Biden to deliver budget proposal, Jill Biden honors women at White House: 5 Things podcast

On today's episode of the 5 Things podcast: Biden's budget proposal

President Joe Biden will outline his new budget proposal Thursday. Plus, USA TODAY Health Reporter Ken Alltucker looks at why Americans go abroad for healthcare, USA TODAY Health Reporter Karen Weintraub looks at the effectiveness of drug TV commercials, a Memphis judge holds the release of more video connected to Tyre Nichols' death, and First Lady Jill Biden honored woman leaders on International Women's Day.

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Hit play on the player above to hear the podcast and follow along with the transcript below. This transcript was automatically generated, and then edited for clarity in its current form. There may be some differences between the audio and the text.

Taylor Wilson:

Good morning. I'm Taylor Wilson and this is 5 things you need to know Thursday, the 9th of March 2023. Today, Biden's budget plan. Plus a look at how Americans access healthcare abroad after the incident in Mexico this week, and we'll hear about commercials for drugs.

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President Joe Biden will release his budget plan today. And in a preview, the White House said earlier this week that he wants to raise tax rates on those making more than $400,000 a year to help boost Medicare. The Medicare tax rate would increase to 5% from 3.8% on earned and unearned income for wealthier Americans. Biden will also propose benefit changes that includes limiting to $2 how much a Medicare recipient must pay out of pocket for certain generic drugs. In recent months, Biden has been hammering Republicans over Medicare and Social Security. Both programs are extremely popular, but account for large and rising chunks of the federal budget. Republican Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell said Biden's budget won't go far in the GOP controlled house.

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Two Americans were found dead and two alive after they were abducted while traveling to Mexico. The incident is raising questions about whether people in the US are at risk when they cross the border to access healthcare and about why they do so in the first place. USA TODAY Health Reporter Ken Alltucker discussed with USA TODAY Video Producer Sonu Trivedi.

Sonu Trivedi:

We have USA TODAY Consumer Health Reporter Ken Alltucker here today. Thank you for doing this, Ken.

Ken Alltucker:

Thanks for having me.

Sonu Trivedi:

So can you start by giving me some background? How common is it for people in the US to cross the border into Mexico for healthcare?

Ken Alltucker:

It's fairly common. We talked to an expert who estimated that before the COVID-19 pandemic, upwards of over 1 million people each year would travel to Mexico from the United States for medical reasons. Whether it was to get direct medical care and an operation like a weight loss surgery, or even just purchasing prescription drugs, which people can get at pharmacies in Mexico. Some pharmacies will sell without a prescription and they're often less expensive than their medical care costs in the United States.

Sonu Trivedi:

Why are people taking the risk and traveling to Mexico to get medication or get treatment?

Ken Alltucker:

Yeah, it is a risk and it depends on the person, what type of risk they're willing to take. And in a lot of situations, this comes down to cost. I've profiled folks before who have gone to Mexico for dental procedures or sought eyeglasses because it's much less expensive and maybe their insurance doesn't cover it. Cosmetic procedures or weight loss procedures, insurance might not cover that or might have strict guidelines on who qualifies. So people can't necessarily afford it in the United States, and we certainly have high medical costs here. And it's not just Mexico, several nations are popular among medical tourists.

Sonu Trivedi:

What do you think it says about healthcare in the US that people are choosing to go to other countries to get access to medication or other treatments?

Ken Alltucker:

We have the most expensive healthcare system in the world, and people are choosing these routes, traveling to Mexico or other nations for care because of that expense. In many cases, that certainly is a consideration for people who are desperate for some type of care, but there are a lot of risks obviously. Now most people do have health insurance in this country. The uninsured rate is near a record low coming out of the pandemic, but still people have to pay a portion of their medical bill under many insurance plans. And some are finding that is not affordable.

Sonu Trivedi:

Well, thank you for being here today, Ken.

Ken Alltucker:

Thank you for having me.

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Taylor Wilson:

Ask your doctor about, you've probably heard those words countless times on television drug commercials, but how effective are these ads and are they problematic? I spoke with USA TODAY Health Reporter Karen Weintraub to find out. Karen, welcome back to 5 Things.

Karen Weintraub:

Thanks so much for having me.

Taylor Wilson:

So broadly, what did this study find about drug advertisements?

Karen Weintraub:

Drug companies spend about 6 billion a year directing ads toward consumers, so the stuff you see on television, YouTube, whatever. And two-thirds of those ads do not promote drugs that are considered better or of high value compared to other drugs. The pharmaceutical industry doesn't agree with that, but that's what the study found.

Taylor Wilson:

So do drug ads help patients make better informed decisions?

Karen Weintraub:

Right, so theoretically a drug ad could tell you you have a condition that you need to pay attention to. Or in the nineties there was some feeling that the drug ads for antidepressants helped destigmatize the idea of depression and helped us talk about depression. So there can be an upside to these for sure.

Taylor Wilson:

What role does the insurance system play in American drug advertisements?

Karen Weintraub:

So you would think that they would be the sort of roadblocks preventing people from using drugs that don't work. But the researchers I spoke to said that it doesn't really work that way. They tend to block everything whether useful or not, and that they're not really thinking through whether a drug is necessary.

Taylor Wilson:

Do other places around the world allow this same kind of advertising?

Karen Weintraub:

Yeah, I was surprised to learn that only the US and New Zealand allowed direct to consumer advertising. So nowhere else in the world will you see these kinds of ads.

Taylor Wilson:

And is there any push to change this in the United States?

Karen Weintraub:

Not at the moment. There are public health people who would love to have us say, advertise fruits and vegetables instead, but unlikely to happen anytime soon.

Taylor Wilson:

This begs the question, what should consumers do then when they see these ads pop up on their TVs?

Karen Weintraub:

Yeah, I mean, one researcher I talked to said basically just say no, don't pay attention. Ignore them. Just because you're seeing an ad doesn't mean it's a good product. Focus on your health. When you go to the doctor, talk about things you care about, but not necessarily about ads we've seen on TV.

Taylor Wilson:

USA TODAY Health Reporter Karen Weintraub. Great info as always. Thanks so much.

Karen Weintraub:

Thank you.

♦

Taylor Wilson:

A Memphis judge ruled yesterday that nearly 20 hours of additional footage related to the city's investigation into Tyre Nichols' death cannot be released until lawyers for the five former police officers charged in his death have seen the new video. Body camera footage released last month showed multiple officers beating, pepper spraying and using a stun gun on Nichols after a traffic stop. He died three days later at the age of 29. It's still not clear what the additional video will show or when it'll be released.

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First Lady Jill Biden and Secretary of State Antony Blinken honored 11 women leaders from around the world at the White House yesterday on International Women's Day.

Jill Biden:

We're here to tell girls everywhere the truth that they need to hear, yes you matter. Yes, you can make a difference.

Taylor Wilson:

The International Woman of Courage Award ceremony marked its 17th year recognizing powerful women from a wide array of fields. This year's event honored women from countries marked by crisis, including Taira Paievska, a Ukrainian medic who spent three months in Russian captivity after being captured. You can read more about this year's ceremony with a link in today's show notes.

Thanks for listening to Things. You can find us every day of the week right here, wherever you're listening right now. I'm back tomorrow with more of 5 Things from USA TODAY.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Biden to outline budget proposal, Jill Biden honors women: 5 Things podcast