Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Prominent New York Times Health Care Reporter Robert Pear Dies At 69
The New York Times: Robert Pear, Who Covered Washington For 45 Years, Dies At 69
Robert Pear, a reporter whose understated demeanor belied a tenacious pursuit of sources and scoops during his 40 years at The New York Times covering health care and other critical national issues, died on Tuesday in Rockville, Md. He was 69. His death, from complications of a stroke, was confirmed by his brother Douglas, his only immediate survivor. Mr. Pear went about his reporting meticulously and, to the wider public, inconspicuously. Appearances as a talking head reporter on cable news were not for him. Colleagues described him as almost sphinxlike in the Washington bureau newsroom, where he worked standing up at a specially built desk that he had gotten used to after undergoing back surgery. (Roberts, 5/8)
Pear's last story looked at Republicans' promises to protect patients with preexisting conditions —
The New York Times: Republicans Offer Health Care Bills To Protect Patients (And Themselves)
President Trump and Republicans in Congress say they are committed to protecting people with pre-existing medical conditions. But patients with cancer, diabetes and H.I.V., for example, would have significantly less protection under Republican proposals than under the Affordable Care Act. The proposals may provide some political cover for Republicans on an issue likely to figure prominently in the 2020 elections. But a close inspection of the Republican bills shows that their protections are undercut by a combination of imprecise language, explicit exceptions and “rules of construction” that explain how the legislation is to be interpreted. (Pear, 4/20)
