Presented by Prevent Cancer Foundation — 'We should approach it very carefully'{beacon} Health Care Health Care   The Big Story The Democrats at odds with Harris over filibuster abortion carve-outVice President Harris reignited conversations over possible carve-out of the Senate filibuster rule to establish a right to abortion at the federal level, a prospect some Democrats in Congress are leery of. © The Hill, Greg Nash In an interview with Wisconsin Public Radio broadcast this week, Harris said, “I think we should eliminate the filibuster for Roe.”   “And get us to the point where 51 votes would be what we need to actually put back in law the protections for reproductive freedom and for the ability of every person and every woman to make decisions about their own body and not have their government tell them what to do,” she added.  But Democrats said they were worried Republicans could use the same tactic to pass their own priorities.  “We should approach it very carefully because what goes around comes around. That’s one of the few permanent rules of the United States Senate,” Sen. Jack Reed (D-R.I.) said.   “I think it would be good to have a national abortion [law] to protect the reproductive freedom of women, and I think we should try to get it, but I don’t think the first procedure would be to change the rules of the Senate,” added Reed.  Sen. John Hickenlooper (D-Colo.) spoke in favor of gathering 60 votes in lieu of rewriting filibuster rules, opining that lowering the threshold to a simple majority in the Senate would lead to sudden reversals that undermined national stability.   “I have actually gone and talked to a couple Republican senators just to sound them out. They’re cautious, but I think people would be surprised. Again, if we get 60 votes, it becomes more durable,” said the Colorado senator.   Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) told reporters Tuesday that Democrats would debate filibuster reform next year if they remain in the majority and declined to say whether he personally supports carving out an exception for abortion rights legislation.  Welcome to The Hill’s Health Care newsletter, we’re Nathaniel Weixel, Joseph Choi and Alejandra O'Connell-Domenech — 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:   New report recommends larger role for CDC in cannabis public health policyA federal advisory panel is recommending the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) take a larger role in policymaking around cannabis, as its use among Americans continues to grow. A report issued Thursday by the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine (NASEM) outlined several recommendations for the CDC regarding how the agency can get more involved. The panel is also pressing Congress to change …  Full Story  Suicides steady near highest level recorded: CDCSuicides in the U.S. remained at about the highest level in history last year, data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) show. According to the provisional data, just more than 49,300 suicide deaths were reported in 2023, though the number could increase if investigations are concluded. The CDC said in 2021 and 2022, suicide was the 11th-leading cause of death among all age groups in the U.S. It was a higher …  Full Story  Here’s how to get free COVID tests through the mail All Americans can order free COVID-19 tests by mail starting Thursday, the Biden administration announced.  Households will be able to order four free tests through the Covidtests.gov website. The tests will be mailed directly to people’s homes, and orders will begin shipping Monday.  The move comes ahead of the typical fall and winter respiratory virus season, though a summer surge of infections has begun to fade.   This …  Full Story   In Other News Branch out with a different read from The Hill: Melania Trump: ‘Miracle’ husband survived assassination attempt Former first lady Melania Trump called it a “miracle” former President Trump survived two assassination attempts this summer. Full Story   Around the Nation Local and state headlines on health care: Despite warnings, Texas rushed to remove millions from Medicaid. Eligible residents lost care (Texas Tribune/ProPublica).  Judge signs order officially repealing North Dakota’s abortion ban (North Dakota Monitor)  As Helene threatens, Florida hospitals and care facilities shore up resources (The Washington Post)  What We're Reading Health news we've flagged from other outlets: Nursing aides plagued by PTSD after ‘nightmare’ COVID conditions, with little help (KFF Health News)  Biden administration axes proposal to mandate more drug price transparency in Medicaid (Stat)  3D mammograms show benefits over 2D imaging, especially for dense breasts (NPR)  What Others are Reading  Most read stories on The Hill right now: Appeals panel signals skepticism over NY civil fraud case against Trump A New York appeals panel on Thursday appeared wary of the state’s civil fraud case against former President Trump that ended in a $464 million judgment … Read more Boebert, Colorado reporter spar: ‘Oh, you’re going to fact-check me during the interview’ Rep. Lauren Boebert (R-Colo.) sparred with a reporter from Colorado Public Radio (CPR) over climate change, immigration and the general tone and content … 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