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Sen. Bill Cassidy on Monday proposed replacing enhanced Affordable Care Act premium tax credits with pre-paid health savings accounts. The Louisiana Republican’s proposal comes as lawmakers scramble to find a remedy for skyrocketing costs of Obamacare health insurance premiums. The boosted ACA tax credits, which this year have lowered the cost of Obamacare plans for about 20 million Americans, are set to expire at the end of December. (Wilkins, 11/17)

President Trump said he is talking with Democrats about a direct health care payment plan Sunday amid negotiations to tackle rising health insurance premiums. “I’ve had personal talks with some Democrats,” Trump told reporters in West Palm Beach, Fla., on Sunday before returning to Washington. The president did not name the Democrats he said has been speaking to, but said he has talked to them “about paying large amounts of dollars back to the people.” (Manchester, 11/17)

Americans are going into 2026 more anxious about health care costs than at any other point in recent years, a new West Health-Gallup survey finds. Almost half of adults, 47%, say they’re worried they won’t be able to afford health care next year — the highest level since West Health and Gallup began tracking in 2021, the survey published Tuesday found. (Lovelace Jr., 11/18)

As people face rising grocery prices and an uncertain economy, community groups are rallying volunteers with creative ways to ensure their neighbors don’t go hungry. (Gupta, 11/17)

On PPE for federal firefighters —

For decades, federal firefighters have trudged and parachuted into wildfires with only “a bandana and a prayer,” as the saying goes, to protect them from inhaling dangerous toxins. Meanwhile, studies increasingly connect smoke inhalation to lung cancer and premature death. A new bipartisan Senate bill would direct the U.S. Forest Service and the Interior Department to develop and implement mandatory respiratory protection for wildland firefighters and supporting staff. (Lozano, 11/17)

On U.S. drug policy —

A US congressional commission is ringing alarm bells about China’s growing dominance over America’s drug supply, saying it is putting the country’s health in the hands of an adversarial nation. Roughly one-in-four generic drugs taken by Americans rely on key ingredients from China, according to a report released Tuesday by the US-China Economic and Security Review Commission. The often low-cost staples account for 90% of the medicines used by Americans. Some of the ingredients — found in blood thinners, antibiotics and cancer treatments — are produced only in China. (Edney, 11/18)

An ad unveiled Monday from a conservative group led by former Vice President Mike Pence is taking aim at President Trump’s signature drug pricing policy. A six-figure digital ad campaign from Advancing American Freedom (AAF) calls the White House’s “most favored nation” (MFN) drug pricing as “socialist price controls.” However, the ad doesn’t mention Trump at all. Instead, it shows images of typical Republican targets — Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) and Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.). (Weixel, 11/17)

Numerous medicines are not accessible in many of the countries where they were tested before approval by the Food and Drug Administration, raising concerns about whether pharmaceutical companies are adhering to ethical standards, a new study finds. (Silverman, 11/17)

On the immigration crisis —

The Trump administration on Monday proposed giving immigration officers authority to deny permanent residency to lawfully present immigrants who use Medicaid or other food and housing assistance programs, arguing that “government benefits should not incentivize immigration” and that immigrants should be “self-reliant.” It’s a twist on the so-called public charge rule from Trump’s first term, which the Biden administration stopped enforcing in 2021 and rescinded in 2022. (Ollstein, 11/17)

The Democratic Women’s Caucus is demanding the release of any pregnant, postpartum and nursing immigrants who are being held by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and who don’t pose a security risk. (Barclay, 11/17)