Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Months Before Election, We Don't Have A Clue About Candidates' Health
With two months to go until Election Day, neither former President Donald Trump nor Vice President Kamala Harris has released comprehensive recent medical records, leaving voters in the dark about the current state of their health. Trump, 78, would be the oldest person to ever assume the Oval Office. And the 59-year-old Harris, who became the Democratic nominee last month and ran for president in 2020, hasn't publicly released the results of a comprehensive physical in either of her bids for the White House. (Watson, 9/4)
Donald Trump and Kamala Harris stand far apart on most issues, and health care is no exception. The November election carries major implications for Californians’ access to health care and the cost they pay for it. (Ibarra, 9/3)
Other election news on pregnancy and abortion —
America’s falling birthrate is becoming a bigger issue in this year’s election. A small but dedicated cadre of advocates has pushed the topic to the forefront of conservative policy agendas in Washington and Silicon Valley, warning that U.S. economic growth and the solvency of Social Security depend on lifting fertility from its record-low levels. Democrats, meanwhile, are offering more support for new parents through Vice President Kamala Harris’s Opportunity Economy plan without explicitly tying it to incentivizing childbearing. (Whyte, 9/5)
The anti-abortion activists celebrating Donald Trump’s vow to vote no on Florida’s upcoming abortion-rights amendment have their sights on a bigger target: extracting a promise from the former president to staff his administration with staunch abortion opponents if he wins in November. (Ollstein and McGraw, 9/5)
Reproductive rights groups say they are more confident that Vice President Kamala Harris will be able to appeal to voters, with some citing frustration with President Joe Biden’s abortion messaging. Abortion access and reproductive rights have been a central theme in Harris’ campaign since she ascended to the top of the Democratic ticket, with reproductive rights groups hopeful that the Harris campaign can use her message on the issue to further fuel voters’ enthusiasm for her. (Heller, 9/4)
