Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Trump Signs Border Aid Bill And Trades Jabs With Calif. Governor Over Health Care For Undocumented Immigrants
The Associated Press: Trump Signs Humanitarian Aid Package To Bolster Migrant Care
President Donald Trump signed a $4.6 billion aid package on Monday to help the federal government cope with the surge of Central American immigrants at the U.S.-Mexico border. Many Democratic lawmakers were hoping for more. They wanted to provide stronger protections for how migrants are treated at holding facilities and to make it easier for lawmakers to make snap visits. (Freking, 7/1)
The Hill: Border Aid Fallout Tests Pelosi-Schumer Relationship
Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s (D-Calif.) relationship with Senate Democratic Leader Charles Schumer (N.Y.) is being put to the test in the aftermath of an emergency border supplemental spending bill that divided congressional Democrats. The rare disunity from two leaders who have regularly issued joint statements and stood firm together during the Trump presidency raises questions about how Pelosi, Schumer and Senate Democrats will tackle other high-stakes negotiations facing them in the coming weeks and months. (Bolton and Lillis, 7/2)
The Associated Press: Trump, California Governor Spar Over Immigrant Health Care
California's governor vowed on Monday to continue expanding taxpayer funded health benefits to adults living in the country illegally next year, ensuring the volatile issue will get top billing in the 2020 presidential election as Democrats vying for the nomination woo voters in the country's most populous state. Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom signed a $214.8 billion operating budget last week that includes spending to make low-income adults 25 and younger living in the country illegally eligible for the state's Medicaid program. (Beam, 7/1)
Politico: Newsom, Trump Spar On Undocumented Medicaid: ‘We’re Going To Stop It,’ President Vows
“To my friends at Fox News, I know we’re keeping you in business and getting your advertising rates and clicks going, but we believe in universal healthcare — universal healthcare is a right,” Newsom said during a budget rally in Sacramento on Monday. “We’re delivering it regardless of immigration status to everyone up to the age of 26,” Newsom added, saying the goal of universal coverage is “the right thing to do and it’s the fiscally responsible thing to do.” (White, 7/1)
Sacramento Bee: Trump Blasts CA For Undocumented Immigrant Health Care
“You look at what they’re doing in California, how they’re treating people. They don’t treat their people as well as they treat illegal immigrants,” the Republican president told reporters in the White House on Monday. “It’s very unfair to our citizens and we’re going to stop it, but we may need an election to stop it.” Trump did not elaborate about how he intends to stop California from expanding health care options for undocumented immigrants. (Bollag, 7/1)
And in other news —
Reuters: Trump Immigration Proposal May Mean Sick Kids Lose Health Benefits
A Trump administration proposal to increase the odds that immigrants will be deemed “public charges” ineligible for government health benefits may result in millions of kids becoming uninsured, a study suggests. The proposed changes are expected to cause many immigrants to disenroll their children from safety-net programs like Medicaid and the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP) out of fear and confusion, even among families to whom the rule would not apply. (Rapaport, 7/1)
NPR: After Clint Scandal, Government Will Expand Child Shelter Network
The Department of Health and Human Services is dramatically expanding its network of child shelters across the country in order to avoid the scandal in Clint, Texas, where scores of immigrant children were warehoused together. "There are too many kids in Border Patrol stations right now, and we're working to get them out of those stations and into HHS care," says Mark Weber, HHS deputy assistant secretary for public affairs. (Burnett, 7/2)
The Associated Press: South Texas Facility To Detain Migrant Teens Opens
The U.S. government has started detaining immigrant youth at an emergency facility in South Texas. U.S. Department of Health and Human Services spokesman Mark Weber said Monday that the facility at Carrizo Springs, Texas, now has around 200 boys and girls but that number could expand to up to 1300 children. The Carrizo Springs facility is at the site of a former camp for oilfield workers. Crews were working last week to remove mold spots and make repairs. (7/1)
