Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Students Across US Would Have To Part With Devices At School Under Proposed Legislation
The Washington Post: Bipartisan Bill Seeks To Ban Cellphones In Schools Nationwide
A new bipartisan effort could create a national ban on cellphones during the school day, the most sweeping attempt yet to keep screens out of classrooms. The bill, filed Wednesday by Sen. Mark Kelly (D-Arizona) and Sen. Tom Cotton (R-Arkansas), would send money to states that adopt policies barring students from using personal devices — including cellphones, smartwatches, tablets and similar technology — during the school day. (Lumpkin, 10/1)
The Washington Post: Senate Leaves Town Until After The Midterms As Final Bills Founder
Democrats block several pieces of legislation pushed by Republicans looking for victories ahead of Election Day. Republicans are confronting the once-unthinkable prospect that they could lose the Senate as polls show Democrats running competitively in states that President Donald Trump won by double-digit margins in 2024. (Meyer and Dillard, 9/30)
Stat: Senate Republicans Prep For Upheaval In Powerful Committee Posts
The upcoming midterm elections are setting the stage for unusually significant changes to key Senate committees that play an important role in health care. Both the finance and health committees could undergo major changes, though for different reasons. Of course, if Democrats take control of the Senate, they would get to run the committees, though the GOP membership changes could still influence the panels’ directions. (Wilkerson, 10/1)
In other news from the federal government —
NPR: Trump Administration Reverses Stance On Integration Of People With Disabilities
For nearly 50 years, the federal government has said people with disabilities should live, work and learn in the most integrated setting possible rather than be segregated in institutions like nursing homes. The Trump administration just took its most concrete step yet to reverse that position. (Mehta, 10/1)
Bloomberg: Trump’s Third Surgeon General Pick Advances To Full Senate Vote
President Donald Trump’s third pick to be the nation’s top doctor advanced out of the Senate health panel Wednesday in a party-line vote. Nicole Saphier, a radiologist, was nominated to be surgeon general in April after Trump’s first two picks — Casey Means, a wellness entrepreneur and Janette Nesheiwat, a former Fox News contributor — faced significant headwinds in the Senate. (Durkin, 9/30)
Stat: HHS Announces Efforts To Speed Clinical Trials With AI
The Department of Health and Human Services announced a set of new initiatives aimed at speeding up clinical trials by incorporating more artificial intelligence and computational models and moving away from sharply delineated trial phases. (Manto, 9/30)
