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The Biden administration on Tuesday urged a federal appeals court to let a regulation requiring graphic health warnings on cigarette packages and advertisements take effect, a year after it was blocked by a lower court in response to a challenge by tobacco companies. Lindsey Powell, representing the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, told a three-judge panel of the New Orleans-based 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals the images on the proposed labels were necessary because text-only warnings failed to deter teenagers from starting to smoke. The labels would include 11 graphic images, such as diseased feet with amputated toes, to illustrate the risks of smoking. (Pierson, 12/5)

The Biden administration will further delay a long-awaited ban on menthol cigarettes after fierce lobbying from critics who warn that a prohibition could anger some Black smokers who favor the products and could hurt President Biden’s reelection prospects, administration officials said. The administration is expected to announce Wednesday that it plans in March to finalize federal rules that would lead to menthol cigarettes being removed from the market, according to three officials who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss forthcoming regulations. The officials acknowledged that the process could be delayed still further because of pressure during an election year. (Diamond and Ovalle, 12/5)

Evan Dame lives in near-constant fear his body will reject his transplanted kidney. Managing those fears became far more difficult in March, when federal changes regarding how to pay for the screenings meant the at-home tests were no longer available to Dame. Tuesday, a bipartisan group of lawmakers, along with advocates for doctors and patients, planned to call on the Biden administration to reverse the change. (Cuevas, 12/5)

Last week, the US Environmental Protection Agency proposed a rule that would require water systems across the country to replace millions of lead service pipes within the next 10 years. The new proposed rule is in line with the Biden administration’s goal of removing all lead pipes, regardless of the lead levels in tap or other drinking water samples, though officials have said that certain “limited circumstances” may be allowed to extend the time to complete system-wide line replacements. This proposal has prompted many questions about the impact of lead on people’s health. (Chakraborty, 12/5)

It’s known that lead in the water supply has severe health effects, including brain damage in children and heart and liver issues in adults. Now the Environmental Protection Agency has released an ambitious and expensive proposal to replace 100% of the lead pipes in water system service lines across the country over the next 10 years. (Merelli, 12/6)

���ϳԹ��� News: Biden Wants States To Ensure Obamacare Plans Cover Enough Doctors And Hospitals 

The Biden administration plans to push states to boost oversight of the number of doctors, hospitals, and other health providers insurers cover in Obamacare plans, under rules proposed in November. The annual regulatory proposal, known as the payment parameters rule, also seeks to expand access to adult dental coverage in Affordable Care Act marketplaces and would require states to hold open enrollment periods for Obamacare plans at the same time of year. It’s likely one of the last major ACA policy efforts of President Joe Biden’s first term — and, if he loses reelection, could represent his final touches on the landmark health program created when he was vice president. (Appleby, 12/6)