Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Harris Proposes Home Health Care Expansion Under Medicare
AP: Harris Proposes Expanding Medicare To Cover In-Home Senior Care
Vice President Kamala Harris is proposing to provide federal funding to cover home care costs for older Americans, aiming to help the “ sandwich generation " of adults caring for aging parents while raising their children at the same time. Appearing Tuesday on ABC’s “The View,” Harris talked about taking care of her mother when she was dying and personally experiencing the challenges many families face when seeking affordable in-home care for their aging loved ones. (Weissert, 10/8)
CBS News: What Is Harris' "Medicare At Home" Plan And How Would It Work?
In an election this close, proposals that speak to the financial security and health care needs of older Americans will resonate and can make a difference," said Rich Fiesta, the executive director of the Alliance for Retired Americans, who has a PAC running anti-Trump advertisements. A September AARP poll showed that 78% of women who are over 50 years old and care for older family members say they've been struggling financially. Another AARP poll in Pennsylvania, a crucial battleground state, showed former president Donald Trump with an edge among voters 50 and over: 53% for Trump and 44% for Harris. (Tin and Navarro, 10/8)
The New York Times: On Drug Prices, Harris Pushes For Deeper Cuts While Trump Offers Few Specifics
Insulin for $35 a month. A limit of $2,000 a year in out-of-pocket drug costs for older Americans. Billions of dollars in savings for Medicare resulting from drug negotiations. Whether these policies expand or, in the case of the negotiations, survive at all may be determined by the election in November. (Abelson and Robbins, 10/8)
Marketwatch: Mark Cuban Says Kamala Harris Will Tackle ‘Criminal’ Healthcare Pricing Schemes
Billionaire Mark Cuban has told Vice President Kamala Harris that one of her first priorities as president should be to require pharmaceutical companies and pharmacy-benefit managers to be more transparent about what they are charging consumers and insurance companies for drugs. Vice President Harris “told me specifically that she likes the idea of transparency, and she sees that as a winner,” Cuban told reporters at an event hosted by KFF, a nonpartisan healthcare-policy organization, in Washington on Tuesday. (Matthews, 10/8)
Stat: Mark Cuban's Anti-PBM Stance Is Gaining Traction With Kamala Harris
On Tuesday, Vice President Harris’ presidential campaign released a proposal to crack down on middlemen in the pharmaceutical industry. It seems billionaire business mogul Mark Cuban had a heads up. (Zhang, 10/8)
