| | | | |  | | By Krista Mahr and Daniel Payne | | | With help from Daniel Lippman and Megan R. Wilson
| | |  House GOP members are calling for the age bracket for people who must meet work requirements to participate in SNAP to be expanded. | Gene J. Puskar/AP Photo | MCCARTHY GOES AFTER SNAP AGAIN — House Speaker Kevin McCarthy’s new debt limit negotiating proposal set to be unveiled this morning will include broad moves to restrict food assistance for millions of low-income Americans, POLITICO’s Meredith Lee Hill reports. The details: The initial list calls for expanding the age bracket for people who must meet work requirements to participate in the Supplemental Nutrition Food Assistance Program, or SNAP, while closing what Republicans say are “loopholes” in existing restrictions. Why it matters: SNAP serves 41 million low-income Americans. Advocates warn that cuts to the critical program could push the nation over a looming “hunger cliff” as families still reel from the economic fallout of Covid-19, particularly in rural regions. A recent study found that a quarter of Americans are food insecure, up 5 percent from the same time last year. Politically, talk of shrinking SNAP is already putting pressure on many Republicans who represent districts President Joe Biden won in 2020. Several of those members have raised internal concerns, especially about proposals from their colleagues that would add work requirements for some low-income parents who have children under 18 living at home. Reality check: Senate Democrats have said such measures are dead on arrival in the upper chamber, and with the help of key Senate Republicans, they’ve killed off a series of similar House GOP efforts over the years. As one GOP Senate aide, who was granted anonymity to discuss private conversations, put it: “I mean, Godspeed. Get what you can. We’re going to live in reality over here.” WELCOME TO MONDAY PULSE — Left with some questions after last week's “Succession”? Like what would really happen in a medical emergency 30,000 feet over the Atlantic? Your questions are answered here. Send us the sibling you’re rooting for, along with news and tips to kmahr@politico.com and dpayne@politico.com. TODAY ON OUR PULSE CHECK PODCAST, host Katherine Ellen Foley talks with Ruth Reader, who explains how mental health apps, telehealth services and hospital websites capture users' detailed personal information to use for marketing and advertising without their knowledge and how the FTC and HHS plan to crack down on the practice to protect consumers' health data.
| | | | A message from PhRMA: What’s a pharmacy benefit manager (PBM)? They decide if medicines get covered and what people pay for them, regardless of what your doctor prescribes. These middlemen are putting their profits before your medicines. And getting between you and your doctor. You need to see what’s going on. | | | Want to receive this newsletter every weekday? Subscribe to POLITICO Pro. You’ll also receive daily policy news and other intelligence you need to act on the day’s biggest stories.
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New results from Moderna and Merck are a big step forward for getting the first cancer-recurrence vaccine approved. | Bill Sikes/AP Photo | A STEP FORWARD FOR A CANCER VACCINE — Moderna and Merck said Sunday a combination of immunotherapy and a personalized cancer vaccine prevented cancer recurrence better than standard immunotherapy treatment alone, POLITICO’s Katherine Ellen Foley reports. The results, a new application of Moderna’s mRNA platform used in its Covid-19 vaccine and boosters, are a major step forward for getting the first cancer-recurrence vaccine approved. What’s next: Moderna said it was too early to comment on when it would file for FDA approval. The agency granted the drug combo breakthrough treatment status earlier this year, which can speed up the development of drugs for serious conditions. The companies plan to begin a Phase III trial later this year. Eric Rubin, Merck’s senior vice president in early clinical oncology development, said that Merck is eyeing future studies in using the drug-vaccine combo for lung cancer.
| | | | GO INSIDE THE 2023 MILKEN INSTITUTE GLOBAL CONFERENCE: POLITICO is proud to partner with the Milken Institute to produce a special edition "Global Insider" newsletter featuring exclusive coverage, insider nuggets and unparalleled insights from the 2023 Global Conference, which will convene leaders in health, finance, politics, philanthropy and entertainment from April 30-May 3. This year’s theme, Advancing a Thriving World, will challenge and inspire attendees to lean into building an optimistic coalition capable of tackling the issues and inequities we collectively face. Don’t miss a thing — subscribe today for a front row seat. | | | | | | | | PhRMA’s ABORTION AMICUS — As the regulatory approval of abortion pill mifepristone hangs in legal limbo, industry group PhRMA filed a brief with the Supreme Court arguing that a federal appeals court erred by maintaining restrictions on the drug, Megan reports. The Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America's amicus brief comes after the conservative-leaning 5th Circuit Court of Appeals declined to suspend mifepristone’s FDA approval but kept in place restrictions that would prevent the drug from being sent to patients by mail or prescribed after seven weeks of pregnancy. Drugmakers have said the decisions limiting access to FDA-approved treatments — if kept in place — could have widespread implications for patients and harm drug development for products unrelated to abortion. “By allowing the courts to substitute their own opinion for the FDA’s, biopharmaceutical manufacturers, prescribers and patients would all face significant uncertainty,” said Jim Stansel, who leads PhRMA’s legal and science and regulatory advocacy teams. Where things stand now: On Friday, Supreme Court Justice Samuel Alito granted the Justice Department’s request to put a temporary hold on the decision freezing access to the drug while the Supreme Court reviews emergency appeals from the Biden administration and Danco Laboratories, the company that makes the brand-name version of mifepristone. It will lift at noon on Wednesday.
