Health Care

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The Big Story

More states on track to have abortion measures on ballot

Ballot measures in Arizona and Nebraska ensuring abortion access advanced closer to a vote, with groups ushering in the measures saying they had collected enough signatures.

Abortion rights activists are working to put amendments on the ballot in as many red and purple states as possible, and Nebraska and Arizona are among the 11 states that could see ballot measures.

Arizona for Abortion Access submitted 823,685 signatures, which they said represents 1 out of every 5 Arizona voters.

“This is the most signatures ever gathered for a ballot measure in Arizona history, which is a testament to the broad support among Arizona voters for restoring and protecting abortion access in Arizona,” the organization’s campaign manager Cheryl Bruce said in a statement.

Nebraska, meanwhile, looks poised to have two competing abortion ballot measures this year.

One measure would ban abortions after 12 weeks of pregnancy, while the other would protect abortion access until fetal viability, usually around 24 weeks. Abortion is currently banned after 12 weeks.

A Nebraskan coalition called Protect Our Rights, which is working to put a measure on the ballot that would enshrine abortion rights into the state constitution, announced that it had submitted 207,000 signatures.

The anti-abortion group Susan B. Anthony Pro-Life America announced that a different coalition, Protect Women and Children, had submitted over 205,000 signatures for a measure that would codify the current 12-week ban into the state constitution.

Voters across several states have continually voted in favor of abortion access since the Dobbs decision in 2022. Ballot measures protecting abortion access have passed in states including California, Kansas, Kentucky, Ohio and Virginia. Democrats are hoping to ride this momentum through the 2024 election cycle.

Welcome to The Hill’s Health Care newsletter, we’re Nathaniel Weixel and Joseph Choi — every week we follow the latest moves on how Washington impacts your health.

Programming note: This newsletter won’t publish tomorrow for the Fourth of July holiday. We’ll see you again on Friday!

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Essential Reads

How policy will be impacting the health care sector this week and beyond:

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Former White House chief medical adviser Anthony Fauci said in a new interview he has “no doubt” President Biden is mentally capable of serving as president, amid growing concern among Democrats about the president’s standing as the party’s presumptive nominee. “In my interactions with him, I have no doubt,” Fauci said about Biden, when asked on the CBS News podcast, “The Takeout” with Major Garrett if he has any doubts about …

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Ozempic, Wegovy may be linked to risk of rare form of blindness: Study

Those who take Ozempic or Wegovy may have an increased risk of developing a rare form of blindness, though future research is needed to make a final determination, researchers in a new study said. The study, published Wednesday in the medical journal JAMA Ophthalmology, analyzed more than 16,800 people in the Boston area from the past six years, none of whom initially had the eye condition, called nonarteritic anterior ischemic …

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Abortion measures could be on the ballot in Arizona, Nebraska after organizers submit signatures

A measure guaranteeing abortion rights in Arizona could be on the ballot in November after supporters said Wednesday they submitted more than double the number of signatures required for a ballot initiative. Meanwhile in Nebraska, two competing measures could also make it on the ballot after abortion opponents and abortion rights supporters both said they submitted enough signatures. One measure would ban abortions …

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The Hill event

Mind the Gap: The Cost of Mental Health Disparities | July 24 in Washington, D.C. | In person & streaming nationally

This July, in honor of Minority Mental Health Awareness Month, please join The Hill as we convene a diverse group of administration officials, lawmakers, medical providers and advocates to discuss the impact of mental health inequities in the United States.

Speakers include:

Daniel Dawes, founding dean, Meharry School of Global HealthDr. Gary Puckrein, president, National Minority Quality ForumDaniel Gillison, CEO, National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI)Dr. Patrice Harris, former AMA president

Click here to RSVP

In Other News

Branch out with a different read:

As temperatures soar, judge tells Louisiana to help protect prisoners working in fields

Amid blistering summer temperatures, a federal judge ordered Louisiana to take steps to protect the health and safety of incarcerated workers toiling in the fields of a former slave plantation, saying they face “substantial risk of injury or death.” The state immediately appealed the decision. U.S. District Court Judge Brian Jackson issued …

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Around the Nation

Local and state headlines on health care:

Arkansas OB-GYN says proposed abortion-rights amendment could revive standard of care (News from the States)
‘I’m not ready to give up:’ Idaho ban prompts clinic to halt gender-affirming care (Idaho Capital Sun)
‘Unprecedented’: State mandates insurance coverage at urgent cares to relieve overwhelmed ERs (Boston Globe)

What We’re Reading

Health news we’ve flagged from other outlets:

A covid summer uptick is underway as FLiRT and LB.1 variants ascend (Washington Post)
After Biden debate performance, experts reflect on difference between ‘normal aging’ and something more (Stat)
In just a few years, half of all states passed bans on trans health care for kids (NPR)

What Others are Reading

Most read stories on The Hill right now:

New York Dem will introduce amendment to reverse Supreme Court immunity ruling

Rep. Joe Morelle (D-N.Y.) said Monday he will introduce a constitutional amendment to reverse the Supreme Court ruling issued Monday, which largely … Read more

Conservative Heritage leader: ‘Second American Revolution’ will be bloodless ‘if the left allows it to be’

The leader of conservative think tank The Heritage Foundation argued the Supreme Court’s ruling on presidential immunity will reinforce a “second … Read more

What People Think

Opinions related to health submitted to The Hill:

How the FDA can help American veterans suﬀering from PTSD

You’re all caught up. See you Friday!