Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
In An Era Of A Deeply Divided Washington, VA Secretary Wins Rare Bipartisan Accolades
Politico: Trump’s Most Popular Cabinet Secretary Is Obama Holdover
VA Secretary David Shulkin has proven to be something unique in President Donald Trump's Washington: an Obama appointee nominated by Trump who is beloved by almost everyone and getting stuff done. By tweaking regulations, he has managed to fire hundreds of allegedly incompetent employees, publicized waiting times at VA clinics, gotten money to expand vets’ treatment by private doctors, and expanded care for isolated vets through telemedicine and mobile phones, while promising to close 430 vacant VA buildings and speed up benefit awards. Shulkin also made a bold — and risky — decision to bypass contracting rules to buy a $16 billion digital health record system. (Allen, 8/28)
In other news —
The Washington Post: Ecstasy Could Be ‘Breakthrough’ Therapy For Soldiers, Others Suffering From PTSD
For Jon Lubecky, the scars on his wrists are a reminder of the years he spent in mental purgatory. He returned from an Army deployment in Iraq a broken man. He heard mortar shells and helicopters where there were none. He couldn’t sleep and drank until he passed out. He got every treatment offered by Veterans Affairs for post-traumatic stress disorder. But they didn’t stop him from trying to kill himself — five times. (Wan, 8/26)
