 Welcome to Thursday’s Overnight Health Care. Vaccine mandates are becoming more popular as the music industry navigates the delta surge. AEG, the nation's second-largest concert promoter, will implement one starting Oct. 1 for every venue and festival, including Coachella. If you have any tips, email us at nweixel@thehill.com, psullivan@thehill.com and jcoleman@thehill.com. Follow us on Twitter at @NateWeixel, @PeterSullivan4, and @JustineColeman8. Today: President Biden wants Congress to allow Medicare to negotiate drug prices. HHS is going to require federal health workers to be vaccinated, and the two largest teachers unions are split on whether to back vaccine mandates. We’ll start with drug prices: Biden calls on Congress to act on 'outrageously' high drug prices There were some doubts earlier this year about President Biden’s commitment to lowering drug prices, but he gave the issue a new jolt of attention in a speech on Thursday. The presidential backing comes ahead of what is sure to be an intense fight with pharmaceutical companies and Republicans on the issue, with Democrats looking to include drug pricing measures in their coming $3.5 trillion budget package. "Prescription drug prices are outrageously expensive in America," Biden said in remarks at the White House, calling on Congress to allow Medicare to negotiate lower prices. "I look forward to Congress getting this done," he added. "This is another area we can come together and make a difference in people's lives." The details: Biden outlined policies that largely match what Democrats in Congress are working on. He said Medicare should be able to negotiate lower prices, and those prices should apply to people with private insurance through their jobs as well, not just people on Medicare. He also appeared to back a feature of House Democrats' legislation that would impose a steep tax of up to 95 percent if drug companies refused to come to the table and negotiate. Senate Finance Committee Chairman Ron Wyden (D-Ore.) is working on his own drug pricing legislation, which is expected to be somewhat less far-reaching than the House bill, in a bid to keep moderate Senate Democrats on board, given that Democrats cannot lose a single vote in the Senate. Read more here. Another vaccine requirement: HHS directs agency health care workers to be vaccinated The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) will require more than 25,000 of its clinical and research staff to be vaccinated against COVID-19, it announced Thursday. In a statement, the agency said the requirement will be in place for all staff at the Indian Health Service and the National Institutes of Health who serve in federally operated health care and clinical research facilities and interact with patients, or even have the potential to come into contact with them. HHS said the requirement will also be in place for members of the U.S. Public Health Service Commissioned Corps so they are prepared for potential deployment as emergency responders. Not the only required vaccine: Those personnel are already required to receive the seasonal influenza vaccine as well as other routine vaccinations, with processes for medical and religious exemptions. HHS said the agencies would implement the COVID-19 vaccination requirement using the same processes that are already in place for other vaccines. “Our number one goal is the health and safety of the American public, including our federal workforce, and vaccines are the best tool we have to protect people from COVID-19, prevent the spread of the delta variant, and save lives,” HHS Secretary Xavier Becerra said in a statement. The agency's move followed one from the Department of Veterans Affairs that required the shot for certain employees and the Department of Defense’s announcement that members of the military will have to be vaccinated. Read more here. Ongoing booster debate: Fauci says ‘inevitably' everyone will need boosters Anthony Fauci, the nation’s top infectious diseases expert, said Thursday that “inevitably” everyone will need booster shots for the COVID-19 vaccine because like any vaccine, its protection won’t be “indefinite.” NBC News’s Craig Melvin asked Fauci on “Today” whether it’s “inevitable” that “in the not too distant future everyone is going to need a booster shot,” as the debate over the necessity of third shots has ramped up. President Biden’s chief medical adviser at first emphasized that immunocompromised people “never really got a good response” from the vaccine to more robustly protect them from COVID-19. He noted the decision to give boosters to others depends on if general protection falls below “a certain level.” But Fauci responded to the original question by saying, “No vaccine, at least not within this category, is going to have an indefinite amount of protection." “So, in answer to your question, it's right,” he said. “Inevitably, there will be a time when we'll have to give boosts. What we're doing, literally, on a weekly and monthly basis is following cohorts of patients to determine if, when and whom should get it. “But right now at this moment, other than the immunocompromised — we're not going to be giving boosters to people," he continued. "But we will be following them very carefully and if they do need it, we'll be ready to give it to them." Fauci’s comments come as news outlets reported that the Food and Drug Administration is preparing to approve booster vaccinations for immunocompromised people in the coming days. Read more here. Teachers unions split on endorsing vaccine mandates The nation's two major teachers unions on Thursday took differing stances on coronavirus vaccine mandates, highlighting the challenges facing city officials and administrators as children head back to school. The National Education Association (NEA), the country's largest teachers union, endorsed a policy of mandatory vaccination or regular testing for educators. "As we enter a new school year amidst a rapidly spreading Delta variant and lagging public vaccination rates, it is clear that the vaccination of those eligible is one of the most effective ways to keep schools safe, and they must be coupled with other proven mitigation strategies," said NEA President Becky Pringle. But the American Federation of Teachers (AFT) punted. The group stopped short of a full endorsement, and instead backed a policy of negotiating potential mandates with employers. Key point: "We believe that workplace policies should be done with working people, not to them," AFT President Randi Weingarten said. The statement is a softening of Weingarten's comments earlier this week, when she indicated the union would revisit its previous opposition to vaccine mandates, and said she was personally open to the idea. Read more here. House Democrats introduce resolution calling for 'Marshall Plan' for vaccines Rep. Jake Auchincloss (Mass.) and 21 other House Democrats are introducing a resolution calling on the U.S. to develop a “Marshall Plan” to boost global COVID-19 vaccinations. “Whereas just as the Marshall Plan aided in Europe’s recovery from the devastation of World War II, the commitment of United States vaccine resources can save countless lives and contribute to the recovery of global economies by leading a global vaccination initiative to beat back the pandemic and build response capacity for the future,” it states. The resolution calls on the U.S. to increase funding for the full vaccine supply chain to help produce more doses. The need for more doses around the world has been highlighted in particular as wealthy countries such as the U.S. start to discuss giving third doses, while many people globally are still waiting for their first. Read the resolution here. What we’re reading Spread of delta variant ignites covid hot spots in highly vaccinated parts of the U.S., Post analysis finds (The Washington Post) How the pandemic now ends (The Atlantic) Biden eyes tougher vaccine rules without provoking backlash (The Associated Press) State by state Mississippi hospital system facing 'failure' if COVID-19 cases keep going up (Mississippi Clarion Ledger) Florida launches antibody treatment effort to help hospitals (The Associated Press) Kentucky Board of Education unanimously backs longer mask mandate for public schools (Louisville Courier Journal) Op-eds in The Hill How scientific illiteracy is killing us: Resistance to COVID-19 prevention An Alzheimer's drug appears promising, but Medicare should wait to cover it | 
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