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Today’s edition: Congress is putting a hold on its long-awaited overhaul of pharmacy benefit management. Why a “fetal personhood” bill has stalled in the Republican-controlled Florida legislature. But first …
Why the Illinois governor is thinking ‘big’ on reproductive rights
Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker (D) is intensifying his focus on reproductive rights in the lead-up to the November elections.
The billionaire scion of the Hyatt hotel empire, through his nonprofit Think Big America, is funneling money and resources into ballot measure campaigns aimed at enshrining abortion rights in Nevada and Arizona. The group is exploring opportunities to support similar initiatives in battleground states like Montana.
I recently chatted with Pritzker about the effort and why he decided to flex his political and financial muscles on the national stage. This interview has been edited for clarity and brevity.
H202: Your supporters have described abortion rights as an issue that seems personal to you. Does that sentiment hold up?
Pritzker: The truth is, I came to this subject very early in my life because my mother was an activist in the ‘70s and ’80s who cared very deeply about women’s rights.
After my father passed away in 1972, I was about 7. And so you know, [my mother] didn't want to leave me alone at home. So there I was, in meetings, at rallies and so on for years really watching her listening to the passions of people who care deeply about their personal freedom.
She also passed away when I was young at 17. Now, especially when these rights are under attack, I feel her with me and I feel like I can’t let her down. That’s my kind of impetus.
H202: You expanded protections for reproductive rights in Illinois as governor, but with Think Big America, you are enhancing your national profile. What inspired that decision to take this effort over state lines?
Pritzker: We’ve turned Illinois into an oasis for women who were refugees from states that cut off their rights, but that’s not sustainable. It divides the country. The truth is, a strong majority of Americans want to protect their individual rights, and reproductive rights are among the freedoms people feel most strongly about. So that led me to understand that I needed to get involved in every opportunity where we could really make a difference.
H202: Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer (D) has urged President Biden to speak out about abortion more. Do you think that would help Democrats in the run-up to November?
Pritzker: Gretchen Whitmer is right. There is no voice more important than the president of the United States speaking out for abortion rights — and by the way, I don’t think he’s reluctant to do so, I just think that it hasn’t been the focus of his efforts.
Approximately two years ago when President Biden came to Illinois, I rode with him to the event site and talked to him about how important it is for his personal voice to be heard. I think it’s not only good for his reelection, but it's important for the confidence of women who are under attack, to know that the most powerful position and person in the political sphere in this country is their advocate.
H202: Was Biden receptive to your feedback during the conversation?
Pritzker: Absolutely. Believe me, having [Vice President] Harris out there talking about this issue consistently is hugely important. But the president reacted very well to it and has since spoken out in the fight to protect women’s reproductive rights.
H202: You’ve dismissed questions about presidential aspirations this election cycle. Is a White House bid on the table for you in the future?
Pritzker: I love the job that I have. I’m flattered, of course, that my name gets brought up. I think there are some terrific leaders in the Democratic Party and we’re in a great position for 2028 to win the presidency. But I honestly think once Joe Biden wins in 2024, we’ll all be focused on governing for a while.
Daybook
On tap today: Health and Human Services Secretary Xavier Becerra is heading to Alabama to speak with patients and doctors about the controversial court ruling that has cast uncertainty over the future of in vitro fertilization in the state.
Becerra’s visit comes exactly one week before Super Tuesday, and it underscores the Biden administration’s focus on the ruling as additional proof of a Republican-led attack on reproductive health care.
On the Hill
Congressional PBM reform, site-neutral proposals tabled for now
Congressional leaders are dialing back their health-care policy ambitions for an upcoming government funding package.
The details: Legislation for the March 8 government funding deadline will likely include only a handful of provisions with pressing deadlines, including expiring health programs that fund safety-net hospitals and community health centers, according to Axios’s Peter Sullivan and Victoria Knight.
- Bipartisan priorities such as site-neutral payments, price transparency measures and reforms to the business practices of pharmacy benefit managers have been sidelined in negotiations.
- Proposals to reauthorize a federal pandemic preparedness program and an addiction treatment and recovery bill also appear likely to be shelved, although no final decisions have been made.
Yes, but: These policies might not be off the table for good. By punting virtually all current considerations, Congress could attempt to pass a health-care package during a lame duck session.
Whether the chambers can reconcile their competing priorities remains to be seen. In the meantime, we’ll keep an eye on the rift between House Energy and Commerce Committee Chair Cathy McMorris-Rodgers (R-Wash.) and Senate health committee ranking member Sen. Bill Cassidy (R-La.) over whether PBM reforms should apply to the commercial market and not just Medicare.
Reproductive wars
Florida lawmakers postpone ‘fetal personhood’ bill after Alabama IVF ruling
Republican lawmakers in Florida are pumping the brakes on a bill that would have given any “unborn child” new protections in the wake of the Alabama Supreme Court ruling that frozen embryos are people, The Post’s Lori Rozsa reports.
The legislation had passed easily through most committees in the GOP-led legislature until Democrats began raising concerns last week that the proposal was so broad it might also affect in vitro fertilization treatments. A hearing for the Senate companion bill has since been pulled off the calendar, meaning lawmakers are unlikely to revisit the issue before the legislative session ends on March 8.
A closer look: The bill sought to define a fetus as an “unborn child” shielded by civil negligence laws. Supporters said the measure would bring civil law in line with existing state criminal law that allows for additional penalties against people charged with harming a pregnant woman.
Opponents called it an effort to establish “fetal personhood” that would put providers and people who help women obtain an abortion at risk of being sued. Lawmakers on both sides of the proposal acknowledged that the Alabama ruling helped quash it.
In other health news
- An internal review by the Defense Department found “no attempt to obfuscate” Secretary Lloyd Austin’s cancer diagnosis and hospitalizations, even though the Pentagon initially delayed informing the White House and public about them, The Post’s Missy Ryan reports.
- The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services issued guidance yesterday that allows states to expand the pool of behavioral health providers eligible for enhanced federal Medicaid funding, a move aimed at bolstering the workforce and improving access to care.
- On the move: Katie Mahoney, a longtime health-care policy leader at the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, is leaving the trade group to become executive vice president and chief policy officer at the Healthcare Leadership Council.
Health reads
Sugar rush
Thanks for reading! See you tomorrow.
