Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
VA Secretary Shulkin Has White House Interview To Head HHS
The Wall Street Journal: Veterans Affairs Head Interviews For Health And Human Services Post
David Shulkin, the current U.S. Secretary of Veterans Affairs and a holdover from the Obama administration, has been interviewed by the White House for the top job at Health and Human Services, according to sources familiar with the meetings. He is one of a number of leading contenders for the position, which has been vacant since late September when former HHS Secretary Tom Price resigned over criticism of his use of private and military planes. (Armour, Kesling and Nicholas, 10/13)
In other news from the administration —
Kaiser Health News: Stunner On Birth Control: Trump’s Moral Exemption Is Geared To Just 2 Groups
Few people were surprised last week when the Trump administration issued a rule to make it easier for some religious employers to opt out of offering no-cost prescription birth control to their female employees under the Affordable Care Act. But a separate regulation issued at the same time raised eyebrows. It creates a new exemption from the requirement that most employers offer contraceptive coverage. This one is for “non-religious organizations with sincerely held moral convictions inconsistent with providing coverage for some or all contraceptive services.” (Rovner, 10/16)
