Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Medical Failures Contributed To Immigrant Deaths, House Probe Finds
Roll Call: House Report: Medical Neglect, Falsified Records Harmed Detained Immigrants
Medical mismanagement and falsified records may have contributed to the deaths of immigrants held at for-profit detention centers that are run under contract with the federal government, according to a report released Thursday by the House Oversight and Reform Committee. The report, based on a year-long investigation by Democratic committee staffers, recounts numerous examples of medical misdiagnoses, incomplete or incorrect treatment for chronic illnesses and “grossly negligent” responses to infectious diseases including hepatitis, tuberculosis, meningitis and HIV. It also notes severe delays in emergency response to strokes and heart attacks, negligent suicide watches and deficiencies in psychiatric care that led one detainee to self-mutilate. (Misra, 9/24)
In other news from Capitol Hill —
The Hill: Tillis Appears To Reinforce Question About COVID-19 Death Toll
Sen. Thom Tillis (R-N.C.) on Thursday appeared to reinforce doubts about the total number of Americans who have died from COVID-19 after a woman called into a virtual town hall saying many of the fatalities include deaths "from things like heart attacks and slip and falls." His comments come as others in the GOP, including President Trump, Sen. Joni Ernst (Iowa) and Rep. Roger Marshall (Kan.), have downplayed the extent of the coronavirus pandemic by pointing to a conspiracy theory that the number of deaths is much lower. (Weixel, 9/24)
The Hill: Roy Moore Sues Alabama Over COVID-19 Restrictions
Former Alabama Chief Justice Roy Moore and a conservative legal advocacy group he founded have sued Gov. Kay Ivey (R) over restrictions imposed during the coronavirus pandemic. Moore and the Foundation for Moral Law accused Ivey and State Health Officer Scott Harris of infringing on citizens’ rights with requirements that masks be worn in public. (Budryk, 9/24)
