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They’re planning to challenge many of the provisions in the 725-page, $433 billion bill using the so-called Byrd Rule, which sharply limits the ability to pass legislation with a simple majority, a process known as reconciliation. (Natter, 8/2)

Democrats are racing to muscle the package — packed with hundreds of billions of dollars in climate and energy proposals, a major drug price reduction initiative, tax increases and health care subsidies — through the evenly divided Senate over united Republican opposition. They are doing so under a process known as budget reconciliation, which allows certain tax and spending bills to move quickly and avoid a filibuster but also is subject to strict rules that limit what can be included. ... Here are the hurdles that remain before President Biden can sign the package into law. (Cochrane, 8/1)

KHN: Watch: Explaining The Nitty-Gritty Of Medicare Drug Price Negotiations — And Patients’ Potential Savings

Julie Rovner, KHN’s chief Washington correspondent, joined PBS NewsHour’s Laura Barrón-López on Friday to discuss Senate Democrats’ proposals to let Medicare negotiate some drug prices, cap out-of-pocket drug costs for seniors and continue funding for enhanced premium subsidies for people buying health insurance on the Affordable Care Act’s marketplaces. (8/1)

Among big drugmakers, Eli Lilly, AstraZeneca, AbbVie and Johnson & Johnson are particularly exposed to the current Medicare negotiation proposal, analysts with SVB Securities wrote in a Friday note to clients. The companies sell a mix of lucrative oncology and diabetes medicines in Medicare. (Sagonowsky, 8/1)

Sen. John Cornyn (R-Texas) announced on Monday that he had tested positive for COVID-19, which could further complicate the math of floor votes for Republicans and Democrats at the start of a busy week for the Senate. “After dodging it for 2+ years I’ve tested positive for COVID-19,” Cornyn wrote on Twitter. (Schonfeld, 8/1)

Republicans’ turnabout has stunned proponents in Congress and veterans groups who had seen the burn pits legislation, a top priority of President Biden, as a done deal. (Lai, 8/1)

The protest by 60 veterans groups — along with comedian Jon Stewart — has put Senate Republicans on the defensive as they’ve struggled for days to explain why they are holding up legislation that would provide much-needed health care for millions of veterans exposed to things like burn pit smoke, Agent Orange and radiation. (Wong, Vitali and Thorp V., 8/1)

KHN: The Debt Crisis That Sick Americans Can’t Avoid 

President Joe Biden’s campaign promise to cancel student debt for the first $10,000 owed on federal college loans has raised debate about the fairness of such lending programs. While just over half of Americans surveyed in a June poll supported forgiving that much debt incurred for higher education, 82% said that making college more affordable was their preferred approach. (Rosenthal, 8/2)

When Ryan Naylor hurt his ankle during kickball practice in May, he did what many would do: He Googled it. Ice and an Epsom salts bath didn’t work. Turns out there is no surefire home remedy for a ruptured Achilles tendon. Naylor, 26, didn’t have health insurance. So he stayed home for 36 hours until he couldn’t take the pain anymore. (O'Donnell, 8/2)