Subscribe today to the Washington Examiner magazine and get Washington Briefing: politics and policy stories that will keep you up to date with what’s going on in Washington. SUBSCRIBE NOW: Just $1.00 an issue!
‘MEDICARE FOR ALL’ POLITICALLY POISONOUS TO SENATE DEMOCRATS IN KEY RACES: Senate Democrats, increasingly bullish on their 2020 chances, want no part of “Medicare for all” proposals being pushed by far-left populist presidential contenders, writes our senior campaign reporter Kerry Picket.
Four recent polls show that a majority of Americans do not support the proposal after finding out it would do away with their private health insurance.
Originally championed by Bernie Sanders and co-sponsored by fellow Democratic presidential primary contenders, the “Medicare for all” legislation is seen as a loser proposal that could hurt down-ballot Democratic races in both chambers.
It’s a particularly sensitive area in the Senate, where Democrats are looking to end the Republicans’ 53-47 majority. House Democratic leadership also has steered clear of bringing a “Medicare for all” bill to the floor out of fear that it could hurt their members in swing districts and endanger their chances of keeping their majority in the chamber.
“I think it’s a losing message for 2020, and I think the Democratic presidential candidates have to realize that this is not a far-left country nor is it a far-right country,” Anthony Brindisi, a freshman congressman in a New York swing district, told reporters. “I think we’re all very vulnerable the further to the left some of the presidential candidates go.”
Senate Minority Whip Dick Durbin of Illinois recently told the Washington Examiner that nominating a candidate such as Sanders or Elizabeth Warren could “jeopardize” the party’s chances of winning over independent centrist voters in the general election.
In Colorado, where Republican Senator Cory Gardner is seen by Democrats as vulnerable this election cycle, “Medicare for all” is not widely accepted by the party faithful. Former Governor John Hickenlooper, who has announced he will run against Gardner, raised concerns about “Medicare for all” ahead of his presidential race, which ended last week. Colorado Democratic Senator Michael Bennet, another presidential primary candidate, has distanced himself from the proposal.
There’s also some recent precedent to Democrats distancing themselves from the proposal.
During the 2018 midterm election, Kyrsten Sinema, then a Democratic congresswoman from Arizona, ran a successful Senate campaign and flipped a Republican seat while running in opposition to “Medicare for all.”
“I do not support ‘Medicare for all,’” Sinema told reporters at the time. “I’m really focused on solutions that are realistic and pragmatic and we can get done.” Read more.
Good morning and welcome to the Washington Examiner’s Daily on Healthcare! This newsletter is written by senior healthcare reporter Kimberly Leonard (@LeonardKL) and healthcare reporter Cassidy Morrison (@CassMorrison94). You can reach us with tips, calendar items, or suggestions at [email protected]. If someone forwarded you this email and you’d like to receive it regularly, you can subscribe here.
BIDEN PROMISES UNION WORKERS THEY’LL BE ABLE TO KEEP PRIVATE HEALTH PLANS: Presidential hopeful Joe Biden promised union members uneasy about Medicare for All that they will be able to keep their negotiated plans under his healthcare proposal. “You’ve worked like hell, you gave up wages for it,” Biden said at the Iowa Federation of Labor conference. Biden has promised to improve the Affordable Care Act and opposes the Medicare for All Act.
OPINION: SANDERS’ NEW SPECIAL CARVE OUT FOR UNIONS UNDERMINES CASE FOR HIS SOCIALIZED HEALTH PLAN: By the Washington Examiner’s Phil Klein. The Democratic presidential contender has altered his healthcare proposal to assuage unions, who are wary about losing generous health insurance plans that they negotiated, often at the cost of higher salaries. But introducing a carveout for a favored special interest group undermines the moral case for his plan and his candidacy — and would ultimately prove untenable.
HHS HOPES TO REVIVE A RULE TO PUT DRUG PRICES ON PHARMA TV ADS: The Department of Health and Human Services said Wednesday it would seek to reverse a federal judge’s decision to block the rule announced in May that mandated pharmaceutical companies display their drug’s list prices in commercials if prices exceed $35 per month. District Judge Amit Mehta ruled in July that HHS did not have the authority to pass the rule. The agency submitted a notice of appeal to the DC district court in an effort to revive the May rule.
TRUMP TO WIPE OUT FEDERAL STUDENT DEBT FOR DISABLED VETERANS: President Trump will “eliminate every penny of federal student loan debt owed by American veterans who are completely and permanently disabled” in a new executive memorandum that he announced Wednesday. The order will benefit about 25,000 wounded veterans, and forgiven debt will not be federally taxed. Trump said he is also working to convince states to eliminate state taxes on forgiven debt.
TRUMP MOVES TO ALLOW INDEFINITE DETENTION OF MIGRANT CHILDREN: The Trump administration announced Wednesday that it would do away with the 20-day limit to detain migrant children, which allowed families to stay together outside of detention centers while their cases are considered. Trump has long derided this policy as a “catch and release” program. White House officials said they will introduce their own version of the Flores Settlement, which requires that children be held in the least restrictive settings possible, and will work to keep children with their parents.
CONSUMER DNA TESTS REVEAL SEVERAL DOCTORS USED THEIR OWN SPERM TO ARTIFICIALLY INSEMINATE WOMEN: Multiple children have been born whose DNA doesn’t match that of an anonymous or selected donor, but rather that of the doctor who helped their parents perform the procedure, according to a New York Times investigation. For example, Eve Wiley was 16 when her mother told her that she had been conceived through artificial insemination. Wiley, now 32, took a DNA test years later and found her biological father was actually Dr. Kim McMorries, the man whom Wiley’s mother had asked to help find a sperm donor.
INTERNET SENSATION DOUG THE PUG JOINS THE FIGHT AGAINST TEEN VAPING: Famous pup Doug the Pug will be featured in an anti-Juul advocacy PSA that will air during the MTV Video Music Awards on Monday. The 30-second ad, entitled “Tested on Humans,” will feature other animals including a lion, an elephant, and several lemurs. “No one knows the long term effects of Juuling, so any human who uses one is being used as a lab rat,” one of three rats says while holding a sign that reads ‘RATS AGAINST HUMAN TESTING.’”
The Rundown
The Washington Post APNewsBreak: Duo to push opioid settlement toward hospitals
The CT Mirror Connecticut offers limited protections if ACA is tossed
Kaiser Health News Feds pave the way to expand home dialysis — but patients hit roadblocks
NPR Scientists attempt controversial experiment to edit DNA in human sperm using CRISPR
The Baltimore Sun Maryland’s new dental insurance program for low-income residents pays to remove teeth — but not replace them
Atlanta Journal-Constitution Inside the Georgia political split over how to curb toxic gas pollution
Calendar
THURSDAY | Aug. 22
Congress in August recess.
WEDNESDAY | Aug. 28
Noon. Webinar on “Beyond the Beltway: Health Webinars for Journalists.” Details.
