Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Physician Group Sues HHS, USDA To Squash Meat-Rich Dietary Guidelines
MedPage Today: Physicians Sue U.S. Government Over New Dietary Guidelines
A physician group filed a lawsuit against HHS and the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), alleging that the government botched the most recent dietary guidelines. The suit was brought by the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine (PCRM), a Washington, D.C.-based nonprofit founded in 1985 that advocates for plant-based diets and alternatives to animal-based research. The group has a long history of using legal pressure to further their goals. (Robertson, 8/20)
On healthcare in the military —
NPR: As USS Lincoln Heads Home, Mental Health Experts Tally The Stressors Of Life At Sea
The USS Abraham Lincoln — which has been participating in U.S. military operations in the war with Iran — is now on its way home. The roughly 5,000 sailors and Marines aboard that ship have spent a grueling nine months at sea with little relief. Reports have emerged of deteriorating conditions — and of deteriorating mental health, including apparent attempts by crewmembers to jump overboard. The Navy has not confirmed those reports and NPR has not independently verified them. "A small number of mental health cases were treated with no loss of life," Acting Secretary of the Navy Hung Cao said in a statement last week. (Riddle, 8/21)
Other health news about the Trump administration —
KETV: RFK Jr. Visits Nebraska, Praises UNMC's Hantavirus Response
U.S. Secretary of Health and Human Services Robert F. Kennedy Jr. toured the University of Nebraska Medical Center on Thursday, praising its response to the Hantavirus outbreak that brought 18 Americans to quarantine there in May. (Grinvalds, 8/20)
KFF Health News: KFF Health News’ ‘What The Health?’: Headless FDA Gets A New Nominee
Heidi Overton, a physician and White House domestic policy adviser, is President Donald Trump’s choice to be the next head of the Food and Drug Administration. Overton, an abortion opponent and supporter of Trump’s proposed changes to the childhood vaccine schedule, has made enemies while working on health policy from the White House and could face some tough questioning from senators. (Rovner, 8/20)
KFF Health News: New DOJ Guidance Could Give States Cover To Cut Disability Services
People with disabilities have long fought for the right to live at home rather than in institutions. Now, the Department of Justice says states don’t have to help make that happen. The decision by the Trump administration comes amid massive cuts in federal funding for Medicaid. Advocates worry this could be a one-two punch for disabled Americans who want to live independently. (8/21)
