There is unlikely bipartisan support in Congress around an effort to make childbirth free in America. Vox’s Rachel Cohen discusses the plan and how it would work. The trial of Sean “Diddy” Combs is in its fourth week. CNN’s Elizabeth Wagmeister, who’s been reporting from the courtroom, tells us the latest. There’s been an international series of brazen, violent crimes against crypto executives and their families. The Wall Street Journal’s Sam Schechner explains what’s been happening. Plus, what we know about the man charged with the Colorado attack, a reparations package for the 1921 Tulsa Race Massacre was announced, and confusion at FEMA after the acting head said he had no idea the U.S. has a hurricane season. Today’s episode was hosted by Shumita Basu.
Full Episode
Good morning. It's Tuesday, June 3rd. I'm Shamita Basu. This is Apple News Today. On today's show, what we've learned about Sean Combs halfway through his trial, the blunt extortion threats against high-profile crypto investors, and reparations planned in Tulsa, Oklahoma.
But first, to an unlikely alliance in Congress that aims to lift a huge burden off of families in the United States by radically reducing the cost of having a child. If you have kids, then you know it's incredibly expensive, starting from day one. A hospital birth can cost tens of thousands of dollars.
And while people with insurance get some of that covered, the final price tag can still cost thousands. Not to mention, child care in the U.S. is more expensive than any other developed country.
A bill introduced by the Senate last month wouldn't solve for that last issue, but a group of bipartisan lawmakers want to make all costs related to childbirth, from prenatal care and ultrasounds to delivery and postpartum care, completely free. No copays or deductibles involved, which would put private coverage on par with Medicaid, which already covers those costs.
It's a really unusual mix of people thus far supporting this bill.
Rachel Cohen covers policy for Vox.
But I think it really speaks to the fact that across the political spectrum, across the ideological spectrum, people recognize that the cost of giving birth in America is so just ridiculously high. And it's not like this across the world.
The bill is being sponsored by Republican Senators Cindy Hyde-Smith from Mississippi and Josh Hawley from Missouri, as well as Democratic Senators Tim Kaine from Virginia and Kirsten Gillibrand from New York. Their bill delivers wins for both parties. It can be championed as a pro-family policy that potentially reduces abortions, and it's a way to expand health care access.
And Cohen reports that a companion version of the policy is expected to be introduced to the House in the next few weeks. The bill proposes having insurance companies and people insured by private plans cover the cost of childbirth through small increases in premiums for everyone. According to analysis by the libertarian think tank Niskanen, premiums could go up by approximately $30 a year.
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