Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Pence Touts President's Commitment To Veterans' Health Care: They 'Have No Better Friend Than President Trump'
The Hill: Pence: 'Veterans Have No Better Friend Than President Trump'
Vice President Pence in an opinion piece on Sunday said that that veterans "have no better friend" than President Trump. "It is written that 'if you owe debts, pay debts; if honor, then honor; if respect, then respect,' " Pence wrote in a piece for Fox News. "The debt our nation owes those who have worn the uniform is a debt we will never be able to fully repay." (Keller, 11/11)
The Washington Post: VA Secretary Says He Will Continue Agency’s Controversial Experiments On Dogs
Veterans Affairs Secretary Robert Wilkie defended the agency’s ongoing experiments on dogs Friday and said he would continue to “reauthorize” them, eight months after Congress passed legislation limiting tests that are opposed by a bipartisan cast of lawmakers and several veterans’ groups. Speaking at the National Press Club, Wilkie rejected calls to end research that he said led to the invention in the 1960s of the cardiac pacemaker and the discovery in the late 1990s of a treatment for deadly cardiac arrhythmias. These days, he said, some of the testing is focused on spinal cord injuries. (Brulliard, 11/9)
And in other veterans news —
North Carolina Health News: A Veteran And His Dog: A Story Of Mental Health Recovery
On Saturday mornings, Billy DeWalt stretches for a workout class at Neuse River Crossfit while his dog, Quinn, sits patiently watching. There are other adaptive athletes in the room. A one-armed athlete works out his remaining shoulder. Meanwhile, a woman with nerve damage lifts weights, despite arm and leg braces. “Everybody should be able to have their own health. That shouldn’t be a special thing that only certain people can have,” said John Prescott, the gym owner. “Everyone should have it.” (Knopf, 11/12)
Kansas City Star: HUD: Kansas City Has ‘Ended Homelessness Among Veterans’
Most weeks in Kansas City, more than three dozen local agencies meet to discuss how to help veterans find places to live. The effort involves local social service agencies, the Veterans Affairs department, and off-shoot private endeavors like the Veterans Community Project, which gained global attention for building tiny houses to help veterans transition to permanent homes. (Montgomery, 11/11)
