February
20, 2020
Labor
unions are divided over whether to endorse a Democratic candidate for president
in 2020 — and, if so, whom to choose. Some unions are firmly behind the “Medicare
for All” plans being pushed by Sens. Bernie Sanders and Elizabeth Warren. But
the influential Culinary Workers Union in Nevada declined to endorse any
candidate, with members worried about what might replace the generous benefits
they won by bargaining away wage increases.
Meanwhile,
a federal appeals court panel unanimously ruled that the Trump administration
violated Medicaid law when it approved work requirements for beneficiaries in
Arkansas. The ruling puts similar requirements in doubt in several other
states.
This
week’s panelists are Julie Rovner of Kaiser Health News, Alice Miranda Ollstein
of Politico, Jennifer Haberkorn of the Los Angeles Times and Rebecca Adams of
CQ Roll Call.
Among
the takeaways from this week’s podcast:
·
Health care remains a top issue for voters, but candidates,
eager to set themselves apart from the pack, are failing to point out the major
policy differences they have with President Donald Trump. For example, at the
Las Vegas debate Wednesday, no one mentioned the abortion case coming to the
Supreme Court in March or the appeals court case that could invalidate the
entire Affordable Care Act.
·
The Trump administration has approved Medicaid work requirements
in more than a half-dozen states, with at least eight more pending. All of
those state plan approvals are put in doubt by the appeals court opinion that
such requirements violate the Medicaid statute.
·
Enrollment in Covered California, the state’s ACA exchange, grew
by almost half a million from 2019 to 2020, the state just announced.
California did many things other states did not, including extending premium
subsidies higher up the income scale, reinstating the penalty for not having
coverage that was zeroed out by Congress, and spending millions of dollars on
outreach.
·
COVID-19, the novel coronavirus that originated in China, is
complicating public health efforts way beyond that nation. U.S. firms are
worried about shortages of drugs and drug ingredients that are made in China,
and misinformation is spreading even more rapidly than the illness.
Plus,
for extra credit, the panelists recommend their favorite health policy stories
of the week they think you should read too:
Julie
Rovner: CNN.com’s “Nation’s Largest Teachers Unions
Call to End Active Shooter Drills Over Fears They’re Traumatizing Students,”
by Leah Asmelash
Alice
Miranda Ollstein: The Washington Post’s “Trust and Consequences,”
by Hannah Dreier
Rebecca
Adams: The New York Times’ “The Health System We’d Have if
Economists Ran Things,” by Austin Frakt
Jennifer
Haberkorn: Kaiser Health News’ “Ink Rx? Welcome To The Camouflaged
World Of Paramedical Tattoos,” by Cara Anthony
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