Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Trump Weighs Raising Qualifying Age Threshold For Disability Benefits
The Washington Post: Trump Plan Would Limit Disability Benefits For Older Americans
The Trump administration is preparing a plan that would make it harder for older Americans to qualify for Social Security disability payments, part of an overhaul of the federal safety net for poor, older and disabled people that could result in hundreds of thousands of people losing benefits, according to people familiar with the plans. The Social Security Administration evaluates disability claims by considering age, work experience and education to determine if a person can adjust to other types of work. Older applicants, typically over 50, have a better chance of qualifying because age is treated as a limitation in adapting to many jobs. (Kornfield and Rein, 10/5)
The Washington Post: Veterans Affairs’ Disability Benefits Program Is Prone To Exploitation
Military veterans are swamping the U.S. government with dubious disability claims — including cases of brazen fraud totaling tens of millions of dollars — that are exploiting the country’s sacred commitment to compensate those harmed in the line of duty, according to a Washington Post investigation. Taxpayers will spend roughly $193 billion this year for the Department of Veterans Affairs to compensate about 6.9 million disabled veterans on the presumption that their ability to work is impaired. VA officials say most veterans’ disability claims are legitimate. (Whitlock, Rein and Gilbert, 10/6)
On autism —
NPR: NIH Autism Grants Arrive Amid Funding Cuts, Public Health Battles
Researchers at Cornell University have received a $5.1 million grant from the Autism Data Science Initiative, as part of the Trump administration's increased scrutiny on the disorder and controversial plans to track direct sources for the complex and widely misunderstood condition. The National Institutes of Health announced plans for the $50 million grant project this summer to "identify how existing treatments/interventions are used and better understand their outcomes to inform the design of future clinical studies." (Wise, 10/6)
Axios: RFK Jr. Allies Say Autism Claims Will Drive Midterm Turnout
Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.'s belief that vaccines or Tylenol cause autism is resonating with a slice of voters who feel abandoned by the medical establishment. The Trump administration's allies in Kennedy's "Make America Healthy Again" movement think Kennedy's autism agenda will help rally MAHA voters to turn out in the midterm elections and vote for Republican candidates. (Reed, 10/3)
The 19th: MAHA Frames Autism Around Mother Blaming. Its History Goes Back Decades.
JJ Hanley can still remember the pediatrician’s words. It was the early ’90s, and the mother of two in suburban Chicago had begun to worry that her toddler-age son, Tim, was showing language delays and other behaviors that didn’t align with his older brother’s development. Hanley turned to her son’s doctor, who declared: “There’s nothing wrong with him. What’s wrong with him is you.” (Luterman and Rodriguez, 10/3)
On vaccines —
CNN: RFK Jr.’s HHS Killed A Research Grant To Investigate Vaccine Safety, Then Asked The Researcher To Publicly Present Results
About 90 seconds into his presentation on Covid-19 vaccine safety at a closely watched meeting of advisers to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention last month, Dr. Bruce Carleton made a startling revelation: The government grant supporting his research had been abruptly terminated. (Tirrell, 10/4)
KFF Health News: Inside The High-Stakes Battle Over Vaccine Injury Compensation, Autism, And Public Trust
Department of Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has floated a seismic idea: adding autism to the list of conditions covered by the Vaccine Injury Compensation Program. The program, known as VICP, provides a system for families to file claims against vaccine providers in cases in which they experience severe side effects. Kennedy has also suggested broadening the definitions of two serious brain conditions — encephalopathy and encephalitis — so that autism cases could qualify. (Gounder, 10/6)
The Washington Post: These Adults Grew Up Unvaccinated. After 18, They Rushed To Protect Themselves
At 30 years old, Lacie Madison just assumed she was fully vaccinated her entire life. But when she got a job at a hospital and was required to check her immunity, the doctor called with shocking news: It appeared she was barely vaccinated as a child, if at all. “I just said, ‘Are you kidding me?’” recalled Madison, now 39. (Thadani, 10/5)
More health news from the Trump administration —
Politico: RFK Jr. Says He Wants To Save Lives, Including Animals’
Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s making animal welfare a component of his Make America Healthy Again mission. The health secretary has asked his agencies to refine high-tech methods of testing chemicals and drugs that don’t involve killing animals. He thinks phasing out animal testing and using the new methods will help figure out what’s causing chronic disease. It’s also got an ancillary benefit for Republicans: Animal-rights advocates like what they’re hearing. (Schumaker, 10/5)
The Washington Post: How The Agriculture Lobby Rushed To Defend Pesticides From MAHA
Alarmed by the first MAHA commission report, the agriculture industry mobilized to shape the next installment. Those efforts seemingly paid off. (Ajasa and Roubein, 10/6)
ABC News: What Hegseth's Military Fitness Rules May Mean For Women Servicemembers
During a speech earlier this week, Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth announced the implementation of new fitness standards for the military. ... .Speaking to hundreds of high-ranking military officials in Quantico, Virginia, Hegseth said it was important that certain combat positions return "to the highest male standard," acknowledging that it may lead to fewer women serving in combat roles. The current training is not different for male and female servicemembers. (Kekatos, 10/4)
