Gregg Margolis: Three things about health policy this week

Gregg Margolis shared a post on LinkedIn:

“If you can only read three things about health policy this week, I suggest…

The Washington Post: How The Supreme Court Has Roiled U.S. Health-Care Agencies Recent Supreme Court decisions curbing the power of federal agencies will hobble government efforts to protect public health, legal experts warn.

The rulings will make it harder for some federal agencies to bring enforcement actions, give judges more leeway to second-guess agency decisions and, following a decision Monday, make it easier to challenge long-settled regulations.

Legal experts and heath officials expect a gusher of litigation that will complicate the regulation of drugs, tobacco products and cutting-edge medical technologies.

The administration of government health insurance programs could be further mired in lawsuits. And decades-old agency decisions may be newly vulnerable to challenges. (Ovalle, Achenbach and Roubein, 7/2)

Politico: Biden Administration Plans Major Cuts To AIDS Relief Programs In Africa The Biden administration plans to cut funding by more than 6 percent in fiscal 2025 from the President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief, the 21-year-old program credited with saving millions of lives in Africa, a senior PEPFAR official told POLITICO.

The State Department, which oversees the program, confirmed the cuts. The department has gradually spent down a glut in the PEPFAR budget from years in which funding from Congress exceeded State’s ability to spend it, said a department spokesperson who, like the PEPFAR official, was granted anonymity to discuss sensitive program decisions.

Now the glut is gone and Congress in March held the program’s $4.4 billion budget flat. (Paun, 7/2)

Forbes: Supreme Court Abortion Decision Leaves Patients And Doctors In Limbo Many doctors hoped that last week’s Supreme Court decision regarding emergency care of pregnant women would provide the clarity they need to do their jobs.

For now, pregnant Idaho women won’t need to be airlifted out of state for appropriate treatment if they come to an ER with a life-threatening complication of pregnancy such as severe bleeding, impending kidney failure, or an ectopic pregnancy.

But instead of issuing a definitive ruling, the Supreme Court returned the matter to lower courts. It also lifted its stay of a lower-court ruling that will allow, for now, emergency abortions at Idaho hospitals to be done if necessary to protect the health of the mother. (Kellermann, 7/1)

For links, a deeper dive, or to subscribe, go to this link.”

Source: Gregg Margolis/LinkedIn

Gregg S. Margolis, PhD, serves as the director of Health Policy Fellowships and Leadership Programs at the National Academy of Medicine (NAM).

Previously, he held the position of Director of the Division of Health System Policy for the Office of the Assistant Secretary of Preparedness and Response at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS).

Dr. Margolis specializes in health policy, leadership development, emergency medicine, and public health emergency preparedness and response.                                                                 .