The independent source for health policy research, polling, and news.
³Ō¹Ļ²»“ņģČ’ chief Washington correspondent, Julie Rovner, who has covered health care for more than 30 years, offers insight and analysis of policies and politics in her regular HealthBent columns.
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With abortions still on the rise nationwide despite widespread bans, curtailing the use of pregnancy-terminating medication is a top priority for abortion opponents ā and theyāre frustrated that the Trump administration isnāt doing more to limit its use.
Republicans are attempting to use the budget reconciliation process to boost President Donald Trumpās priorities and reduce health coverage. That process has been used to pass nearly every major piece of health legislation for decades ā except usually lawmakers use it to expand health care, not cut it, writes Julie Rovner.
On the campaign trail, President Donald Trump said the power to make abortion policies āhas been returned to the states.ā In his first two weeks in office, heās already gone further to restrict abortion than any president whoās held office since the 1973 āRoe v. Wadeā decision, writes Julie Rovner.
President-elect Donald Trump vowed on the campaign trail not to sign a nationwide abortion ban. But he wouldnāt need to do so to make abortion difficult, or illegal, writes ³Ō¹Ļ²»“ņģČā chief Washington correspondent, Julie Rovner.
Torn between a base that wants more restrictions on reproductive health care and a moderate majority that does not, it seems many Republicans would rather take an off-ramp than a victory lap when it comes to abortion. But they canāt escape talking about it.
Doctors say they are reluctant to practice in abortion-banned states, where making the best decision for a patient could run afoul of the law. Even former President Donald Trumpās surgeon general is concerned about the repercussions for womenās health, writes ³Ō¹Ļ²»“ņģČā chief Washington correspondent, Julie Rovner.
The American Medical Association ducked the abortion issue for years and now sees its membersā professional opinions second-guessed by lawmakers and judges. PhRMA is following the same playbook.
Politicians are again pointing fingers over who wants to cut Medicare. As past Washington brawls show, the party accused of threatening popular entitlements tends to lose elections ā although itās the beneficiaries relying on lawmakers to fund it who stand to lose the most.
Anti-abortion candidates have fared well in recent elections. But decades of ballot initiatives ā including a half-dozen measures considered after the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade last June ā show that when voters are asked directly, they usually side with preserving abortion rights.
The commonly repeated myths include arguments that only women who are pregnant are affected by the decision overturning Roe v. Wade, that Democratic lawmakers could have codified abortion protections before, and that Congress can easily get rid of federal laws restricting abortion.
Conservative states are moving to severely restrict abortions, and many are pressing for bans that provide no exception for cases of rape or incest or even to save the life of the mother. But public opinion polls suggest those limits could cause blowback.
An opinion published by Politico confirms what many who have followed the abortion debate already suspected: Roe v. Wade is soon to be no more. But the question remains: How will the public respond?
The man who forged a successful working relationship with Democratic health giants, such as Sen. Edward Kennedy and Rep. Henry Waxman, fell back on his deep conservative roots as opposition grew to the Affordable Care Act and the administration of President Barack Obama.
The Supreme Courtās conservative majority has yet to make clear its stand on Roe v. Wade. But state lawmakers arenāt waiting to consider a variety of extreme measures: bills that would ban abortions in cases of ectopic pregnancies, allow rapistsā families to object to terminating a victimās pregnancy, or prohibit the procedure in the case of fetal disability. Do these proposals make the less extreme restrictions seem more mainstream?
Public opinion remains bitterly divided on the issue as a Supreme Court decision is imminent that could overturn or dramatically undercut Roe v. Wade.
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.
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 ā including Catholic bishopsā are also taking him to task.
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 āMedicare for Allā insurance system, enhance the current Medicare program or strengthen benefits under the Affordable Care Act.
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