Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Republicans Block Efforts To Cap Insulin Prices For Most Americans
CNN: Democrats Lose Effort To Cap Insulin At $35 For Most Americans Before Passage Of Senate Reconciliation Bill
Senate Democrats failed to realize their longstanding goal of lowering the price of insulin for the more than 150 million Americans with private health insurance. The party had pushed to include a measure in their climate and health care package that passed the chamber Sunday that would place a $35 cap on insulin for those on Medicare and with private coverage. (Luhby, 8/7)
Stat: Democrats Dramatically Narrow Their Ambitions For Lowering Insulin Costs
Democrats’ high hopes to lower insulin costs for patients with insurance got downsized on Sunday, and now only Medicare patients will see relief at the pharmacy counter. (Cohrs, 8/7)
Bloomberg: GOP Strips Insulin Out-Of-Pocket Cap From Bill: ‘Republicans Have Just Gone On The Record In Favor Of Expensive Insulin’
Waiving the rules required 60 votes to succeed. Seven Republicans sided with Democrats to keep the insulin cap in the bill, but that was not enough. Democrats plan to use the GOP move to strip the insulin cap in the fall midterm campaigns. Many in the GOP supported an amendment from Louisiana Senator John Kennedy to instead provide government funding to subsidize insulin purchases for low income individuals. (8/7)
ABC News: Republicans Strip $35 Insulin Price Cap From Democrats' Bill -- But Insist Senate Rules Are To Blame
The cap's scrapping was quickly seized on by Democrats and stirred controversy beyond them, with critics of the GOP citing the sometimes startling cost of needed insulin for diabetics. Republicans, in turn, accused Democrats of being misleading about a vote that they said amounted to a technicality rather than a policy difference. (Axelrod, 8/7)
The Hill: These Seven GOP Senators Voted To Keep $35 Insulin Cap In Reconciliation Bill
Seven Republican senators voted with all 50 Democrats to maintain a $35 monthly cap on the price of insulin in the Democrats’ $700 billion climate, health and tax reconciliation bill. The measure targeting people not covered by Medicare was ultimately blocked from being included in the Inflation Reduction Act when it fell three votes short of the 60 required to override a ruling from the Senate parliamentarian. (Mueller, 8/7)
