Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
When It Comes To Health Care, Voters Trust Clinton More, Poll Finds
A new poll finds that more voters trust Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton to do a better job on health care issues, from Medicare to medical costs. But they're not holding out hope for big improvements. The survey from the nonpartisan Kaiser Family Foundation found that Clinton leads Republican opponent Donald Trump when it comes to the future of Medicare, Medicaid, the federal health care law, and the cost of medications. (9/1)
The majority of voters say they trust Hillary Clinton over Donald Trump to address top health care issues, according to a new Kaiser Family Foundation poll released Thursday. Sixty-six percent listed the future of Medicare and access to affordable care as the most important health care issues they want the candidates to discuss on the campaign trail, the poll found. About half of survey respondents said the future of Medicaid, the rising cost of prescription drugs and the future of Obamacare were top health issues the candidates should address. Further down the list were the opioid epidemic, women's access to reproductive care, and the Zika virus. (Ehley, 9/1)
In other 2016 election news —
On Monday, Clinton unveiled her latest major policy initiative: an overhaul and reform of the nation’s troubled mental health system. Although the two parties are far apart on Obamacare and health care reform more generally, they have been trying for months to find common ground on mental health issues in the wake of numerous mass shootings and terrorists attacks in recent years. (Pianin, 8/31)
Bill Clinton has promised to leave the Clinton Foundation board if Hillary Clinton is elected president, but his potential departure from another Clinton charity could have far greater consequences for global health. Though it’s less well-known than the foundation, the Clinton Health Access Initiative has played a central role in bringing down drug prices in the developing world and helping governments in Africa and Asia build health care delivery systems. Known as CHAI, it relies so heavily on the former president, say global health experts, that his exit would raise a fundamental dilemma for the influential organization: Can it operate in any meaningful way without the Clinton clout? (Piller and Kaplan, 8/31)
