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Minnesota Governor Tim Walz is the man Vice President Kamala Harris has chosen as her running mate. Walz, a former U.S. congressman, high school teacher and National Guardsman, has a down-to-earth Midwestern vibe and a liberal background. As governor, he signed bills to expand abortion rights and transgender medical care, and represented a battleground district in the House of Representatives.
Meanwhile, new research shows that the number of abortions performed in the U.S. since the overturning of Roe v. Wade continued to rise through the beginning of this year, frustrating abortion opponents who are looking for more ways to reduce the number of abortions, even if it means banning pregnant women from traveling between states.
This week's panelists are Julie Rovner of KFF Health News, Sandhya Raman of CQ Roll Call, and Shefali Luthra of The 19th.
Panelists
Here are some lessons learned from this week's episode:
Walz has been active on health issues, including capping insulin prices, legislating access to abortion and gender-affirming care, supporting veterans' health, and challenging hospital consolidation. Indeed, the similarities between him and Harris highlight the unity of the Democratic Party on key health issues. Meanwhile, Republican vice presidential candidate Senator J.D. Vance of Ohio said in an interview that Obamacare reform would still be on the agenda if Trump were reelected, but did not provide details. The Republican plan lacks specifics, and there are many unknowns about what a second Trump administration will do with health policy. Recent reports suggest that the number of abortions continues to rise despite restrictions. Why? Telehealth is the main reason for this trend. Another report said that hundreds of millions of dollars of taxpayer money have been funneled to crisis pregnancy centers since Roe v. Wade was overturned, reflecting conservative state legislatures' efforts to steer funds to centers that block abortions. And Congress once again went into its August recess without funding the federal government. Other must-have bills, such as expanding telehealth flexibility and reforming pharmacy benefit management companies, are looking to the lame-duck session after the election.
Plus, for “extra credit,” panelists will suggest other health policy articles they read this week that readers should also read.
Julie Rovner: “Health, Access to Health Care, and Financial Barriers to Care Among People Incarcerated in U.S. Prisons” in JAMA Internal Medicine, by Emily Lupton Lupez, Steffie Woolhandler, David U. Himmelstein, et al.
Shefali Luthra: KFF Health News, “Inside Project 2025: Former Trump Administration Official Outlines Sharp Rightward Shift in Anti-Abortion Policy,” by Stephanie Armour.
Sandhya Raman: War Horse's “'They've seized my body parts': Post-9/11 amputee veterans say VA care has disappointed” by Hope Hodge-Seck.
Also mentioned in this week's podcast:
ProPublica's “Texas Sends Millions to Crisis Pregnancy Centers to Help Straits Families, but No One Knows If They Work,” by Cassandra Jaramillo, Jeremy Kohler, Sophie Chou, ProPublica, Jessica Kegg, CBS News; Vox's “Free Medical School Won't Solve Doctor Shortage,” by Dylan Scott; Stat's “How UnitedHealth Turned a Questionable Artery Screening Program into a Gold Mine,” by Casey Ross, Lizzie Lawrence, Bob Herman, and Tara Banau; The Wall Street Journal's “One-Hour Nurse Visit Allows Insurers to Collect $15 Billion from Medicare,” by Anna Wilde Matthews, Christopher Weaver, Tom McGinty, and Mark Malemon.
To listen to all the podcasts, click here.
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