Smart content. Deeper culture. Better access. Become a subscriber to the Washington Examiner magazine.
SIGN UP! If you’d like to continue receiving the Washington Examiner‘s Daily on Healthcare newsletter, SUBSCRIBE HERE: http://newsletters.washingtonexaminer.com/newsletter/daily-on-healthcare/
PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATES WEIGH IN ON ABORTION IN WAKE OF BANS: The number of states moving ahead with tougher abortion laws is bringing the issue to the forefront of the 2020 presidential election.
Alabama enacted the nation’s strictest abortion ban last week, following four other states that passed laws banning abortion after six weeks into a pregnancy, before many women know they’re pregnant. While such laws have been blocked by judges everywhere they have been challenged, they are aimed at having the Supreme Court revisit Roe v. Wade, the 1973 decision that legalized abortion up to roughly 24 weeks into a pregnancy.
President Trump spoke out on the issue this weekend, suggesting he believed that the Alabama law — which allows exemptions only in cases in which the woman’s health is in danger — went too far. Trump said he supports exemptions for women who are victims of rape or incest and allowing abortions if a woman’s pregnancy threatens her life. He encouraged other Republicans to unite behind that message.
“If we are foolish and do not stay UNITED as one, all of our hard fought gains for Life can, and will, rapidly disappear!” he tweeted.
Democratic presidential candidates in interviews throughout the weekend said they supported abortion rights. Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., said he doesn’t think there should be restrictions on abortion, and South Bend, Ind., Mayor Pete Buttigieg said on Fox News that he supported allowing abortions in the third trimester, describing circumstances in which wanted pregnancies turn out not to be viable.
Other candidates spoke out not only about their support for abortion but also how they would work to further abortion access should the Supreme Court try to chip away at Roe.
New Jersey Sen. Cory Booker last week told BuzzFeed News that if he becomes president he would sign a bill that would make abortion legal nationwide, superceding whatever the Supreme Court decides. New York Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand and Washington Gov. Jay Inslee both made similar promises while Massachusetts Sen. Elizabeth Warren released several proposals not just to have Congress pass a law codifying the rules in Roe but to block state restrictions on the procedure.
Good morning and welcome to the Washington Examiner’s Daily on Healthcare! This newsletter is written by senior healthcare reporter Kimberly Leonard (@LeonardKL) and healthcare reporter Cassidy Morrison (@CassMorrison94). You can reach us with tips, calendar items, or suggestions at [email protected]. If someone forwarded you this email and you’d like to receive it regularly, you can subscribe here.
VIRGINIA ABORTION RESTRICTIONS FACE TWO-WEEK TRIAL: The U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia will hear challenges to four of Virginia’s anti-abortion laws over the next two weeks. The laws have been on the books for more than 40 years, and the challenge against them was brought on behalf of abortion providers in the commonwealth by the Center for Reproductive Rights, Planned Parenthood, O’Melveny and Myers, and the ACLU of Virginia.
The groups want the court to strike down a law that only lets doctors provide abortions, a law requiring second-trimester abortions be performed at a hospital, a 24-hour waiting period, and licensing requirements for clinics. The case, Falls Church Healthcare Center v. Normal Oliver, will run through May 31.
COLORADO MOVES TOWARD PUBLIC OPTION: Colorado Gov. Jared Polis, a Democrat, signed into law Friday a bill that directs state agencies to come up with a public option proposal by Nov. 15. After agencies file the plan to the legislature, the state will apply for any necessary waivers with the Department of Health and Human Services to implement it.
PROTECT OUR CARE HITS GOP LAWMAKERS WITH 7-FIGURE AD BUY: Protect Our Care, an advocacy group aiming to preserve the Affordable Care Act, launched a seven-figure ad campaign Monday to applaud House Democrats in 20 congressional districts for passing the recent bill that would lower drug prices and bolster the Affordable Care Act. The ads will include the name of each member of Congress, saying they “stood up to the big drug companies and made it harder for them to rig the system just so they can rake in bigger profits by charging you more.”
AMY KLOBUCHAR GETS PERSONAL ON ALZHEIMER’S: MY DAD’S IN MEMORY CARE: Sen. Amy Klobuchar, D-Minn., described how Alzheimer’s is affecting her father, a longtime Minneapolis newspaper columnist who has publicly battled alcoholism. “People don’t really realize it just adds so much cost to our healthcare because they get other illnesses, and they fall, and things go wrong because of their problem with Alzheimer’s,” Klobuchar, a presidential candidate, said at a New Hampshire campaign stop Sunday.
