Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Biden Leads Trump On Key Issues, Including Health Care, New Poll Shows
The New York Times: Voters Prefer Biden Over Trump On Almost All Major Issues, Poll Shows
Mr. Biden, if he wins, will find consensus on some of his policy priorities. Two in three voters supported allowing people to buy a health insurance plan through the federal government, a so-called public option, and the same supermajority backed Mr. Biden’s $2 trillion plan to increase the use of renewable energy and build energy-efficient infrastructure. (Burns and Martin, 10/20)
NBC News: For Latino Voters, Health Care Is A Top Issue As Obamacare Gains Reverse Under Trump
As more people lose health insurance, the cost and the availability of coverage are top-tier issues for Hispanics this election cycle. Latinos rank it even ahead of jobs and the economy and place more importance on it than they did about this time in 2016. (Gamboa, 10/20)
The Hill: Obama Hits Trail To Help Biden, Protect Legacy
When former President Obama hits the trail on Wednesday, he'll be campaigning not just for his onetime partner Joe Biden but for his own policies that have been severed under President Trump. (Parnes, 10/21)
In other congressional and state elections news —
CNN: Republican Senators Drop Coronavirus Ad Messaging In Final Weeks
Throughout the spring, summer and fall, vulnerable Senate Republicans and their allies ran TV ads touting their efforts to pass multi-trillion dollar bills addressing the coronavirus pandemic. In Georgia, a Republican super PAC praised "quick action" from Sen. David Perdue to direct funding to hospitals, while North Carolina Sen. Thom Tillis ran ads about setting up the Paycheck Protection Program to save small businesses. But Senate Republicans have largely dropped mentioning coronavirus in TV ads during the final weeks of the election, while Senate Democrats have continued to emphasize the pandemic and health care throughout their campaigns, according to a CNN analysis of Kantar Media/CMAG advertising data. (Wright and Rogers, 10/20)
AP: Worsening Opioid Crisis Overshadowed In Presidential Race
Like millions of Americans, Diane Urban watched the first presidential debate last month at home with her family. When it was over, she turned off the television and climbed into the bed her 25-year-old son Jordan used to sleep in. It was where she found Jordan’s lifeless body after he overdosed on the opioid fentanyl one morning in April 2019. After watching President Donald Trump target the son of former Vice President Joe Biden for his history of substance abuse, Urban was reminded again of the shame her son lived with during his own battle with addiction. (Amiri and Mulvihill, 10/21)
KHN: Despite Pandemic Threat, Gubernatorial Hopefuls Avoid COVID Nitty-Gritty
Just 15 days ahead of the election, Montana Lt. Gov. Mike Cooney laid out his ideas on how he’d handle the COVID-19 pandemic if elected governor. Details were few, but the Democrat’s plan became one of only a handful being offered by candidates in the 11 U.S. governor’s races about how they’ll approach what’s certain to be the dominant issue of their terms, should they win. While much of the nation’s focus is on who will be president come January, voters who are deciding the next occupant of their governor’s mansion are also effectively choosing the next leader of their state’s COVID-19 response. The virus has made governors’ power highly visible to voters. As the states’ top executives, they decide whether to issue mask mandates, close businesses and order people to stay home. (Houghton and Volz, 10/21)
The Washington Post: Rep. Abigail Spanberger And Del. Nick Freitas Debate On Heathcare, Income Inequality, Coronavirus Relief
Rep. Abigail Spanberger (D-Va.) clashed with Republican Del. Nick Freitas on everything from income inequality to coronavirus relief, as Spanberger pitched herself as a moderate focused on issues affecting rural Americans while Freitas stressed the need for limited government and cutting red tape. ... The candidates are locked in one of the most competitive Congressional races in Virginia, in a district that voted for President Trump by roughly 7 points in 2016 but that political analysts believe leans slightly in Spanberger’s favor. Spanberger, a former CIA officer and Postal Service investigator, flipped the seat blue in 2018. (Flynn, 10/20)
