Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Beyond The Theatrics Of VA Nomination Controversy Lies A Leaderless And Troubled Agency
Politico: ‘Veterans Are Losing 6 Different Ways Right Now’
The implosion of Ronny Jackson’s nomination to lead the Veterans Affairs Department may look like the Trump administration’s drama of the moment, but it carries big consequences for 9 million veterans in a sprawling health care system with uneven results and a precarious future. Not only does the VA have no leader, the veteran health care community is divided between conservatives inclined to privatize much of veterans’ care and those who want to invest more in fixing the current system. The impact can be seen across 170 medical centers and hundreds of clinics of varying quality that treat veterans who served in the U.S. military in every conflict since World War II. (Allen, 4/26)
Modern Healthcare: VA Choice Reforms Face Tight Timeline As Focus Turns To Trump's Next Nominee For Secretary
Amid the noise over Dr. Ronny Jackson withdrawing from consideration for secretary of Veterans Affairs, key lawmakers and stakeholders vow the long-stalled VA Choice reforms will move forward as planned even as the timeline grows shorter and the focus has shifted to finding the next nominee. The House VA Committee this week was supposed to debate the bipartisan agreement reached last month, but that has been postponed until early May, and not all parts of the deal are set in stone, according to aides close to talks. (Luthi, 4/26)
Boston Globe: Partners Among Hospital Systems Quietly Advising Trump On Improving VA
Leaders from the Mayo Clinic, Partners HealthCare, and other large hospital systems have been quietly advising the Trump administration on how to improve the Department of Veterans Affairs, the Mayo Clinic’s chief executive said Thursday in Boston. (Dayal McCluskey, 4/26)
The New York Times: For Many, Life In Trump’s Orbit Ends In A Crash Landing
Another day, another casualty. Or two. By the time the sun set Thursday, Dr. Ronny L. Jackson was a failed cabinet nominee whose life had been picked apart for public consumption, and Michael D. Cohen was back in court facing possible criminal prosecution. A ride on President Trump’s bullet train can be thrilling, but it is often a brutal journey that leaves some bloodied by the side of the tracks. In only 15 months in office, Mr. Trump has burned through a record number of advisers and associates who have found themselves in legal, professional or personal trouble, or even all three. (Baker and Haberman, 4/26)
The Washington Post: Ronny Jackson Withdraws As Trump’s Nominee To Lead Veterans Affairs, But He Remains Under Scrutiny
Ronny L. Jackson’s withdrawal from consideration to lead the Department of Veterans Affairs stanched an immediate political crisis for the Trump White House, but it sparked new questions over his future as the president’s doctor and the fate of the embattled agency. Jackson announced Thursday morning that he was pulling out of the nomination process amid a mushrooming cloud of allegations over professional misconduct, leaving in limbo a sprawling federal bureaucracy serving 9 million military veterans that President Trump has called a top domestic priority. Yet even as Jackson strongly denied the charges against him, calling them “completely false and fabricated” in a defiant statement, his position as Trump’s chief physician and a pending Navy promotion looked shaky. (Rein, Lamothe and Nakamura, 4/26)
Politico: ‘Jon Poked The Bear’: Tester Braces For Trump’s Revenge
Jon Tester didn't intend to play a central role in taking down President Donald Trump's pick to lead the Veterans Affairs Department. Yet that's exactly what the Montana Democrat ended up doing. And now, Trump is coming after him. (Everett, 4/26)
Politico: The Cost Of Donald Trump’s Deserted Government
Job vacancies are fast becoming a singular threat to President Donald Trump’s administration, with a record number of openings that stretch from low-level appointments to the secretary’s office at the Department of Veterans Affairs. While civil servants have stepped up to fill gaps, their power and influence is limited — and many senior career government workers have quit or retired since Trump took office, taking institutional knowledge with them. (Woellert, 4/27)
Kaiser Health News: Podcast: KHN’s ‘What The Health?’ What’s Next For The VA?
The Trump administration has withdrawn the nomination of White House physician Ronny Jackson to head the Department of Veterans Affairs after allegations surfaced about inappropriate handling of prescription drugs, issues with alcohol and difficulties working with other White House medical unit staffers. It is unclear whom the White House will turn to next to take over the helm at the VA. (4/26)
