Presented by Alliance for Aging Research — Plus: Bird flu cases rise to 31.{beacon} Health Care Health Care   The Big Story Harris, Trump and the future of the ACA Both presidential tickets have indicated ways in which they’d change the Affordable Care Act if they win, though details are scant less than two weeks before Election Day.© APVice President Harris has said she wants to grow the ACA, such as by making the law’s temporary enhanced subsidies permanent.  The subsidies expire in 2025, and congressional Democrats have already introduced bicameral bills to extend them permanently, but it’s likely something they won’t be able to achieve unless they control all three branches of government.    Apart from cementing enhanced subsidies, the Harris campaign hasn’t shared much in specifics on how else she would specifically strengthen the law.  And there remains a lingering question of how these subsidies would be funded. The Congressional Budget Office projected it would cost $335 billion over the next 10 years if the subsidies were kept.   Former President Trump started his campaign with renewed calls to repeal and replace the ACA, commonly called ObamaCare, but those aims seem to have been abandoned as of now.   Trump acknowledged in his ABC News debate against Harris that he doesn’t currently have a plan to replace ObamaCare if it were repealed, only “concepts of a plan.”   His running mate Sen. JD Vance (R-Ohio) has offered some details regarding how a second Trump administration would change the insurance market.   Vance has said Trump’s health plan would focus on deregulating the insurance markets to promote choice and “not have a one-size-fits-all approach” of putting everyone into the same insurance risk pool, seemingly echoing the strategy championed by Republicans in 2017 seeking to replace ObamaCare.  Critics contend allowing states to put sick people into separate pools could undermine the insurance marketplace and effectively end the law’s protections for people with pre-existing conditions.     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:   Ohio judge permanently blocks state’s 6-week abortion banAn Ohio county judge issued a permanent injunction Thursday blocking the state from enforcing its “heartbeat” abortion ban, the first time the entire law has been permanently blocked following the passage of the state’s reproductive freedom amendment last year.  Judge Christian Jenkins of the Hamilton County Court of Common Pleas said voters had spoken when they passed the amendment, and he would not grant the state’s …  Full Story  CDC recommends second COVID vaccine dose for those 65 and olderImmunocompromised adults or those who are older than 65 should get a second dose of the latest COVID-19 vaccine, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) officially recommended.   The CDC on Wednesday adopted guidance recommended by the agency’s Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices that a second dose should be given six months after the first dose. The updated recommendations additionally allow for …  Full Story  Bird flu cases rise to 31, but CDC says no person-to-person transmission The number of people infected with bird flu in the U.S. has risen to at least 31, federal health officials said Thursday, but there is no evidence of human-to-human spread after blood tests confirmed health workers in Missouri caring for a hospitalized patient were not infected.  Speaking to reporters during a briefing, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) officials said multiple tests confirmed five symptomatic …  Full Story   In Other News Branch out with a different read from The Hill: Patrick Dempsey calls on NIH to improve ‘wraparound care’ at awards dinner Actor Patrick Dempsey called on the National Institutes of Health (NIH) to offer better holistic care for cancer patients while receiving one of the 2024 George H.W. Bush Points of Light Awards on Wednesday night.   Dempsey was recognized for his work as founder of the Dempsey Center, which provides personalized and preventative cancer care in Dempsey’s home state of Maine and beyond. It focuses on what Dempsey called “wraparound … Full Story   Around the Nation Local and state headlines on health care: 46 people hospitalized with food poisoning in Maryland after sharing meal prepared by coworker (NBC)  NC is aging; here’s how the state government wants to address that (North Carolina Health News)  PERA health insurance premiums to skyrocket next year for many retired Colorado state employees (The Denver Post)  What We're Reading Health news we've flagged from other outlets: What drugmakers did not tell volunteers in Alzheimer’s trials (The New York Times)  Voters fret high medical bills are being ignored by presidential rivals (KFF Health News)  Drinking is cheaper than it’s been in decades. Lobbyists are fighting to keep it that way (Stat)  What Others are Reading  Most read stories on The Hill right now: CNN polling guru says battleground state sweep ‘more likely than not’ CNN polling guru Harry Enten said he believes a sweep of the main battleground states in the presidential election is “more likely than not,” even … Read more Democrats give Harris rocky reviews on CNN town hall Vice President Harris’s CNN town hall performance received tough reviews from fellow Democrats who criticized her for missing the moment to sell her … Read more What People Think Opinions related to health submitted to The Hill: DeSantis’s latest abortion move crosses another red line of public healthCalifornia leads the way on regulation of food additives   You're all caught up. See you tomorrow! Check out The Hill's Health Care page for the latest coverage. Like this newsletter? Take a moment to view our other topical products here 📩 Close Thank you for signing up! 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