Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Trump Claims Most Americans Will Get $2,000 Tariff Dividend Payout
Los Angeles Times: Trump Says Americans Will Receive $2,000 Tariff Dividend
President Trump said Sunday that most Americans would receive a $2,000 dividend payment as a result of his administration’s tariffs levied against foreign countries. Trump announced the potential payments on his Truth Social platform, calling opponents of his tariffs “FOOLS” in a post. (Goldberg, 11/9)
Stat: Experts Assess Impact Of Trump GLP-1 Drug Deals With Lilly, Novo
President Trump last week hailed his deal with pharma companies to cut the price of blockbuster weight loss drugs as a major win for his administration and for increasing drug affordability. The question is how big of a difference the agreement will make for patients. (Chen, 11/10)
The Washington Post: Ten Seconds In The Oval Office That Overshadowed Trump’s Drug-Price Win
A press conference collapse has sparked days of memes and jokes. Not all are accurate. (Diamond, 11/9)
On the housing affordability crisis —
The Hill: Housing Director Confirms Administration ‘Working On’ 50-Year Mortgage After Trump Hint
Federal Housing Finance Agency (FHFA) Director Bill Pulte on Saturday said the Trump administration is “working on” a plan to introduce 50-year mortgage terms for home buyers. “Thanks to President Trump, we are indeed working on The 50 year Mortgage – a complete game changer,” Pulte wrote in a statement on the social platform X. (Fields, 11/8)
Newsweek: CEO Trashes Trump’s 50-Year Mortgage Proposal: ‘Disgusting Insult’
James Fishback, the CEO of investment firm Azoria, compared the idea of introducing a 50-year mortgage to "economic genocide." (Carbonaro, 11/10)
More health news about the Trump administration —
Politico: World Health Organization Leader Isn’t Giving Up On US
Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus tells POLITICO President Donald Trump should reconsider quitting the UN’s health arm. (Paun, 11/9)
The Washington Post: ‘God Is An Anti-Vaxxer’: Inside The Conference Celebrating RFK Jr.’s Rise
A top Robert F. Kennedy Jr. ally rallied anti-vaccine activists over the weekend with an exhortation to stay strong in the face of attacks by the government, media and mainstream medical figures. “God is an anti-vaxxer, and he needs you to speak up,” said Del Bigtree, a former top Kennedy political adviser and head of the anti-vaccine group Informed Consent Action Network. He urged the Health and Human Services secretary’s supporters to press their fight at a weekend-long celebration of their newfound Washington influence. (Weber, 11/10)
Stat: Children's Health Defense Builds Power Base To Outlast RFK Jr.
Children’s Health Defense, the vaccine-skeptical organization once led by now-health secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., is playing the long game. The group has more power in Washington than the group’s CEO, Mary Holland, imagined possible in her lifetime. (Payne, 11/8)
KFF Health News: As Health Companies Get Bigger, So Do The Bills. It’s Unclear If Trump’s Team Will Intervene.
A cancer patient might live in a town with four oncology groups, but only one accepts his insurance — the one owned by his insurer. A young couple could see huge bills after their child is born, because their insurer agreed to the health system’s rates in exchange for a contract with obstetricians across the country. A woman might have to pay a big sum she can’t afford for basic lab tests at a hospital — inflated rates her insurer accepted so its customers have access to the system’s children’s hospital elsewhere in the state. And even well-insured patients receive unaffordable bills in this era of high-deductible health plans, narrow insurance networks, and 20% cost sharing. (Rosenthal, 11/10)
KFF Health News: Journalists Shed Light On Opioid Settlement Cash, New Medicaid Work Requirements
KFF Health News senior correspondent Aneri Pattani discussed how states are using opioid settlement money on CBS News 24/7’s “The Daily Report” on Nov. 3. KFF Health News Southern correspondent Sam Whitehead discussed government claims that new technologies will help Medicaid recipients comply with new work requirement rules on WUGA’s “The Georgia Health Report” on Oct. 31. KFF Health News Southern California correspondent Claudia Boyd-Barrett discussed the presence of Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents in and around health care facilities such as hospitals and community health centers on Radio Bilingüe’s “Línea Abierta” on Oct. 30. KFF Health News executive editor Alex Wayne discussed the federal government shutdown and rising Affordable Care Act premiums on Sirius XM’s “The Smerconish Podcast” on Oct. 30. (11/8)
