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KHN: Other States Keep Watchful Eye On Snags In Washington’s Pioneering Public-Option Plan 

With prospects dim for the U.S. to adopt a single-payer “Medicare for All” program, health care reform advocates turned instead to an insurance plan designed by the government that could compete with private insurance plans sold on the health care exchanges. The idea behind this “public option” is that it could ultimately expand health care access by making a lower-cost plan available to consumers. ... Washington state, in its second year of offering the nation’s first public-option health insurance plan, has learned an important lesson: If you want hospitals to participate, you’re probably going to have to force them. (Hawryluk, 2/23)

Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin has approved hundreds of unarmed National Guard troops to be deployed in Washington, D.C., ahead of a truck convoy protest against pandemic restrictions that is expected to coincide with President Biden's first State of the Union address. The Department of Defense (DOD) said that Austin had approved a request that had been made by the D.C. Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) and U.S. Capitol Police (USCP) for assistance from National Guard members. (Choi, 2/22)

The Pentagon has approved the deployment of 700 unarmed National Guard troops to the nation’s capital as it prepares for trucker convoys that are planning protests against pandemic restrictions beginning next week. ... It remains to be seen if any of the U.S. convoys would seek to actively shut down Washington’s streets, the way their Canadian counterparts did in Ottawa. Some convoy organizers have spoken of plans to briefly roll through the city, then focus on shutting down the Beltway, which encircles the capital. (Khalil and Baldor, 2/22)

A group of truckers similar to those whose defiant blockades have shut down border crossings into the U.S. and Canada for weeks are bringing their protests over COVID-19 mandates to California. Organizers are hoping to have 1,000 semi-truck drivers in their ranks by Wednesday, when a group calling itself the People’s Convoy leaves Adelanto to begin a scheduled 11-day trek to Washington, D.C. The convoy is expected to arrive in early March, which could disrupt traffic near the Capitol around the March 1 State of the Union address. (Winton, 2/22)

The Food and Drug Administration is asking Congress for more power to regulate prenatal tests that help identify genetic issues during pregnancy. The agency’s request came in response to a letter from nearly 100 Republican lawmakers who probed how the FDA was regulating these tests after a New York Times investigation found the five most common prenatal tests frequently provided inaccurate results. In a new letter to lawmakers obtained by STAT, the FDA admits that it has only limited powers to regulate such products — so limited that for the most part, it doesn’t review them at all. The agency goes on to urge Congress to pass legislation giving the agency greater oversight powers in the sphere. (Florko, 2/23)

Facing a tough midterm election and divisions in Congress, the Biden administration is sidestepping the politically sensitive issue of loosening marijuana laws even as the idea has gained support of most Americans. More than half of U.S. states have legalized cannabis use for some purposes. Lawmakers have proposed decriminalizing marijuana, which would entail reduced penalties for users, and have pushed for giving the industry access to banking services. Those promoting changes include a diverse range of political figures, from former Republican House Speaker John Boehner to progressive Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D., N.Y.). (Leary, 2/22)

At least $18 billion is needed to get the fight against malaria, tuberculosis and AIDS back on track from disruptions caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, a global health fund said on Wednesday. The target for 2024-2026 is $4 billion more than the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria raised in its previous fund raising session in 2019. The $18 billion aims to reverse setbacks in its global efforts on disease testing, prevention and treatment caused by the pandemic, the Geneva-based aid body said. (Maddipatla, 2/22)