Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Biden's Annual Physical Takes Place In Spotlight Of Possible 2024 Campaign
Reuters: Biden, 80, To Have Closely Watched Physical Exam
President Joe Biden, 80, will undergo a closely watched physical examination on Thursday, ahead of an expected announcement that he is seeking a second four-year term. Biden's session with the doctors at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center in nearby Bethesda, Maryland, will be his second extensive exam since he took office in January 2021. His last physical and colonoscopy, in November 2021, showed the president to be a "healthy, vigorous, 78-year-old male," his doctors said. He had a polyp removed from his colon. (Holland, 2/16)
The New York Times: What We’ve Learned From Presidential Physicals Of Biden, Trump And Obama
When Barack Obama underwent a routine physical exam as president, his doctor noted that he had moved on from cigarettes to nicotine gum. Bill Clinton’s doctor included details about his fluctuating weight. Richard Nixon’s doctor complained that he didn’t exercise enough. There is no legal requirement to follow when it comes to the president’s checkups, and the amount of information released has always been up to the man himself. But President Biden’s exam on Thursday will get extra scrutiny because, at 80, he is America’s oldest president. (Kanno-Youngs, 2/15)
The Hill: Nikki Haley Calls For Mental Competency Tests For Politicians
Nikki Haley, the newly minted Republican presidential candidate, called on Wednesday for mandatory “mental competency tests” for politicians older than 75, an implied dig at President Biden and her onetime boss, former President Trump. (Greenwood, 2/15)
