Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Rand Paul Angles To Fill Key GOP Post On Senate Health Panel After Cassidy's Exit
The Hill: Sen. Rand Paul Seeks Leadership Role On Senate Health Committee
Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.) said Wednesday he is seeking the top GOP spot on the powerful Senate health committee next Congress, a move that would likely signal a major shift for the focus of Republicans on the panel. Paul, an ophthalmologist, is the most senior Republican on the panel. He is currently the chair of the Senate Homeland Security Committee but would give that up to move to the Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions (HELP). (Weixel, 11/11)
More developments from Capitol Hill —
AP: Mississippi Elects Democrat Scott Colom As State’s First Black US Senator Since Reconstruction
Democratic nominee Scott Colom defeated Republican Sen. Cindy Hyde-Smith on Wednesday in Mississippi’s closely contested U.S. Senate race after a prolonged ballot counting process, giving the state its first Black U.S. senator since post-Civil War Reconstruction. Colom’s narrow victory is a seismic shift in Mississippi, which has been controlled mostly by white conservatives for generations despite having the largest share of Black residents of any U.S. state. (Barrow and Bates, 11/12)
The Hill: Democratic Senators Question RFK Jr Regarding $250,000 Worth Of Gifts From Former Donor
Two Democratic senators launched a probe into Health and Human Services Secretary (HHS) Robert F. Kennedy Jr. this week after financial reports revealed he received over $250,000 in gifts last year from a former donor to his presidential campaign. In a letter addressed to the HHS secretary on Tuesday, Sens. Angela Alsobrooks (Md.) and Robert Wyden (Ore.) requested Kennedy provide more information about these gifts. (Davis, 11/11)
AP: House Approves Bill To Boost Compensation For Many Veterans
The House passed a major package of veterans bills Wednesday on Veterans Day — but not without confusion and controversy. The centerpiece of the package is an effort to boost compensation for an estimated 58,000 veterans who are medically retired because of combat-related injuries. That objective has broad, bipartisan support in Congress, but lawmakers and veterans groups aren’t on the same page about how to get there. (Freking, 11/11)
Stat: Newly Elected Doctors Wrestle With Restoring Trust In Science
Last week, doctors and scientists across the country persuaded Americans to vote them into office. Now comes the hard part: Convincing those who didn’t trust them to believe in their mission. (Florko, 11/12)
On transgender health —
The 19th: Republicans Bet Everything On Anti-Trans Messaging. It Didn’t Pay Off.
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, a Republican who has passed some of the most extreme anti-LGBTQ+ laws in the country, and Democratic Rep. Sarah McBride of Delaware, the first transgender member of Congress, don’t have much in common. But they do have a similar assessment of what drove Republicans’ historic losses in last week’s midterms. “Anti-trans politics was a flop this election,” McBride said on a Monday press call with the Human Rights Campaign, the country’s largest LGBTQ+ advocacy group. (Migdon and Rummler, 11/10)
The 19th: Lawsuit Quickly Follows Washington Ballot Measure On Trans Sports Participation
A coalition of parents, educators and nonprofit organizations sued the state of Washington late Monday over a recently passed ballot initiative banning transgender girls from competing on girls’ K-12 sports teams, arguing that the measure, which is set to take effect next month, conflicts with the state’s own constitution. (Migdon, 11/10)
The Washington Post: Most Transgender People Have No Regrets Years After Hormone Therapy, Study Says
Most transgender people who receive hormone therapy as teenagers do not regret it, according to a study published Monday in JAMA Pediatrics. Researchers at University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center and other universities surveyed 376 transgender and gender-diverse people and found that five years after the initial treatment, 360, or nearly 97 percent, said starting hormone therapy was the right decision, and roughly 3 percent said they regretted taking the medication. Nearly 2 percent said they both regretted the transition and believe it harmed them. On average, the participants started hormone therapy at age 16. (Parks, 11/11)
