Health Care — Republican states sue to limit abortion pill access

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View Online Health Care Health Care The Big Story  Red-leaning states reup efforts to weaken abortion pill access  Three Republican-leaning states filed a joint amended lawsuit in a renewed effort to undo increased access to the abortion drug mifepristone.   © AP Attorneys general from Missouri, Kansas and Idaho filed the lawsuit in a Texas federal court last Friday that seeks to sue the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and force the agency to restore old federal regulations on the drug.     The filing comes about months after the Supreme Court ruled against a high-profile challenge to the agency's decision to increase access to the drug like allowing it to be sent in the mail.     In the lawsuit, states are asking that the drug's use be banned after seven weeks of pregnancy instead of the current 10 weeks and for regulators to require those seeking the pill to go to multiple in-person doctor's office visits.     On top of this, the lawsuit also challenges the FDA's approval of the generic version of the drug.     Abortion is almost completely banned in two out of the three states filing the lawsuit — Missouri and Idaho. Attorneys' general in both those states argue the lawsuit has legal merit because the FDA's current rules on mifepristone "seek to undermine" state abortion laws and state law enforcement.     In the lawsuit, states claim that the abortion pills are "flooding" Missouri and Idaho and endangering the lives of women.    Medication abortion use has become more common since the 2022 overturning of Roe v. Wade.     In 2020, medication abortions accounted for 53 percent of all abortions in the country, and by 2023 63 percent of abortions were medication abortions, according to data from the Guttmacher Institute.  Welcome to The Hill's Health Care newsletter, we're Nathaniel Weixel, Joseph Choi and Alejandra O'Connell-Domenech — every week we follow the latest moves on how Washington impacts your health. Did someone forward you this newsletter? Subscribe here. Essential Reads  How policy will be impacting the health care sector this week and beyond: Paxton accuses Texas doctor of providing gender-affirming care in violation of state law Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton (R) on Thursday sued a doctor in Dallas, accusing her of providing gender-affirming care to nearly two dozen minors in violation of the state's law.   Full Story Weight loss drugs may help reduce drug and alcohol misuse: Research Weight loss medications such as Ozempic may be able to cut drug and alcohol misuse in half, according to a new study from the scientific journal Addiction. The research, published Thursday, found that people who take Ozempic or similar drugs — those used for weight loss or treating Type 2 diabetes — were 40 percent less likely to overdose on opioids. The study also found that the same group had a 50 percent lower rate of alcohol …  Full Story IV shortage 'creates havoc' for hospitals, exposing supply chain 'whack-a-mole' A shortage of IV fluid in the wake of Hurricane Helene is shining a spotlight on the fragility and vulnerability of the country’s medical supply chain.  Hospitals were left scrambling after the storm flooded a Baxter manufacturing plant in Marion, N.C. The plant makes about 60 percent of the IV fluid in the country, including hydration and dialysis solutions. The resulting shortage has forced hospitals to ration …  Full Story The Hill Event  Get the Most from Your 2025 Medicare Drug Benefits | Sign up   Join The Hill on Oct. 22 as we convene Open Enrollment experts, policymakers and advocates to address key changes and updates expected from 2025 Medicare open enrollment. Speakers include: Tom Kornfield, founder & CEO, MAST Health Policy Solution; Amy Niles, Chief Mission Officer, PAN Foundation; and Julia Schreiber, Program Director, Maryland Department of Aging. Click here to RSVP In Other News  Branch out with a different read: Hunger experts say the risk of famine in Gaza remains high (AP) - The Gaza Strip is still at risk of famine more than a year into the Israel-Hamas war, even as the number of people facing the most extreme level of hunger has declined in recent months, the international authority on hunger crises said Thursday. Full Story Around the Nation  Local and state headlines on health care: Whooping cough cases nearly double on Long Island amid national surge (Newsday)  New Jersey residents getting $100 million in medical debt relief (CBS News)  New minimum wage takes effect for California healthcare workers (NBC Bay Area)  What We're Reading  Health news we've flagged from other outlets: The flu shot is different this year, thanks to COVID (NPR)  Ballooning Medicaid costs challenge health insurer Elevance (STAT News)  New stents for infants mean kids could avoid series of open heart operations (NBC)  What Others are Reading  Most read stories on The Hill right now: Kamala Harris's Fox News interview disaster shows how the media set her up to fail Vice President Kamala Harris had a bad night on Wednesday. But more interesting than anything she said to Fox News anchor Bret Baier was what wasn't said … Read more Why Harris is happy with that confrontational Fox interview Vice President Harris and Fox News host Bret Baier battled Wednesday evening in a 30-minute encounter that looked more like a debate at times than … Read more   You're all caught up. See you tomorrow!  Check out The Hill's Health Care page for the latest coverage. Like this newsletter? Take a moment to view our other topical products here 📩 Privacy Policy  |  Manage Subscriptions  |  Unsubscribe  400 N Capitol Street NW Suite 650, Washington, DC 20001 Copyright © 1998 - 2024 Nexstar Media Inc. | All Rights Reserved.

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