Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Contradictions Lay At The Heart Of Trump's Health Care Priorities In Proposed Budget
The Washington Post: Trump Pledges Support For Health Programs But His Budget Takes ‘Legs Out From Underneath The System’
As President Trump stood before a joint session of Congress for his State of the Union address in February, he urged Republicans and Democrats alike to support the audacious goal of stopping the spread of HIV within a decade. “Together, we will defeat AIDS in America and beyond,” he declared. The White House’s 2020 budget request, issued this week, does propose an additional $291 million as a down payment for a new HIV initiative. Yet the $4.7 trillion budget also calls for sharp spending reductions to Medicaid, the public insurance program for the poor on which more than 2 in 5 Americans with the virus depend. (Goldstein, McGinley and Sun, 3/14)
The Washington Post Fact Checker: Democrats Engage In ‘Mediscare’ Spin On The Trump Budget
The game is played this way: When the president’s budget is released, claim that any difference over 10 years between anticipated Medicare spending (what is known as the “baseline”) and changes in law intended to reduce spending are devastating “cuts” that will harm seniors who rely on the old-age program. But here’s the problem: Most of these anticipated savings are wrung from health providers, not Medicare beneficiaries. Hospitals and doctors may object, sometimes vehemently, but often these are good-government reforms intended to make the program run more efficiently and with lower costs. Let’s check out the Democrats’ Mediscare spin. (Kessler, 3/15)
Modern Healthcare: Azar Calls Out ‘Absurdity' In Medicare Wage Index
HHS Secretary Alex Azar on Thursday acknowledged "absurdity" in the Medicare wage index after several senators complained about wide disparities in payments between states. During a Senate Finance Committee hearing, Azar said HHS is seeking comments on a revision to the entire wage index system but cautioned that HHS can only change the index so much on its own. (King, 3/14)
And in other news about the administration —
The Hill: Trump's Revamped AIDS Council Meets For First Time
The panel is slated to spend two days discussing the administration’s plans to end the HIV epidemic in 10 years, a goal first announced during Trump's State of the Union address in February. The multiyear, multiagency plan would direct “substantial” money to parts of the country most impacted by HIV, including counties in California, Florida and Georgia. (Weixel, 3/14)
