Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Covid Policies, Housing Among Issues Argued In DeSantis-Newsom Debate
The Hill: Sparks Fly As DeSantis, Newsom Hit Each Other Over COVID-19 Policies
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) and California Gov. Gavin Newsom (D) hit each other over their record on COVID-19 as the two clashed in a feisty debate on Fox News on Thursday night. “You had Disney closed inexplicably for over a year. You are not following science. You were a lock-down governor,” DeSantis said in a jab at Newsom during the debate, which was hosted by Fox host Sean Hannity. But Newsom shot back, suggesting DeSantis’s comments were hypocritical. “Let’s talk about your record on COVID,” Newsom said. “You pass an emergency declaration before the state of California did. You closed down your beaches, your bars, your restaurants. It’s a fact. You had quarantines — you had quarantines, you had checkpoints all over the state of Florida.” (Vakil, 11/30)
The New York Times: DeSantis And Newsom Debate Fact-Check: A Spirited Discussion, Different Sets Of Facts
Earlier this year, Mr. DeSantis signed a measure banning abortions after six weeks of pregnancy — before most women know that they are pregnant, as Mr. Newsom said. But the claim that it “criminalizes women” is not established. The governor and his campaign have called that claim a “lie” and Mr. DeSantis has repeatedly said that is not the intent. (Fichera and Hubler, 11/30)
San Francisco Chronicle: DeSantis Holds Up S.F. ‘Poop Map’ During Debate With Newsom
“This is a map of San Francisco,” DeSantis said, holding a map up for the cameras to see Thursday night as he debated Gov. Gavin Newsom on Fox News. “There’s a lot of plots on that, you may be asking, ‘What is that plotting?’ Well, this is an app where they plot the human feces that are found on the streets of San Francisco, and you see how almost the whole thing is covered.” (Fan Munce, 11/30)
In other election news —
KFF Health News: KFF Health News' 'What the Health?': Trump Puts Obamacare Repeal Back On Agenda
Former president and current 2024 Republican front-runner Donald Trump is aiming to put a repeal of the Affordable Care Act back on the political agenda, much to the delight of Democrats, who point to the health law’s growing popularity. Meanwhile, in Texas, the all-Republican state Supreme Court this week took up a lawsuit filed by more than two dozen women who said their lives were endangered when they experienced pregnancy complications due to the vague wording of the state’s near-total abortion ban. (11/30)
And from Capitol Hill —
The Washington Post: Sen. Rand Paul Performs Heimlich On Sen. Joni Ernst During Luncheon
While hosting a luncheon Thursday featuring dishes from her state, Senate Republican Joni Ernst of Iowa choked on some of the food, a spread of corn, rib-eye and pork chops. But Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.) came to the rescue, Senate colleagues said, moving swiftly to perform the Heimlich maneuver. Ernst later joked about the incident in a post on X, formerly known as Twitter, thanking Paul. (Somasundaram, 11/30)
KFF Health News: In Congress, Calls Mount For Social Security To Address Clawbacks
An investigation by KFF Health News and Cox Media Group gained further traction on Capitol Hill this week as additional members of Congress formally demanded answers from the Social Security Administration about billions of dollars it mistakenly paid to beneficiaries — and then ordered they repay. Two members of a Senate panel that oversees Social Security sent a letter to the agency’s acting commissioner, Kilolo Kijakazi, urging her to do more to prevent overpayments and “limit harm to vulnerable beneficiaries” when trying to recover the money. (Hilzenrath and Fleischer, 11/30)
