Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Sanders Rebuts Question Comparing His Ambitious Plans To Trump's Border Wall With Long-Asked-For Funding Plan
The New York Times: Bernie Sanders Outlines Funding For His Plans, But It May Not All Add Up
Senator Bernie Sanders of Vermont, under growing pressure to explain how he would pay for his very expensive policy agenda, released a checklist on Monday evening that he described as a full explanation of how he would finance all of his proposals. The actual document is somewhat limited, and in some cases the revenue Mr. Sanders identifies doesn’t match the costs of his plans. For example, he estimated Sunday night on “60 Minutes” that the price tag for his “Medicare for all” plan would be about $30 trillion over 10 years, but the revenue he identifies for it in the new outline totals about $17.5 trillion. It is possible that the gap could be filled by existing appropriations for Medicare and Medicaid, but Mr. Sanders did not mention those in his outline or in the Sunday interview. (Astor, 2/24)
WBUR: How 2020 Democrats' Health Care Plans Would Rock Hospital Budgets In Mass.
In this election season, when tackling health care costs is a top voter concern, the Democratic primary candidates are offering different visions for reform, and have spent debates arguing over the costs of those plans. What has gotten less attention, and what is at the heart of any reform, is the biggest factor in health care spending: hospital payments. (Bebinger, 2/25)
The Washington Post: Candidates Refuse To Release Detailed Health Records Amid An Aging Presidential Field
In the run-up to the 1976 presidential campaign, Sen. Frank Church of Idaho revealed that cancer had claimed his left testicle. Jimmy Carter disclosed that he had trouble swallowing due to an allergy to beans and Swiss cheese. And when he ran for president in 2000 and 2008, John McCain released more than 1,000 pages of medical records, including a psychiatric report that divulged his "histrionic personality." “At that moment in time, the idea of telling the national media to pound sand on the matter of his medical records was not reality,” said former McCain adviser Steve Schmidt. “There was a sense of obligation and responsibility still attached to the pursuit of the presidency.” (Viser and Bernstein, 2/24)
