Movendi International’s Post

Master pro-health taxes and shape the future of public health with us! We're excited to invite you to the FILTERED Capacity Building Event on Pro-Health Taxes, taking place in Sofia, Bulgaria, on 4-6 June 2025! This 2.5-day event will equip civil society representatives, decision-makers, and journalists with the knowledge and tools to advocate for pro-health taxes—the most cost-effective policy for addressing non-communicable diseases (NCDs) at a population level. Key topics include: • The link between taxes and health, focusing on NCD risk factors such as tobacco, alcohol, and unhealthy food and drinks • The fiscal aspects and administration of pro-health taxation • The health economics of pro-health taxes • Strategies to combat illicit trade, particularly in tobacco and alcohol • Current EU and national policies on taxing tobacco, alcohol, and unhealthy food and drinks • Effective advocacy strategies for promoting pro-health taxes at both EU and national levels Apply by 18 October 2024 to secure your spot and become a pro at advancing public health through taxation policy! This capacity building initiative is part of the FILTERED project and is organised by the Smoke Free Partnership in close collaboration with the Filtered Consortium Partners: European Alcohol Policy Alliance, European Heart Network (EHN), International Youth Health Organization, Ukrainian Coalition for Reproductive Health and Family Planning and Advocacy Center Life, Ukraine and Associate Partners: EuroHealthNet and EASL | The Home of Hepatology. https://lnkd.in/eiMFgQ_W

The 2024 Minnesota legislative session has officially come to a close. With every legislative session, there are celebrations and losses, but no matter the outcome, we are always grateful for our network of advocates! Learn more about the results of our legislative priorities for commercial tobacco cessation and food access. #mnleg #advocacy #tobacco #foodaccess https://lnkd.in/gS6pTWeU

The time to show up to lobby for the preservation of hemp-derived THC beverages is not when the ban bill comes down in late March/early April. The time to lobby the Texas Legislature for preservation of hemp-derived THC beverages started over a month ago. We've already started drafting bills down here, and a plethora have already made it to pre-filing (5 for hemp, 6 on low-THC [medical] cannabis so far). Texas is unlike any other state: we have a biennial legislature that meets for five months. We have one of, if not the, strongest Lieutenant Governors in the nation. In his tenure, Lt. Gov Patrick has vastly expanded the powers of the Lt. Gov's office and its control over the Senate. While an older article, this has a good rundown of the current tension between the House and the Senate and his vast expansion of powers over policy control: https://lnkd.in/gKDbiim7 Texas deserves to be the first state moving this category under purview of its alcohol beverage industry. If you want to achieve that end goal, hire a competent Texas-based lobbyist who understands the political climate here.

✍ New PopNAD Article: Understanding Alcohol for Personal Use in the EU. 💬 This week, Carolin Kilian, Fleur Braddick and Jürgen Rehm explore unrecorded alcohol in the EU, focusing on untaxed, legally produced alcohol for personal use. They find that at least 14 EU countries allow significant production, with some permitting up to 2000 liters of beer annually! The article stresses the public health implications and the need for stricter regulations and excise taxes to monitor and reduce alcohol-related harm. ➡️ Read the article here: https://lnkd.in/dyVrita8 #PublicHealth #AlcoholPolicy #EU #PopNAD #Nordicwelfare

Can healthy taxes promote human rights? 💡 I'm excited to share an opinion I wrote with Daniel Dorado in the Health and Human Rights Journal. In it, we analyzed the intrinsic relationship between human rights, the principle of progressivity, and fiscal policies. The article explores the recent ruling by the Ecuadorian judiciary that declared unconstitutional an executive decree eliminating and reducing taxes on ultra-processed food products, tobacco, alcohol, weapons, and plastics.

