Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Parsing Policies: Bold, Progressive Ideas About Health Care Reign; Shutting Down Abortions Is The Wrong Solution
The Washington Post: The Midterms Prove It: Progressive Ideas Are Now Mainstream
Researchers from the Progressive Change Institute analyzed how every winning Democratic candidate for the House campaigned in 2018 — including their campaign ads, websites, social media and many debate performances. The resulting data shows that 65 percent of the incoming House freshman class embraced some version of Medicare-for-all or expanding Social Security benefits. Almost 80 percent embraced lowering prescription drug costs by challenging Big Pharma. And 82 percent favored challenging corporate power in our political system by rejecting corporate PAC money, passing a constitutional amendment to overturn Citizens United or passing campaign finance reform such as public financing of elections. (Adam Green, 11/14)
The Hill: The Health Care Repeal Effort Is Dead
On Tuesday night, it was clear: voters see past the Republican’s wolf in sheep’s clothing: voter turnout broke records as Americans marched to the polls to defend their health care.Health care dominated competitive races; from Rep.-elect Elaine Luria’s (D-Va.) win to Rep.-elect Debbie Mucarsel-Powell’s (D-Fla.) win.Health care also won resoundingly in referendums: Americans in the historically red states of Utah, Nebraska, and Idaho expanded health care access by a combined half-million people after they voted to expand Medicaid in their states. Thanks to voter turnout, Kansas, Maine and Wisconsin could soon follow suit. (Topher Spiro, 11/14)
The Hill: GOP Failed To Fight Dem's Health-Care Scare Tactics In Midterms
Exit polls showed that health care was the top factor in motivating voters in the 2018 election. Democrat candidates successfully stoked fears that the Republicans would end coverage of pre-existing conditions. Despite repeated assurances from President Trump that pre-existing conditions were safe, almost 60 percent of voters said they trusted the Democrats on this issue. This likely provided part of the margin that switched the House from Republican to Democrat control. (Paul Roderick, 11/14)
Des Moines Register: Focus Should Be On Preventing, Not Outlawing, Abortions In Iowa.
Newly elected Gov. Kim Reynolds says she hopes to work across the aisle with Democrats to accomplish her next agenda. That’s good news. What's bad news is that outside groups are now planning to push for a complete abortion ban in Iowa. And the hard-core ideologues who lead the Statehouse Republican majority seldom meet an abortion restriction they don't like. (Rekha Basu, 11/14)
Lexington Herald Leader: Kentucky’s Ban On Most Second-Trimester Abortions Would Harm Even Women Who Planned Their Pregnancies
Six weeks after that fateful ultrasound, my baby’s heart stopped, despite my hope for a miracle. Now I had another decision to make: deliver the baby or have a dilation and evacuation, the procedure that Kentucky is trying to outlaw. I wouldn’t judge another person for making either choice. Delivering my baby in the hospital was the worst day of my life and sometimes I wonder if it would have been easier to have been put under anesthesia and forgone the trauma. This was my third failed pregnancy — they never got any easier. Each time I left the hospital without a baby. ...This issue, with all its complexities, all its gut-wrenching decisions, all its heartbreak, is not black and white. It is our right — the right to have a choice, to have some control over ourselves and our bodies in an otherwise uncontrollable situation. (Katie Vandegrift, 11/13)
The Hill: Congress Is Going To Make Marijuana Moves
Despite majority public support in favor of marijuana legalization, and super-majority support in favor of medical cannabis access, members of Congress have nonetheless been reticent to move forward with any significant changes to federal pot policy. That is, until now. Following last week’s midterm election results, legislative leaders in both the House and Senate appear ready to take on the cannabis issue. (Paul Armentano, 11/15)
