Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Debt-Limit Talks Continue
President Biden and Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) are set to meet for another round of debt ceiling talks this week, as a deal over raising the borrowing limit remains at a stalemate. This week鈥檚 meeting 鈥 which has not been formally announced yet 鈥 comes after a gathering scheduled for Friday at the White House between the president and congressional leaders was postponed. It will be the second meeting of the principals this month: Biden huddled with the top four Capitol Hill figures last Tuesday. (Schnell, 5/15)
With the odds of a U.S. debt default increasing, Social Security advocates warn beneficiaries they should be prepared in case their payments are interrupted. ... The impasse has placed the U.S. in a precarious financial position, and leaves some of the most vulnerable Americans at risk. Wile, 5/13)
If Joe Biden and House Republicans fail to reach a debt deal, the crisis could get tossed to the Supreme Court 鈥 where it would scramble the usual priorities of the court鈥檚 conservatives. The court鈥檚 current approach to most cases is overwhelmingly pro-market and business-friendly. The justices would be wary of stoking economic calamity. (Swan, 5/14)
In related news about Social Security payments 鈥
Social Security recipients shouldn鈥檛 expect 2024鈥檚 cost-of-living adjustment (COLA) to be as significant as 2023鈥檚, despite warnings that beneficiaries are losing their purchasing power. 鈥淭he 2024 COLA could be around 3.1%,鈥 Mary Johnson, the Social Security and Medicare policy analyst for the Senior Citizens League, said in a news release issued last week. (Bartiromo, 5/14)
In other health care news from Capitol Hill 鈥
To train more Black doctors, the federal government needs to bolster funding and make more training slots available for historically Black medical schools, leaders of those universities told U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders on Friday. 鈥淥ur HBCU medical schools are the backbone of training Black doctors in this country.鈥 Dr. Hugh Mighty, Howard University鈥檚 senior vice president of health affairs, said at a hearing in Atlanta. (Amy, 5/12)
The mother of a 17-year-old Honduran migrant who died in U.S. custody said Saturday her son had epilepsy but showed no signs of being seriously ill before he left for the United States. The death of 脕ngel Eduardo Maradiaga Espinoza at a holding center in Safety Harbor, Florida, on Wednesday underscored concerns about a strained immigration system as the Biden administration ends asylum restrictions known as Title 42. (Gonzalez, 5/14)