Something you might have missed over the July 4th holiday... A federal judge partially blocked the FTC's noncompete ban. And based on how the judge is looking at the rule now, the prospects for the rule's survival are not great. #behavioralhealth #mentalhealth #addictiontreatment #regulations #policy #politics #healthcare #hr https://lnkd.in/ePFd_r5Y

🌍The #EU Commission faces key decisions on the future of #tobacco taxation and regulations for smoke-free products. 🔎TobaccoIntelligence provides insights into how proposed policies may impact both traditional and novel nicotine products, with implications for public health and market dynamics across Europe. 👉See how our data has helped shape this article: https://lnkd.in/dUBna355 #tobaccolaw #tobaccotax #tobaccoregulation #herbalsticks #heatedtobacco #novelnicotineproducts #harmreduction

Buried in legal jumbo , citizens may not understand the impact of the loss of governments role in protecting us from entities that may choose to act in ways that are not beneficial for us or our communities wellness. "A natural result will mean less agency regulation. No law passed by Congress can include every possible nuance needed to implement the law. Limitation on the ability of regulators to fill in those gaps could result in impacts to health care consumer and patient protections. Technical requirements for how plans and providers bill and code for patient service, for example, are important in executing new health care standards, from free preventive care to surprise billing protections. Without regulations to fill in technical gaps, it will be more difficult to operationalize requirements to carry out the intent of Congress. The executive branch will not necessarily be the only place where there are implications. Congress will be challenged to be more specific in its legislation, making it more difficult to reach consensus on a range of matters. This may be a particular concern where the issue being addressed in legislation is itself a black box—such as prescription drug pricing and the role of pharmacy benefit managers—where Congress itself and the public may lack access to reliable information about a highly technical subject. Those seeking to access the judicial branch could see barriers as lower federal courts become more crowded or backlogged with administrative actions. Also, the decision-making itself will require more technical and scientific knowledge from judges, perhaps expanding the time it takes to resolve disputes." https://lnkd.in/gS9uFSuP

The recent Supreme Court decision to overturn the Chevron deference standard will have far-reaching effects on health policy. This change means courts no longer have to defer to federal agency expertise in ambiguous cases. For health plans, this likely will lead to more legal challenges and regulatory uncertainty, impacting critical areas like Medicaid eligibility, Medicare drug pricing, and consumer protections—potentially slowing down implementation and creating new compliance hurdles. Stay informed via KFF and reach out for help navigating these challenges. https://bit.ly/3LpGytH #Healthcare #HealthPolicy

https://lnkd.in/en_A6GFC Mike Bloomberg led this task force that calls for taxes that lead to a 50% increase in real prices of tobacco, alcohol, and sugary beverages to raise trillions of dollars and cut deaths. It repeats past calls at a time when World Health Organization acknowledges that health targets will not be met with current laws. It is portrayed as a win for all. Serious concerns are brushed aside in a cavalier and simplistic manner. For #tobacco: many countries should increase the differential between combustible cigarettes and a range of #tobaccoharmreduction products, focus primary care services on smokers over 40 who smoke 20+ a day. Currently they don't. Sharp, large price increases will fuel #illicittrade in many countries where in excess of 40% of cigarettes are already illicit. For #alcohol: governments should follow #CzeckRepublic policies. Apply harm reduction policies that nudge heavy alcohol users to lower intakes. Better access to empathetic treatment- and well designed tax increases seem best. Large tax increases will increase availability of unsafe illicit products placing users at higher risks. For #beverages:the call to tax sugary beverages and dissuade consumers from using nonsugar sweeteners will fail to achieve the desired and needed cuts in #obesity. Despite selective use of data, the reality remains that consumers will substitute higher priced drinks with a range of possibly less healthy drinks and foods. A simple check shows that in most #LMICs sugary beverages are not the dominant reason for excess calorie intake. An inconvenient truth that authors neglect to discuss. Instead of a simplistic call to raise taxes, we need a more #comprehensive long term plan that includes taxes alongside compassionate harm reduction measures that work best for addictive behaviors, and significant changes in how #primaryhealthcare providers support patients and families to achieve healthier choices. The tobacco, food and alcohol industries should be part of the conversation to find solutions and not simply demonized. They should do far more to cut marketing to kids, offer lower risk and healthier alternatives (especially to LMICs), and share their deep consumer insights with academia. That is how we are making progress to address environmental threats and climate change.