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Health Care
Health Care
The Big Story
White House pushes back menthol ban
The Biden administration threw cold water over its plans to issue a ban on menthol cigarettes on Friday, with officials saying a final rule will take “significantly more time.”
© AP
The rule that was more than decade in the making was divisive from the start, with public health groups urging for it to be finalized while criminal justice organizations warned it unfairly targeted Black smokers who smoke menthols more than other demographics.
The administration nodded to this back-and-forth in its announcement Friday.
“This rule has garnered historic attention and the public comment period has yielded an immense amount of feedback, including from various elements of the civil rights and criminal justice movement,” Health and Human Services Secretary Xavier Becerra said in a statement.
“It’s clear that there are still more conversations to have, and that will take significantly more time," he said.
Groups who supported the ban accused the administration of bowing to industry and election-year pressures.
“In an election year, politicians should be prioritizing people, not profiteers,” said NAACP President and CEO Derrick Johnson. “The NAACP is outraged and disgusted, but we refuse to be deterred. We will continue to do whatever it takes to protect and advance Black life.”
“Tobacco industry arguments have prevailed over public health. There is no scientific research to support continuing to sell mentholated tobacco products. Menthol acts as an anesthetic making cigarettes easier to start smoking and harder to quit,” said Laurent Huber, executive director of Action on Smoking and Health.
Welcome to The Hill’s Health Care newsletter, we’re Nathaniel Weixel and Joseph Choi — every week we follow the latest moves on how Washington impacts your health.
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Essential Reads
How policy will be impacting the health care sector this week and beyond:
White House bolsters transgender health protections, rolls back Trump admin rule
The Biden administration is bolstering health care protections against discrimination for gay and transgender people, reversing a Trump administration rule that gutted the protections. In a wide-ranging final rule released Friday, the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) strengthened the Affordable Care Act’s (ACA) rules that prohibit discrimination on the basis of sex, including on the basis of sexual …
Full Story Bird flu virus traces found in 1 in 5 samples of pasteurized milk: FDA
The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has found that about 1 in 5 samples of retail milk contain traces of highly contagious bird flu, though these findings may not be indicative of an infectious risk to consumers. In an update published this week, the FDA shared some takeaways from its nationally representative commercial milk sampling study. “The agency continues to analyze this information; however, the initial results …
Full Story Alito reignites fetal rights debate in Idaho abortion case
The Supreme Court justice who authored the Dobbs ruling overturning Roe v. Wade jumped headlong Wednesday into the debate about whether a fetus is entitled to the same rights as a person. Abortion-rights advocates were concerned ahead of arguments that the case about whether Idaho’s abortion ban violated a federal emergency care law might be used to advance the fight for fetal rights. The Department of Justice argued …
Full Story In Other News
Branch out with a different read:
A ban in Kansas on gender-affirming care also would bar advocacy for kids’ social transitions
A proposed ban in Kansas on gender-affirming care for minors also would bar state employees from promoting it — or even children’s social transitioning. Teachers and social workers who support LGBTQ+ rights worry that they could be disciplined or fired for helping kids who are exploring their gender identities.
Full Story Around the Nation
Local and state headlines on health care:
- House, Senate close in on Medicaid expansion agreement (Mississippi Today)
- Inside the long-odds push to undo an abortion ban in ruby red Arkansas (Washington Post)
- Lawmakers seek tighter controls on state health data exchange (CT Examiner)
What We're Reading
Health news we've flagged from other outlets:
- The ‘milk supply is safe’: Biden administration scrambles to reassure Americans as bird flu spreads (Politico)
- Millions were booted from Medicaid. The insurers that run it gained Medicaid revenue anyway (KFF Health News)
- Walgreens to help bring cell and gene therapies to patients as it expands specialty pharmacy services (CNBC)
What Others are Reading
Most read stories on The Hill right now:
Trump’s potential plan for Fed raises alarms
Former President Trump’s potential plan to exert more influence over the Federal Reserve is alarming experts and investors. The Wall Street Journal … Read more
Kristi Noem describes killing dog after bad hunting trip in new book
South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem (R) in a forthcoming book describes shooting a family dog after a hunting trip, according to a report in The Guardian, … Read more
What People Think
Opinions related to health submitted to The Hill:
- The anti-DEI EDUCATE Act has no place in 21st-century medicine
- The insidious US measles resurgence should terrify us all
You're all caught up. See you next week!
Check out The Hill's Health Care page for the latest coverage.
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