Welcome to Wednesday’s Overnight Health Care, where we’re following the latest moves on policy and news affecting your health. Subscribe here.
We want to wish a happy National Puppy Day to all who celebrate.
Moderna said its coronavirus vaccine is safe in young children, toddlers and infants, and will apply for emergency use authorization in the coming weeks.
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Moderna seeks green light for COVID kids vaccine
Moderna on Wednesday said it will soon seek emergency use authorization for its two-dose COVID-19 vaccine in children under 6 years old, after preliminary data showed kids in that age group had a similar immune response to adolescents and young adults when given a smaller dose of the vaccine.
The company said it will be submitting data to the Food and Drug Administration “in the coming weeks.”
There are about 18 million kids under the age of 6 in the U.S., and they remain the only group not yet eligible for a COVID-19 vaccine.
The fine print: Against the omicron variant, Moderna said the vaccine was only about 44 percent effective at preventing symptomatic infection in children 6 months to 2 years old, and 37 percent effective in children aged 2 through 5.
That’s pretty similar to how the adult doses of COVID-19 vaccines perform against omicron, and highlights one of the key questions for regulators as they study the data.
“Now that may seem like a low number, but in the era of omicron this is actually quite comparable to the efficacy against infection in what we’re seeing now with other vaccines,” White House chief medical adviser Anthony Fauci told reporters Wednesday. “So the data look pretty good right now.”
Romney: Dems sending new funding proposal
Maybe there’s some movement on COVID-19 funding?
Sen. Mitt Romney (R-Utah) said he is expecting to get a new proposal from Democrats on COVID-19 funding later on Wednesday, as the White House pressures lawmakers to act.
“The White House did provide a listing of money that’s not been spent, and the Democrat leadership is sending over today a proposal and I’ll take a look at that and see where we stand,” Romney told reporters on Wednesday.
He said he did not know what is in the proposal because he had not seen it yet, but Senate Majority Leader Charles Schumer (D-N.Y.) said on Tuesday that he was working with Romney and other GOP senators to find new ways to pay for the COVID-19 funds.
“I’m working with Senator Romney and other Republicans in good faith to find some pay-fors that are acceptable to Democrats and Republicans in the House and the Senate,” Schumer said Tuesday.
Senate Republicans are insisting that any COVID-19 spending be paid for by repurposing money from previous relief packages.
A group of House Democrats previously objected to one of the offsets, using a small portion of aid to states from a previous relief bill, leading to the COVID-19 funding to stall with no clear path forward.
A new proposal, potentially with new offsets, could help break the stalemate, though the details remain to be seen.
Dems sound alarm over ACA threats as midterms loom
Democrats across the country are warning of looming threats to the Affordable Care Act ahead of this year’s midterms, returning to an issue that drove them to success in 2018.
As Democrats on Wednesday celebrate the 12-year anniversary of the Affordable Care Act, colloquially known as ObamaCare, the party is warning voters that a Republican majority in Congress, together with a 2024 GOP presidential win, could lead to a repeal of the landmark health care law.
On messaging: “Most people don’t like the conversation that starts with what we’re going to take away from you,” said former Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius, who played a key role in implementing the Affordable Care Act during the Obama administration.
Democrats are in the midst of a public relations campaign to celebrate the anniversary of the plan. Democrats have also framed their messaging around the impact repealing the Affordable Care Act would have on the cost of health care, arguing that it would send prices skyrocketing.
WHITE HOUSE CELEBRATES 12 YEARS OF OBAMACARE
The White House on Wednesday marked the 12th anniversary of the Affordable Care Act being signed into law, highlighting both the ways in which it has helped expand access to health care and efforts to strengthen coverage.
“Twelve years ago, I proudly stood beside President Barack Obama as he signed into law the most consequential expansion of health care in generations: the Affordable Care Act,” President Biden said in a statement released by the White House.
“With the stroke of a pen — after decades of tireless efforts — millions of Americans gained peace of mind. And because of my Administration’s efforts, including passing the landmark American Rescue Plan, we have lowered health care costs and made coverage more accessible than ever before — even amid a global pandemic.”
Former President Obama, who signed the Affordable Care Act into law, marked the occasion on Twitter by noting that more than 30 million Americans have health care coverage because of the legislation.
“During the pandemic, the Affordable Care Act helped make vaccines and COVID-19 tests available for free, covered emergency hospitalizations, and prevented insurance companies from denying anyone coverage based on a pre-existing condition,” Obama tweeted.
IDAHO GOVERNOR SIGNS ABORTION BAN INTO LAW
Idaho Gov. Brad Little (R) signed legislation on Wednesday modeled after a Texas law that bans abortions after six weeks, but he expressed concerns that part of its enforcement mechanism could become “unconstitutional and unwise.”
The bill was passed in the state legislature earlier this month and allows certain individuals to sue anyone who performs an abortion for someone when a fetal heartbeat is present.
Those who successfully sue could receive $20,000 and legal fees, but unlike the Texas law, only specific people — namely family members — can file a legal challenge.
The Republican governor said he anticipated there would be some legal pushback to aspects of the law, including its civil enforcement component, which he said is likely “unconstitutional and unwise.”
“Deputizing private citizens to levy hefty monetary fines on the exercise of a disfavored but judicially recognized constitutional right for the purpose of evading court review undermines our constitutional form of government and weakens our collective liberties,” Little wrote.
But despite his concerns, Little still signed the bill into law.
WHAT WE’RE READING
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‘I fear the long-term effects’: Before his death, a nurse warned of the pandemic’s toll on health care workers (Stat)
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Trying to solve a covid mystery: Africa’s low death rates (New York Times)
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Pandemic relief money spent on hotel, ballpark, ski slopes (AP)
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As states impose abortion bans, young doctors struggle — and travel far — to learn the procedure (Kaiser Health News)
STATE BY STATE
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Oklahoma Republicans advance near-total abortion ban modeled off Texas law (The Oklahoman)
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Tick-borne Heartland virus transmitted in Georgia, study finds (WTSP)
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Missouri Republicans pushing work requirements to get health care under
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Medicaid expansion (Missouri Independent)
That’s it for today, thanks for reading. Check out The Hill’s health care page for the latest news and coverage. See you Thursday.