Republicans are keeping health care in their hands this election.

Republicans are unclear on health policy in the midterms

Republicans spent much of the election promising to get rid of Obamacare and reform America’s health care system. Not anymore.

When you are the leader of the house minority Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) will unveil his campaign season agenda today at an event in Pennsylvania, going light on the details of health policy. of One-page document – the so-called “Commitment to America” ​​- is vague, suggesting broad ideas such as price transparency and competition, a bold vision for future health reform.

That’s by design. As one conservative health expert put it, the GOP still has “PTSD” from its failed 2017 effort to repeal and replace the Affordable Care Act.

Health care has repeatedly proven to be a toxic issue for Republicans. In the last two months, Sen. Ron Johnson (R-Wis.) Walked back comments He indicated that he would like to see Republicans take another shot at repealing Obamacare. Don Bolduc, GOP Senate candidate from New Hampshire; After speaking, he went back He wants to privatize Medicare; And the campaign Blake Masters, Republican candidate in Arizona Removed references To find strict anti-abortion sites from the website.

approx 77 percent Democrats and Democratic-leaning voters say it’s health care “very important” In the year to cast their votes in the 2022 Congressional elections. But right 43 percent Republican And Republican-leaning voters agree. And Democrats recently passed a popular health measure that would have allowed Medicare to negotiate the price of some drugs Choices show Broad voter support.

• “Democrats have historically held a large advantage on health care,” says Ken Spain. He worked on it National Republican Congressional Committee In the year In 2010, the year the GOP won the majority. “For the midterm elections, Republicans don’t have to win on the issue … but they can’t lose on it. They need to find a way to close the gap, and the key to that is talking about cost and quality of care.

A memo from House Republicans was released online yesterday. (Well, it was accidentally published on Wednesday, but it was taken down). What the document says about health:

• “Personalizing my care” to provide affordable and high quality options.
• Through transparency and competitive pricing, the creation of “life-saving” cures and increased access to telemedicine.
• “Saving and Strengthening” Medicare.
• “Protect the lives of the unborn and their mothers.”

A lot of competition and choice means it’s an easy class Thomas Miller, Senior Fellow at American Enterprise Institute, a conservative-leaning think tank. “The hardest part is figuring out what the complex policies are going to do there.”

The document is deliberately short on detail on all policy areas, which is an acknowledgment. Wide conference It is divided which legislative proposals will be better for certain cases, our colleagues Mariana Sotomayor And Leigh Ann Caldwell Report it.

But remaining unclear on health policy probably won’t matter in the midterm elections, where Republicans are beating Democrats on crime, inflation and gas prices. “They’re not going to win over these additional voters or get out of their base by saying something more broad or strong about health policy,” Miller said. “At the same time, say the wrong thing, you don’t understand what you’re talking about, and you can be a liability, so why bother doing it.”

On abortion, the note is also non-prescription. There is no mention of national restrictions on the process, which will come much later The Senate opposed the idea Last week the federal 15-week deadline.

Last year, McCarthy He announced seven task forces He was charged with designing policies on various issues. representatives Brett Guthrie (Kay) and Vern Buchanan (Fla.) – Top Republicans on Energy and business And ways and means The Health Sub-Committees are respectively – charged with overseeing the 17-member Health Team.

While McCarthy’s memo released yesterday is unclear, what the task force drummed up could foreshadow policies GOP-led health panels might pursue. It includes a clear Republican priority Investigate the origin Covid-19 But the proposals also include organized wonkier, more complementary policies, etc. Conversion rules Requiring hospitals and insurers to disclose their rates, setting Data levels For electronic health records and processing Clinical trials It is widely available.

In an interview, Guthrie pointed to Democrats’ health care bill, saying it would lead to fewer new drug treatments, another campaign target. “We want people to have private health care,” he said, insisting that Republicans are still running on health care, though “it’s hard to explain that in a few minutes.”

We want to hear from you: What does aging mean to you? The Post is running a special segment next month on “aging well,” but how do you define that phrase? What qualifies as frail old age and old age? Tell us here.

