Fri, March 28, 2025:
Health and Human Services will lay off 10,000 workers and close agencies in a major restructuring–AP
Thurs, March 27, 2025:
RFK Jr.’s massive cuts stun staff, leave senior employees scrambling. The cuts sent shockwaves through the department’s sprawling workforce, prompting a scramble among senior agency officials to figure out which employees and policy priorities were affected. – Politico
Targeting FDA user fees would leave agency gutted, experts say; Long-standing program collects fees from companies that produce certain products, such as drugs and medical devices, in exchange for reviews – Roll Call
Wed, March 12, 2025:
Wyden negotiating with Republicans on standalone health package – Politico
Mon, Feb 24, 2025:
What does the federal government spend on health care? KFF
Sat, Feb 22, 2025:
Scientists warn of long-term damage as Trump slows research – WP
Tues, Feb 11, 2025:
Judge orders HHS, CDC and FDA to restore deleted webpages with health information – CBS
Proposed NIH funding cut threatens U.S. leadership in medical innovation – WP
Mon, Feb 10, 2025:
Judge temporarily blocks NIH research cuts after 22 states sue – Roll Call
Federal judge blocks Trump administration cuts to medical research funding – CBS
Thurs, Feb 6, 2025:
DOGE gains access to health payment systems – WP
White House preparing order to cut thousands of federal health workers; could come next week – WSJ
Tues, Feb 4, 2025: RFK Jr. nomination to be HHS Secretary advances in committee vote – WP
Tues, Jan 28, 2025: Caroline Kennedy warns of “predator” RFK Jr – WashPost
Tues, Jan 28, 2025: Who funds the WHO – a list of its biggest donors – AP
Tues, Jan 21, 2025: Trump officials pause health agencies’ communications – WashPost
Tues, Jan 21, 2025: US withdrawal from WHO will hurt Americans — and help China – WashPost
Tues, Jan 21, 2025: Trump again initiated the process to withdraw the U.S. from the World Health Organization – WashPost
Tues, Jan 14, 2025: Top three insurers reaped $7.3 billion through drug middlemen markups – FTC
Tues, Jan 7, 2025: Bipartisan Senate report highlights the harmful effects of private equity on the U.S. health care system – Senate Budget Committee (Whitehouse/Grassley)
“The results of this bipartisan investigation—including the documents released publicly today for the first time—highlight significant concerns regarding the impact of PE ownership on the quality of care, patient safety, and financial stability at hospitals across the United States. By focusing on two prominent private equity firms, LGP and Apollo, and their associated hospital operators, Prospect and Lifepoint Health, the Committee has uncovered troubling patterns of prioritizing profits over patients and of unfulfilled promises. While not every PE firm operates in an identical fashion, the evidence highlights systemic issues with PE investment in health care, including underinvestment in critical hospital infrastructure, understaffing, and the pursuit of financial gains through leveraged buyouts and dividend extractions—often to the detriment of patients and hospital operations.”
Tues, Jan 7, 2025: Biden Admin bars medical debt from credit scores – KFF
Fri, Dec 13, 2024: The twin problems of mental health care: access and affordability – KFF
Mon, Dec 2, 2024: Potential conflicts of interest may haunt Dr. Oz’s confirmation to run Medicare, Medicaid – WashPost
Fri, Nov 1, 2024: Drew Altman on the Future of Health Policy After the Election – KFF
Wed, Apr. 24, 2024: KFF reports, “The FDA recently approved a new use for Wegovy (semaglutide), the blockbuster anti-obesity drug, to reduce the risk of heart attacks and stroke in people with cardiovascular disease who are overweight or obese….An estimated 1 in 4 Medicare beneficiaries with obesity or overweight could be eligible for Medicare Part D coverage of Wegovy to reduce the risk of serious heart problems….It’s possible that Medicare could select semaglutide for drug price negotiation as early as 2025….As of 2022, gross Medicare spending on Ozempic alone placed it sixth among the 10 top-selling drugs in Medicare Part D, with annual gross spending of $4.6 billion, based on KFF analysis. This estimate does not include rebates….”
Fri, Mar. 8, 2024: See this KFF review of five health policy topics touched on during the State of the Union Address: Abortion, Drug Prices, Affordable Care Act, Health Care Affordability, and Gun Violence.
Tues, Feb. 27, 2024: Roll Call reports that “health package talks (broke) down amid broader spending feud….(A) smaller bill will likely focus (on) extender policies as well as…funding for community health centers and partial offsets to scheduled Medicare cuts for physicians.”
Wed, Jan. 31, 2024: CBO Testimony on Federal Subsidies for Health Insurance and Policies to Reduce the Prices Paid by Commercial Insurers
Wed. May 24, 2023: CBO report: health insurance for people younger than 65 — Expiration of Temporary Policies Projected to Reshuffle Coverage
Tues. May 16, 2023: CBO Federal Health Spending Update