Presented by Plan B One Step — Republicans derided the bill as a show vote{beacon} Health Care Health Care    The Big Story Republicans sink IVF bills. Again. In a repeat of this past June, Republicans blocked an IVF protection bill Tuesday while trying to blunt the damage by accusing Democrats of voting against a bill to preserve access to the highly politicized fertility procedure. © Getty Most Republicans voted to block a Democratic-led effort to establish a national right to in-vitro fertilization (IVF) by offering legal protections and mandating insurance coverage. The bill mirrored a pledge made by former President Trump that the costs of IVF would be fully covered if he were to win in November.   During the presidential debate last week, Trump called himself “a leader on fertilization.”    The vote was 51 in favor and 44 opposed, and the bill needed 60 votes to advance. Only GOP Sens. Lisa Murkowski (Alaska) and Susan Collins (Maine) joined with Democrats.    Republicans blocked a vote on the same bill in June. Democratic leaders brought it up again following Trump’s comments.   “If Donald Trump is serious about protecting IVF, then he is busily calling all the Republican senators and telling them to vote ‘yes’ on today’s bill,” Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) said ahead of the vote. “And if he’s not making those phone calls, well, then we know this is just one more Trump lie.”  Republicans derided the bill as a show vote, saying Democrats deliberately misrepresent the GOP’s views on IVF. Abortion continues to be one of the toughest issues for Republicans this election, and lawmakers and candidates have pivoted to talking about IVF instead.   “Let’s be clear — there is not a single senator in this chamber on either side of the aisle who wants to ban IVF,” Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) said on the floor ahead of the votes.    Sen. Patty Murray (D-Wash.) blocked a unanimous consent request by Cruz to pass a competing bill he and Sen. Katie Britt (R-Ala.) introduced earlier this year. The bill would cut Medicaid funding to any state that bans IVF, while also ensuring that organizations or health care providers aren’t required to provide access.    “I have been perfectly clear about the glaring issue with this Republican bill,” Murray said. “The cold, hard reality is this Republican bill does nothing to meaningfully protect IVF from the biggest threats from lawmakers and anti-abortion extremists all over this country. It would still allow states to regulate IVF out of existence. And this bill is silent on fetal personhood, which is the biggest threat to IVF.”   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.  Did someone forward you this newsletter? Subscribe here.  Essential Reads How policy will be impacting the health care sector this week and beyond:  Superbugs could kill 40 million by 2050: ResearchSuperbugs that are increasingly resistant to infections could kill up to 40 million people between now and 2050, according to new research published in the journal The Lancet.  During that time period, the extensive study forecasted that 169 million deaths would be associated with antimicrobial resistance (AMR). The study was described as the first of its kind to present a comprehensive assessment of the threats AMR poses …  Full Story  Express Scripts sues FTC over report blasting pharmacy middlemen Express Scripts, one of the country’s largest pharmacy benefit managers, sued the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) Tuesday and demanded the agency retract a report saying the industry middlemen contribute to high drug prices.   Full Story   GOP won’t force a vote to overturn nursing home staffing rule Republicans are not planning to force a vote on a resolution to overturn the Biden administration’s plan mandating minimum staffing levels in nursing homes, Sen. James Lankford (R-Okla.) said.   A resolution under the Congressional Review Act isn’t subject to the 60-vote filibuster and needs only a simple majority of votes. The CRA is a fast-track legislative tool that allows lawmakers to nullify rules even after …  Full Story   On Our Radar Upcoming news themes and events we're watching: A House Veterans’ Affairs subcommittee will hold a hearing Wednesday on the 988 + 1 crisis hotline for veterans. In Other News Branch out with a different read from The Hill: Rep. Bucshon calls vaccine access for children, elderly ‘critically important’  Vaccine access of Americans, especially for children and the elderly, is “critically important,” Rep. Larry Bucshon (R-IN) said Tuesday. “We need to get back to a normal place where we understand that vaccination has really changed the world,” Bucshon said during “Boosting the Status Quo: Vaccinating America’s Most Vulnerable,” a panel event hosted by The Hill and sponsored by the American Society for Clinical Pathology.  Full Story   Around the Nation Local and state headlines on health care: Medical costs lead Texans to delay health care and medications, study finds (The Texas Tribune)  Norovirus sickens dozens on Hawaii hiking trail, forcing site’s closure (The Washington Post)  Most maternal deaths can be prevented. Here’s how California plans to cut them in half (CalMatters)  What We're Reading Health news we've flagged from other outlets: Americans clicked ads to get free cash. Their health insurance changed instead (Wall Street Journal)  In the U.S., opioid-maker Purdue is bankrupt. Its global counterparts make millions (Wall Street Journal)  Microplastics found in nose tissue at base of brain, study says (CNN)  What Others are Reading  Most read stories on The Hill right now: Hillary Clinton: I’m ‘conflicted’ by Melania Trump Hillary Clinton says Melania Trump reminded her of “a little kid” when she came face-to-face with the fellow former first lady for the … Read more Trump-Taylor Swift feud may pose risks in tight election The escalating feud between former President Trump and Taylor Swift could impact November’s election as Democrats seek to use Swift’s endorsement of … Read more  Close Thank you for signing up! Subscribe to more newsletters here The latest in politics and policy. Direct to your inbox. Sign up for the Health Care newsletter Subscribe