'Medicare for All' poised for its moment Presented by

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— 'Medicare for All' has its moment in the spotlight this week, as House Democrats hold a historic hearing on Tuesday.

— The House Labor-HHS Appropriations subcommittee will begin its markup on Tuesday, kicking off appropriators' review of fiscal 2020 funding bills.

— Washington State passed the nation's first public option legislation, which would involve creating standardized Obamacare plans through the state's insurance marketplace.

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WELCOME BACK TO MONDAY PULSE — Where your author is contemplating this story today: Is former HHS Secretary Tom Price running for office again?

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'MEDICARE FOR ALL' POISED FOR ITS MOMENT — There's no expectation that progressive Democrats can pass their legislation until 2021, at best. They likely need Sen. Bernie Sanders or a likeminded politician to win the presidency, a Democrat-led Senate— and more support in the Democrat-led House, too.

But this week, the bill's backers get a long-awaited spotlight on the policy, which has emerged as a rallying cry for some Democrats ahead of next year's election.

— First-ever hearing on Medicare for All slated for Tuesday. The 10 a.m. Rules Committee hearing was a victory for Reps. Pramila Jayapal and Debbie Dingell, who had lobbied Democratic leadership for the historic opportunity. Another hearing in front of the Budget Committee is expected to follow next month.

But the hearings are more symbolic than practical; the Rules and Budget panels don't have jurisdiction to shape health policy the way Energy and Commerce or Ways and Means do.

— Now testifying tomorrow: ADY BARKAN. The dying activist was invited after corresponding with Speaker Nancy Pelosi last week, amid progressive frustration that the hearing didn't include more pro-Medicare for All voices.

It was a canny move by Pelosi — who's been dogged by criticism that she hasn't done enough to support Medicare for All. But it also elevates tomorrow's hearing: Barkan's a well-known supporter of the legislation and his appearance, made possible by computer-aided testimony, will surely be dramatic.

POLITICO's Arthur Allen profiled Barkan's emergence as a leading advocate for coverage expansion and other social policies, even as ALS ravages his body.

— Expect protests today to tee up tomorrow's hearing. National Nurses United, the Center for Popular Democracy and other groups will be outside PhRMA this afternoon.

The advocates say they're targeting drug companies because they've profited from the current health system and would stand to lose under government drug price negotiations include in Medicare for All.

— Meanwhile: Some House Democrats to reintroduce 'Medicare for America' tomorrow. The bill assumes a more gradual approach to universal coverage than Medicare for All. It's being revived by Reps. Rosa DeLauro (D-Conn.) and Jan Schakowsky (D-Ill.), alongside Neera Tanden of the Center for American Progress, Yale's Jacob Hacker and others.

— Tuesday: Labor-HHS markup in House Appropriations subcommittee. It's the first markup of fiscal 2020 spending bills, and the draft is expected today.

One question on PULSE's mind: How DeLauro, the subcommittee's top appropriator, approaches issues like HHS' stewardship of migrant children. DeLauro earlier this month warned HHS after three House Democrats were barred from accessing a Florida facility where migrant children are housed.

DeLauro also has pushed for funding the CDC so it can conduct gun violence research and warned HHS about its changes to the Title X family planning program.

— Wednesday: CBO releases guidance on single-payer legislation. The report is expected to help frame how Democrats approach crafting bills on Medicare for All and similar policies.

— Thursday: National Day of Prayer. It also could be a potential landing day for HHS' efforts to roll back transgender protections and strengthen protections for religious health workers who object to certain procedures and practices on moral grounds. At last year's event, President Donald Trump touted his administration's efforts to protect conscience rights in health care.

ALEX AZAR to speak today about the importance of vaccines. The HHS secretary will be joined on a conference call by CDC Director Robert Redfield and Assistant HHS Secretary Brett Giroir, among other officials.

… Azar is in Peru this week to discuss global public health issues, including the humanitarian crisis in Venezuela.

Washington state passes first public option legislation. The bill, WA SB5526 (19R), cleared the state House and Senate late Saturday and now goes to Democratic Gov. Jay Inslee, a 2020 presidential candidate who proposed the plan earlier this year, POLITICO's Rachana Pradhan reports.

Starting in 2021, Washington state will offer standardized health insurance plans through its Obamacare exchange. However, key details have yet to emerge, including how much the products will cost and whether they will be affordable.

Inslee is expected to sign the legislation. More for Pros.

— Bills to create public options have largely stalled in New Mexico, Nevada and other states, Rachana and Dan Goldberg wrote earlier this month.

Lawmakers have struggled to design affordable plans building on Obamacare, and multiple Democratic governors who backed the idea during their campaigns haven’t pushed it since taking office.

Second judge blocks Trump family planning rule. A federal judge in California late Friday issued an injunction temporarily blocking the Trump administration's planned overhaul of the Title X federal family planning program while several other legal challenges proceed.

The ruling by U.S. District Court Judge Edward Chen, an Obama appointee, was limited to California, whose attorney general sued to block the changes. It came a day after a federal judge in Washington issued a nationwide injunction freezing the administration's plan. More for Pros.

2020 Democrats sidestep deficit in rush to embrace big ideas. Candidates are pushing ambitious platforms while putting off a reckoning with the nation's deteriorating fiscal condition, POLITICO's Caitlin Emma reports.

For instance, the "Medicare for All" bill introduced by Sen. Bernie Sanders — and backed by other Democratic presidential candidates — didn't come with funding specifics. The Vermont senator has also argued that the economic benefits of a healthier population will outweigh the up-front cost of a dramatic health care expansion.

“I am concerned about the debt,” Sanders said during a Fox News town hall earlier this month. “That's a legitimate concern. But we pay for what we are proposing.”

Juul is pushing its policy objectives with teams of lobbyists in state capitols around the nation, the New York Times reports.

President Donald Trump this weekend repeated a false — and incendiary — claim about mothers and doctors being given the option to execute babies, CNN reports.

Pakistan has suspended its polio vaccination campaign after one health worker was killed amid an anti-vaccine propaganda campaign, UPI reports.

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