Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Tweak To VA Choice Legislation Moves It A Step Closer Toward Privatized Veterans' Care
Modern Healthcare: Senate Agrees To White House Demands For Accountability In VA Choice Reforms
A VA Choice program change that would require VA facilities to meet certain standards to qualify as preferred treatment centers has been added to bipartisan Senate legislation after months of work by the Trump administration, a key senator and even the Koch brothers. This tweak moves the legislation away from what Veterans Affairs Secretary Dr. David Shulkin wanted and endorsed. It also has awakened concerns that the measure could accelerate privatization of the VA's healthcare system, particularly in light of the involvement of the political action committee of Concerned Veterans for America, a not-for-profit funded by conservative mega-donors Charles and David Koch. The proposed reforms would significantly expand the private sector's role in VA healthcare. (Luthi, 2/22)
In other news coming out of the administration —
The Wall Street Journal: Indian Health Service Nominee Says He Was Forced To Withdraw
Robert Weaver, President Donald Trump’s former nominee to lead the Indian Health Service, said in a letter circulated to some tribal leaders and lobbyists Thursday that he was forced under duress to withdraw from consideration late last week. Mr. Weaver, an insurance broker and member of the Quapaw tribe of Oklahoma, said in the letter that he was contacted by an official in the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services at 4:30 p.m. last Friday. (Weaver and Frosch, 2/22)
CQ: Administration Considers Moving SNAP Recipients Into Work
The Trump administration is taking “a preliminary but important step” towards moving certain adults out of the food stamp program and into the workforce by seeking public recommendations for changes, the Agriculture Department official who oversees the program said Thursday. The 45-day comment period on the advanced notice of proposed rulemaking will lay the ground for changes to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) rules that govern the 9 percent of recipients who fall into the category of single, able-bodied adults without children, Brandon Lipps told reporters on a conference call. (Ferguson, 2/22)
