Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Biden's Physical Didn't Include A Cognitive Test
NPR: Biden Just Got A Physical. But A Cognitive Test Was Not Part Of It
President Biden got his latest physical on Wednesday at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center — an evaluation that the White House said drew on the expertise of 20 doctors but did not involve a cognitive exam. The summary of the exam will be closely scrutinized since Biden, now 81, is the oldest person ever to hold the office of U.S. president, and voters have expressed concern that he is too old for a second four-year term in the job. (Shivaram, 2/28)
The Wall Street Journal: President’s Physical Gives Only Partial View Of Commander In Chief’s Health
For decades, the public release of the president’s annual physical has provided a window into the White House inhabitant’s well-being, listing their medications, weight and at times signaling a benign condition. But it typically offers a fairly narrow update that hasn’t revealed bombshells about any president’s health, and it is often framed by the administration to portray the president in robust condition. President Biden’s physical, conducted Wednesday at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center, is the latest in this trend. Even before the results were released, Biden said there was “nothing different” in his physical this year from last year. He joked at a White House event, “they think I look too young.” (Thomas, 2/28)
More health news from the federal government —
USA Today: How This DOT Proposal Aims To Boost Protections For Disabled Travelers
Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg unveiled a new proposal Thursday aimed at improving air travel for passengers with disabilities. Under the proposed rule set forth by the Department of Transportation, airlines would be mandated to adhere to stringent standards, guaranteeing prompt and dignified assistance for passengers with disabilities. (Rivera, 2/29)
Axios: How Biden's Housing Push For Medicaid Could Help Migrants
States struggling to house recently arrived immigrants may have a new way to get financial help from the federal government: through Medicaid. The Biden administration's push for Medicaid to cover housing and other social needs comes as blue cities and states overwhelmed by the number of immigrants arriving from the border have been demanding more federal support to provide them shelter and care. (Owens, 2/29)
Reuters: US Defense Secretary Austin Faces Congress Grilling Over Health Secrecy
U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin faces a reckoning in Congress on Thursday over his decision to keep secret his prostrate cancer surgery and subsequent hospitalization from President Joe Biden and even his deputy at the Pentagon. Austin has apologized for the way he handed the matter, including to Biden himself, but his appearance before the Republican-led House of Representatives Armed Services Committee at 10 a.m. will be the first time lawmakers will directly question him. (2/29)
The Washington Post: Supreme Court Divided Over Gun-Rights Challenge To Trump Bump Stock Ban
A divided Supreme Court seemed to struggle Wednesday with the legality of a federal ban on bump stock devices, which allow semiautomatic rifles to fire hundreds of bullets per minute. Liberal justices suggested the devices were exactly what Congress had in mind when it long ago imposed restrictions on machine guns. Some conservative justices, however, said the law’s language was not so clear. (Marimow, 2/28)
