BIDEN'S NEW MOONSHOT NEEDS LIFTOFF — The president's reignited moonshot to halve cancer deaths, improve care and eventually end the disease breathes new life into one of his longest-held and most personal goals — but the mission hasn't been refueled. Missing from the ambitious plan to increase screening, reduce inequities and improve prevention efforts is a funding boost to the existing moonshot, which is in the sixth year of a $1.8 billion, seven-year allotment from Congress. We're one year into the presidency, giving the administration a long runaway to steer its progress. But the announcement also comes amid growing frustration from cancer advocates and those inside the White House who are upset with Congress for not authorizing expanded health care budgets and new spending for a separate Biden proposal seen as a critical partner to the relaunched moonshot — the Advanced Research Projects Agency for Health. The American Association for Cancer Research, in a Thursday morning letter to lawmakers, pressed for 2022 health agency budgets — including a House-proposed $400 million boost to the National Cancer Institute budget — to be approved, stressing that critical new studies could be left without financial support. "Right now, we're facing a crisis within the cancer research enterprise," said AACR Chief of Policy Jon Retzlaff, who said roughly one in eight research grants submitted to NCI last year were funded and the institute has reduced overall funding levels. "Young investigators are getting frustrated by the chances of receiving grants, with [this] new generation of scientists potentially not being there to work towards President Biden's goals." There's no dollar figure yet, partly because the White House hasn't yet sketched out where the money should go in an across-government approach to end cancer. "Look, there is still a residual year of funding in the original cancer moonshot," Office of Science and Technology Policy Director Eric Lander told POLITICO. "I am extremely confident there will be robust funding for it because there's nothing more bipartisan, whatever else you can say about Washington." But others are skeptical that funding, even when requested, will come given how Congress has failed to find money for Biden's other health research priorities — even the ones with bipartisan support. For example: ARPA-H. Momentum for Biden's $6.5 billion plan has stalled amid budget battles and divisions over the Build Back Better Act. Similarly, 2022 funding bumps to other health agencies are stuck in a cycle of continuing resolutions that extend existing funding levels without any increase — begging the question of where more moonshot money lies. THE WHITE HOUSE PLOTS ITS POST-OMICRON FUTURE — The U.S. is heading into its third month of a winter coronavirus surge. But inside the White House, Joe Biden's Covid team is already preparing for life after Omicron. Encouraged by falling case counts, administration officials are plotting a new phase of the pandemic response focused on containing the virus and conditioning Americans to live with it, Adam reports. The effort aims to capitalize on an anticipated lull that could arrive as early as spring, with Biden and his top officials already working to get people comfortable with a "new normal" where the virus is still widespread — yet not nearly as disruptive to everyday life. What to expect: The White House plans a gradual messaging shift toward emphasizing the things vaccinated people can safely do, in what one person close to the response characterized as resetting the "expectation that they can get back to joy." Officials are also trying to build out their stockpile of vaccines and treatments to ensure the government is prepared for future flare-ups — and are looking for ways to make rapid tests cheap and easy enough for Americans to regularly rely on. What not to expect: A splashy victory celebration or a ceremonious dropping of masking recommendations, amid fears the "mission accomplished" moment would backfire — just like it did last year when Biden declared freedom from the virus, only to see it come roaring back weeks later. The caveat: The White House's plans depend on first getting through the Omicron surge and easing the pressure on hospitals — and avoiding the emergence of yet another dangerous variant. The administration also needs to authorize vaccines for small children while continuing to boost vaccination rates for the rest of the population. It also needs more money. The White House is seeking tens of billions of dollars from Congress to fund future vaccine, treatment and test purchases, but it's unclear when lawmakers will approve the request and how much it'll ultimately get. CMS UNVEILS 2023 COVERAGE PROPOSALS — The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services on Wednesday proposed policy changes to Medicare Advantage and its Part D drug coverage for next year, starting the process toward establishing beneficiaries' monthly rates and risk adjustment next year. Potential changes include how well Medicare Advantage plans and Part D ratings take health equity into account, one of the Biden administration's signature health issues, Rachael writes. The agency is also considering how often Medicare Advantage plans screen for food and housing insecurity, as well as transportation problems. CMS also wants input on how it should use sub-state geographic data when rate setting for people with end-stage kidney disease. This month, HHS released a report indicating drug affordability is a significant problem for kidney disease patients in Medicare.
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