Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
IVF Bill Again Blocked By Republicans; Competing Senate Measure Fails, Too
Reuters: US Senate IVF Bill Fails After Republicans Block It, Despite Trump Support
A U.S. Senate bill aimed at enshrining federal protections and expanding insurance coverage for fertility treatments failed on Tuesday, as Republicans voted against it days after Donald Trump surprised supporters by voicing support for such a policy. The bill failed 51-44, falling short of the required 60-vote threshold after most Republicans voted against it for the second time. Democrats control the chamber by a slim 51-49 margin. (Warburton, 9/18)
The Hill: Democrats Block Ted Cruz Attempt To Pass GOP IVF Bill
Democrats on Tuesday blocked an attempt by Republican Sens. Ted Cruz (Texas) and Katie Britt (Ala.) to pass a GOP in vitro fertilization (IVF) access bill through unanimous consent, repeating a similar showdown that occurred earlier this year. Cruz sought unanimous consent for the IVF Protection Act, which was blocked by Democrats in June at the same time their own IVF access bill, the Right to IVF Act, was blocked by Republicans. (Choi, 9/17)
Houston Chronicle: Houston Fertility Clinic Transferred Damaged Embryos, Lawsuit Says
Nicole and Agustin Alarcon began to worry they were doing something wrong after their third attempt at in vitro fertilization once again ended without a pregnancy. Then a doctor called them with a startling admission. The couple learned the embryos used in all three IVF cycles had been damaged earlier this year, but that a Houston fertility clinic opted to move forward with the transfers anyway, according to a lawsuit filed Monday in Harris County District Court. (MacDonald, 9/17)
On abortion —
AP: VP Says Woman's Death After Delayed Abortion Treatment Shows Consequences Of Trump's Actions
Vice President Kamala Harris said Tuesday that the death of a young Georgia mother who died after waiting 20 hours for a hospital to treat her complications from an abortion pill shows the consequences of Donald Trump’s actions. Amber Thurman’s death, first reported Monday by ProPublica, occurred just two weeks after Georgia’s strict abortion ban was enacted in 2022 following the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision to overturn nationwide abortion rights. Trump appointed three of the justices who made that decision and has repeatedly said he believes states should decide abortion laws. (Seitz, 9/17)
ProPublica: Candi Miller Died Afraid To Seek Care Amid Georgia’s Abortion Ban
A Georgia committee of experts in maternal health recently deemed Candi Miller’s death “preventable,” ProPublica has learned. The group, which includes 10 doctors, directly blamed the state’s abortion ban. (Surana, 9/18)
The Washington Post: Louisiana Hospitals And Pharmacists Prep For New Abortion Pills Rules
Staff in some Louisiana hospitals are doing timed drills, sprinting from patient rooms and through halls to the locked medicine closets where the drugs used for abortions, incomplete miscarriages and postpartum hemorrhaging will have to be kept — as newly categorized controlled substances — starting Oct. 1. That’s hardly the only preparation taking place across the state as a law targeting mifepristone and misoprostol, the first of its kind in the country, goes into effect in two weeks. (Wax-Thibodeaux, 9/17)
On maternal health —
Los Angeles Times: California Surgeon General Sets Goal Of Reducing Maternal Mortality By 50%
California’s surgeon general has unveiled an initiative to reduce maternal mortality and set a goal of halving the rate of deaths related to pregnancy and birth by December 2026. Health officials say that more than 80% of maternal deaths nationwide are preventable. California has achieved a much lower rate of such deaths than the U.S., but maternal mortality resurged in recent years amid the COVID-19 pandemic, state data show. (Alpert Reyes, 9/17)
KFF Health News: Arkansas’ Governor Says Medicaid Extension For New Moms Isn’t Needed
Arkansas is the only state that has not taken the step to expand what’s called postpartum Medicaid coverage, an option for states paid for almost entirely by the federal government that ensures poor women have uninterrupted health insurance for a year after they give birth. Forty-six states now have the provision, encouraged by the Biden administration, and Idaho, Iowa, and Wisconsin either have plans in place to enact legislation or have bills pending in their legislatures. (Varney, 9/18)
