Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Trump's Physician Tapped To Lead VA After President Dismisses Shulkin Following Weeks Of Controversy
The New York Times: Veterans Affairs Secretary Is Latest To Go As Trump Shakes Up Cabinet
After weeks of uncertainty atop the Department of Veterans Affairs, President Trump dismissed its secretary, David J. Shulkin, on Wednesday and announced he would replace him with the White House physician, Dr. Ronny L. Jackson, a rear admiral in the Navy. ... The announcement punctuated what has been a rapid fall from favor for Dr. Shulkin, a politically moderate former hospital executive who delivered Mr. Trump a string of bipartisan legislative victories at a time when he was struggling to find them. But in his final weeks, he struggled to fight off attempts by more conservative administration officials to have him removed and was dogged by an unflattering inspector general report on his overseas travel that undermined his relationship with the president. (Fandos and Haberman, 3/28)
Modern Healthcare: Shulkin Ousted From VA As Choice Reforms Are Stalled
His removal comes at a critical point in what lawmakers say are urgent changes to the VA Choice program—debate over which had highlighted political tensions between Shulkin, lawmakers and the White House—as well as in the midst of his hefty effort to modernize the VA's EHR system. (Luthi, 3/28)
Reuters: Trump Taps Doctor, Decorated Diver To Rescue Veterans Affairs
When a Republican congressman was critically wounded in a shooting at a baseball game last summer, U.S. President Donald Trump dispatched his physician, an Iraq war veteran trained in emergency medicine, to the hospital to check on his condition. Later on that June day, Navy Rear Admiral Ronny Jackson accompanied the Trumps to meet with Representative Steve Scalise's family and medical team. Scalise survived and has returned to Congress. Now Trump is counting on Jackson to take charge at Veterans Affairs, a behemoth of a bureaucracy that has vexed a slew of decorated military officers and corporate managers. (Holland, 3/28)
The Associated Press: VA Pick Impressed Trump When He Gave Glowing Health Report
Ronny Jackson passed his screen test with President Donald Trump before casting even began. Jackson, the president's personal physician and surprise choice to lead the massive Department of Veterans Affairs, stood before the White House press corps in January to announce the results of the president's first physical in a performance that showed he was quick-witted, hard to throw off-kilter and unfailingly complimentary of Trump. Marveling at the 71-year-old president's good health, Jackson opined, "It's just the way God made him." (Colvin, 3/29)
The Washington Post: Trump Taps His Doctor To Replace Shulkin At VA, Choosing Personal Chemistry Over Traditional Qualifications
A biography released by the White House shows Jackson is credentialed and experienced in medicine but has no background in management. He nonetheless will be charged with delivering on one of Trump’s signature campaign promises: to fix the federal government’s second-largest bureaucracy. VA, which employs 360,000 people and has a $186 billion annual budget, serves a growing population of veterans in need and is suffering from a shortage of doctors, nurses and mental health experts. (Rein, Rucker, Wax-Thibodeaux and Dawsey, 3/28)
The Wall Street Journal: Donald Trump Ousts VA Secretary David Shulkin
Top veterans groups praised Dr. Shulkin on Wednesday, while some expressed concerns about his replacement. “We’re really surprised at this nominee,” said Joe Chenelly, national executive director of Amvets, a veterans advocacy group. “Looking at his background we don’t see anything that indicates he’s capable of running a $200 billion agency. The VA is a lot more than just a medical system.” (Ballahus and Kesling, 3/28)
Politico: ‘My First Reaction Was OMG’: Trump’s VA Pick Is New To All This
Lawmakers on the Hill were full of praise for Shulkin and muted about Jackson, although many said they looked forward to meeting the president’s pick who has to be confirmed by the Senate. “Dr. Shulkin has made a tremendous impact toward improving the lives of veterans during his time at the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs. He has been instrumental in all that we have accomplished in the last year,” said Sen Johnny Isakson (R-Ga.), the chairman of the Senate Committee on Veterans Affairs. (Kenen, 3/28)
Los Angeles Times: Embattled Veterans Affairs Secretary David Shulkin Fired In Latest White House Shake-Up
Shulkin ran afoul of some conservatives for his go-slow approach to expanding government-paid private care for military veterans outside the VA system. Shifting more veterans to private care is a top priority for the influential network of conservative groups funded by Charles and David Koch. An effort to expand the existing Veterans Choice program, under which veterans can get government reimbursement for seeing a private doctor in certain circumstances, failed this month when Congress did not include it in the massive government spending bill that Trump signed into law.The Koch-backed Concerned Veterans of America has pushed for the legislation, but most other major veterans organizations opposed it. (Cloud, 3/28)
Bloomberg: Trump Ousts Shulkin As Veterans Affairs Chief
Robert Wilkie, currently the undersecretary of for Personnel and Readiness at the Defense Department, will serve as acting secretary for Veterans Affairs while Jackson awaits Senate confirmation, Trump said. (Shields, 3/28)
The Hill: Watchdog: VA Employed Thousands Without Background Checks
A new watchdog report reveals that the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) employed thousands of workers at medical facilities without properly performing background checks. The inspector general (IG) report released Monday faults the VA for employing an estimated 6,200 workers over five years through 2016 who did not undergo background checks within the mandated first 14 days of their employment. (Bowden, 3/28)
The New York Times: Critics See Echoes Of ‘Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell’ In Military Transgender Ban
The Trump administration’s latest effort at banning transgender individuals from serving in the military amounts to what legal experts said is essentially a reprise of an all-too-familiar directive at the Pentagon: the 1994 “don’t ask, don’t tell” policy. A slew of medical and legal professionals have already lined up against the newest White House order, issued late Friday night, which experts said may survive only if it is backed by the Supreme Court. (Cooper, 3/28)
