Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
New Work Requirement Rule Panned By Medicaid Advocates, Health Industry
Stat: Trump’s Medicaid Work Requirements Have An Unwelcome Surprise For Some States And Patients
Medicaid leaders and advocates say they’re shocked by the Trump administration’s harsh directives for implementing Medicaid work requirements, which they say mark a pivot from how federal officials had characterized their plans just weeks ago. Much of the conversation around the nearly 400-page rule that the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services released Monday afternoon centers on one of the ways that people can be exempted from work requirements: medical frailty. Getting that exemption will be more difficult than most people had expected, meaning that more sick and disabled people are likely to lose their Medicaid coverage. (Bannow, Cirruzzo and Payne, 6/3)
Fierce Healthcare: Health Industry Groups Slam Final Medicaid Work Requirements Rule
On Monday, the Trump administration finalized a key rule that establishes national guidelines for the rollout of work requirements in Medicaid, and industry groups warn that the regulation could prove burdensome to enrollees and state programs. The Alliance of Community Health Plans said in a statement that the final rule adds documentation requirements and tightens criteria for exemptions to the requirements, which will make it harder for individuals who need coverage to secure exemptions they may qualify for. (Minemyer, 6/2)
More news from the Trump administration —
MedPage Today: New Rule Would Politicize Grant Decisions, Scientists Say
A sweeping proposed rule that would transfer federal grantmaking decisions from scientific experts to senior political appointees is "dystopian," "disastrous," and a "flagrant assault on our democracy," scientists and health advocates said. The White House's Office of Management and Budget (OMB) document, issued May 28, seeks to give the Trump administration authority over funding throughout the government, they said. (Clark, 6/2)
MedPage Today: Making Papers Open Access Could Cost Feds $1B Per Year, Report Finds
The costs of meeting a federal mandate to make research papers freely and immediately available to the public are exorbitant, and most agencies don't have adequate plans in place to cover it, a report from the U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO) found. The U.S. government is a huge funder of scientific research globally. In 2022, the Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP) issued a federal mandate to make research freely accessible to the public as soon as it's published. For this report, the GAO examined agencies' efforts to implement that mandate. (Robertson, 6/2)
AP: Dr. Oz Stays In His Lane In White House Briefing Room
He spoke fast, hammering through the Trump administration’s efforts to lower prescription drug prices, combat health care fraud, and curb the spread of Ebola overseas. But when reporters tried to ask Dr. Mehmet Oz about the most-pressing issues of the day — the point of the White House briefing where he was speaking for the administration — the head of the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services had little to offer, and said so again and again. Oz’s appearance showcased how the White House can struggle to respond to major news that breaks on any given day — a telling weakness as public sentiment has increasingly turned against the president. (Weissert and Boak, 6/2)
AP: Education Dept. Backs Away From Addressing Black Kids' Civil Rights
For generations, the federal government enforced civil rights laws with an eye toward remedying historic, systemic discrimination against Black people and other people of color. The Justice Department pressed schools to desegregate. The Education Department worked to promote equal opportunity and held schools accountable for racial bias. But under the Trump administration, efforts to address deep-rooted inequities for students of color are being cast as discriminatory against white students. Programs that have long withstood legal scrutiny are now quick to be deemed “ illegal DEI ” — diversity, equity and inclusion — by the White House. Schools that do not comply have faced threats to their funding, and in some cases, lost federal grants. (Ma, 6/3)
The New York Times: Trump Megadonor Gave $5.5 Million Estate To Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s Anti-Vaccine Group
Timothy Mellon, a reclusive banking heir who was one of President Trump’s and Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s biggest financial backers in the 2024 election, gave two sprawling properties in Connecticut last year to Children’s Health Defense, an anti-vaccine group Mr. Kennedy founded. The donation, which has not previously been reported, shows how tightly intertwined Mr. Mellon has become with Mr. Kennedy and their shared work against vaccines. The adjacent parcels cover about 300 acres at the confluence of the Connecticut and Eightmile Rivers in Lyme and feature a pool, a tennis court and several buildings, property records show. (Davis O'Brien and Schleifer, 6/2)
Bloomberg: Trump's Crackdown On Cuban Doctors Leaves Venezuelans Without Healthcare
Many patients arriving at a medical center in eastern Caracas at the end of April were turned away. The services they needed were no longer available. The specialists were gone. ... Cuban health professionals, including pediatricians, obstetricians, gynecologists, ophthalmologists and physiotherapists are leaving this and other facilities across Venezuela as US pressure mounts to shut down Havana’s overseas medical missions. (Itriago and Yapur, 6/2)
Reflections from Jill Biden —
AP: Jill Biden Is Sorry She Didn't Talk More About Son's Drug Addiction
Jill Biden says she’s sorry she didn’t talk more about her son Hunter’s drug addiction during her time in the White House, explaining that she now realizes that being open about his substance abuse and his recovery can offer hope to others in the same situation. In a wide-ranging interview with “The View” co-host Whoopi Goldberg to promote her White House memoir, the former first lady said Tuesday that she had put life in perspective after her husband, former President Joe Biden, was diagnosed with prostate cancer that spread to his bones. (Superville, 6/3)