MISSOURI MOVES A STEP CLOSER TO EIGHT-WEEK ABORTION RESTRICTION: A Missouri proposal to ban abortions after eight weeks passed the state House Friday 110-44 and contains no exceptions for rape or incest. The bill now goes to Republican Gov. Mike Parson, who has said he will sign it.
LOUISIANA’S DEMOCRATIC GOVERNOR ‘INCLINED’ TO SIGN TOUGHER ANTI-ABORTION BILL: Louisiana Gov. John Bel Edwards, a Democrat, signaled he’d support a bill that would ban abortion as soon as a fetal heartbeat is detected. “Certainly he wants to see the final bill first. This is very much in line with his previous pro-life votes and actions,” Christina Stephens, a deputy chief of staff, told CNN.
MEASLES CASES REACH A NEW HIGH: The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported Monday that the number of measles cases has increased to 880, 41 more than last week. This is the highest number since the 1994 outbreak.
CORY BOOKER WRITES OPEN LETTER TO MEN ADDRESSING ABORTION: Democratic presidential candidate Cory Booker published a letter in GQ telling men to stand up against recent abortion restrictions and legislation limiting women’s access to healthcare. The New Jersey senator said part of the effort to protect reproductive rights is on men, “Not because women are our mothers, sisters, wives or friends — but because women are people. And all people deserve to control their own bodies.”
FDA ISSUES WARNING ABOUT UNAPPROVED DIABETES MANAGEMENT DEVICES: The Food and Drug Administration warned Friday of unauthorized or unapproved devices used to manage diabetes, including some insulin pumps and continuous glucose monitoring systems, which could provide inaccurate blood glucose measurements or unsafe insulin dosing. “By using products that have not been reviewed by the agency for safety and effectiveness, patients with diabetes may be putting themselves at risk for serious injury or even death,” said Dr. Jeff Shuren, director of the Center for Devices and Radiological Health.
DNA TESTS REVEAL 30% OF SUSPECTED FRAUDULENT MIGRANT FAMILIES WERE UNRELATED: In a pilot program, approximately 30% of rapid DNA tests of immigrant adults who were suspected of arriving at the southern border with children who weren’t theirs revealed the adults were not related to the children, an official involved in the system’s temporary rollout told the Washington Examiner Friday. “There’s been some concern about, ‘Are they stepfathers or adopted fathers?'” the official said. “Those were not the case. In these cases, they are misrepresented as family members.”
The Rundown
The New York Times What does it really mean to be 6 weeks pregnant?
Associated Press New Mexico Little League park plagued by hypodermic needles
Politico Romney says he doesn’t support Alabama abortion law
Modern Healthcare ‘App economy’ may ease health-record access, quality reporting
The Wall Street Journal Robots take a turn leading autism therapy in schools
Chicago Tribune First confirmed case of measles in Chicago is 8th in state this year, health officials say
Calendar
MONDAY | May 20
May 20-28. Geneva. World Health Assembly. Agenda.
TUESDAY | May 21
9:30 a.m. 1330 G St. NW. Kaiser Family Foundation event on “Inclusive Care at the End of Life: The LGBTQ+ Experience.” Details.
9 a.m. CDT. Jackson, Miss. Mississippi six-week abortion ban federal court hearing in Jackson Women’s Health Organization v. Dobbs.
10 a.m. Philadelphia. Oral argument in Commonwealth of Pennsylvania v. Trump. Details.
10:30 a.m. 2123 Rayburn. House Energy and Commerce Committee Health Subcommittee hearing on “Improving Drug Pricing Transparency and Lowering Prices for American Consumers.” Details.
2 p.m. 1100 Longworth. House Ways and Means Committee hearing on “Protecting Patients from Surprise Medical Bills.” Details.
WEDNESDAY | May 22
8 a.m. Newseum. The Atlantic event on “Children and Cancer.” Agenda.
9:30 a.m. Dirksen 562. Senate Aging Committee hearing on “Aging and Disability in the 21st Century: How Technology Can Help Maintain Health and Quality of Life.” Details.
10 a.m. 210 Cannon. Budget Committee hearing on “Key Design Components and Considerations for Establishing a Single-Payer Health Care System.” Details.
