Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Trump Tells Rallygoers 'It's Ending Anyway' Despite Deluge Of New Cases
The Washington Post: As Cases Soar, Trump Declares Pandemic Ending And Biden Criticizes His Handling Of It.
Faced with record levels of U.S. coronavirus infections and a new White House outbreak, President Trump declared Monday that the pandemic was “ending anyway,” further tying his reelection bid to his ability to convince voters, including those at large rallies that defy health authorities, that the viral danger is fading. Financial markets fell as he spoke, with investors reacting to the growing infection rates and dwindling hope of a pre-election stimulus package. Vice President Pence canceled a planned appearance at the U.S. Senate for the expected confirmation of Amy Coney Barrett as a Supreme Court justice, after Democrats objected because he has been in close contact with at least one of the five staff members who tested positive for the disease in recent days. (Scherer and Dawsey, 10/26)
Politico: Caution And Confidence Keep Biden Close To Home In Final Days
The last 10 days of a presidential campaign is typically a frenzied spectacle of barnstorming candidates hitting multiple swing states daily. That is not the type of campaign Joe Biden has been running. On Sunday, he held no campaign events. On Monday, he stayed close to home in Wilmington, Del. making only a brief local stop where he signaled he’d travel to swing states between then and Election Day. And that was after spending much of last week off the trail as he prepared for the final debate. (Korecki and Caputo, 10/26)
Another Trump tweet is labeled as misleading —
Politico: Twitter Labels Trump Post About Mail Ballots As ‘Disputed’ And ‘Misleading’
Twitter blocked a post by President Donald Trump on Monday that claimed, without evidence, there were “problems and discrepancies” with mail-in ballots “all over the USA.” “Must have final total on November 3rd,” Trump wrote at the end of his post. The social media company said the tweet was “disputed and might be misleading about how to participate in an election or another civic process.” (Ward, 10/26)
The Washington Post: Twitter Will Push Notices About Potential Misinformation To Users’ Timelines
Twitter launched prominent new reminders warning people to be wary of potential misinformation on the social media site — the company’s latest effort to try to tamp down swirling rumors and potential misinformation during the election. Twitter started pushing two different prompts to the top of people’s main timelines Monday. One tells users, “You might encounter misleading information about voting by mail,” and directs to a page to find out more about mail-in voting, including tweets from outside sources. The other reminds users that election results might be delayed because of the increase in voting by mail. (Lerman, 10/26)
In news about Trump's health care plan and the ACA —
KHN: If Trump Wins, Don’t Hold Your Breath Waiting For That ACA Replacement Plan
If President Donald Trump wins reelection next week, it seems unlikely he will unveil the health plan he’s been promising since before his election in 2016. Still, other aspects of health care could be featured in his second-term agenda. Not having a replacement plan for the Affordable Care Act may be just fine with many of his supporters and conservatives. Most Republicans don’t want the federal government to remake the nation’s health system, said Grace-Marie Turner, of the conservative Galen Institute. “It’s a different philosophy from Democrats, who think it needs to be a big program,” she said. “Conservatives, we think of it in a more targeted way.” (Rovner, 10/27)
NPR: Is It Possible To Protect Preexisting Condition Without The ACA?
President Trump has tried to get rid of the Affordable Care Act since the first day of his presidency, but there's one part of Obamacare that he wants to preserve. "We will always protect patients with preexisting conditions — always," Trump told a campaign crowd on Sunday in Londonderry, N.H. — a message he's shared repeatedly in the final days and weeks before the presidential election. (Simmons-Duffin, 10/27)
