Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
COVID Crisis Tops Any Biden Transition Planning
Politico: Biden Plans For Covid Task Force During Transition
With President Donald Trump's coronavirus task force sidelined, Joe Biden is planning to create his own task force to help grapple with the country's surge in cases should he win tonight's election, according to plans obtained by POLITICO. The task force would include former Surgeon General Vivek Murthy, former Food and Drug Administration Commissioner David Kessler, New York University’s Dr. Celine Gounder, Yale’s Dr. Marcella Nunez-Smith, former Obama White House aide Dr. Zeke Emanuel and former Chicago Health Commissioner Dr. Julie Morita, who is now an executive vice president at the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. In line with Biden’s repeated campaign pledges to “listen to the scientists” if elected, the team features well-respected, veteran public health experts, some of whom ran agencies under the Obama and Clinton administrations. (Miranda Ollstein, Meyer and Thompson, 11/3)
The Wall Street Journal: Biden Team Forging Ahead With Presidential Transition Planning
Joe Biden’s transition team is moving forward with efforts to plan for his possible presidency as the election results remain in limbo, according to people familiar with the matter. Mr. Biden’s transition team, a group of policy experts charged with implementing the former vice president’s policy agenda and filling thousands of jobs across the government, is forging ahead with plans to send staff into federal agencies once a winner is declared, the people said. The team has been planning for months for the possibility that the Trump administration won’t cooperate with Mr. Biden’s aides as they prepare for him to potentially take over the White House. (Restuccia, 11/4)
New York Post: Joe Biden Launches Presidential Transition Website
Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden on Wednesday launched a transition website as he neared the 270 electoral votes needed to defeat President Trump. The site, buildbackbetter.com, features only a homepage topped with an image of the former vice president. It says “Biden-Harris Transition” against a solid blue background. (Nelson, 11/4)
Axios: GOP Senate Wins Wreak Havoc On Biden Transition Plans
Republicans' likely hold on the Senate is forcing Joe Biden's transition team to consider limiting its prospective Cabinet nominees to those who Mitch McConnell can live with, according to people familiar with the matter. ... Traditionally, an incoming president is given wide berth to pick his desired team. This political reality could result in Biden having a more centrist Cabinet. (Nichols and Allen, 11/5)
Politico: How A Drawn-Out Election Fight Could Hamper A Biden Transition
Presidential transitions typically move at a breakneck speed even in smoother election cycles, given that teams have just over two months to stand up a federal bureaucracy staffed with more than 4,000 political appointees. Any delay in the election result this year will narrow that window, giving the Biden team an even shorter runway to begin formally vetting Cabinet nominees, laying out policy priorities and crafting an agenda. Some of their work can continue unfettered, even as ballots are counted and legal fights play out. The transition team has the ability, for instance, to conduct FBI background checks on potential Cabinet nominees. But officials do not have the ability to work with the Office of Government Ethics — a secondary step in the vetting process — until the election results are final. Past transitions have typically begun providing the OGE with names to review by early or mid-December. (Cassella and Miranda Ollstein, 11/4)
FierceHealthcare: 3 Ways A Biden White House Could Impact Healthcare
No matter who wins, the next president will need to confront mounting job losses due to the COVID-19 pandemic that have had a direct impact on health coverage, experts say. An analysis from the Commonwealth Fund estimates as many as 14 million Americans could lose their health insurance due to job losses or because they are dependents of someone who holds an employer-sponsored plan. (King, 11/3)
