| | | |   | Good morning, and happy Election Day! It’s Rachel today, as we’re pulling a switcheroo this week. If you’re looking for a spot in the D.C. area to watch election results, Thrillist has you covered with specials across the city. It can also be an anxious day, especially for those working on the Hill, so sending well wishes your way. As usual, send any tips to rachel.cohrs@statnews.com. | | | Your Election Day handbook  CHRISTINE KAO/STAT We’ve marshaled reporters from around the STAT newsroom to bring you our roundup of which issues we’ll be watching as the results roll in later this afternoon. We’ve got a rundown of health care topics on the ballot from abortion rights, to the implications of a new Congress, to vaping, to fentanyl, to Medicaid. There are a few interesting state measures on medical debt and creating a right to affordable health care that could form a template for nationwide policy in the future, too. STAT’s Olivia Goldhill also reports on abortion politics from Michigan, where physicians, medical assistants, and nurses have rallied to build support for a ballot measure to establish abortion rights in the state. “The stakes are so high and the dangers so real, myself and so many other physicians felt the need to speak,” one physician said. | HHS is *racing* to overcome vaccine hesitancy A student nurse gives a vaccine at the racetrack (Brandon Sullivan for STAT) The Biden administration has spent nearly two years trying to get people vaccinated for Covid-19, but it hasn’t waved the checkered flag yet. 🏁
My colleague Sarah Owermohle has an insightful new story out about a recent HHS vaccination drive at a NASCAR race in Arizona, where staff handed out vaccines and booster shots alongside ear plugs and sunscreen.
While the event was successful in getting more than 200 Covid-19 shots in arms, only three people got their first-ever Covid-19 vaccine during the event. The disparity shows the challenges the Biden administration faces in reaching the ever-shrinking “movable middle.” | How health plans can facilitate data use to address social needs and social determinants of health The collection, use, and sharing of health and social data is an essential tool to address social needs and social determinants of health (SDoH). Health plans have a critical role to play in improving our collective ability to effectively leverage social needs and SDoH data. This paper explores how health plans can work collaboratively to unlock social needs and SDoH data to build a system capable of meeting individual social needs and developing thriving communities. Learn more here. | As if today weren’t busy enough… The Supreme Court is hearing oral arguments that could create big liability issues for nursing homes. The justices will decide whether Medicaid beneficiaries can sue to enforce compliance with federal Medicaid laws, or if that’s an authority reserved for the federal Medicaid agency itself.
The case could have ramifications for other federal programs, too. The Kaiser Family Foundation put together a helpful brief breaking down the case. | Evaluating pharma’s campaign promises Many corporations made big promises not to support Republicans who had not voted to certify the results of the 2020 election following the Jan. 6 attack on the Capitol last year. Drug makers were part of that chorus.
However, my colleague Ed Silverman reports that several organizations including PhRMA, Pfizer, GSK, Eli Lilly, and more companies donated to organizations that supported Republican candidates this cycle who denied the results of the 2020 election. Ed’s got more details from the analysis by the Center for Political Accountability. | What we’re reading -
Opinion: Californians: To keep kids healthy, oppose sales of flavored nicotine products, STAT -
Has long COVID always existed?, Intelligencer -
Muscular dystrophy patient who was first in line for a custom CRISPR therapy dies, The Boston Globe -
A ‘blank check’: Bill to boost antibiotic development blasted as a ‘flawed’ giveaway to pharma, STAT | | | Thanks for reading! More on Thursday,  | |
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