Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Domestic Violence Support Depends Heavily On Shaky Federal Funding
The 19th: Without Federal Funding, Almost No Money Exists To Fight Domestic Violence
Today, 4 out of every 10 women say they’ve experienced violence at the hands of an intimate partner. Among men, a quarter report being victims. Intimate partner violence can be deadly, particularly for women: More than half of all women homicide victims are killed by a current or former partner. (Barclay and Mithani, 10/31)
NPR: USAID Cuts Abruptly Ended Program To Help People 'Graduate' From Poverty
Imagine if you were a refugee living at a makeshift settlement in a foreign country with no way to earn a steady income. Then someone promised you a life-changing opportunity: They'd give you a sum of money and a coach to help you turn it into a source of income. But just as you are about to receive that support, it gets canceled. That's what happened to some 8,100 South Sudanese refugees in Uganda this year. They were enrolled in a program with a bureaucratic name — Graduating to Resilience Scale Activity — and a simple strategy: a $205 sum for each participant along with coaching to start a small business. (Tanis, 11/2)
In other Trump administration and MAHA news —
The New York Times: ‘A Big Positive’: How One Company Plans To Profit From Medicaid Cuts
New work requirements are expected to leave millions of poor Americans uninsured. For Equifax, which charges states steep prices for its trove of employment data, it is a business opportunity. (Kliff, Sanger-Katz and Elkeurti, 11/3)
KFF Health News: Trump’s HHS Orders State Medicaid Programs To Help Find Undocumented Immigrants
The Trump administration has ordered states to investigate certain individuals enrolled in Medicaid to determine whether they are ineligible because of their immigration status, with five states reporting they’ve together received more than 170,000 names — an “unprecedented” step by the federal government that ensnares the state-federal health program in the president’s immigration crackdown. (Galewitz, 11/3)
The Hill: Donald Trump’s MRI Scan Raises Questions About Presidential Health Secrecy
President Trump’s off-the-cuff disclosure that he underwent an MRI scan is raising fresh questions about the secrecy surrounding Trump’s health and the need for presidents to be more transparent. Trump is the oldest person to be elected president, and his aides and allies have long projected him as the picture of strength and vitality. Outside physicians initially raised questions after Trump visited Walter Reed Military Medical Center earlier this month for what the White House described as a routine follow-up visit, though it was his second visit in six months. (Weixel, 11/2)
Stat: Trump Says He Will Help Dilbert Creator Scott Adams Access Cancer Drug
President Trump said Sunday that he planned to help the creator of the satirical comic strip “Dilbert” get access to a prostate cancer drug. Scott Adams, known for his office humor comic Dilbert as well as his controversial opinions livestreamed on YouTube, wrote early Sunday morning on X that he was going to ask Trump — whom he said had previously offered help if needed — to save his life. (Cirruzzo, 11/2)
Stat: How Texas Became The Heart Of RFK Jr.'s MAHA Movement
California has long been considered a kind of political fortuneteller, offering a preview of the policies that later emerge elsewhere in the country, and in Washington. But in the age of Trump 2.0 and the Make America Healthy Again movement, Texas is the place to look. (Cueto, 11/3)
NBC News: What The Science Says About Saturated Fats After RFK Jr.'s Comments
Changes may be coming to the U.S. dietary guidelines: If public comments from Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., are any indication, Americans could see a big difference when it comes to saturated fat. In July, Kennedy said at a meeting of the National Governors Association that new guidelines would be “common sense” and “stress the need to eat saturated fats, dairy, good meat, and fresh meat and vegetables.” He has called guidelines that promote low-fat dairy over full-fat versions “antiquated.” He has also praised fast-food chains that have switched their fryers from vegetable oil to beef tallow. Beef tallow is 50% saturated fat. (Mantel, 11/2)
