Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
White House Scraps Plan For Executive Order Aimed At More Control Over NIH Grantmaking: Sources
The New York Times: Trump Backtracks On Plan For New Controls On N.I.H. Grants
The White House has backed away from a plan to issue an executive order that would subject billions of dollars in federal health and biomedical research spending to heightened political scrutiny, according to four people familiar with the situation. The proposed directive would have established a commission with the power to block government research grants if the money supported work in areas that did not align with President Trump’s political agenda. The plan was discussed in a White House meeting on Friday, and some on Capitol Hill had expected Mr. Trump to issue the order as soon as this week. (Stolberg and Romm, 9/23)
NPR: Under Trump, NIH Funding Disruptions Have Evolved, Experts Say
The National Institutes of Health (NIH) wields a $47.5 billion budget. More than 80% of its funds go out the door as grants to answer pressing biomedical questions. Over the decades, those grants have helped decipher the human genome, eliminate the polio virus in the U.S. and turn AIDS from a death sentence to a survivable illness. But experts say this kind of fundamental science is coming up against an administration that has delayed funding and rerouted billions of dollars in research, resulting in chaos for researchers and patients alike. Trump officials say the administration's practices serve to further the agency's goals. (Kim, 9/24)
On troops' mental health —
The New York Times: 8 Sailors In U.S.S. Lincoln Strike Group Attempted Suicide, Navy Says
Eight sailors who were part of the U.S.S. Abraham Lincoln strike group attempted to take their lives during its long deployment in support of the war against Iran, according to a letter from the Navy. One of those sailors assigned to the Lincoln’s air wing “went overboard from the ship” in early August and was recovered by one of the carrier’s rescue helicopters, Hung Cao, the acting Navy secretary, said in the letter. A second sailor attempted to go overboard in March but was stopped by shipmates, Mr. Cao wrote. (Jaffe and Schmitt, 9/23)
On autism —
MedPage Today: New Autism Committee Chair Founded A Leucovorin Telehealth Company
John Gaitanis, MD, who was recently appointed the new chair of the federal Interagency Autism Coordinating Committee (IACC), co-founded a company that provides leucovorin to families of children with autism. Meadow Biosciences -- now called Meadow Health -- launched in April and described itself as the "first national telehealth platform dedicated to leucovorin care for children with autism." It says it provides "clinician-guided care through custom-compounded medications when prescribed, delivered to the patient's door." (Frieden, 9/23)
CIDRAP: Tylenol During Pregnancy Not Linked To Autism, ADHD, Major Review Finds
In the midst of increasing misinformation about acetaminophen (Tylenol) and its relationship to autism, many expecting women feel confused about what they should take if they experience a fever. A paper published today found that there’s no causal link between acetaminophen use during pregnancy and autism or attention deficit, hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). (Holohan, 9/23)
More news on the Trump administration —
The New York Times: RFK Jr. Drew $4 Million In Book Advances From Publisher Who Also Monetized MAHA
Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. accepted $4 million in book advances and more than $270,000 in gifts over the past year from close allies who are working to advance his Make America Healthy Again agenda, according to his latest financial disclosure form. Ethics experts said the financial relationships may violate federal rules barring officials from profiting from their government position, and call into question the secretary’s ability to remain independent and impartial. (Jewett and Gay Stolberg, 9/23)
The Washington Post: Democrats Again Demand Trump’s Drug-Price Contracts Following Post Report
Senate Democrats are again insisting that administration officials release the contracts they negotiated with more than two dozen pharmaceutical companies as part of President Donald Trump’s initiative to lower drug prices. “Here we are, months later, with six written requests, legislation to compel release, and a Cabinet secretary’s commitment. And I have not seen a single page,” Sen. Ron Wyden (Oregon), the top Democrat on the Senate Finance Committee, wrote Wednesday to Chris Klomp, the chief counselor of the Department of Health and Human Services. The letter was shared with The Washington Post. (Diamond, 9/23)
On Medicare and Medicaid —
Healthcare Dive: Oz: Medicare Advantage A Garden ‘Vulnerable To Weeds And Overgrowth’
The CMS administrator’s comments Tuesday at an event hosted by an MA lobby suggest that the Trump administration remains interested in tougher oversight of the program. (Parduhn, 9/23)
Healthcare Dive: MedPAC Chair Defends Medicare Advantage Overpayment Analysis At Insurer Lobby Event
The leader of an influential congressional advisory group is defending its estimates of Medicare Advantage overpayments amid growing controversy over how to best analyze spending in the privatized Medicare program. Dr. Amol Navathe, the chair of the Medicare Payment Advisory Commission, or MedPAC, took the stage during an MA industry event in Washington, D.C. on Tuesday in support of the group’s research that the U.S. government is set to spend 14% more — an extra $76 billion — this year on seniors that opt into MA than it would if those same beneficiaries went into traditional Medicare. (Parduhn, 9/23)
Stat: Patients First Act: Congress Mulls Change In Medicare Doctor Pay
Congress is considering the first major overhaul of how Medicare pays doctors in more than a decade, and both Democrats and Republicans appear to agree on the outlines of an approach. (Wilkerson, 9/24)
Stat: Trump's Medicaid Drug Pricing Boast Overstated State Interest
Trump administration officials last Friday touted the success of their drug pricing policy, saying every U.S. state had agreed to participate in a federal initiative designed to provide lower prices to state Medicaid programs. (Payne, 9/24)
