From the debate stage: ‘Trust me’

Presented by the Coalition for Medicare Choices: Delivered daily by 10 a.m., Pulse examines the latest news in health care politics and policy.

Oct 02, 2024 View in browser   By Chelsea Cirruzzo and Ben Leonard Presented by the Coalition for Medicare Choices With David Lim and Carmen Paun Driving The Day At Tuesday night's vice presidential debate, Gov. Tim Walz (right) championed the ACA while Sen. JD Vance proposed alternatives. | Matt Rourke/AP VANCE AND WALZ DEBATE ABORTION, ACA — The running mates of Vice President Kamala Harris and former President Donald Trump made their campaigns’ pitches on health policy from the debate stage Tuesday night. For Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, that meant sticking with Harris’ rhetoric on restoring Roe v. Wade protections and strengthening the Affordable Care Act. For Ohio Sen. JD Vance, it was clarifying his own and Trump’s earlier comments on a national abortion ban and talking about how a Trump administration would replace the ACA. — Abortion: In a heated back-and-forth, Walz and Vance sought to explain why their respective campaign’s views on abortion and reproductive health were about families and, in both their words, trust. Walz called for restoring Roe. “We make sure women are in charge of their health care,” he said. “We trust women. We trust doctors.” Walz attacked the Heritage Foundation’s Project 2025 — the Harris campaign has called it a playbook for a second Trump administration — which he said would create a national registry of pregnancies, limit infertility treatments and make contraceptives harder to access. “Infertility treatments are why I have a child,” he said. Vance denied that a Trump administration would monitor pregnancies, adding that he’s pro-family and pro-fertility treatments. “We have to do a much better job earning the American people’s trust back on this issue where they, frankly, don’t trust us,” Vance said, adding that states should decide on abortion rights. He also denied saying that he’d support a national abortion ban. However, in 2022, Vance said he supported a bill to ban abortion nationally at 15 weeks, though he also said he would support some exceptions. What they’re trying to do: Vance tried to pivot on abortion bans, which are unpopular, and instead focus on how to help mothers. And on X last night, Trump said for the first time he wouldn’t support a national ban and would veto one if elected. Walz stuck close to Harris’ talking points, lambasting Trump for boasting about appointing the Supreme Court justices who overturned Roe and pushing back on Vance’s characterization of himself and the GOP view of pro-family by highlighting high maternal mortality. — Affordable Care Act: Vance doubled down on earlier ideas he touted for an ACA replacement plan. He told moderators, however, that a replacement would keep protections for people with preexisting conditions. He also praised the Trump administration for striking down the individual mandate and finalizing hospital price transparency. Walz said Harris would protect and strengthen the ACA and touted historic Medicare price negotiation under the Biden administration’s Inflation Reduction Act. What they’re trying to do: Vance did what Trump has yet to do himself: Give details on his so-called concept of a plan to replace the ACA while trying to paint Trump’s prior actions as president as a win for reducing health care costs. Walz, on the other hand, wants to leave voters with the impression that they’re better off continuing policies the Biden-Harris administration began that led to more people enrolling under the ACA and lower drug costs. WELCOME TO WEDNESDAY PULSE. Will the sun ever return to Washington? I hope so. Send your tips, scoops and feedback to ccirruzzo@politico.com and bleonard@politico.com and follow along @ChelseaCirruzzo and @_BenLeonard_.   A message from the Coalition for Medicare Choices: Policymakers have more than 33 million reasons to protect and strengthen Medicare Advantage. Seniors vote – and they’re voting for Medicare Advantage. Learn more.   In Congress Rep. James Comer issued a subpoena Tuesday requesting HHS to supply documents related to its study on alcohol consumption and health. | Francis Chung/POLITICO SERVING UP AN HHS SUBPOENA — A House oversight leader has subpoenaed HHS for documents related to how the agency is developing its 2025 dietary guidelines. It comes amid concern from some members of Congress and the beverage industry that the guidance may have an anti-alcohol bias. The subpoena was issued Tuesday by Rep. James Comer (R-Ky.), chair of the House Committee on Oversight and Accountability. The subpoena requests that HHS Secretary Xavier Becerra comply with the committee’s April directive to provide the documents. The committee issued a similar subpoena to the Department of Agriculture. “The Oversight Committee is concerned that despite USDA’s shared responsibility for formulating the Dietary Guidelines and the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine (NASEM) directive to study alcohol intake and health, HHS appears to be taking improper authority over the development of the alcohol consumption guidelines,” the committee said in a press release. How we got here: HHS and the USDA update the guidelines every five years. Current guidance calls for limiting men to two daily alcoholic drinks or fewer and one daily or fewer for women. The latest guidance is expected by the end of next year. Last year, Congress commissioned NASEM to study the relationship between alcohol and health outcomes to inform the new guidance. Earlier this year, HHS said it convened a panel of its own to study alcohol’s impact on health. The HHS study alarmed some members of Congress on both sides of the aisle, who said the agency wasn’t transparent when it explained why it commissioned a second study that