Journalists Weigh In on Biden’s HHS Pick
KHN and California Healthline staff made the rounds on national and local media this week to discuss their stories. Here鈥檚 a collection of their appearances.
HHS
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‘It鈥檚 a Minefield’: Biden Health Pick Must Tread Carefully on Abortion and Family Planning
President Biden vowed to reverse reproductive health restrictions enacted by President Trump. His pick to run HHS, Xavier Becerra, fought the Trump efforts but must now navigate a difficult legal and political landscape.
By Noam N. Levey and Rachel Bluth -
New Covid Cases Plunge 25% or More as Behavior Changes
End of holiday gatherings or fear of the virus may be at play 鈥 or hope for the vaccine
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California Counties 鈥楩lying the Plane as We Build It鈥 in a Plodding Vaccine Rollout
In California, the largest vaccination campaign in U.S. history is run largely by the same overworked and underfunded local health departments tasked with covid-19 testing and contact tracing. It鈥檚 a daunting undertaking as the pandemic continues to surge.
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Even With Senate Control, Democrats Will Need Buy-In From GOP on Key Health Priorities
With a majority too small to eliminate the filibuster, Democrats will not have enough votes in the Senate to pass many of their plans without Republicans and will also have only a razor-thin majority in the House. This combination could doom many Democratic health care proposals, like offering Americans a government-sponsored public insurance option, and complicate efforts to pass further pandemic relief.
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KHN鈥檚 鈥榃hat the Health?鈥: Vaccines Coming Soon but COVID Relief Bill Still Stalled
Even as the Food and Drug Administration nears emergency authorization for the first vaccine to protect against COVID-19, Congress remains at loggerheads over a COVID relief bill that could also provide the funding to fully distribute the vaccines. Meanwhile, President-elect Joe Biden announced the first members of his health team. Joanne Kenen of Politico, Kimberly Leonard of Business Insider and Mary Ellen McIntire of CQ Roll Call join KHN鈥檚 Julie Rovner to discuss these issues and more. Also this week, Rovner interviews Michael Mackert of the University of Texas-Austin, an expert on communicating public health information.
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Trump Plan May Set Clock Ticking on Many Health Rules 鈥 Setting Off Alarms
The Department of Health and Human Services has proposed that the new administration review about 2,400 regulations that affect tens of millions of Americans, on everything from Medicare benefits to prescription drug approvals. Those not analyzed within two years would become void.
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With Becerra as HHS Pick, California Plots More Progressive Health Care Agenda
Gov. Gavin Newsom said he has already begun discussing California health care priorities with Xavier Becerra, tapped this week by President-elect Joe Biden to serve as his Health and Human Services secretary.
By Angela Hart and Samantha Young -
In Becerra, an HHS Nominee With Political Skill But No Front-Line Health Experience
Despite his lack of front-line experience, Democrats see the California attorney general as an important ally to shepherd a progressive agenda on the Affordable Care Act, Medicaid, reproductive health services and immigration.
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Senate Republicans Throw the Brakes on Timing for Becerra Hearings
Republican spokespeople for the committees responsible for vetting Health and Human Services nominations said the Senate may not hold hearings on California Attorney General Xavier Becerra, President-elect Joe Biden鈥檚 pick to lead the department, until the Senate approves committee assignments for the new Congress. That could delay the start of the process.
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Xavier Becerra in His Own Words: 鈥楬ealth Care Is a Right鈥
California Attorney General Xavier Becerra is President-elect Joe Biden鈥檚 pick for U.S. Health and Human Services secretary. As attorney general and during his 24 years in Congress, he has staked progressive positions on health care issues, fighting the Trump administration on contraception, suing a major California health system for monopolistic behavior and calling himself a supporter of single-payer health care.
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KHN鈥檚 鈥榃hat the Health?鈥: Who Will Run the Biden Health Effort?