| | | | A message from PhRMA:   | | | | | HHS BEEFS UP CYBERSECURITY FIGHT — HHS will offer free online cybersecurity training for health care workers in an effort to boost the sector’s defenses against cyberthreats, POLITICO’s Ben Leonard reports. The training, first reported by POLITICO, will cover such issues as ransomware, social engineering and attacks against medical devices. Why it matters: The announcement comes amid a growing cyber assault on the health care sector. About 1 in 7 Americans had their sensitive health data breached in 2021 alone, a threefold increase in three years, according to a POLITICO analysis. Cyberthreats put at risk patient safety and health care organizations’ bottom lines.
| | A BETTER REENTRY — A group of 126 organizations across the country wrote to lawmakers Monday to urge them to pass the Reentry Act, a bipartisan bill introduced in March that seeks to expand Medicaid to incarcerated individuals before their release. Current policy that prevents the use of federal funds for medical services for “inmates of a public institution” has become a significant barrier to helping people access treatment for opioid use disorder before they are released, the groups write. “The bipartisan Reentry Act will correct outdated policies that prevent incarcerated individuals from receiving effective medications for opioid use disorder,” said Libby Jones, program director of the Overdose Prevention Initiative, one of the signatories. “This is a crucial action in Congress’s ongoing efforts to address the overdose crisis, make addiction treatment more accessible, and save lives.” Why it matters: People leaving jail or prison are up to 129 more likely to die from a drug overdose in the two weeks after their release than the general population, but access to drug treatment in jails and prisons remains scarce across the nation. A new study published in JAMA found that offering medication-assisted treatment to people while incarcerated lowered the number of overdose deaths and was a “highly cost-effective intervention.” FLYING IN — Moving Health Home, a cross-sector group that includes more than 20 companies and health systems, will have its first in-person fly-in Monday and Tuesday. The group aims to highlight that Americans would like to see more options on the market to help them receive care at home. Moving Health Home is a sister coalition to the Alliance for Connected Care. TELEHEALTH: TOO SOON TO TELL — Congress’ Medicare advisory panel reported Friday that expanded access to telehealth during the pandemic boosted access to care, but added it’s not yet clear whether it improved the quality of care or reduced costs, Ben reports. Medicare doesn’t have data on lab results or patient-reported outcomes, and Covid-19 surges confounded the results, the panel said. Why it matters: The Medicare Payment Advisory Commission suggested that Congress hold off deciding whether to make permanent the rules enacted at the pandemic’s outset, allowing expanded access to telehealth for Medicare patients. Congress extended that access through 2024 in last year’s government spending bill.
| | | | STEP INSIDE THE WEST WING: What's really happening in West Wing offices? Find out who's up, who's down, and who really has the president’s ear in our West Wing Playbook newsletter, the insider's guide to the Biden White House and Cabinet. For buzzy nuggets and details that you won't find anywhere else, subscribe today. | | | | | | | | | Cheryl Jaeger is joining Crossroads Strategies as a principal. Jaeger, a health care policy expert, served in the House Majority Leader’s office under then-Leader Eric Cantor, on the House Energy and Commerce Committee and for then-Rep. Roy Blunt. Ivelisse Porroa-García also joins the firm as senior vice president. Jeff Sanchez is now chief of staff for federal at PhRMA. He previously was a senior adviser for Sen. Chris Coons (D-Del.).
| | NPR’s Goats and Soda reports on the robot that’s providing health care advice across sub-Saharan Africa. The New York Times reports on why Ukrainian soldiers are freezing their sperm as part of their fight against Russia. The Washington Post reports on a new study that indicates Black men may carry a higher genetic risk of prostate cancer.
| | | | A message from PhRMA: Insurers and their PBMs don’t want you to see that you could be paying more than they are for your medicines. Rebates and discounts can significantly lower what insurers and PBMs pay for medicines. These savings can reduce the cost of some brand medicines by 50% or more. But insurers and PBMs aren’t required to share those savings with you at the pharmacy counter.
They don’t want you to see that they use deductibles, coinsurance and other tactics to shift more costs on to you. Or that the three largest PBMs control 80% of the prescription drug market. Or that last year they blocked access to more than 1,150 medicines, including medicines that could have lowered costs for you at the pharmacy.
PBMs and insurance practices are shrouded in secrecy, they need to be held accountable. | | | | | | | Follow us on Twitter | | | | Follow us | | | | |
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