Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Puerto Rico's Health Care Crisis, Fiscal Collapse Becomes Prominent Issue On The Stump
[Marco] Rubio is coming Friday for a fundraiser in San Juan and a rally in Santurce. [Hillary] Clinton plans an event the same day in San Juan about reversing what her campaign calls the U.S. territorys economic decline and its health care crisis. ... The parade of presidential hopefuls to the territory speaks to the growing power of Puerto Rican voters on the mainland, especially in Florida, the top destination for those fleeing the islands 12 percent unemployment rate and nine-year economic slump. (Bustos, 9/4)
Hillary Clinton plans to launch a new initiative this weekend as she seeks to weave womens issues into every facet of her campaign instead of using them in a separate silo as she did in her unsuccessful 2008 presidential bid. ... Unlike previous presidential campaigns, officials say, Clinton will take womens issues out of their own silo. For instance, Clinton will make expanding paid leave for new mothers part of her economic platform by emphasizing its cost to families. (Przybyla, 9/4)
Donald Trump isn't the only political outsider who's been having a good summer. Retired neurosurgeon Ben Carson is gaining in several polls especially in the first-in-the-nation caucus state of Iowa, where evangelical voters play a big role. ... On the stump, Carson often talks about his belief in God and his opposition to abortion. He has compared it to slavery and accused Planned Parenthood of targeting African-Americans. (McCammon, 9/3)
Vice President Joe Biden said Thursday that the biggest factor in his decision on whether to run for president is whether he and his family have the emotional energy to run. The honest-to-God answer is, I just dont know, he said. That deeply conflicted response was the first public articulation of a thought process hes discussed until now only privately with top Democrats and close advisers. He gave no timetable for a decision. (Korte, 94/)