Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Biden Done With Paxlovid, Symptoms 'Almost Completely Resolved'
White House physician Kevin O鈥 Connor said Tuesday that President Joe Biden has completed his five-day course of the Covid antiviral Paxlovid and 鈥渘ow feels well enough to resume his physical exercise regimen.鈥 Reiterating his Monday update, O鈥機onnor said that the president鈥檚 symptoms had 鈥渁lmost completely resolved鈥 with his pulse, blood pressure, respiratory rate and temperature remaining 鈥渁bsolutely normal.鈥 (Chatterjee, 7/26)
The Biden administration makes moves on extreme heat 鈥
The website, heat.gov, includes interactive maps, forecasts, tips on keeping cool and other data designed to help federal, state and local officials prepare for and cope with heat waves. 鈥淓xtreme heat is a silent killer, yet it affects more Americans than any other weather emergency 鈥 particularly our nation鈥檚 most vulnerable,鈥 Gina McCarthy, President Biden鈥檚 national climate adviser, said in a statement. (Friedman, 7/26)
... And on postpartum care 鈥
The Biden administration has approved three more states鈥 plans to extend postpartum Medicaid coverage to women up to one year after pregnancy in a bid to improve maternal and infant mortality rates in the country. Kansas, Connecticut and Massachusetts join 15 other states and the District of Columbia in extending coverage for people enrolled in Medicaid from 60 days to one year after a pregnancy. Health officials project that the expanded programs will offer improved postpartum coverage to roughly 19,000 people. (Owermohle, 7/26)
Meanwhile, in news on same-sex marriage 鈥
The Respect for Marriage Act, a bill that would enshrine the right to same-sex and interracial marriage in federal law, is only four short pages long. Yet in the week since the House passed the measure on a bipartisan vote and Democratic leaders indicated they planned to put it on the Senate floor, few Republican senators have found the time to read it 鈥 or so they said Tuesday. 鈥淗aven鈥檛 read it,鈥 said Sen. John Neely Kennedy (R-La.). 鈥淲e鈥檙e still looking at it,鈥 said Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.). (DeBonis, 7/26)
On other matters concerning lawmakers, politicians and health 鈥
Attorney General Ken Paxton and more than 20 other attorneys general are challenging the federal Food and Nutrition Service鈥檚 new policy that recipients of food assistance funds update their nondiscrimination policies to protect LGBTQ people. (Perez-Castells, 7/26)
A key Democratic senator is floating a way to get more into Democrats鈥 big health care bill. Senate Finance Committee Chairman聽Ron Wyden聽(D-Ore.) on Tuesday said he is calling for a longer extension of enhanced ObamaCare financial assistance, and floated increased IRS tax enforcement as a potential way to pay for it.聽(Sullivan, Weixel and Choi, 7/26)
The House passed a bill on Tuesday to allow a government agency to award grants into the cognitive effects of COVID-19. The legislation, titled the Brycen Gray and Ben Price COVID-19 Cognitive Research Act, passed in a 350-69 vote, with all opposition coming from Republicans. Eight Republicans and four Democrats did not vote. (Schnell, 7/26)
Senate Budget Committee Chairman Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) said Tuesday that the prescription drug reform proposal that Democrats plan to move under special budget reconciliation rules is 鈥渨eak,鈥 noting it covers a limited number of drugs and doesn鈥檛 substantially take effect until 2026. (Bolton, 7/26)
Less than a month after the start of a new director for the Food and Drug Administration's tobacco regulatory division, its chief scientific officer has resigned to accept a position at Philip Morris International, the agency announced to staff Tuesday. (7/26)