The Host
Whereas repealing the Inexpensive Care Act appears to have fallen off congressional Republicans’ to-do record for 2023, plans to chop Medicare and Medicaid are again. The GOP needs Democrats to agree to chop spending on each packages in alternate for a vote to forestall the federal government from defaulting on its money owed.
In the meantime, the nation’s well being care employees — from nurses to medical doctors to pharmacists — are feeling the pressure of caring not only for the rising variety of insured sufferers searching for care, but additionally extra significantly ailing sufferers who’re tough and typically even violent.
This week’s panelists are Julie Rovner of KHN, Joanne Kenen of the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg College of Public Well being and Politico, Tami Luhby of CNN, and Victoria Knight of Axios.
Among the many takeaways from this week’s episode:
- Conservative Home Republicans are hoping to capitalize on their new legislative clout to slash authorities spending, because the combat over elevating the debt ceiling affords a preview of attainable debates this yr over expensive federal entitlement packages like Medicare.
- Home Speaker Kevin McCarthy mentioned Republicans will shield Medicare and Social Safety, however the elevation of conservative firebrands — like the brand new chair of the highly effective Home Methods and Means Committee — raises questions on what “defending” these packages means to Republicans.
- Report numbers of People enrolled for insurance coverage protection this yr beneath the Inexpensive Care Act. Years after congressional Republicans final tried to repeal it, the as soon as extremely controversial program also called Obamacare seems to be following the trajectory of different established federal entitlement packages: evolving, rising, and changing into much less controversial over time.
- Latest reviews present that whereas People had much less hassle paying for well being care final yr, many nonetheless delayed care as a result of prices. The findings spotlight that being insured is just not sufficient to maintain care inexpensive for a lot of People.
- Well being care employees are rising louder of their requires higher staffing, with a nursing strike in New York Metropolis and up to date reviews about pharmacist burnout offering among the newest arguments for the way widespread staffing points could also be harming affected person care. There’s bipartisan settlement in Congress for addressing the nursing scarcity, however what they might do is one other query.
Plus, for further credit score, the panelists advocate their favourite well being coverage tales of the week that they assume it is best to learn, too:
Julie Rovner: Roll Name’s “NIH Lacking Prime Management at Begin of a Divided Congress,” by Ariel Cohen
Tami Luhby: CNN’s “ER on the Subject: An Inside Take a look at How NFL Medical Groups Put together for a Recreation Day Emergency,” by Nadia Kounang and Amanda Sealy
Joanne Kenen: The Atlantic’s “Don’t Worry the Handshake,” by Katherine J. Wu
Victoria Knight: The Washington Put up’s “‘The Final of Us’ Zombie Fungus Is Actual, and It’s Present in Well being Dietary supplements,” by Mike Hume
Additionally talked about on this week’s podcast:
The New York Instances’ “As France Strikes to Delay Retirement, Older Staff Are in a Quandary,” by Liz Alderman
Stat’s “Congressional Medicare Advisers Warn of Increased Drug Costs, Regardless of New Worth Negotiation,” by John Wilkerson
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