Biden Budget Touches All the Bases

The Host Julie Rovner KHN @jrovner Read Julie's stories. Julie Rovner is chief Washington correspondent and host of KHNs weekly health policy news podcast, What the Health? A noted expert on health policy issues, Julie is the author of the critically praised reference book Health Care Politics and Policy A to Z, now in its third edition.

President Joe Bidens fiscal 2024 budget proposal includes new policies and funding boosts for many of the Democratic Partys important constituencies, including advocates for people with disabilities and reproductive rights. It also proposes ways to shore up Medicares dwindling Hospital Insurance Trust Fund without cutting benefits, basically daring Republicans to match him on the politically potent issue.

Meanwhile, five women in Texas who were denied abortions when their pregnancies threatened their lives or the viability of the fetuses they were carrying are suing the state. They charge that the language of Texas abortion ban makes it impossible for doctors to provide needed care without fear of enormous fines or prison sentences.

This weeks panelists are Julie Rovner of KHN, Shefali Luthra of The 19th, Victoria Knight of Axios, and Margot Sanger-Katz of The New York Times. Panelists Victoria Knight Axios @victoriaregisk Read Victoria's stories Shefali Luthra The 19th @Shefalil Read Shefali's stories Margot Sanger-Katz The New York Times @sangerkatz Read Margot's stories

Among the takeaways from this weeks episode: Bidens budget manages to toe the line between preserving Medicare and keeping the Medicare trust fund solvent while advancing progressive policies. Republicans have yet to propose a budget, but it seems likely any GOP plan would lean heavily on cuts to Medicaid and subsidies provided under the Affordable Care Act. Democrats will fight both of those. Even though the presidents budget includes something of a Democratic wish list of social policy priorities, the proposals are less sweeping than those made last year. Rather, many such as extending to private insurance the $35 monthly Medicare cost cap for insulin build on achievements already realized. That puts new focus on things the president has accomplished. Walgreens, the nations second-largest pharmacy chain, is caught up in the abortion wars. In January, the chain said it would apply for certification from the FDA to sell the abortion pill mifepristone in states where abortion is legal. However, last week, under threats from Republican attorneys general in states where abortion is still legal, the chain wavered on whether it would seek to sell the pill there or not, which caused a backlash from both abortion rights proponents and opponents. The five women suing Texas after being denied abortions amid dangerous pregnancy complications are not asking for the states ban to be lifted. Rather, theyre seeking clarification about who qualifies for exceptions to the ban, so doctors and hospitals can provide needed care without fear of prosecution. Although anti-abortion groups have for decades insisted that those who have abortions should not be prosecuted, bills introduced in several state legislatures would do exactly that. In South Carolina, those who have abortions could even be subject to the death penalty. So far none of these bills have passed, but the wave of measures could herald a major policy change.

Also this week, Rovner interviews Harris Meyer, who reported and wrote the two latest KHN-NPR Bill of the Month features. Both were about families facing unexpected bills after childbirth. If you have an outrageous or exorbitant medical bill you want to share with us, you can do that here. Email Sign-Up

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Plus, for extra credit, the panelists suggest health policy stories they read this week that they think you should read, too:

Julie Rovner: KHNs Girls in Texas Could Get Birth Control at Federal Clinics, Until a Christian Father Objected, by Sarah Varney

Shefali Luthra: The 19ths Language for Treating Childhood Obesity Carries Its Own Health Risks to Kids, Experts Say, by Jennifer Gerson

Victoria Knight: KHNs After People on Medicaid Die, Some States Aggressively Seek Repayment From Their Estates, by Tony Leys

Margot Sanger-Katz: ProPublicas How Obamacare Enabled a Multibillion-Dollar Christian Health Care Grab, by J. David McSwane and Ryan Gabrielson

Also mentioned in this weeks podcast: The New York Times The Programs Youd Have to Cut to Balance the Budget, by Alicia Parlapiano, Margot Sanger-Katz, and Josh Katz

Credits Francis Ying Audio producer Stephanie Stapleton Editor

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