Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Budget Bill Advancing In House Would Ban Abortion, Transgender Surgery At VA Centers
Federal Times: GOP Budget Bill Would Ban Abortions, Transgender Services At VA
Abortion procedures, transgender surgeries and LGBTQ Pride flags would all be banned at Veterans Affairs medical centers under a budget bill adopted by House Republicans on Tuesday. The spending plan — which advanced on a party-line vote out of the House Appropriations Committee — also calls for a record $320 billion in veterans program spending next fiscal year, matching the White House’s funding request released earlier this year. (Shane III, 3/13)
Politico: Tuberville Hold Scrambles Marines’ Plans For Top Officer's Retirement
The Marine Corps could be without a Senate-confirmed leader in less than a month, thanks to a Republican senator’s blockade of hundreds of senior military promotions. The service is already making preparations for this scenario. In a highly unusual move, Commandant Gen. David Berger sent out invitations to a “relinquishment of office ceremony” scheduled for July 10. POLITICO obtained a copy of the invitation. This is a departure from tradition: typically, top military officials host a “change of responsibility” ceremony when a new member of the Joint Chiefs takes over. ... Sen. Tommy Tuberville, an Alabama Republican, put a blanket hold on nominees this spring over the Pentagon’s new policy of reimbursing troops and their family members if they travel to receive an abortion. (Seligman, O'Brien and Gould, 6/13)
Military.com: Lawmakers Pressure Air Force To Finally Make Space Command HQ Basing Decision
As that decision has languished for two and a half years, the fight over whether the HQ should move to Huntsville, Alabama, or remain in Colorado Springs has become increasingly political. Notably, the Supreme Court's ruling last year to overturn Roe v. Wade -- known as Dobbs v. Jackson Women's Health Organization -- has also been viewed as a potential factor impacting the decision, according to Colorado and Alabama lawmakers. Moving Space Command from Colorado, where abortion access is unrestricted, to Alabama, where it is illegal with limited exceptions, has raised concerns. (Novelly and Kheel, 6/13)
In other military health news —
NPR: VA Hospitals Beat Out Private Facilities, Medicare Survey Shows
A nationwide Medicare survey released today found that veterans rated Veterans Affairs hospitals higher than private health care facilities in all 10 categories of patient satisfaction. The VA takes care of about 9 million veterans at 1,255 facilities — the nation's largest integrated health care system. Despite many widely publicized scandals, VA health care has been consistently rated as competitive with private care in dozens of peer-reviewed articles. (Lawrence, 6/14)
Military Times: VA Nurses Join Nationwide Protests Over Working Conditions
Nurses at U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs hospitals in California and Georgia took part in nationwide demonstrations June 13 demanding improvements for short-staffed medical facilities. Caregivers from the Jennifer Moreno VA Medical Center in San Diego and the Atlanta VA Medical Center joined peers from 16 other hospitals across the country to protest conditions they claim overburden medical personnel and compromise patient care. National Nurses United, the country’s largest union of registered nurses, organized the rally. (Moore-Carrillo, 6/13)
Military.com: New Tape Test: Here's How The Army Is Measuring Body Fat Now
It's official -- the Army will now assess body fat using a tape measurement around the waist only. The service announced Monday it has simplified one of the key ways it judges soldier physical fitness following a broader overhaul of the Army Combat Fitness Test, or ACFT. Previously, men were measured at their neck and abdomen, while women were also measured at the hips. (Beynon and Bonenberger, 6/13)
