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A majority of the members of the Supreme Court seemed sympathetic Wednesday during arguments to Mississippi鈥檚 assertion that the landmark Roe v. Wade decision, which legalized the procedure throughout the country, was wrongly decided.
The arguments before the justices did not deal directly with the state鈥檚 ban on abortions after six weeks. Instead, they centered on the unique mechanism in the law that gives state officials no role in enforcing the ban.
The Supreme Court justices, who accepted the case only 10 days before the arguments will be made, may skirt the issue of abortion and concentrate instead on the legality of the law鈥檚 unusual tack to let private citizens enforce it.
Dr. Francis Collins, who announced he is stepping down as chief of the National Institutes of Health, used his communication skills and political insights to help protect the highly acclaimed federal research institutes through difficult times.
Capitol Hill lawmakers mobilize to support a bill that would write abortion protections into federal law. Unlikely to succeed, the exercise follows a tactic that proved unsuccessful in 1992.
When the program began half a century ago, backers believed the benefits would expand over time, but politics and concerns about money have stymied most efforts. Now congressional Democrats are looking to add vision, dental and hearing care.
In an interview for KHN鈥檚 鈥淲hat the Health?鈥 podcast, HHS Secretary Xavier Becerra says the administration is eager for Congress to make changes to Medicare that will provide more benefits and make more older adults eligible for the program. He also said a priority will be making permanent the enhanced premium subsidies for Affordable Care Act marketplace plans.
The president, one of the last of a disappearing group of politicians who sought moderate compromises on abortion policy, is frustrating supporters. They wanted faster changes in federal rules. But abortion opponents 鈥 including Catholic bishops鈥 are also taking him to task.
Justices rule that Republican state officials and individuals did not have standing when they brought a suit arguing that a change in the tax penalty for not having insurance invalidated the historic health care law.
Chiquita Brooks-LaSure, the new head of the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, said the administration will focus on getting more people insured and is interested in finding a way to alleviate the gap keeping low-income families in states that haven鈥檛 expanded Medicaid from enrolling in Affordable Care Act health plans.
After a year of uncharacteristically being on the same page when it comes to health care, Democratic lawmakers are at loggerheads about what to do next. Most agree the time is ripe to tackle high drug prices. But they divide over whether to take savings from that to move to a 鈥楳edicare for All鈥 insurance system, enhance the current Medicare program or strengthen benefits under the Affordable Care Act.
Return to pre-Trump policy is second win of the week for abortion-rights backers.
The little-used Congressional Review Act allows a new administration and Congress to fast-track the repeal of regulations and other executive actions of the previous administration. But neither lawmakers nor the president are making any attempt to use it now.
In his campaign, President Joe Biden promised to undo policies, particularly health policies, implemented by former President Donald Trump. Yet, despite immense executive power, reversing four years of action takes time and resources.
On health care, President Joe Biden made it clear that combating the covid-19 pandemic will be his top priority. 鈥淲e must set aside politics and finally face this pandemic as one nation,鈥 he said. 鈥淲e will get through this together.鈥
President Donald Trump made substantial changes to the nation鈥檚 health care system using executive branch authority. But reversing policies that Democrats oppose would take time and personnel resources, competing with other priorities of the new administration.
Despite his lack of front-line experience, Democrats see the California attorney general as an important ally to shepherd a progressive agenda on the Affordable Care Act, Medicaid, reproductive health services and immigration.
Although President-elect Joe Biden is free to meet with people who will be vital to carry out his administration鈥檚 fight against COVID, he and his transition team are blocked from conferring with federal officials because the Trump administration refuses to acknowledge Biden won the election. That could have a critical impact on Biden's efforts to help fight the coronavirus.
Republican state officials and the Trump administration argue that the justices should overturn the entire law. At issue in the case is Congress鈥 decision to reduce to zero the penalty for not having health coverage.
Democrats had hoped not only to defeat President Donald Trump but also to capture the Senate so they could make major policy changes, such as bolstering the Affordable Care Act and reducing the number of uninsured.
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