Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
While Clinton Reveals More Details On Pneumonia, Trump Admits He's Overweight
With less than eight weeks until Election Day and pressure mounting for the candidates to give details about their health and medical histories, Donald J. Trump acknowledged on Wednesday that he was overweight and taking a cholesterol-fighting drug, and Hillary Clinton elaborated on the circumstances that led to her contracting pneumonia and the medicine she was taking to recover. (Chozick and Haberman, 9/14)
While the Republican filmed an appearance on the Dr. Oz show 鈥 a safe environment 鈥 to discuss select details of his health, his opponent's campaign released updated letters from both Clinton's and running mate Tim Kaine's physicians depicting a relatively healthy pair. Not to be outdone, it took less than an hour before Trump's campaign said his running mate Mike Pence would soon release health information of his own. (Debenedetti, 9/14)
After a whiplash-inducing morning of mixed messages, Donald J. Trump on Wednesday gave a small window into some of the results from his most recent physical examination, revealing his weight to be 267 pounds and that he takes a statin. Mr. Trump gave the quick synopsis on Dr. Mehmet Oz鈥檚 television show after the Republican presidential nominee鈥檚 aides had said that he would, then that he would not, broach the topic with the doctor on the show. (Haberman, 9/14)
"The Dr. Oz Show" said, in a press release, that Oz took Trump through a "full review of [his] systems" including his cardiovascular and respiratory health. And, according to a preview clip released by the show, the only "medical records" that Trump released on-air were two one-page letters from his a New York City hospital and his doctor, the colorful gastroenterologist Harold Bornstein. [Bornstein's] earlier missive on Trump was widely ridiculed for its hyperbolic prediction that Trump would be 鈥渢he healthiest individual ever elected to the presidency. (Cook, 9/14)
Hillary Clinton released聽more detailed medical information聽Wednesday that describes the form of pneumonia she's been diagnosed with聽as a mild,聽non-contagious bacterial infection. The campaign also released more聽details聽about the results of routine lab tests given to the Democratic presidential nominee, such as blood cholesterol levels and her annual mammogram.聽(Przybyla, 9/14)
Hillary Clinton鈥檚 campaign released a letter from her doctor Wednesday describing her treatment for 鈥渕ild鈥 bacterial pneumonia and painting an overall picture of good health in an attempt to put to rest concerns about her medical condition following her illness over the weekend. The letter, from Clinton鈥檚 doctor, Lisa Bardack, noted that she received a CT scan confirming the pneumonia diagnosis and is now about halfway through a regimen on the antibiotic Levaquin. (Phillip and Gearan, 9/14)
Hillary Clinton鈥檚 campaign on Wednesday released more information about her health that depicted her as a healthy 68-year-old woman with low cholesterol (without taking a statin) and seasonal allergies. She also takes a thyroid medication, and as the campaign has previously disclosed, she takes a blood thinner, Coumadin. (Debenedetti, 9/14)
Aside from an ongoing bout of聽pneumonia, Hillary Clinton聽is in good physical and mental condition, her doctor said in a new letter released Wednesday. Clinton has a mild case of non-contagious bacterial pneumonia, Dr. Lisa Bardack said, and she is taking a 10-day regimen of Levaquin to address it. (Scott, 9/14)
Democratic vice presidential candidate Tim Kaine is in "excellent health," according to his physician, a disclosure that comes as the medical history of Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump take center stage in the presidential campaign. (Everett, 9/14)