Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
National Guard's Funding For COVID Relief Work Extended By Trump
Politico: Trump Extends National Guard’s Covid Funding Through March
President Donald Trump on Thursday approved requests from nearly every state to extend federal funding for the National Guard’s Covid-19 relief work until the end of March. The authorization had been set to expire at the end of the year. The White House, however, denied requests for full federal funding and will instead require most states to continue picking up 25 percent of the tab. Florida and Texas, which had received a special carveout from the cost-sharing earlier this year — prompting accusations of political favoritism — will be cut back to 75 percent federal funding after Dec. 31. (Ollstein, 12/3)
The Washington Post: Mask-Free President Trump Confers Medal To Mask-Free Lou Holtz, Who’s Recovering From Covid-19
Recognizing a man he described as “one of the greatest coaches in American history,” President Trump bestowed the Presidential Medal of Freedom upon former college football coach Lou Holtz during a ceremony Thursday at the Oval Office. ... Both Trump and Holtz have dealt with cases of covid-19, the illness caused by the coronavirus. Holtz, who is 83, revealed that he tested positive for coronavirus exactly two weeks before Thursday’s ceremony, telling a South Carolina television station that he didn’t “have a lot of energy right now.” Even so, and even though dozens of White House aides — including the chief of staff, the national security adviser and the press secretary — have contracted the virus, few were wearing masks during Thursday’s ceremony. (Bonesteel, 12/3)
CNN: Romney Calls Trump's Leadership On Covid-19 'A Great Human Tragedy'
Republican Sen. Mitt Romney on Thursday blasted President Donald Trump's leadership -- or lack thereof -- during the deadly coronavirus pandemic as "a great human tragedy." "Well, this hasn't been the focus of his rhetoric, apparently, and I think it's a great human tragedy, without question," Romney told CNN's Wolf Blitzer on "The Situation Room" when asked where Trump's leadership is as the President focuses on other issues amid the worsening pandemic. (Mallonee and Cole, 12/3)
In news from the Department of Health and Human Services —
Modern Healthcare: HHS Calls For 'Holistic' Care Approach To Maternal Health
HHS unveiled a new action plan Thursday that outlined strategies for addressing maternal risk factors with an aim of reducing the country's maternal mortality rate by 50% by 2025. The action plan also eyes lowering the number of low-risk, cesarean deliveries by 25% over the next five years. Low-risk cesarean deliveries are first-time mothers delivering a single child headfirst at full term. Experts say these C-sections are mostly unnecessary and have been linked with longer hospital stays and higher risks of infection and bleeding. (Ross Johnson, 12/3)
Modern Healthcare: HHS: Hospice Providers May Use Grants To Offset Fundraising Losses
HHS appears poised to let hospice providers use federal relief grants to offset fundraising and thrift store revenue they lost due to COVID-19, although the agency's communication leaves room for interpretation. HHS' Health Resources and Services Administration chief wrote in a Dec. 2 letter to a hospice trade group that lost fundraising and thrift store revenue "may qualify as reimbursable lost revenue" under the Provider Relief Fund grant program. (Bannow, 12/3)
Becker's Hospital Review: HHS, Google Pilot Tool To Help Patients Plan Medical Visits
Google began piloting a new tool Dec. 2 developed with HHS' Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality that aims to help people remember important questions they want to ask their physician during their healthcare visits. The tool assists users with creating a visit plan by selecting from evidence-based questions such as, "What is this test for?" as well as adding their own questions. Once the user is finished creating their question list, they can print or email it to bring to the physician's office to have during their appointment. (Drees, 12/2)
