Week in Washington 062922

Week in Washington is brought to you by Michael Cohen, PhD. Tune in each week to read the latest on healthcare policy and get a glimpse of what’s on the horizon

Week in Washington

6/29/2022

Supreme Court

The Supreme Court last week ruled in a landmark decision (Dobbs v. Mississippi) to overturn Roe v. Wade. The decision allows states to craft their own laws on abortion. The expectation is that at least 22 states will have restrictions. A good map of state policies can be found here.

One major flashpoint in the future will be over abortion pills. To date, states have been unable to ban FDA approved medications. However, it is possible that courts will side with states, should they choose to do so. This may have spillover effects as it may allow states to regulate prescription drug availability or FDA medical treatments, more generally.

Covid

• The FDA approved broadly an Omicron specific booster that would be available in the fall (likely October). The exact composition of the vaccine and who would be eligible for the booster is still under discussion.
• Trials are expected to begin on a pan-Coronavirus vaccine that would be designed to protect people from multiple (all) Covid variants.

Research You Can Use

• Matt Fiedler of the Brookings Institute found that eliminating small residual premiums (e.g., a premium of 0.5% of a plan’s gross premium) could increase Exchange coverage by 48,000 people.
• Richard Frank and Kathleen Hannick have a great overview of pharmaceutical R&D.

Happy July 4th!!

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