CMS Chief Alleges Social Services Fraud In Maine, Calls It ‘Another Big Crisis’
Dr. Mehmet Oz has likened the alleged fraud in Maine to Minnesota's welfare fraud scandal, which led to the immigration crackdown efforts run by ICE in that state. Plus: A New York judge extended a preliminary injunction blocking social service cuts in five Democratic-led states.
The Hill:
Trump Official Mehmet Oz Alleges Maine 'Looks A Lot Like' Minnesota's Social Services Fraud
The Trump administration’s top Medicare official has suggested that alleged fraud in Maine’s social services programs may be on par with the welfare fraud scandal in Minnesota. Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) Administrator Mehmet Oz said there is “another big crisis” concerning alleged social services fraud in Maine during an appearance on John Catsimatidis’s “The Cats Roundtable” radio show. “It turns out that Maine looks a lot like Minnesota,” Oz said in the interview, which aired Sunday morning. (Davis, 2/8)
The Hill:
New York Judge Extends Block On Federal Cuts To Social Service Funds In Democratic-Led States
A New York judge on Friday extended a preliminary injunction blocking the Trump administration from slashing funds to social service programs in five Democrat-led states. U.S. District Judge Vernon Broderick made his ruling at the request of Minnesota, California, Illinois, New York and Colorado. The states receive more than $10 billion a year from the federal government for its programs, which help with child care and family assistance. New York Attorney General Letitia James (D) praised the ruling in a statement, saying the “illegal funding freeze would have caused severe chaos in the lives of some of the most vulnerable families in our state.” (Mancini, 2/7)
More news from the Trump administration —
NPR:
Trump’s HHS Lauds Plastic Surgeons’ Statement On Care For Transgender Minors
The Trump administration celebrated a recent statement from the American Society of Plastic Surgeons, which recommends that doctors delay gender-related surgery until a patient is at least 19 years old. "Today marks another victory for biological truth in the Trump administration," wrote Deputy Health and Human Services Secretary Jim O'Neill said in a press release. "The American Society of Plastic Surgeons has set the scientific and medical standard for all provider groups to follow." (Simmons-Duffin, 2/8)
Stat:
NIH Grant Reviewers Fear Schedule F Status Will Politicize Their Jobs
The Trump administration is moving forward with a personnel rule that critics say will subject a broader swath of the federal workforce to political pressure, raising concerns that the change could deter accomplished scientists from joining the federal workforce and give political appointees greater influence over grant decisions. (Oza, 2/6)
Politico:
Trump Cut Science Funding. Small Businesses Are Paying The Price.
Melinda Holland started last year with high hopes for her business. Instead, 2025 ended with the company’s first layoffs in 40 years. That’s due largely to the policies of one man: President Donald Trump. The cuts his administration made last year to federal science programs undercut a key piece of Holland’s business, a small technology company named Wildlife Computers. Her company, based in Washington state, makes the data-collecting tags that scientists use to track animals in the field. (Harvey, 2/8)
KFF Health News:
Public Health Workers Are Quitting Over Assignments To Guantánamo
Rebekah Stewart, a nurse at the U.S. Public Health Service, got a call last April that brought her to tears. She had been selected for deployment to the Trump administration’s new immigration detention operation at Guantánamo Bay, Cuba. This posting combined Donald Trump’s longtime passion to use the offshore base to move “some bad dudes” out of the United States with a promise made shortly after his inauguration last year to hold thousands of noncitizens there. The naval base is known for the torture and inhumane treatment of men suspected of terrorism in the wake of 9/11. (Maxmen, 2/9)
Politico:
HUD Headquarters Move Draws Legal, Funding Scrutiny
The Department of Housing and Urban Development has started its long-awaited, multistage relocation of Washington-based staff to Alexandria, Virginia, even as questions swirl over the move’s legality, cost and congressional oversight. (Dumay, 2/8)
The Washington Post:
Why Dr. Oz Wants Americans To Delay Retirement And Help The Economy
Mehmet Oz, administrator of the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, is working to persuade Americans that they should postpone retirement for one year. The question is whether they’ll buy it. He has repeatedly said delaying retirement — a fraught decision for millions, especially lower earners who have undersaved for it — marks physical vigor, and could help grow the economy or reduce the national debt. (Winfield Cunningham, 2/8)
On MAHA —
Politico:
MAHA And Mike Tyson Want You To ‘Eat Real Food’ During The Super Bowl
Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s allies are airing an ad during the Super Bowl featuring Mike Tyson boosting the Make America Healthy Again campaign, giving Kennedy another high-profile perch as allies look for ways to bolster his MAHA movement. The ad, paid for by the nonprofit MAHA Center, highlights new dietary guidelines announced by the Health and Human Services secretary in January and urges viewers to “eat real food,” borrowing a line regularly used by Kennedy about his nutrition recommendations. (Pellish, 2/6)
Politico:
How Oura Ring Won Over Washington
It turns out there is a way for a foreign company to make it in Donald Trump’s Washington. Oura rings are on fingers from the Pentagon to Capitol Hill, tracking everything from sleep quality to fertility. Their Finnish maker’s success stems from design savvy and good timing, but also shrewd attention to the way politics works in the capital. (Chu, 2/9)
KFF Health News:
Watch: Is MAHA The New MAGA?
Republicans have hitched themselves to the “Make America Healthy Again” campaign, banking on its popularity to give them an electoral bounce. But the strategy carries risks.Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., a longtime anti-vaccine activist who rails against Big Pharma and ultraprocessed food, is the leader of the movement. And Americans’ support for Kennedy is cratering. Plus, polls show voters care more about reducing health care costs than MAHA priorities such as ending vaccine mandates and promoting raw milk. (Norman and Sable-Smith, 2/9)
On last week's spending bill and ACA subsidies —
CIDRAP:
US Allocates $5.9 Billion For Global HIV Programs In Spending Bill
This week, President Donald Trump signed into law a $5.9 billion spending package aimed at supporting the global response to HIV/AIDS and global public health. The signing of the appropriations bill was hailed by the Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS) as providing life-saving support for millions of people across the globe. (Bergeson, 2/6)
Fierce Healthcare:
Virtual Diabetes Prevention Programs Secure Medicare Coverage
In the $1.2 trillion budget package signed Tuesday, a little-known healthcare provision was reauthorized that will allow millions of people on Medicare to access diabetes prevention education online. (Beavins, 2/6)
KFF Health News:
Journalists Describe Drivers Of High Health Costs And Spell Out The Science Of Protein
KFF Health News senior correspondent Renuka Rayasam discussed concerns about health care costs following the expiration of enhanced Affordable Care Act tax credits on CBS News’ CBS News 24/7 on Feb. 5. Rayasam also discussed rising health insurance costs on WUGA’s The Georgia Health Report on Jan. 30. (2/7)
