Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
White House Cautions Lawmakers Against Raising Spending Caps To Accommodate Popular Veterans Health Program
Politico: Veterans Spending Dispute Raises Specter Of Stopgap
Inviting more stopgap spending, the White House has fired off an official warning against congressional efforts to blow through budget limits. Top Trump administration officials sent a letter Monday cautioning lawmakers against raising spending caps to accommodate shifts in funding for a popular veterans health program, though they stopped short of threatening a veto. (Ferris and Scholtes, 7/16)
The Wall Street Journal: Acting Head Of VA Health, Hospital System Replaced With Temporary Appointee
The Department of Veterans Affairs will replace the acting head of its health care system with a temporary appointee on Wednesday, the VA’s acting secretary said Tuesday, though the department still hasn’t settled on a permanent replacement to lead the sprawling division. Dr. Richard Stone will take over the Veterans Health Administration, the VA’s acting secretary, Peter O’Rourke, told reporters. The health administration is one of the three main branches of the VA and comprises more than 1,500 health-care facilities, thousands of physicians and nurses and a budget of about $70 billion to treat some nine million veterans. (Kesling, 7/17)
Kansas City Star: Doctor Formerly At KC VA Medical Center Loses License
The Kansas medical board has revoked the license of an Emporia doctor for having a sexual relationship with a vulnerable patient who tried to commit suicide using pills he prescribed her. ...In a revocation order issued last week, the Kansas Board of Healing Arts wrote that Stone “was in a position of significant power” over the unnamed female patient “and he abused that power.” (Marso, 7/18)
