Senate to vote on IVF, again

Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer plans to put Republican members on the defensive again with a vote today on the Right to IVF Act.

We've been here before: Schumer called a vote in June on the legislation, which would bar state restrictions on the fertility procedure and require insurance coverage. That failed the 60-vote threshold to pass, with Sens. Lisa Murkowksi (R-Alaska) and Susan Collins (R-Maine) the only GOP members who supported the bill.

There's no indication that it will go any differently this time around. But that's the point.

"Republicans can't claim to be pro-family only to block protections for IVF," Schumer said last week before laying out his plan in a Sunday letter to colleagues. "The American people deserve another chance to see if Republicans are for access to IVF, or against it."

The prior IVF vote, in June, was roughly one week after a Democrat-sponsored bill to fortify contraception coverage also failed. Both times, most Senate Republicans accused Democratic leadership of fear-mongering and looking to score political points in a heated election. Expect more of the same this week — and the next seven weeks till Nov. 5.

tech business

Health tech titans back Trump, or Harris

Silicon Valley startup founders and venture capital investors are picking sides in this year's presidential race. It's a stark departure for an industry that's historically discouraged political activism — and tech leaders are aware of the risks, STAT's Mohana Ravindranath reports.

You've got venture capital titans backing former President Trump, and hundreds of women in the industry endorsing Vice President Harris. Some of the women told Mohana they knew they were "going out on a limb" and potentially jeopardizing future investments. But they also described the presidential election as an urgent debate over women's health care in particular.

Read more from Mohana on how health tech investors are thinking about the 2024 race, and why they're speaking up now.

capitol hill

Scoop: Key Dem staffer departing

Shawn Bishop, the Democratic staffer who drafted much of the drug pricing portion of the Inflation Reduction Act, is leaving the Senate Finance Committee next month, sources familiar with the situation tell John Wilkerson and Rachel Cohrs Zhang.

Why it matters: Bishop is a longtime Senate Finance aide who has played a major role behind the scenes on some of the most impactful health care laws of the past 20 years. Before working for Finance Chair Ron Wyden (D-Ore.), Bishop worked for then-Chair Max Baucus (D-Mont.). She's also worked at The Commonwealth Fund, and as a health care consultant. More from John and Rachel.

public health

Q&A: U.S. should do more on H5N1 outbreak

More work needs to be done by the U.S. agricultural sector to gain control of the avian flu outbreak in dairy cattle, a top WHO official said. Maria Van Kerkhove, who oversees epidemic and pandemic preparedness for the organization, spoke with STAT's Helen Branswell shortly after the CDC revealed another human case of the virus. Notably, this case is in a person with no known livestock exposure.

The case is "fascinating," Kerkhove said, but not in a good way. Officials need more tests and more information to get to the bottom of this virus' spread — and the world is watching.

"I just think the world looks to the United States to demonstrate what to do," she told Helen. Read the whole interview.

health care markets

Why insurers are scaling back on Medicare Advantage

For years, health insurers battled to gain market share in the lucrative privatized Medicare program. Now, the opposite is true. Some of the companies say they designed their 2025 Medicare Advantage plans with an eye toward ditching members, Tara Bannow reports.

Major insurers are reacting to a perfect storm of forces.One of the biggest changes is the Biden administration's crackdown on overpayments to MA insurers.

That doesn't mean Medicare Advantage enrollment will decline next year, but there will be lots of movement as enrollees shop for new plans. More from Tara.

k street moves

UnitedHealth hires Trump-friendly lobbying firm

Ahead of the presidential election, health insurance giant UnitedHealth Group has hired Ballard Partners, a lobbying firm with ties to former President Trump, according to federal lobbying disclosures, Rachel reports.

The firm will be working on "issues related to veterans healthcare," according to the registration document. Overall, UnitedHealth has spent less in the first half of the year on federal lobbying than the company did in 2023.

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