The official transition to a Joe Biden administration has finally begun, and he is expected to announce his health care team soon, including a new secretary of Health and Human Services. Meanwhile, as the COVID-19 pandemic worsens in the U.S., officials are preparing for the effort to get Americans vaccinated as soon as vaccines are approved by the FDA. Alice Miranda Ollstein of Politico, Margot Sanger-Katz of The New York Times and Paige Winfield Cunningham of The Washington Post join KHN鈥檚 Julie Rovner to discuss these issues and more. Also this week, Rovner interviews KHN鈥檚 Julie Appleby, who wrote the latest KHN-NPR 鈥淏ill of the Month鈥 installment.
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Florida Fails to Attract Bidders for Canada Drug Importation Program
No private firms bid on the $30 million contract to set up and operate the state鈥檚 plan to bring in cheaper drugs. The setback is likely to delay by at least several months Florida鈥檚 effort to become the first state to import drugs under new federal regulations.
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KHN鈥檚 鈥榃hat the Health?鈥: ACA in Peril With Ginsburg鈥檚 Seat in Play
The death of Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg is giving new life to the latest constitutional challenge to the Affordable Care Act. It also places anti-abortion activists on the cusp of a court majority large enough to ensure the rollback of the right to abortion and, possibly, some types of birth control. Meanwhile, Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar tries to centralize power at the sprawling department plagued by miscommunications and scandals. Anna Edney of Bloomberg News, Kimberly Leonard of Business Insider and Mary Ellen McIntire of CQ Roll Call join KHN鈥檚 Julie Rovner to discuss these issues and more. Plus, Rovner interviews KHN鈥檚 Sarah Jane Tribble about her new podcast, 鈥淲here It Hurts,鈥 debuting Sept. 29.
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KHN鈥檚 鈥榃hat the Health?鈥: It鈥檚 Scandal Week
President Donald Trump this week issued a prescription drug pricing order unlikely to lower drug prices, and he contradicted comments by his director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on the need for mask-wearing and predictions for vaccine availability. Meanwhile, scandals erupted at the CDC, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services and the Food and Drug Administration. And the number of people without health insurance grew in 2019, reported the Census Bureau, even while the economy soared. Alice Miranda Ollstein of Politico, Tami Luhby of CNN and Sarah Karlin-Smith of the Pink Sheet join KHN鈥檚 Julie Rovner to discuss this and more. Plus, for extra credit, the panelists recommend their favorite health policy stories of the week they think you should read, too.
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Lack of Antigen Test Reporting Leaves Country 鈥楤lind to the Pandemic鈥
A KHN review found more than 20 states either don鈥檛 count or have incomplete data on the use of COVID-19 antigen tests, leaving the public in the dark about the true scope of the pandemic.
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HHS Plan to Improve Rural Health Focuses on Better Broadband, Telehealth Services
The proposal details a wide-ranging agenda to remedy the gaps in health care and myriad challenges in rural America. In addition to more telehealth options, it includes shifts in hospital payments and expanded funding for school-based mental health programs.
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COVID Data Failures Create Pressure for Public Health System Overhaul
Poor information-sharing between hospitals and public health agencies has hurt the response to the pandemic. Some health care systems and IT companies are making inroads, but an overhaul would cost billions.
By Harris Meyer -
Could Labs That Test Livestock Ease COVID Testing Backlog for People? Well … Maybe.
Experts say aid from certain veterinary labs could relieve some of the pressure on commercial and hospital-based labs to lessen the current delays in COVID-19 testing and results, but it is unlikely to be a game changer.
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KHN鈥檚 鈥榃hat the Health?鈥: The Trump Administration鈥檚 War on Fauci
Case counts for COVID-19 are rising in nearly every state, yet a major campaign by the Trump administration this past week was an attempt to discredit Dr. Anthony Fauci, a trusted voice in public health. Meanwhile, in the wake of the Supreme Court鈥檚 surprise decision to protect abortion rights, there鈥檚 been a flurry of activity on reproductive health issues in lower federal courts. Alice Miranda Ollstein of Politico, Paige Winfield Cunningham of The Washington Post and Erin Mershon of Stat News join KHN鈥檚 Julie Rovner to discuss this and more.