KHN’s ‘What the Well being?’: Transition Interrupted

What The Well being? · Transition Interrupted

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5 days after the election was known as for President-elect Joe Biden, President Donald Trump has not conceded — and as a substitute ordered his administration to not start the transition of energy. That might have severe ramifications for well being care, notably as practically each state is experiencing a spike in COVID-19 circumstances.

One piece of excellent information is that early outcomes for a coronavirus vaccine made by Pfizer look promising. However that vaccine, even whether it is accepted quickly, gained’t seemingly be prepared for broad distribution for a number of months.

And for the third time in eight years, the Supreme Court docket heard a case that would invalidate the Reasonably priced Care Act. Judging from the oral arguments, although, it seems the justices are more likely to go away most and even all the legislation intact.

This week’s panelists are Julie Rovner of Kaiser Well being Information, Joanne Kenen of Politico, Stephanie Armour of The Wall Road Journal and Shefali Luthra of the nineteenth Information.

Among the many takeaways from this week’s podcast:

• The transition groups advising Biden can’t formally contact present authorities officers. However many workforce members have long-standing relationships with individuals within the authorities and have been speaking to these officers earlier than the election, so that they have a very good sense of what’s occurring within the administration.
• The pandemic additional complicates the handoff. The brand new administration might want to hit the bottom working to distribute any coronavirus vaccine, so communication with Trump administration officers could be useful for the Biden workforce.
• Two members of Biden’s COVID activity pressure, Drs. Vivek Murthy, former surgeon normal, and David Kessler, former commissioner of the Meals and Drug Administration, have been briefing the previous vice chairman since March on the threats of the coronavirus.
• Since Democrats could not management the Senate — and in the event that they do have management, it will likely be by the slimmest majority — Biden could also be compelled to make modifications to well being coverage by way of government actions and laws. That may restrict his ambitions.
• Nonetheless, even these smaller strikes can have main outcomes, resembling permitting Deliberate Parenthood to once more take part in federal well being packages to develop the variety of suppliers from which low-income ladies can search care.
• The Pfizer vaccine requires extraordinarily chilly temperatures for storage, complicating the logistics for distribution. It’s an impediment however not an insurmountable one for many areas on this nation.
• Supreme Court docket justices signaled this week they won’t strike the Reasonably priced Care Act in its entirety. A number of of the conservatives, together with Justice Brett Kavanaugh, who was appointed by President Donald Trump, prompt that any ruling that the mandate to have insurance coverage is unconstitutional doesn’t must doom the remainder of the legislation.

Plus, for further credit score, the panelists suggest their favourite well being coverage tales of the week they assume it is best to learn too:

Julie Rovner: KHN and The Washington Put up’s “In Medical Colleges, College students Search Strong and Necessary Anti-Racist Coaching,” by Elizabeth Lawrence

Joanne Kenen: KHN’s “Trump’s Anti-Abortion Zeal Shook Fragile Well being Techniques Across the World,” by Sarah Varney

Stephanie Armour: KHN’s “Biden Plan to Decrease Medicare Eligibility Age to 60 Faces Hostility From Hospitals,” by Phil Galewitz

Shefali Luthra: Stat Information’ “With a Meteoric Rise in Deaths, Speak of Waves Is Misguided, Say Covid-19 Modelers,” by Elizabeth Cooney

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