Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Harris Floats 7% Cap On Child Care Costs For Working Families
Bloomberg: Harris Seeks To Cap Child Care Costs At 7% For Working Families
Vice President Kamala Harris said that she would seek to cap child care costs for working families at 7% of their income, her latest effort to assure voters that she will address the high prices and broad economic anxiety that has threatened her bid for the White House against Republican Donald Trump. “My plan is that no family, no working family, should pay more than 7% of their income in child care,” Harris said Tuesday at an event in Philadelphia with the National Association of Black Journalists. (Lowenkron and Woodhouse, 9/17)
Stat: Democrats Attack Trump-Vance Over Health Insurance Protections
GOP vice presidential-hopeful JD Vance made some confusing comments over the weekend about deregulating health insurance. Democrats are using that to their advantage by characterizing the Trump-Vance ticket as being against a popular insurance protection. (Wilkerson and Owermohle, 9/17)
The New York Times: What R.F.K. Jr.’s Alliance With Trump Could Mean For Public Health
Robert F. Kennedy Jr., who has long voiced doubts about vaccine safety, has hopes of influencing federal health policy. Could he finally get the chance? (Baumgaertner, 9/18)
In related health policy news from Capitol Hill —
The Washington Post: House To Vote Wednesday On Doomed GOP Bill To Avert Government Shutdown
The House will vote Wednesday on the plan by Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) to fund the government, the speaker announced Tuesday — though the proposal lacks even enough Republican votes to pass and could deal the GOP a setback in government funding negotiations as a shutdown deadline nears. (Bogage, 9/17)
The Hill: Republicans Unlikely To Push Vote To Overturn Nursing Home Mandate
Republicans are not planning to force a vote on a resolution to overturn the Biden administration’s plan mandating minimum staffing levels in nursing homes, Sen. James Lankford (R-Okla.) said. A resolution under the Congressional Review Act isn’t subject to the 60-vote filibuster and needs only a simple majority of votes. The CRA is a fast-track legislative tool that allows lawmakers to nullify rules even after the executive branch has completed them. (Weixel, 9/17)
KFF Health News: Listen To The Latest 'KFF Health News Minute'
“Health Minute” brings original health care and health policy reporting from the KFF Health News newsroom to the airwaves each week. (9/17)
From the Biden administration —
Reuters: Biden Makes History With 12th Senate-Confirmed LGBTQ Judge
President Joe Biden secured the record for the highest number of openly LGBTQ judges appointed to the bench by any president when the U.S. Senate on Tuesday voted in favor of a military vet who spent years working as a prosecutor becoming a life-tenured judge in Philadelphia. The Democratic-led Senate voted 52-41 to confirm Mary Kay Costello to serve as a district court judge in the Eastern District of Pennsylvania, becoming the 12th openly LGBTQ judicial nominee under Biden to win confirmation. (Raymond, 9/17)
Stat: From Epic To FDA, The Leaders Presenting At HHS’ Invite-Only AI Event
Federal health officials wrestling with when and how to use artificial intelligence will on Wednesday host an invitation-only meeting of AI leaders across industry, academia, and government. Called “AI in Action: Transforming Health and Human Services,” the three-hour event is hosted by the federal health department. Its agenda illustrates a department excitedly working through how AI fits into its mission — as well as into the United States’ broader health care system. (Aguilar and Ross, 9/17)
