Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Different Takes: Health Care Is On The Line Again; Sizzle Won't Sell The Vaccine
The New York Times: An Open Supreme Court Seat Puts Obamacare On The Ballot
Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg’s death could not have come at a worse time for the millions of Americans who get their health insurance through the Affordable Care Act. One week after the election, the Supreme Court is scheduled to hear yet another case about whether the law is constitutional. The case was worrisome enough when Chief Justice John Roberts held the swing vote. But if President Trump succeeds in seating a new justice, the political gravity of the court will lurch even further to the right. A case that once looked like a Hail Mary would stand a real chance of success. That means more than ever, health care is on the ballot. (Andy Slavitt and Nicholas Bagley, 9/23)
The New York Times: Voting G.O.P. Means Voting Against Health Care
If you or someone you care about is among the more than 50 million Americans suffering from pre-existing medical conditions, you should be aware that the stakes in this year’s election go beyond abstract things like, say, the survival of American democracy. They’re also personal. If Donald Trump is re-elected, you will lose the protection you’ve had since the Affordable Care Act went into effect almost seven years ago. (Paul Krugman, 9/21)
CNN: Trump's Covid-19 Vaccine Sales Pitch Is All Sizzle And No Steak (Opinion)
More than 80 years ago, the American salesman extraordinaire, Elmer Wheeler, introduced his "Five Wheeler Points" to help his brethren boost sales of whatever it was they were selling. The first Point, later immortalized by an episode of Seinfeld , was this: "don't sell the steak -- sell the sizzle." This adage seems to have been adopted by the some in the Trump administration as they still, seven months in, try to find their footing on the federal response to the Covid-19 pandemic. (Kent Sepkowitz, 9/22)
The Washington Post: Trump’s Contempt For Truth Leaves A Toxic Legacy Around The World
Previous presidents have lied or twisted the truth, but Mr. Trump’s distortions are on an epic scale. As of July, according to a database maintained by The Post, he had made more than 20,000 false or misleading statements in just 3½ years, including more than 1,000 about the coronavirus alone. His mendacity has been accelerating: While his first 10,000 lies accumulated in 827 days, The Post Fact Checkers reported, it took only 440 days to double the total. ...Even if Mr. Trump leaves office in January, the country is likely to be plagued for years by this delinking of public debate from reality. If he wins, his war against truth surely will escalate. (9/22)
CNN: Trump Again Minimizes The Coronavirus Pandemic As Officials Warn Of A Fall Surge
A new clash between Donald Trump's political goals and his duties to public health threatens to deprive America of presidential leadership in the critical weeks that will decide if a second wave of Covid-19 swamps the country this winter. As the US death toll from the pandemic passed 200,000, Dr. Anthony Fauci warned Tuesday that he was worried that the high base level of infections could make it difficult to keep the virus under control in the colder months. (Stephen Collinson, 9/23)
Bloomberg: U.K. Lockdown: Boris Johnson's Six-Month Covid Plan Carries Heavy Cost
The happier days of summer are over. Covid cases are spiking again and tougher lockdown rules are being reintroduced, including curfews on pubs and restaurants and telling people to work from home where possible. (Boris) Johnson’s manifest failure to deliver a working system for mass testing and contact tracing in time for the reopening of schools and other parts of the economy made these restrictions inevitable. (Therese Raphael, 9/23)
The Hill: The Trump Administration's War On Abortion Rights Is Worse Than You Think
The Trump administration has been executing a coordinated attack on what it sees as a critical public health issue. Unfortunately, the offensive is not targeting the COVID-19 pandemic, which has infected over six million people and claimed almost 200,000 lives in the US. Instead, the campaign has its sights set on women’s sexual health and reproductive rights, especially abortion. With the recent death of Supreme Court, Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg threatening the fate of Roe v. Wade, the security of abortion rights has never been more precarious. (Michelle Onello, 9/22)
