SCOTUS rejects abortion pill challenge — for now

The host

Julie Rovner KFF Health News @jrovner

Julie Rovner is the chief Washington correspondent and host of KFF Health News’ weekly health policy news podcast, “What the Health?” A noted expert on health policy, Julie is the author of the critically acclaimed reference book Health Care Politics and Policy A to Z, now in its third edition.

A unanimous Supreme Court has thrown out a challenge to the FDA’s approval and rules for the abortion pill mifepristone, finding that the anti-abortion doctors’ group that sued had no standing to do so. But abortion foes have other ways they plan to limit the availability of the pill, which is commonly used in medical abortions, which now account for nearly two-thirds of abortions in the U.S.

Meanwhile, the Biden administration is proposing regulations that would prevent credit bureaus from including medical debt on individual credit reports. And former President Donald Trump, signaling that drug prices remain a strong campaign issue, is attempting to credit the $35-a-month cap on insulin for Medicare beneficiaries — which was championed and signed into law by Biden.

This week’s panelists are Julie Rovner of KFF Health News, Anna Edney of Bloomberg News, Rachana Pradhan of KFF Health News and Emmarie Huetteman of KFF Health News.

Panelists

Among the items from this week’s episode:

• All nine Supreme Court justices on June 13 dismissed the challenge to the abortion pill mifepristone, ruling that the plaintiffs lacked standing to sue. But that may not be the last word: The decision leaves open the possibility that different plaintiffs — including three states already involved in the case — could raise a similar challenge in the future, and that the court could then vote to block her access to the pill.
• As the presidential race heats up, President Joe Biden and former President Donald Trump are reaching out to health care voters. The Biden administration proposed this week to wipe all medical debt from Americans’ credit scores, which would expand on an earlier, voluntary move by the major credit bureaus to remove medical bills under $500 from credit reports. Meanwhile, Trump continues to sue vaccine skeptics and falsely claims credit for Medicare’s $35 monthly cap on insulin — enacted under a law backed and signed by Biden.
• The problems intensify at the pharmacy counter. Pharmacists and pharmacists are reporting the highest numbers of drug shortages in more than 20 years. And independent pharmacists in particular say they’re struggling to keep drugs on the shelves, pointing to a recent policy shift by the Biden administration that’s reducing costs for seniors — but also cash flow for pharmacies.
• And the Southern Baptist Convention, the nation’s largest branch of Protestantism, voted this week to restrict the use of IVF. As evidenced by recent controversial positions on abortion, Republican candidates feel pressured to accommodate a wide range of perspectives even within their own party.

Also this week, Rovner interviews KFF President and CEO Drew Altman about KFF’s new “Health Policy 101” primer. You can learn more on that here.

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

Julie Rovner: HuffPost’s “How America’s mental health crisis became this family’s worst nightmare”, by Jonathan Conn.

Anna Edney: Stat News”Top Four singer’s lawsuit says he visited ER for chest pain and ended up wearing a tight jacket”, by Tara Bannow.

Rachana Pradhan: The New York Times’ “Abortion groups say tech companies are taking down posts and accounts”, by Emily Schmall and Sapna Maheshwari.

Emmarie Huetteman: CBS News”As FDA urges bird flu crackdown on raw milk, some states say their hands are tied”, by Alexander Tin.

Also mentioned in this week’s podcast:

Credits

• Francis Ying Sound Producer
• Edited by Emmarie Huetteman