Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Health Care Top Of Mind For Iowa Caucus Voters; 'Inconsistencies' In Data Lead To Delay In Announcing Winner
The Washington Post: Most Iowa Democratic Caucus-Goers Support A Single-Payer Health Care Plan
About 6 in 10 Democrats at the Iowa caucuses on Monday reported that they support eliminating private health insurance as part of establishing a single-payer health-care system, according to preliminary poll results, suggesting that most of the party’s voters agree with Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) on the divisive issue. Sanders has campaigned on a Medicare-for-all health-care system in which every American would be placed with a single government insurer, regardless of whether they want it or not. (Stein, 2/3)
CNN: Health Care Is The Top Issue For Iowa Caucusgoers, Entrance Polls Show
Caucusgoers for whom health care is the top issue in choosing a nominee were split between Sanders and Buttigieg, with around a quarter supporting each. Almost 2 in 5 support Warren while 1 in 6 support Biden and the same for Klobuchar. Among caucusgoers who oppose replacing private insurance with a government plan, 3 in 10 supported Biden, and another 3 in 10 went for Buttigieg. About 1 in 6 in this group supported Klobuchar. (Struyk and Sparks, 2/4)
CBS News: Health Care Looms Over the Iowa Caucus for Female Farmers
Billie Wilson, Chris Henning, Ellen Walsh-Rosmann and LaVon Griffieon are all farmers with a passion for politics. Each will caucus for a Democrat in Iowa."I think all of them can beat Donald Trump," said 33-year-old Walsh-Rosmann.She's a mother of two who thinks Elizabeth Warren can revitalize farm country. "I want to make sure that people my age and peers are coming back and they have a reason to come back to rural America," she said.Henning, 72, has only decided she's not supporting Joe Biden or Bernie Sanders. "My issues are their age, their health and their stamina," Henning said. "They're older than me and— and I think I'm too old to run for office." Like many of her rural neighbors, healthcare is an issue for 66-year-old Wilson."In small towns, most people don't have anybody that pays their insurance. Even, you know, even the small businesses don't provide insurance," Wilson said. "So everybody is in the same boat." (Shamlian, 2/3)
The Wall Street Journal: Iowa Caucus Results Delayed Amid Counting Issues
An election debacle unfolded Monday night as the Iowa Democratic Party failed to release the results of the state’s presidential caucuses, saying it had found “inconsistencies in the reporting” as the nation awaited the outcome of the first-in-the-nation nominating contest. (McCormick and Thomas, 2/4)
In other election news —
Politico: Democratic Candidates Vow To Cover Islanders Who Lost Medicaid
Four leading candidates for the Democratic presidential nomination said that their health care plans would cover tens of thousands of Pacific Islanders who were promised Medicaid coverage after U.S. nuclear-weapons testing but lost coverage in a 1996 welfare reform bill. Spokespeople for the campaigns of Sens. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) and Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.), former Vice President Joe Biden and businessman Andrew Yang all vowed that their candidates would provide coverage for residents of the Marshall Islands, a population profiled by POLITICO last week, as well as cover residents of Palau and Micronesia. (Diamond, 2/3)