lawmakers believe is duplicative. The beverage industry has also pushed back on the second study, raising concerns that it’s being scientifically reviewed by people with anti-alcohol bias. HHS did not respond to requests for comment. A USDA spokesperson told Pulse it was aware of the subpoena and “will respond accordingly.” The bigger picture: The two studies come as a growing body of evidence suggests that even moderate drinking is linked to health problems, including cancer and high blood pressure. Public Health CDC: BIRD FLU SEROLOGY STILL PENDING — The CDC expects to obtain blood test results in the coming weeks from several people who experienced respiratory symptoms after being exposed to a Missouri patient who tested positive for avian flu, the agency told David. That data could indicate whether the contacts had antibodies from a past avian flu infection. More than 10 days have passed since any of the contacts reported respiratory symptoms, indicating that there’s no sign of ongoing spread of the virus, according to the CDC. Background: The Missouri patient tested positive for avian flu last month, and the CDC later disclosed that providers who had treated the patient had also experienced respiratory symptoms. Dr. Ashish Jha, President Joe Biden’s former Covid-19 response coordinator, previously told POLITICO the symptoms were a “concerning development” and could indicate human-to-human transmission. However, the CDC said the immediate risk of avian flu to the general public remains low. Since April, 14 human cases of bird flu have been detected in the U.S. — four of which were tied to exposure to sick dairy cows and nine with exposure to infected poultry. VAX MAKER UPCHARGING POOR COUNTRIES? Bavarian Nordic, the Danish manufacturer of the mpox vaccine Jynneos, appears to charge developing countries battling an outbreak of the rash-causing disease more per dose than it charges the U.S., nonprofit advocacy group Public Citizen said in a report Tuesday, Carmen writes. The price the U.S. pays for a Jynneos dose isn’t publicly available, but Public Citizen calculated it at about $55. That’s less than the $65 UNICEF might have to pay to supply the vaccine to central African countries facing the mpox outbreak. Bavarian Nordic didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment. In an interview with POLITICO last month, its CEO, Paul Chaplin, wouldn’t disclose the vaccine’s price for developing countries for the shot but said insufficient sales at high prices to wealthier countries prevented it from offering it at a much lower cost to other countries. Why it matters: Public Citizen contends that the vaccine’s high price compromises a speedy response to the current mpox outbreak, which the WHO declared an international public health emergency. The Democratic Republic of the Congo and neighboring countries have reported more than 31,000 suspected mpox cases and 844 suspected mpox deaths this year.   A message from the Coalition for Medicare Choices:   AROUND THE AGENCIES HHS PREPS FOR PORT STRIKE — HHS said Tuesday it expected “limited” impact on the availability of drugs, medical devices and infant formulas as dockworkers at East and Gulf coast ports go on strike. HHS said in a statement that it had been in touch with distributors, manufacturers and trade associations to assess the strike’s effect, and the FDA and the Administration for Strategic Preparedness and Response were working to identify any potential shortages of lifesaving devices. “Our Administration supports collective bargaining as the best way for workers and employers to come to a fair agreement,” HHS said, “and we encourage all parties to come to the bargaining table and negotiate in good faith — fairly and quickly.” Jim McNamara, public relations director at the International Longshoremen's Association, confirmed to Pulse that the White House and U.S. Labor Department are in daily contact with the union. The dockworkers' strike started Tuesday amid union negotiations and workers’ calls for higher wages, among other demands. Names in the News Steve Speil, longtime executive vice president of policy at the Federation of American Hospitals, will retire at the end of this year. Cody Uhing is joining the Autonomous Vehicle Industry Association as communications and marketing director. He previously was director of communications for AdvaMed. WHAT WE'RE READING The New York Times reports on a rise in breast cancer among young women. The Wall Street Journal reports the challenges CVS might face in splitting its retail arm from its health care ventures.   A message from the Coalition for Medicare Choices: More than half of America’s seniors and people living with disabilities choose Medicare Advantage because it delivers better benefits, better access to care, and better value. The more than 33 million Americans who choose Medicare Advantage receive higher-quality care and have access to more preventive services compared to those in fee-for-service Medicare – while saving more than $2,500 a year. To protect and strengthen their Medicare Advantage coverage, thousands of seniors in the Coalition for Medicare Choices are making their voices heard from their local communities to Washington, D.C. Their message is clear: Medicare Advantage gives them better care and lower costs, and policymakers should defend it. This fall, seniors are voting – and they’re voting for Medicare Advantage. Learn more.     Follow us on Twitter Dan Goldberg @dancgoldberg Chelsea Cirruzzo @chelseacirruzzo Lauren Gardner @Gardner_LM Sophie Gardner @sophie_gardnerj Kelly Hooper @kelhoops Robert King @rking_19 Ben Leonard @_BenLeonard_ David Lim @davidalim Megan Messerly @meganmesserly Alice Miranda Ollstein @aliceollstein Carmen Paun @carmenpaun Daniel Payne @_daniel_payne Ruth Reader @RuthReader Erin Schumaker @erinlschumaker   Follow us

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