and helped Democrats avoid sizeable losses in last year's midterms. (Daher, 10/27)
Related abortion news from Capitol Hill —
Politico: Newly United House GOP Faces Abortion Policy Divide
Newly elected speaker Mike Johnson will swiftly face a test of his ability to resolve an intense intra-GOP fight. A majority of the House Republican conference backs a provision in the food and agriculture funding bill that would ban mail delivery of abortion pills nationwide, with some hard-liners even pledging to oppose any version without it. But a handful of Republican centrists who face tough reelection bids next year say federal curbs on mifepristone, a widely used abortion pill, are “a non-starter.” (Ollstein and Hill, 10/26)
Stat: Breaking Down House Speaker Mike Johnson's Health Care Plan
At long last, Republicans have ended a grueling three-week odyssey and chosen a new leader: newly elected House Speaker Mike Johnson. Johnson led the Republican Study Committee, which is responsible for putting out policy ideas, from 2019 to 2021. During that time, the panel released a health care plan. There’s no reason to believe that Johnson would push to implement this outline anytime soon (he’s got a full plate with simply keeping the government open), but it may be a helpful barometer for where he stands. (Cohrs, 10/26)
KFF Health News: The New Speaker’s (Limited) Record On Health
After nearly a month of bickering, House Republicans finally elected a new speaker: Louisiana Republican Rep. Mike Johnson, a relative unknown to many. And while Johnson has a long history of opposition to abortion and LGBTQ+ rights, his positions on other health issues are still a bit of a question mark. Meanwhile, a new study found that in the year following the overturn of Roe v. Wade, the number of abortions actually rose, particularly in states adjacent to those that now have bans or severe restrictions. (10/26)
