Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
'Whether They Like It Or Not': Trump's Vow To 'Protect' Women Seized By Harris
Los Angeles Times: Trump: I’ll Protect Women Whether They ‘Like It Or Not.’ Harris Calls That ‘Offensive To Everybody’
Kamala Harris said Thursday that Donald Trump’s comment that he would protect women “whether [they] like it or not” showed that the Republican presidential nominee does not understand women’s “agency, their authority, their right and their ability to make decisions about their own lives, including their own bodies.” “I think it’s offensive to everybody,” the Democratic nominee and vice president said before setting out to campaign in Arizona and Nevada, two swing states. (Weissert and Long, 10/31)
The New York Times: Harris And Trump Trade Gender Attacks As He Floats RFK Jr. For ‘Women’s Health’
Vice President Kamala Harris attacked former President Donald J. Trump on Thursday for claiming that he would protect American women “whether the women like it or not.” Later, her campaign pounced on a new Trump remark that his ally Robert F. Kennedy Jr. would “work on women’s health” in his administration. (Rogers, Gold, Browning and Epstein, 10/31)
KFF Health News: Trump Wants Harris To Pay A Political Price For Generous Immigrant Health Policies
Democratic-led states such as Illinois are increasingly opening public insurance programs to immigrants lacking permanent legal status. A dozen had already covered children; even more provided prenatal coverage. But now more states are covering adults living in the country without authorization — and some are phasing in coverage for seniors, who are more expensive and a harder political sell than kids. The expansions recognize the costs that patients living here illegally can otherwise impose on hospitals. But the policies are under harsh attack from former President Donald Trump and other Republicans who seek to make his opponent, Vice President Kamala Harris, the face of reckless immigration policies. (Kenen, 11/1)
The New York Times: Does Kamala Harris Back Free Health Care For Illegal Immigrants?
One of former president Donald J. Trump’s final television ads before Election Day reprises an old talking point. The segment, released Oct. 17, declares that Vice President Kamala Harris “wants struggling seniors to pay more Social Security taxes while she gives Medicare and Social Security to illegals.” The first half of the statement is inaccurate. Ms. Harris has not suggested raising Social Security taxes for seniors; instead, she has said she supports eliminating the $168,000 income cap on the taxes workers pay to fund Social Security, a threshold above which income becomes exempt. ... The latter half of the ad’s claim — that Ms. Harris supports giving taxpayer-funded health benefits to illegal immigrants — is a misrepresentation of Ms. Harris’s current proposals. (Baumgaertner and Sanger-Katz, 10/30)
The 19th: What We Know About Where Trump And Harris Stand On Paid Leave
In this election, presidential campaigns are offering proposals on home care and the child tax credit, speaking to parents and caregivers more directly than ever before. But there is one policy proposal that has been conspicuously absent: What would Kamala Harris or Donald Trump do about paid medical and family leave? (Carrazana, 10/30)
KFF Health News: Paid Sick Leave Is Up For A Vote In Three States
Voters in Missouri, Nebraska, and Alaska will soon decide whether workers in those states should be entitled to paid sick leave. If approved, the ballot measures would allow many workers to accrue paid time off, a benefit supporters say means workers — especially those with low-paying jobs — would no longer have to fear losing wages or possibly the jobs themselves for getting sick. Proponents say such policies benefit the broader public, too, allowing workers to stay home when sick or to care for ill family members to stem the spread of infectious diseases. (Liss, 11/1)
ProPublica and Minnesota Reformer: In Minnesota, The Mayo Clinic Sometimes Called The Shots With Gov. Tim Walz
The governor’s ties to the Mayo Clinic raise questions about the world-renowned hospital’s potential influence on federal health care reform. (Nesterak and Lussenhop, 10/30)
