September 15, 2022

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Senator Lindsey Graham, RS.C., this week put abortion back on the Republican agenda by introducing a bill calling for a nationwide ban on most abortions after 15 weeks of pregnancy. For many in his party, it was an unwelcome intervention that could increase public anxiety about the party’s efforts to limit access to abortion in the run-up to the midterm elections.

The World Health Organization hinted this week that the end of the covid-19 pandemic was in sight, but it ended up re-speculating how public health officials would react or their future plans. does not imply that there is

This week’s panelists are KHN’s Mary Agnes Carey, Stat’s Rachel Cohrs, CQ Roll Call’s Sandhya Raman and The New York Times’ Margot Sanger-Katz.

This week’s episode takeaways:

• Graham appeared to be trying to build consensus among conservatives on his bill. Confusion has arisen in some dangerous states about how stringent bans can be supported by legislators. Graham’s bill would allow states to enact more restrictive abortion laws, but limit efforts by more progressive states to keep third-trimester abortions legal. had the support of leading anti-abortion groups.
• For many Capitol Hill Republicans, it didn’t seem to matter. Conservatives have long argued that access to abortion should be a state decision.
• Graham’s announcement was an inconvenience to Republicans on Capitol Hill. While much of the political debate over access to abortion has focused on state elections, his bill allows Democrats to take issue in congressional elections as well.
• Anti-abortion groups say Graham’s initiative is a good first step toward setting national policy.
• In the past, polls show that the 15-week pregnancy ban was fairly popular with the public. It has been suggested that that may be changing as tragic stories emerge about pregnancies in which cervical cancer is discovered late or maternal health is compromised late in pregnancy.
• On the covid-19 front, World Health Organization Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus told reporters on Wednesday that the covid pandemic was not over, but he was optimistic about the fight against the virus. The end is in sight,” he said.
• His comments came after the Lancet Covid-19 Commission, a group of global health experts, accused the WHO, the US government and others of poor coordination in fighting the disease. rice field. And a report in Politico and German newspaper Welt looks at four of his non-governmental health organizations that have influenced the way the pandemic is tackled.
• Despite Adhanom Ghebreyesus’ comments, US public health officials are urging Americans to get another covid booster this fall. It points out that we may not be able to cope well with how to move from treating to an ongoing health threat.
• The outlook is also muddled, as the Biden administration has asked Congress for more money to continue funding vaccination and testing efforts, but Republicans in Congress seem unlikely to support the effort. They believe it’s time for the government to step back from its efforts and allow the regular healthcare industry to take over.
• The latest statistics from the Census Bureau show that the number of people without insurance is near record lows. But most experts believe that once the COVID-19 emergency is over, states will be allowed to readjust their Medicaid rolls again, with many of the federal states and state health programs covered during the pandemic. We are concerned because people could be excluded from government coverage.

Plus, as extra credit, panelists also recommended their favorite health policy articles of the week that they think you should read.

Mary Agnes Carey: KHN’s “Families of Longtime Residents Face Hard Choices as State Institutions Shut Down” by Tony Leys

Rachel Corres: Politico’s A New Approach to Domestic Violence by Joan Kennen

Sandhya Raman: The Philadelphia Inquirer, “Philly’s Children Grieve Alone From Widespread Trauma of Gun Violence, Advocates Say,” by Abraham Gutman

Margot Sanger-Kutz: According to The New York Times, “Despite their influence and widespread access to information, members of Congress can buy and sell stocks with few restrictions,” and “These 97 members of Congress are Reported on corporate deals impacted by association.” Kate Kelly, Adam Playford, Alicia Parlapiano

Also discussed in this week’s podcast:

Politico and Welt’s “How Bill Gates and Partners Used Their Leverage to Control the Global Covid Response—With Little Oversight” by Erin Banko, Ashley Furlong, and Lennart Farrar

Census Bureau, Income, Poverty, and Health Coverage in the United States: 2021

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