Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Democratic Candidates Asked About Abortion For First Time At Fox Town Hall
For more than a generation, the Democratic Party has been the party of choice. With the Republican field tripping over itself to prove its anti-abortion bona fides, there seems no need to ask Hillary Clinton and Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders what they think about the procedure, or what limits, if any, should be imposed on the women who seek abortions and the doctors who provide them. Not in the minds of some. For months now, as seven Democratic debates have passed without a question about abortion, those who want Sanders and Clinton to clarify their positions on Roe v. Wade, Planned Parenthood and the right to choose have been complaining about unasked questions. Hashtag: #AskAboutAbortion. (Moyer, 3/8)
The night after a testy Democratic debate, Senator Bernie Sanders and Hillary Clinton had the chance to confront another adversary: Fox News. ... Pressed on his budget-busting plans for universal health care, Mr. Sanders reiterated his belief that health care is a right for all people. 鈥淓xcuse me, where does that right come from, in your mind?鈥 Mr. Baier asked. 鈥淏eing a human being,鈥 Mr. Sanders replied, 鈥渂eing a human being.鈥 (Chozick, 3/7)
Meanwhile, Bill Clinton, in North Carolina, focuses on Sanders' health care plan聽鈥
As Hillary Clinton focused on Bernie Sanders in Michigan on Monday, her husband, former President Bill Clinton, had some tough words for Mr. Sanders in North Carolina. If Mr. Clinton鈥檚 line of attack was familiar 鈥 that Mr. Sanders dismisses all critics as being part of 鈥渢he establishment鈥 鈥 the former president added some sharp language at a small rally here at Elon University law school. He argued that Mr. Sanders was ducking arguments over his health care plan, then kicked his speech up a notch as he accused Mr. Sanders of resorting to name-calling with his tirades against the 鈥渆stablishment.鈥 鈥淭hat鈥檚 killing America, that kind of politics,鈥 Mr. Clinton said after describing Mr. Sanders鈥檚 rejection of skeptical reports by liberal economists on his Medicare-for-all plan. (Healy, 3/7)
And on the Republican side of the 2016 race, the candidates tout health savings accounts聽鈥
The leading Republican presidential candidates say health savings accounts should figure prominently in replacing the Affordable Care Act. That would require significant changes to HSAs and to healthcare more broadly. Even then, higher income Americans would benefit most. ... Joe Antos, a health policy expert at the American Enterprise Institute, a right-of-center think tank, said for HSAs to be a bigger factor in the healthcare system, there would need to be far more transparency in pricing. (Muchmore, 3/7)