Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
If Dems Take The House, What Tops The To-Do List
The New York Times: First Up If Democrats Win: Campaign And Ethics Changes, Infrastructure And Drug Prices
If they win, they would then turn to infrastructure investment and the climbing costs of prescription drugs, answering voter demands and challenging President Trump’s willingness to work on shared policy priorities with a party he has vilified. The idea, said Representative Nancy Pelosi of California, the Democratic leader, is to show voters that Democrats are a governing party, not the leftist mob that Mr. Trump describes — and to extend an arm of cooperation to the president after an electoral rebuke. (Fandos, 10/31)
Reuters: Privacy, Drug Price Bills Have A Fighting Chance In A Post-Election U.S. Congress
If Democrats win control of the House of Representatives in next week’s elections and create a divided U.S. Congress, as they are seen as likely to do, the number of bills with a chance of passing falls dramatically. But two areas of general agreement between the Democrats, Republicans and President Donald Trump stand out as having a high potential of successful legislation: lowering prescription drug prices and new regulations to protect online privacy. (Bartz, 10/31)
The Associated Press: Washington Doctor Uses Experience To Fuel US House Campaign
In her election ads, Dr. Kim Schrier wears a white doctor’s coat as she declares that health care is a right. She talks about her Type 1 diabetes, her concern as a parent over President Donald Trump’s policies and how she counsels families of depressed teen boys as a longtime pediatrician. The Democrat running for an open U.S. House seat in Washington state is framing her candidacy around health care issues with a personal touch, hoping the popularity of aspects of former President Barack Obama’s health care law and support for improving access to medical care drives her to victory. (Ho, 11/1)
The Washington Post: Fact Checker: GOP Hopefuls Say They Fight Insurance Companies, Just Like Obama
When Barack Obama first ran for president in 2008, he promised to force insurance companies to cover preexisting conditions, contrasting his stance with Republican nominee John McCain, who the ad said would let insurance companies “continue to do as they please.” ... Now some Republicans are stealing Obama’s rhetoric and claiming they will do what the ACA – which remains largely intact, despite President Trump’s efforts – already does. It’s certainly an interesting turnaround. (Kessler, 11/1)
And about those state ballot initiatives, they range from Medicaid expansion to a number of other health policy questions -
NPR: Voters In 4 States Set To Decide On Medicaid Expansion
On Election Day, Utah residents will be going to the polls to vote on whether the state will join 33 others and Washington, D.C., in expanding Medicaid coverage to a lot more low-income adults. Democrat and Republican states have expanded. Nebraska and Idaho also have the Medicaid question on ballots in their states. Idaho Gov. Butch Otter, a Republican, endorsed the expansion initiative Tuesday. And in Montana, voters will decide whether to approve a tobacco tax to continue that state's Medicaid expansion or let it roll back next year. (Kodjak, 10/31)
The Washington Post: Abortion, Marijuana, Redistricting And Voting: What’s On State Ballots This Fall
This November, voters in 37 states will face 155 ballot questions. Taxation and bonds are common nationwide. Other ballots are more state-specific. ... In many states, however, ballot questions echo larger national trends. Voters in West Virginia and Oregon will decide whether to amend their state constitutions to limit Medicaid abortion funding to cases of life endangerment, rape and incest, the minimum federal requirement. Officials in both states had tried to curb Medicaid funds for abortion, but state courts overruled them. (Rabinowitz, 10/31)
WBUR: Politics Aside, New Bathroom Designs Move The Boundaries On Gender
State ballot Question 3, which asks voters if they want to keep a transgender civil rights law, has put the spotlight on bathrooms. But the marketplace for bathrooms isn’t waiting for election day. There’s a wide range of changes underway. (Bebinger, 11/1)
The Wall Street Journal: San Francisco Businesses Are Split On Tax Boost To Fight Homelessness
Christin Evans and Gwen Kaplan both run small businesses in neighborhoods they say have become overrun with homeless encampments. Like most San Francisco residents, they agree the problem has grown to an unprecedented scale, with homeless people taking drugs, using the streets as toilets and showing signs of mental breakdown. ... But Ms. Kaplan and Ms. Evans hold opposing views on Proposition C, a ballot measure Nov. 6 that would impose a tax increase on large corporations to raise money to assist the homeless. Recent polling showed San Franciscans evenly divided on the proposal. (Carlton, 11/1)
