 Health Care |
Health Care |
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Senate Republicans unsure of next steps on health |
Senate Republicans successfully ended the longest government shutdown in American history without giving Democrats their main demand to extend tax subsidies meant to lower health premiums. They're deeply divided on what comes next. |
Enhanced Affordable Care Act subsidies are set to expire in just a few weeks, which would mean health premiums would more than double for tens of millions of Americans. Negotiations between a group of 10-12 Republicans and Democrats led by retiring Sen. Jeanne Shaheen (D-N.H.) gained momentum last week, but many GOP senators are staunchly opposed to extending premium subsidies and view the ObamaCare marketplaces as unsalvageable. About 20 Democratic offices have put out feelers on a potential deal to extend the subsidies, according to a Senate aide familiar with the negotiations, reports The Hill's Alex Bolton. While Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-S.D.) has promised Democrats a vote on the subsidies and has expressed openness to a bipartisan deal, Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) has been among the most skeptical voices on extending the enhanced subsidies that were enacted during the COVID-19 pandemic. Sen. Josh Hawley (R-Mo.) urged Republicans to negotiate with Democrats on the looming expiration of the subsidies during the shutdown, even though Thune and Johnson drew a hard line against bargaining on health care while federal departments and agencies were shuttered. Both Republican senators from Alabama — Sens. Tommy Tuberville and Katie Britt — and Florida Republican Sen. Ashley Moody have also expressed concern to colleagues about the impact of the expiring subsidies on health insurance premiums in 2026, according to aides familiar with informal talks on the issue. But it's not clear if enough Republicans are concerned about the subsidy expiration to balance the rest of their party who wants nothing to do with the law. They believe the enhanced subsidies are riddled with fraud and funnel money to insurance companies, and they are reluctant—at best— to prop up a law they say is failing. "I don't think there is any appetite among Republicans to just extend the status quo. I think most of them believe — I certainly believe this — that extending the status quo is just putting fresh paint on rotten wood," Sen. John Kennedy (R-La.) said. |
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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A provision in the government funding bill that ended a record 43-day shutdown aims to clarify the definition of hemp and close a loophole that allowed the hemp-derived product industry to flourish with barely any regulation. The industry is gearing up for a significant lobbying fight, claiming the language could ban nearly all hemp-derived consumer products and will put companies out of … |
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A last-minute amendment slipped into the bill that ended the government shutdown has thrown the hemp industry and its consumers into a panic as popular products stand to be banned in a year's time. The amendment, which is set to go in effect in a year, bans the sale of hemp products with more than 0.4 milligrams per container of total delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) — a psychoactive cannabinoid, or compound found in the … |
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A staffer at the National Institutes of Health (NIH) who helped organize a letter critical of the Trump administration’s health leadership said she was put on administrative leave just as the federal government was reopening. In a video posted on TikTok, NIH staffer Jenna Norton said she was placed on “nondisciplinary admin leave,” beginning at 2 p.m. on Thursday. “I was not given a reason for being … |
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Branch out with a different read: |
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Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins on Thursday said the Trump administration is planning to have all Supplemental Nutritional Assistance Program (SNAP) beneficiaries reapply for the program due to alleged fraud.
The secretary said after receiving data on SNAP recipients from 29 red states that "186,000 deceased men and women and children in this country are receiving a check." |
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Local and state headlines on health care: |
- Parents win pause on NC Medicaid cuts they say threatened children's progress (North Carolina Health News)
- SC is seeking $1B for rural health care. Here's what the state wants to do with the federal money. (South Carolina Daily Gazette)
- Rural Alabama medical center ending inpatient services, laying off 90 people (AL.com)
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Health news we've flagged from other outlets: |
- Republicans scramble for health care plan, as Democrats eye midterm battle (CNN)
- Conflicting advice on Covid shots likely to ding already low vaccine rates, experts warn (KFF Health News)
- ByHeart's 'bizarre' response to infant botulism outbreak worries food safety experts (Stat)
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Opinions related to health submitted to The Hill: |
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You're all caught up. See you next week! |
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