Abortion, Obamacare, and drug approvals: American health care faces a pivotal moment

Good afternoon, readers.

We’re heading into the Memorial Day weekend here in the U.S. It’s bound to be a celebratory occasion with so many Americans fully vaccinated (including more than half of U.S. adults). The summer is upon us and the public is ready to let loose.

But as much as we should take some time for a well-needed (but responsibly executed) long weekend around large crowds, let’s not lose track of the bigger health care picture. Because there are some massive decisions coming down the pike that will affect everything from the future of the Affordable Care Act (also known as Obamacare), to abortion rights, to approvals for highly controversial drugs such as Biogen’s aducanumab.

Every one of these issues is fundamentally political in nature. The GOP has been fighting Obamacare since its inception via dozens of lawsuits and is still seeking to throw out the law in its entirety. Most legal experts believe the effort will fail, despite a conservative-dominated Supreme Court taking up the latest case against the law.

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