 Health Care |
Health Care |
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Senate Democrats to press GOP on contraception bill |
Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) said the Senate next month will take up a bill to guarantee access to contraception. It's part of a push ahead of November to highlight Republican opposition to reproductive rights that voters overwhelmingly find popular. |
The Right to Contraception Act is led by Democratic Sens. Ed Markey (Mass.) and Mazie Hirono (Hawaii). It would codify the "fundamental right" to contraception established by the landmark Supreme Court decision in Griswold v. Connecticut. "Now more than ever, contraception is a critical piece of protecting women's reproductive freedoms," Schumer said Wednesday on the floor. "Senate Democrats are committed to restoring women's freedoms and will fight to protect access to contraception and other reproductive freedoms that are essential safeguards for millions of women to control their own lives, their futures, and their bodies," he said. Democrats expect Republicans to block the bill, just as they have blocked legislation protecting access to in vitro fertilization. Last year, Senate Democrats tried to force consideration of the contraception bill under the unanimous consent process. It was blocked by Sen. Mike Braun (R-Ind.), who said the bill used "intentionally vague language to hide its ulterior motive of protecting access to abortion drugs." With passage unlikely, the effort could be used a potent election-year attack on Republicans. Democrats are making women's access to health care, including abortion rights, a top issue in the 2024 campaign. The announcement comes after former President Trump in vague comments indicated he was open to letting states impose restrictions on birth control, before backtracking on social media. It also comes after Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin (R) vetoed legislation that would have codified access to birth control into the state constitution, citing religious liberty concerns. |
Welcome to The Hill's Health Care newsletter, we're Nathaniel Weixel and Joseph Choi — every week we follow the latest moves on how Washington impacts your health. |
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How policy will be impacting the health care sector this week and beyond: |
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A new study found a "pervasive" presence of microplastics in human and dog testicles. The research, published last week in the Toxicological Sciences journal, found that out of all 47 canine and 23 human testes that were examined, all had a presence of microplastics. The findings suggest that there are potential consequences for male fertility. Microplastic fragments have yet to be studied extensively, but researchers have … |
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| A farmworker in Michigan is the second human to be infected with the current H5N1 bird flu virus, health officials said. The farmworker had mild symptoms and has since recovered, Michigan health officials said Wednesday. The virus has been circulating in dairy and poultry farms across the U.S. this spring, and the farmworker was in contact with dairy cattle presumed to be infected. "The current health risk to the general public … |
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Fish oil may increase the risk of stroke and heart conditions like atrial fibrillation, a new study found. The study, published Tuesday in the journal BMJ Medicine, followed more than 400,000 people in the United Kingdom aged 40 to 69 for 12 years. Those people used fish oil supplements regularly. Fish oil supplements are a source of omega-3 fatty acids and have been widely known to help with cardiovascular disease. The research … |
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Upcoming news themes and events we're watching: |
- The House Ways and Means subcommittee on Health will hold a hearing Thursday on the challenges private practices face.
- The House Budget Committee has a hearing on Thursday focused on health care monopolies.
- A Senate Appropriations subcommittee will examine the 2025 budget request for the National Institutes of Health on Thursday.
- The Senate Finance Committee will hold a hearing Thursday looking at the front lines of the fentanyl crisis.
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Branch out with a different read: |
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Tennessee, Delaware to become first states to offer free diapers for Medicaid families |
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — Tennessee will soon become the first state in the country to offer free diapers to families enrolled in the state’s Medicaid program after receiving federal approval, state officials have confirmed. Similarly, The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services has also approved extending a pilot program in Delaware … | |
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Local and state headlines on health care: |
- Every Indiana county opts to receive state public health funding, despite initial concerns (Indianapolis Star)
- Texas health department appoints controversial anti-abortion OBGYN to maternal mortality committee (Houston Chronicle)
- N.C. developing plan to improve Medicaid participants' job prospects (North Carolina Health News)
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Health news we've flagged from other outlets: |
- When should we start making H5N1 vaccine, and who will make that decision? In short, it's complicated (Stat)
- Cancer victims sue Johnson & Johnson over 'fraudulent' bankruptcies (Reuters)
- Fentanyl test strips are being used by drug dealers to advertise 'clean pills' (NBC News)
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Most read stories on The Hill right now: |
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Former UN Ambassador Nikki Haley said on Wednesday that she'll vote for former President Trump over President Biden this fall. … Read more |
| Voters in several states headed to the polls Tuesday, weighing in on key races up and down the ballot in Oregon, Georgia, Kentucky and Idaho. … Read more |
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Opinions related to health submitted to The Hill: |
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You're all caught up. See you tomorrow! |
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