Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Biden's Health Care Positions Tend Toward The Middle Of The Road
The New York Times: What Are Joe Biden's Policies?
Progressives think President-elect Joseph R. Biden Jr.’s policies do not go far enough. President Trump and his administration have called Mr. Biden a Trojan horse for the radical left. Since the primary, Mr. Biden has shifted leftward on issues including health care, climate change and education. But even then, he has hardly embraced the bold agenda of progressives like Senator Bernie Sanders of Vermont. Here is where Mr. Biden actually stands on several key issues: the coronavirus, health care, the economy, taxes and climate change. (Ember, 11/8)
KHN: Biden Wins, But His Health Agenda Dims With GOP Likely To Hold Senate
Former Vice President Joe Biden secured the 270 electoral votes needed to capture the White House on Saturday, major news organizations projected, after election officials in a handful of swing states spent days in round-the-clock counting of millions of mail-in ballots and early votes. The Democrat’s victory came after the latest tallies showed him taking an insurmountable lead in Pennsylvania, a state both Biden and President Donald Trump had long identified as vital to their election efforts. Trump has signaled he will fight the election results in several states, filing a number of lawsuits and seeking recounts. (Rovner, 11/7)
Vox: President-Elect Joe Biden’s Health Care Plan, Explained In 800 Words
Joe Biden has proposed a health care plan that could cover 25 million uninsured Americans. The question now that he’s won the White House is whether he can pass it. The Democratic president-elect has put forward a plan that would build on the Affordable Care Act (ACA). That means much of the existing US health care system would remain in place: Most working people would continue to get their health insurance through their employer, Medicare and Medicaid would be preserved, and the ACA would be expanded. (Scott, 11/6 )
And more specifics on his plans to combat the coronavirus —
CNN: How Biden Plans To Change The US Covid-19 Pandemic Response
President-elect Joe Biden and Vice President-elect Kamala Harris say they will move the US Covid-19 pandemic response in a dramatically different direction. "The pandemic is getting significantly more worrisome all across the country," Biden said on Friday. "I want everyone to know on day one, we're going to put our plan to control this virus into action." (Christensen, 11/9)
San Francisco Chronicle: Here’s How Joe Biden’s Victory Will Change Coronavirus Strategy
There’s not a lot that President-elect Joe Biden can do to quell the rising swell of coronavirus cases now crashing across much of the United States, but he is already planning his response for what will surely be a tough winter. In his victory speech on Saturday, Biden pledged to name a coronavirus advisory group on Monday. The group, he said, would consist of scientists and other experts, and would take a COVID plan formulated during the campaign and convert it into a “blueprint” that can be immediately implemented when he takes office Jan. 20. (Allday, 11/8)
NPR: President-Elect Biden Has A Plan To Combat COVID-19. Here's What's In It
Biden's plan calls for empowering scientists at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to help set national, evidence-based guidance to stop outbreaks as well as making significant investments in vaccine distribution, testing and the creation of a public health workforce to carry out contact tracing and other services. (Aubrey, 11/8)
