Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Scientific And Medical Experts Aim To Restore Their Prominence In Federal Government
The New York Times: What A Democratic Congress Could Mean For Science
The Trump administration has sought to reshape the nation’s research infrastructure. Democratic lawmakers, newly empowered, are preparing to push back. (Mueller, Johnson, Metz and Chang, 11/6)
The New York Times: These Newly Elected Lawmakers Know Something Trump Doesn’t: Science
Among those elected to Congress on Tuesday are a mathematician, a microbiologist and a chemical engineer. They plan to take on a White House that has threatened funding cuts to research. (Nazaryan, 11/6)
Democrats weigh their priorities and 'Medicare for All' —
The Washington Post: Texas’s New Democratic Governor Hinojosa Vows To Undo Policies She Calls Divisive
At a Thursday briefing where — unlike her predecessor, GOP Gov. Greg Abbott — she answered questions in English and Spanish, Gina Hinojosa said she had spoken with Abbott, who was “gracious” and assured her he would “fully cooperate” with the transition. “People are tired of the divisions, of the fighting, of the culture wars. This is the time to come together in a way that is about just delivering for the people of Texas,” Hinojosa said at the University of Texas, just miles from the Capitol where for the next two months Republicans retain control of every state office. (Hennessy-Fiske, 11/5)
Los Angeles Times: California’s Contemplative Governor-Elect Still Mulling Over How To Lower Prices, Provide Healthcare
In his first news conference since being elected governor, Xavier Becerra remained noncommittal on taxes, energy and healthcare policy — even refusing to commit to reversing cuts to Medi-Cal coverage for undocumented immigrants, a campaign pledge. But he asserted that he was already working with legislative counterparts on how to provide critical services and lower the cost of living. “I can’t make a commitment without knowing what exactly I’m facing,” Becerra said of reversing cuts to Medi-Cal. “I don’t think any voter, any taxpayer, any Californian wants to have a governor who’s still acting like a politician” on the campaign trail. (Nixon, 11/5)
The New York Times: Katherine Clark Could Be The House Majority Leader. Who Is She?
Representative Katherine M. Clark of Massachusetts, the No. 2 House Democrat, is set to become the majority leader in January, after her party won control of the chamber. Ms. Clark, 63, a quiet, progressive power player in Congress, would make history as the first woman to hold that role, though Representative Nancy Pelosi broke a higher glass ceiling in 2007 when she became the first woman to be speaker. (Karni, 11/5)
The Hill: Bernie Sanders Urges Democrats To Prioritize Medicare For All
Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) on Thursday called for Democrats to pass “Medicare for All” when they take control of the Senate in January. “Healthcare must be considered as a human right, not a privilege. That means passing Medicare for All legislation now supported by 66 percent of the American people,” Sanders said in a video. Sanders will likely be the next chair of the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee, where he will have a major platform to push for a Medicare for All agenda in the next Congress. (Weixel, 11/5)
KFF Health News: Midterm Wave Sets A Course For ‘Medicare For All’ Fight
Fifteen years working as an emergency room nurse has convinced Kim Bogan that the only way to fix the American healthcare system is to tear it down and start over. Her patients arriving for triage are sicker than ever. They can’t afford many of the prescriptions they get in the ER. And sometimes when patients die, she wonders if she could have saved them had she not been caring for five or six other people at once. (Wells, 11/6)
KFF Health News: Healthcare Cuts Fuel Democrats' Election Blowout
Healthcare affordability. Abortion access. “Medicare for All.” Healthcare was a major force behind the big wins for Democrats in this week’s midterm elections. But the debate over what the Democratic Party will do next is just getting started. KFF Health News chief Washington correspondent Julie Rovner appeared on WAMU’s Health Hub on Nov. 4 to explore what Democrats might do with their newfound power. However, with President Donald Trump still in office, this blue wave is likely to crash into legislative limits. (Rovner, 11/6)
KFF Health News: KFF Health News’ ‘What The Health?’: A Blue Wave Hits Healthcare
Democrats are poised to take control of the House and Senate — as well as a majority of governorships — come January after voters delivered a stunning election rebuke of President Donald Trump and the GOP majorities in Congress. The changeover puts the spotlight back on health policy, an issue Democrats pressed hard in their election campaigns. (Rovner, 11/5)
