Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
After Drug Makers, Insurers Could Be Next Target Of Clinton's Attacks Over Health Costs
“Price-gouging.” “Predatory.” “Outrageous.” Those are just a few of the barbs presidential candidates, including Hillary Clinton, have thrown the way of the pharmaceutical industry this campaign season. That rhetoric helped sink drug and biotech stocks over the last six months and has overshadowed the candidates’ criticism of the rest of the health-care system, including insurers. Yet those businesses could be just as much at risk if the next president, whoever that may be, persists in calling out health-care companies on cost. (Tracer, 2/3)
Bernie Sanders‘s plan to pay for government-provided health care falls more than $3 trillion short of his campaign’s estimates, according to a budget watchdog group. The plan, which includes new taxes on employers, new income taxes on all Americans and steeply higher tax rates on high-income households, would raise about $10.7 trillion over the next decade, not the $13.9 trillion the campaign projected, according a report being released Wednesday by the Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget, a bipartisan group. (Rubin, 2/2)
“President Obama told the American people that under Obamacare the average family’s premium would drop $2,500. In fact, the average family’s premiums have risen $3,000. Now, Chris [Wallace], if you’re a single mom, if you’re struggling to feed your kids, $5,500, that is real money that you can’t provide for your family.” Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Tex.), [said in an] interview on Fox News. A version of this claim was first made in the 2012 campaign. And yet it keeps popping up, presumably because it sounds like such a delicious talking point. But four years later, it still isn’t right. So, once again, here’s why this is nonsense math. (Kessler, 2/3)
Meanwhile, Modern Healthcare looks at if and how health policy affected the Iowa caucuses —
After attacking Donald Trump over the weekend for his previous favorable remarks about single-payer healthcare, Texas Sen. Ted Cruz squeaked out a victory over the billionaire New York developer in the Iowa presidential caucuses Monday night, with Florida Sen. Marco Rubio trailing close behind. ... It's unclear whether healthcare policy issues played a role in the GOP caucus results, but some observers believe [Vermont Sen. Bernie] Sanders' support for single-payer helped him energize his supporters in the Democratic race. (Meyer, 2/2)
