Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Medicare Is Not 'An Open Question' For The White House, HHS Secretary Says
The Hill: Price: White House Believes Medicare Is A Guarantee For Seniors
President Trump’s secretary of Health and Human Services on Sunday said the White House believes Medicare should be guaranteed for senior citizens. Tom Price told CBS’s “Face the Nation,” that the White House believes Medicare is a guarantee for seniors when asked about Speaker Paul Ryan’s (R-Wis.) recent comments that cuts to Medicare remain an “open question.” Trump during his presidential campaign promised not to cut Medicare and Social Security. (Shelbourne, 3/5)
CBS News: HHS Sec. Tom Price Says “We Believe In The Guarantee Of Medicare For Our Seniors”
“I’ll tell you what’s not an open question, is that we believe in the guarantee of Medicare for our seniors,” Price told CBS’ “Face the Nation.” “The challenge that we have, as you well know and your viewers know, is that Medicare is, as some folks have said, going insolvent or going broke. … So we believe strongly in the guarantee of Medicare and make certain that it’s a viable, financially secure program going forward so that seniors now and in the future know that it will be there for them.” (Schultheis, 3/5)
In other administration news —
Stat: Rare Disease Dad: Trump Won't 'Slash And Burn' The FDA
Divining what President Trump is thinking is not always an easy task, but biotech executive John Crowley believes he may have some insight — at least when it comes to Trump’s views on the Food and Drug Administration. Earlier this week, Trump gave a major speech vowing to “slash restraints” at the FDA to speed drug approvals and he has previously promised to get rid 75 percent to 80 percent of regulations. Crowley is no mind reader, but after a private meeting with Trump at the White House before the speech, he came away with the impression that the president does not really want to unravel the FDA. (Silverman, 3/3)
Stat: Key Republican Warns Trump's Budget Plan Could Cut NIH
President Trump’s plan to dramatically hike defense spending would mean cuts for almost every other department — including the National Institutes of Health, an agency that many Republicans would rather invest more money into. Congressman Tom Cole, a Republican who chairs a key appropriations committee that has overseen recent boosts to NIH’s funding, sounds worried. Trump is expected to propose increasing defense spending more than $50 billion in the next fiscal year and making offsetting cuts to other parts of the federal budget. (Scott, 3/3)
