Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Trump Administration Pushes Peptide Drugs Backed By RFK Jr.
AP: Kennedy's HHS Presses Ahead With Peptides Plan
U.S. health officials are moving ahead with a plan to allow specialty pharmacies to produce certain peptides, a class of largely unregulated injections that have become popular among followers of Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and other wellness influencers. Kennedy’s Department of Health and Human Services submitted a peptides “interim access policy” to the White House for review, according to a posting Thursday on a government website. The plan was sent to the Office of Management and Budget, which reviews federal rules and regulations with the potential for significant economic impact. (Perrone, 10/15)
Stat: HHS Employees View Latest Performance Reviews With Suspicion
Changes to the annual performance review process are the latest flashpoint in tensions between federal workers across the Department of Health and Human Services and the Trump administration, federal employees told STAT. (Manto, 10/16)
Politico: RFK Jr. And His Allies Are Standing By Russell Brand As The Comedian’s Rape Trial Begins
Actor Russell Brand appeared at a Make America Healthy Again Summit in Washington two weeks ago, standing onstage with Mehmet Oz and snapping a photo with Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. This week he’s on trial in London on charges that he raped or sexually assaulted six women. Tony Lyons, the head of the MAHA PAC, was in the courthouse supporting him. (Paun, 10/16)
On Obamacare —
Modern Healthcare: HHS, CMS Sued Over 2027 ACA Exchange Sales Freeze
Federal regulators’ efforts to block new marketers from selling health insurance exchange policies in 2027 have landed them in court. Agent and broker trade group the National Association of Benefits and Insurance Professionals sued the Health and Human Services Department and the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services in the U.S. District Court for the District of Maryland on Thursday, alleging the agencies violated the Administrative Procedure Act of 1946 by failing to ask for public comments before banning new marketers from selling policies on HealthCare.gov for 2027. The lawsuit also alleges the agencies lack the statutory authority to implement the freeze. (Tepper, 10/15)
KFF Health News: After Booting 760K People From ACA Plans, Trump Administration Has Added Some Back
Late last month, the Trump administration announced that it had cut 760,000 people from the Affordable Care Act rolls, claiming fraud and improper enrollments and touting billions in potential taxpayer savings. Not all of those kicked off were fraudulently enrolled, KFF Health News has learned. Insurance industry sources said the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services has reinstated a small number of people whose coverage should not have been canceled. More could follow in the coming weeks if enrollees discover they are uninsured when they go to use their coverage. (Appleby, 10/16)
More health news from the Trump administration —
The Hill: FDA Allows Salt Substitutes In Bread, Cheese And Other Popular Foods
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has finalized a rule allowing manufacturers to use salt substitutes in dozens of standardized foods — including bread, sour cream, canned peas, cheese, mayonnaise and canned tuna, while still selling those products under their traditional names. The rule takes effect Dec. 14. The change applies to 139 food standards and is intended to help reduce sodium in the U.S. food supply. (Davis, 10/15)
The Hill: Mifepristone Detection Study Draws Fire From Senate Democrats
Senate Democrats demanded answers Thursday from Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Administrator Lee Zeldin about an agency study to detect the abortion pill mifepristone in drinking water. Led by Sen. Patty Murray (D-Wash.), the entire Senate Democratic Conference signed a letter to Zeldin calling on him to remove mifepristone, misoprostol and their metabolites from the list of emerging contaminants targeted for surveillance. (Weixel, 10/15)
The New York Times: ICE Called Him A Wanted Man. His Family Said He Had Been Dead Nine Years.
When immigration agents struck a man with an S.U.V. in Houston over the weekend, they said they were chasing an undocumented Mexican man facing deportation and multiple criminal charges. But the photo they shared of their target was of a man whose family says he died almost a decade ago. (Ulloa, 10/15)
AP: Acute Malnutrition In Afghanistan At 'Unprecedented' Level After Aid Cuts
“More people are suffering from hunger than ever before,” John Aylieff, Afghanistan country director for the World Food Program, told The Associated Press. He said 19 million people — nearly 40% of the population — would be facing acute hunger, “the life-threatening type of hunger,” in the next few months. Even more worrying is that acute malnutrition, which kills if left untreated, is spiraling. (Becatoros and Qahar Afghan, 10/16)
