Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Ohio Gov. Kasich's Office Helped Create Abortion Restrictions
Believing state legislators were solely responsible for abortion restrictions added to the 2013 budget bill, activists and editorialists across Ohio called on Gov. John Kasich to veto the provisions. What they didn't know at the time was that Kasich's office had a hand in developing some of the language. Among other things, the provisions required abortion clinics to have emergency-transfer agreements with hospitals, prevented public hospitals from joining those agreements and strengthened the state health director's authority to refuse exceptions. The combination contributed to clinic closures or near-closures in several cities. (11/18)
The conservative Club for Growth is casting doubt on another Republican presidential contender with less experience in elected office than many of her rivals. ... The group plans to release a research paper Thursday that questions Mrs. Fiorina鈥檚 commitment to the small-government, free-market policies the group advocates. The Club has raised similar doubts about businessman Donald Trump and retired neurosurgeon Ben Carson. The seven-page research document calls attention to Mrs. Fiorina鈥檚 past support for tax breaks for specific industries, inconsistent positions on spending issues, and general lack of specificity in how she would reform Medicare and Social Security. (O'Connor, 11/18)
Democratic presidential contenders Hillary Clinton and Sen. Bernie Sanders for months have warily circled one another, contrasting their policy ideas in mostly gentle terms. No more. This week, Mrs. Clinton, the front-runner, unloaded on the Vermont senator, charging that Mr. Sanders would raise taxes on the middle class to pay for his single-payer health-care plan that would have the government replace private insurance companies to pay claims. (Meckler, 11/18)
Its chief executive, Ira C. Magaziner, who is admired as a brilliant, farsighted leader, has long alienated co-workers at the Clinton Foundation. But a harsh new set of complaints about Mr. Magaziner were captured this year in a performance review, with most of the grievances coming from the board of the Clinton Health Access Initiative, or CHAI, of which Chelsea Clinton is a member. The review said Mr. Magaziner had shown 鈥渄isdain鈥 for the health initiative鈥檚 board, exhibited 鈥渄uplicitousness with management鈥 and displayed a 鈥渓ack of transparency鈥 and 鈥渄ismissive behavior鈥 toward Clinton family members. (Haberman, 11/18)