Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Pharma Exec Who Elevated Covid Lab-Leak Theory Being Considered For Fauci's Old Job: Report
Politico: A Lab-Leak Proponent Is In Line For Fauci’s Old Job
Steven Quay, a pharma executive known for his books making the case Covid came from a Chinese lab, is on the verge of getting Anthony Fauci’s old job. The post atop the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases comes with control over $6.5 billion in health research funding. Two people aware of the decision told POLITICO that Quay’s selection is still undergoing final vetting. POLITICO granted the two — one a senior HHS official, the other outside government — anonymity because the hire isn’t yet final. (Levien and Röhn, 8/4)
Axios: Fauci's Legal Woes Could Deter Scientists From Government Service
Senate Republicans' planned vote this week on whether to hold Anthony Fauci in contempt of Congress is the latest escalation in their attempt to right perceived COVID-era wrongs and further disempower the federal health care bureaucracy. (Owens, 8/5)
KFF Health News: Pediatricians And Health Departments Sidestep Trump’s CDC On Vaccine Guidance
For the last 30 years, whenever pediatrician John Snyder wanted to find the most up-to-date research on treating young patients, he would turn to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. If he wanted to learn more about an outbreak of measles or hantavirus, he would pore over the weekly CDC report that came by email. If a patient’s family was traveling to Africa or Asia, he would check the latest CDC vaccine recommendations for overseas travel. And if a family was worried about potential side effects from a shot, he could always send them to the CDC’s website to bolster his argument to get the immunization. (Brown, 8/5)
On autism therapy —
The New York Times: Medicaid Urges States To Increase Autism Therapy Oversight
The Trump administration advised states on Tuesday to place new restrictions on autism therapy providers to curb a sharp increase in Medicaid spending for a treatment that has raised concerns of waste and fraud. “We were seeing quite an explosion in costs,” Caprice Knapp, a top Medicaid official, told The New York Times, adding, “We want to make sure the profit motivation isn’t overtaking what’s in the best interest of children.” (Kliff, 8/4)
On Medicare costs —
The New York Times: Justice Dept. Charges Doctor In $95 Million Skin Substitute Fraud Scheme
The Justice Department filed charges on Tuesday against Dr. Stephen Dubin, a doctor in Nevada, alleging that he orchestrated a $95 million Medicare fraud scheme that involved applying expensive and unnecessary wound coverings to elderly patients. Dr. Dubin was included in a 2025 New York Times investigation into skin substitutes, bandages manufactured out of dehydrated placentas that cost thousands of dollars per square inch but have not been found to help most wounds heal any better than regular bandages. (Kliff, 8/4)
Stat: Study: Exempting Rare Disease Drugs From CMS Pilots Would Ax Major Savings
Excluding rare disease treatments from a Medicare pilot program to lower drug prices would wipe out much of the savings from retail drugs, according to a Harvard University researcher. (Wilkerson, 8/5)
More health news from the Trump administration —
Military.com: Army Refers Charges Against Doctor Blaine McGraw Who Allegedly Sexually Abused 93 Victims
The U.S. Army Office of Special Trial Counsel has referred charges against a doctor accused of sexually abusing dozens of individuals over an approximate five-year period. On Aug. 3, charges were referred against Major. Blaine McGraw, an obstetrician gynecologist who was assigned to the Carl R. Darnall Army Medical Center at Ford Hood, Texas. His case includes nine total charges and 272 specifications that are alleged to have occurred on various occasions between 2021 and 2026. There are 93 total alleged victims. (Mordowanec, 8/4)
KFF Health News: KFF Health News’ ‘An Arm and a Leg’: What’s Worrying Veteran Health Reporter Julie Rovner?
Julie Rovner, KFF Health News’ chief Washington correspondent and host of the What the Health? podcast, joins An Arm and a Leg host Dan Weissmann to discuss the state of U.S. healthcare. Rovner talks about the fallout from Trump administration cuts to Medicaid and Affordable Care Act subsidies. She also shares why she thinks healthcare will play a big role in the 2028 presidential election, and how she hopes her new podcast project — “How Would You Fix it?” — will contribute to the discussion. (8/5)
Updates from Capitol Hill —
MedPage Today: Medicaid Fraud, Impact Of Upcoming Cuts In The Spotlight At Senate Hearing
At a Senate Budget Committee hearing about the Medicaid program, Sen. John Kennedy (R-La.) asked Andy Schneider, of Georgetown University's Center for Children and Families, whether states should be punished for cheating the Medicaid program out of money by letting non-eligible people stay enrolled, because more enrollees bring more Medicaid funds to the state. "Senator, I do not believe states are cheating," Schneider said. (Frieden, 8/5)
The Hill: Senate Funding Bill Seeks Hemp THC Ban Delay Until December 11
Makers of hemp THC products were thrown a lifeline when senators in a stopgap spending bill included a delay of a federal ban on their products. The Senate’s government funding bill set to be considered this week would delay the upcoming prohibition on most hemp-derived THC products until Dec. 11. Hemp industry groups and their allies touted the provision as a significant win that would give them more time to convince lawmakers to regulate their products, rather than ban them by closing the so-called “hemp loophole.” (Weixel, 8/4)
Stat: Senator Raises Pay-To-Play Questions On Flavored Vapes And Kratom
The top Democrat on the Senate Finance Committee launched an inquiry into the Trump administration’s recent actions on flavored vapes and kratom products, alleging a pattern of quid pro quos after the tobacco and kratom industries made large donations to the presidential campaigns of Donald Trump and Robert F. Kennedy Jr. (Todd, 8/5)
