Obamacare Takes A Back Seat In Midterm Campaign
After a decade of pledging to "repeal and replace" the Affordable Care Act, Republicans this year are not talking much about the health law. Meanwhile, efforts at the CDC to improve responses to crises are lagging.
Axios:
ACA Is MIA From Campaign Fights For First Time In More Than A Decade
The Affordable Care Act, a trigger point in political campaigns for more than a decade, has been conspicuously absent from debates and campaign rhetoric this year. The question is how much that's depriving Democrats of a valuable talking point. (Knight and Solender, 10/21)
Politico:
Republicans Look To Obamacare's 'Family Glitch' Fix For Post-Midterm Fight
House Republicans on Thursday asked the Treasury Department to preserve documents related to the administration’s fix of Obamacare's “family glitch,” preparing for an investigation of what they claim was an "illegal expansion" of health coverage should the GOP regain control of the chamber in the midterms. (Payne, 10/20)
As the president speaks on the matter, data show voters care about health costs —
Axios:
Poll: Voters May Cross Party Lines For Lower Health Care Costs
Almost 40% of Americans are willing to split their ticket and vote for a candidate from the opposing party who made a top priority of lowering health costs, according to a Gallup/West Health poll published Thursday. (Knight, 10/20)
The Hill:
Biden Says Oz Is For ‘Undoing Everything We Have Done’
Biden also jabbed at the GOP for its stance on healthcare, lamenting that “not a single Republican” voted in favor of his administration’s attempts to lower prescription drug prices. “They want to get rid of or fundamentally change Social Security and Medicare,” Biden said of Republicans. (Folmar, 10/20)
Reform at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention hits snags —
Politico:
‘No Quick Fixes’: Walensky’s Push For Change At CDC Meets Reality
The CDC’s new push to get information about health crises out faster to Americans is already running up against its limited authority, congressional inaction and the agency’s own entrenched culture. (Mahr and Banco, 10/21)
Also —
The Hill:
Ocasio-Cortez Fires Back At Pence: ‘Absolutely No One Wants To Hear What Your Plan Is For Their Uterus’
Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.) shot back at Mike Pence on Wednesday night after the former vice president said Republican majorities in Congress will protect the right to life, telling Pence on Twitter, “Absolutely no one wants to hear what your plan is for their uterus.” (Schnell, 10/20)
The New York Times:
Herschel Walker Calls His Mental Illness Cured. Experts Say It’s Not So Simple
But experts say Mr. Walker’s assertion that he has “overcome” the disorder is simplistic at best: Like other mental illnesses, dissociative identity disorder cannot be cured in the classic sense. Psychiatrists say that while patients can learn to manage this disorder — and even live symptom-free for extended periods — the symptoms can recur, often triggered by stress. (Stolberg, 10/20)
KHN:
KHN’s ‘What The Health?’: Biden Hits The Road To Sell Democrats’ Record
With the midterm elections rapidly approaching, President Joe Biden has taken to the road to convince voters that he and congressional Democrats have delivered for them during two years in power. (10/20)
