Click in for more news from The Hill{beacon} Health Care Health Care   The Big Story Vance and Trump try to soften health care approach During the vice-presidential debate, the GOP presidential ticket attempted to smooth out and rewrite the former president’s health care record — from what happened during his first term to what they promise for a potential second.© AP On the debate stage in New York on Tuesday night, Sen. JD Vance (R-Ohio) made the dubious claim that former President Trump had saved ObamaCare, despite the fact the former president sought to overturn it as soon as he was in office.  Vance argued that Trump “actually implemented some of these regulations when he was president of the United States.”   “And I think you can make a really good argument that it salvaged ObamaCare, which was doing disastrously until Donald Trump came along,” he added.   When pressed to clarify Trump’s “concepts of a plan” for replacing the Affordable Care Act (ACA), however, Vance offered little in terms of concrete plans, particularly when it came to ensuring people with preexisting conditions won’t pay more for insurance.   During the debate, Vance also acknowledged the GOP’s weakness when it comes to abortion, saying his party has to “do so much better of a job at earning the American People's trust back” when it comes to the issue.  As the debate was unfolding, Trump announced on social media that he would not support a national ban and would even veto such a measure should it reach his desk as president.   “Everyone knows I would not support a federal abortion ban, under any circumstances, and would, in fact, veto it, because it is up to the states to decide based on the will of their voters (The will of the people!),” Trump wrote online. This marked the most direct commitment from Trump on abortion after previously avoiding directly answering the question of whether he’d back a national ban, even during his own debate with Vice President Harris last month.   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:  Amber Thurman’s family thanks Walz, condemns GOP on abortionA Georgia woman’s family thanked Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz (D) over a moment in Tuesday’s presidential debate in which he mentioned her death.  In the vice presidential debate, Walz talked about Amber Thurman, a 28-year-old woman who died from an infection following a rare complication from taking medication abortion. Per a ProPublica report, she waited 20 hours in an Atlanta-area hospital after seeking medical …  Full Story  HHS expecting ‘limited’ impact on drug supply chain from port strikeThe Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) is not anticipating a major impact on the availability of health care products stemming from the port strike that began this week, with current assessments foreseeing a “limited” effect. Members of the International Longshoremen’s Association (ILA) went on strike Tuesday after bargaining talks with the U.S. Maritime Alliance failed to reach an agreement, with the …  Full Story  Rwanda records at least 9 deaths from Marburg outbreakRwanda has declared a public outbreak of the Marburg virus, confirming nearly 30 infections and at least nine deaths as of the end of September. The Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention stated in a release that most of the 27 cases and nine deaths in Rwanda have occurred among health care workers. The agency said it dispatched a team of experts to Rwanda to help in its response. “Africa CDC is also collaborating …  Full Story   In Other News Branch out with a different read: Quality ratings hit to key Medicare plan shakes Humana stock Shares of Humana tumbled Wednesday after the health insurer said a Medicare Advantage quality rating drop will hurt future bonus payments the company receives. Full Story   Around the Nation Local and state headlines on health care: A minimum wage increase for California health care workers is finally kicking in (CalMatters)  Washington counties drop mental health lawsuit against state (The Seattle Times)  Credibility of state’s expert witnesses questioned in Missouri transgender health care trial (Missouri Independent)  What We're Reading Health news we've flagged from other outlets: This pill could be the next tool to help smokers quit (The New York Times)  New analysis reveals postpartum sterilization rates are higher among U.S. women with sickle cell (Stat)  Control smartphones like tobacco, says leading WHO expert (Politico) What Others are Reading  Most read stories on The Hill right now: 5 things to know about the port strike Dockworkers and longshoremen in East Coast ports are now on strike in a major labor action with real consequences for the U.S. and international economy. … Read more Jack Smith makes case for Trump Jan. 6 prosecution in wake of immunity decision Special counsel Jack Smith laid out the pathway for his election interference case against former President Trump in the wake of the Supreme Court’s … Read more  You're all caught up. 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