DOJ: States Can’t Punish VA Medical Workers for Federally Authorized Abortions

of Department of Justice They promised to protect. Veterans Affairs Medical personnel who perform abortion services to save a patient’s life, health, or pregnancy because of rape or sexual intercourse — even if abortion is performed in those circumstances where the procedure is illegal, The Post’s Perry Stein Reports.

Alabama officials threatened to punish VA employees who perform abortions, Stating that it violates state law. But in Internal government opinion In a filing yesterday, Justice Department lawyers said the VA’s new policy, which allows employees to provide abortion services to veterans and their eligible relatives, is legally sound and can continue.

The narrow policy underscores how few legal tools the Biden administration has to increase the nation’s access to abortion in the post-secondary era.Ro the world. In this case, the administration argued that the Veterans Health Administration has a federal duty to provide appropriate treatment to the nation’s veterans. According to the opinion, restricting abortion in these situations prevents VA facilities from providing the necessary medical care to the patients.

Rep. Lauren Underwood (D-Ill.) on the VA’s new abortion policy:

Indiana judge temporarily suspends abortion ban

A judge in Indiana It is temporarily suspended A week later, our colleague imposed a new ban on all abortions Katie Shepherd Reports.

A preliminary injunction issued by an Owen County judge Kelsey Hanlon He stopped for a moment The banMost, with a few exceptions, prohibit abortion, and any legal challenge to the law will burn through the courts. For this reason, providers can offer the procedure again up to 22 weeks after the last menstrual cycle.

in the Court opinionHanlon found that Planned Parenthood And other plaintiffs in the case have shown a “reasonable possibility” that the ban would impose a “substantial limitation on personal autonomy” that violates the Indiana Constitution’s right to privacy and equal protection. State Attorney General Todd Rokita (R) announced yesterday that his office He plans to appeal Halon’s decision.

Caitlin Bernard, An Indiana OB-GYN in the middle of a Virus history About a 10-year-old girl who was raped.

Getting rid of pink slip: The leaders of the health panels of the Senate and the House have reached an agreement to renew Food and Drug AdministrationUser fees make up a significant portion of the agency’s budget, according to several congressional aides.

The deal has some policy drivers, but for Sen. Patty Murray (D-Wash.), the Senate Advisory Committee, put it. The idea is to put the five-year reauthorization into a stopgap spending bill to keep the government lights on at the end of the month and avoid the possibility of sending FDA staff junk mail.

But there is a wrinkle. Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky) supports a clean bill of user fees without “extravagances,” meaning party leaders must ensure all policy drivers are exempt from the law. Politics First reported The news.

Amazing! Texas Medical Association Sues Over Strange Billing Law… Again

of Texas Medical Association presented Second charge Less than a year later, it challenged certain parts of the rules that would have established a process to resolve disputes between insurers and providers regarding “extraordinary” medical bills.

The indictment comes days later. American Medical Association and the American Hospital Association He came down theirs First legal exam When the administration releases the revised statement to the interim rule Final rule Administering the Federal Emergency Billing Arbitration Process on August 26. Both the AMA and AHA support the new Texas lawsuit.

The case centers on payment disputes that prevent insured patients from being hit with hefty bills for unknowingly receiving out-of-network care. The Biden administration Regulation has become divisive Even among those who drafted the law, and the Texas Medical Association, argue the new rule is “unfair” to insurers.

• New this: The Biden administration announced New measures and financial support To address the opioid epidemic and support the nation’s addiction services, incl 1.5 billion dollars In aid to states and territories.
• A federal guard found the crooks He may have stolen $45.6 billion. At the time of the epidemic, from the country’s unemployment insurance program, our partner Tony Rome He wrote.
• by a vote of 56-40Senate Confirmed Arathi Prabhakar Being a director Office of Science and Technology Policy.
• of Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services A 12-month extension was approved Postpartum Medicaid coverage in North Carolina.

Health apps share your concerns with advertisers. HIPAA can’t stop it. (By Tatum Hunter and Jeremy B. Merrill | The Washington Post)

The biotech aims to detect cancer early. But challenges remain. (By Pranshu Verma | The Washington Post)

The rush for a Covid-19 vaccine holds some of the hype (by Jared S. Hopkins | The Wall Street Journal)

Thanks for reading! See all Monday.