KFF Health News’ ‘What the Health?’: The Supreme Court and the Abortion Pill

In its first abortion case since the overturning of Roe v. Wade in 2022, the Supreme Court this week regarded unlikely to uphold an appeals court ruling that might perchance dramatically prohibit the availability of the abortion tablet mifepristone. However the court already has one other abortion-linked case teed up for April, and abortion opponents dangle several more challenges in mind to restrict the process in states the set it remains very most lifelike.

Within the period in-between, Republicans, including light President Donald Trump, proceed to rob goal at well-liked well being programs love Medicare, Medicaid, and the Cheap Care Act on the campaign path — worthy to the delight of Democrats, who feel they’ve a bonus on the say.

This week’s panelists are Julie Rovner of KFF Health News, Alice Miranda Ollstein of Politico, Sarah Karlin-Smith of the Crimson Sheet, and Lauren Weber of The Washington Put up.

Among the many takeaways from this week’s episode:

• A minimal of two conservative Supreme Court justices joined the three more progressive participants of the bench all thru Tuesday’s oral arguments in expressing skepticism about the misfortune to the abortion drug mifepristone. Their questions focused primarily on whether or now not the doctors now not easy the drug had proven they were harmed by its availability — as well as whether or now not the suitable resolve used to be to broadly prohibit entry to the drug for everybody else.
• A ruling in prefer of the doctors now not easy mifepristone would dangle the doable to slice support the drug’s safety and efficacy: In narrate, one FDA resolution arena to reversal adjusted dosing, and switching to the usage of ultimate the 2nd drug within the smooth two-drug abortion tablet regimen would also objective a minute derive greater the likelihood of issues.
• Two conservative justices also raised the applicability of the Comstock Act, a protracted-dormant, 19th-century law that restricts mail distribution of abortion-linked objects. Their questions are distinguished as advisers to Trump explore reviving the unenforced law might perchance unruffled he in finding this November.
• Within the period in-between, a Democrat in Alabama flipped a direct House seat campaigning on abortion-linked disorders, as Trump again discusses imposing a national abortion ban. The say is persevering with to sigh thorny for Republicans.
• Even as Republicans strive and inspire away from running on well being care disorders, the Heritage Foundation and a neighborhood of House Republicans dangle proposed plans that consist of changes to the well being care map. Will the plans produce more to rev up their low — or Democrats?
• This Week in Scientific Misinformation: TikTok’s algorithm is boosting deceptive data about hormonal birth possess watch over — and in some instances ensuing in additional unintended pregnancies.

Also this week, Rovner interviews KFF Health News’ Tony Leys, who wrote a KFF Health News-NPR “Invoice of the Month” function about Medicare and a truly costly air-ambulance toddle. Must you dangle a baffling or substandard clinical invoice you’d desire to allotment with us, that it’s likely you’ll produce that here.

Plus, for “additional credit,” the panelists imply well being protection tales they be taught this week they ponder that that it’s likely you’ll unruffled be taught, too:

Julie Rovner: KFF Health News’ “Overdosing on Chemo: A General Gene Check Would possibly well well also Save Hundreds of Lives Every Year,” by Arthur Allen.

Alice Miranda Ollstein: Stat’s “Fetal Tissue Study Gains in Significance as Roadblocks Multiply,” by Olivia Goldhill.

Sarah Karlin-Smith: The Washington Put up’s “The Confusing, Stressful Ordeal of Flying With a Breast Pump,” by Hannah Sampson and Ben Brasch.

Lauren Weber: Stateline’s “Lethal Fires From Telephone, Scooter Batteries Leave Lawmakers Playing Acquire-Up on Safety,” by Robbie Sequeira.

Also talked about on this week’s podcast:

• The Washington Put up’s “Nikki Haley Wants ‘Consensus’ on Contraception. It’s No longer That Straightforward,” by Julie Rovner.
• Politico’s “Justices Had been Skeptical of Abortion Pills Arguments. Anti-Abortion Groups Own Backup Plans,” by Alice Miranda Ollstein.
• Politico’s “Why Portland Failed The set Portugal Succeeded in Decriminalizing Medication,” by Carmen Paun and Aitor Hernández-Morales.

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