Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Physician Groups Join Lawsuit Against CMS Over Medicaid Work Requirements
Modern Healthcare: CMS Faces Lawsuit Over Medicaid Work Requirements, Frailty Rule
The American College of Physicians and the American Academy of Pediatrics have signed onto a lawsuit seeking to repeal key provisions of a Medicaid work requirements regulation. The plaintiffs allege that the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services’ work requirements rule impermissibly restricts verification and exemption policies such as the parameters for the “medical frailty” exemption. The National Health Law Program and Democracy Forward lead the lawsuit, and the plaintiffs include six physician groups, five Medicaid enrollees and the city of Columbus, Ohio. (Early, 9/21)
The Wall Street Journal: Pharmaceutical Companies Push Trump Administration To Protect China Deals
Western pharmaceutical companies are urging the administration to allow them to keep doing deals with Chinese companies for promising drug candidates, despite a 2025 law restricting U.S. investment in Chinese technology. The group that represents pharmaceutical companies such as Pfizer, Merck and Eli Lilly has been lobbying to make sure that the new rules the Treasury Department is writing, as part of that 2025 law, maintain the drugmakers’ ability to do deals in China. (Martinez and Lawrence, 9/21)
The Guardian: Brendan Carr Was A Member Of A Rogue Alcoholics Anonymous Group Some Labeled A ‘Cult’
Brendan Carr, the chair of the Federal Communications Commission (FCC), was for about a decade a member of a rogue Alcoholics Anonymous (AA) group when he was in his late teens and 20s that some former members compared to a “cult”, according to a Guardian investigation. The Midtown group, which was based in the Washington DC area, attracted young people who were seeking help with addiction, sometimes at the urging of their parents. But while AA groups are traditionally a fellowship of people who come together to solve their drinking problem, former Midtown members say its one-time leader Michael Quinones – who died of cancer in 2007 – came to control nearly every aspect of their lives, including where they lived, worked and went to school. (Kirchgaessner, 9/22)
On troops' health —
Military.com: Air Force Tech Specialist Faces Potential Discharge Over A Prescribed ADHD Medication
A 16-year airman at Travis AFB told Military.com that a positive drug test due to a military-doctor prescribed medication puts his career in jeopardy. (Mordowanec, 9/22)
Military.com: Veterans Are Losing Weight And Lowering Their A1C With This Free VA Program
For veterans such as Chip Hanson, the Department of Veterans Affairs’ MOVE! program has delivered results that extend far beyond a number on a scale. The other participants said they had lower blood pressure, a substantial reduction in body weight and improved blood sugar levels. Alex Moreno, one of the veterans in the program, said that his average blood sugar fell from 6.0 two years ago to 5.4. (Reisdorf, 9/22)
Health news from Capitol Hill —
Roll Call: Lawmakers Bristle At Trump Effort For Tighter Control Of NIH
Key lawmakers are pushing back after reports revealed that the Trump administration is seeking even greater control over the National Institutes of Health grantmaking process. The effort, first reported by The Washington Post, includes potentially issuing an executive order or White House review of grants to weed out research contrary to President Donald Trump’s agenda. Sen. Susan Collins of Maine, chair of the Senate Appropriations Committee, on Monday criticized the plan, saying that the Office of Management and Budget shouldn’t be involved in these decisions. (DeGroot, 9/21)
Fierce Healthcare: Sens' Bill Floats New Cyber Standards, $1.3B Hospital Support
Democratic senators have reintroduced their bid to tighten healthcare cybersecurity standards and direct $1.3 billion of federal funds toward updating hospitals’ protections and practices. The Health Infrastructure Security and Accountability Act was brought late last week by Sen. Mark Warner, D-VA, who serves as vice chairman of the Select Committee on Intelligence, and Sen. Ron Wyden, D-OR, ranking member of the budget committee. It treads much of the same ground as the same-named bill they had introduced in 2024, with the senators noting that cyberattacks against healthcare have only increased in frequency and sophistication in the two years since. (Muoio, 9/21)
Axios: Health Care Costs Stoke Midterm Battleground Races
The willingness to confront powerful health care interests is becoming a litmus test for candidates in congressional battleground races with six weeks to go before the midterm elections. (Owens and Bettelheim, 9/22)
Stat: What's Up Next In GOP Health Care Plans? Brian Blase Can Tell You
Brian Blase, president of Paragon Health Institute, has become a trusted adviser to Republicans in Congress, who passed sweeping changes to federal funding for health care last year. (Payne, 9/22)
