During his recent State of the Union address, President Joe Biden tackled several pressing healthcare issues faced by Americans. An overview of the four primary healthcare topics he touched on, which are of interest to legal professionals, is presented below.
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In his speech, Biden critiqued the Alabama Supreme Court’s February ruling that proclaimed frozen embryos as children. This ruling has resulted in an abrupt halt of in vitro fertilization treatments at several medical facilities, impacting patients like social worker Latorya Beasley.
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Secondly, Biden addressed the Supreme Court’s 2022 decision to overturn Roe v. Wade, which gave states the power to dictate their abortion policies. Up to now, 14 states have entirely banned abortion, as per the report from the Kaiser Family Foundation.
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Biden noted the inflated prices Americans pay for prescription drugs, highlighting the Inflation Reduction Act that caps insulin out-of-pocket expenses for Medicare beneficiaries at $35 per month. In addition, he mentioned the Medicare Drug Price Negotiation Program which seeks to lower drug prices by negotiating directly with drug companies.
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Finally, Biden drew attention to women’s health research, which is currently underfunded. He urged lawmakers to consider his $12 billion plan for women’s health research, referencing the White House’s initiative on women’s health research overseen by First Lady Jill Biden, which recently received a $100 million funding boost.
For a more in-depth discussion of these matters and their implications, refer to the full article here.