Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Perspectives: Private Insurance Didn't Prevent Her Bankruptcy; Voters Have Tuned Out Health Care Debate (For Now); Why Subject Everyone To Risky Government Run Health Care?
Many Americans assume that if they have a good job, they'll have a good health care plan. And if they have insurance, they assume that they are immune from the health care debate. In reality, many of us are just one major illness away from financial devastation. I know, I've been there. (Sophia A. Nelson, 6/2)
There's a big disconnect between the health care debates that dominate Washington, the campaigns and the politically active — where all of the talk is about sweeping changes like Medicare for All or health care block grants — and what the voters are actually thinking about.The big picture: In our focus groups with independent, Republican, and Democratic voters in several swing states and districts, the voters were only dimly aware of candidates’ and elected officials’ health proposals. They did not see them as relevant to their own struggles paying their medical bills or navigating the health system. (Drew Altman, 6/3)
As proponents of Medicare for All struggle to defend their plan to repeal the foundations of American health care — including employer-provided coverage, Medicare, Medicaid, the Affordable Care Act (ACA) and the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP) – and replace it all with a costly, one-size-fits-all, government-run, health-care system, many are claiming that a majority of Americans support their scheme. For example, in a recent opinion piece published by The Hill, George Goehl writes that “across party lines, a majority of Americans are in favor of Medicare for All.”This claim is misleading at best, as polling makes clear that many Americans are not aware of what “Medicare for All” actually is, and when they are informed of what it means for them, a majority oppose it. (Lauren Crawford Shaver, 6/1)
The practical consequences of the Florida Legislature’s partisan opposition to expanding Medicaid are coming into sharper focus, and women of child-bearing age and minority residents are suffering the most. It’s a stubborn Republican position that is not family friendly and does not reflect Florida’s diversity, and voters should demand better. (5/31)
