Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
HHS Pushes For Job Limits For Federal Health Scientists; Move Seen As Retaliatory
Politico: Trump Admin Races To Enact Term Limits For Top Health Scientists
The Trump administration is rushing to enact term limits for top federal health scientists that could increase political pressure on some of the most prominent critics of the president’s pandemic response — even after Trump leaves office, say three current senior health officials. The regulation, which the Department of Health and Human Services could issue as a direct final rule within days, would mandate job reviews every five years for career federal scientists who serve as center directors at the Food and Drug Administration, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and other health agencies. The reviews could lead to renewal — or reassignment. (Lim and Owermohle, 1/14)
Stat: Trump Administration To Let Nearly All Doctors Prescribe Buprenorphine
The Trump administration announced a major shift in addiction medicine policy Thursday, giving doctors dramatically more flexibility to prescribe a popular and effective drug used to treat opioid use disorder. The change will allow almost all physicians to prescribe the addiction drug buprenorphine, regardless of whether they’ve obtained a government waiver. (Facher, 1/14)
NBC News: In 'Nasty Parting Shot,' HHS Finalizes Rule Axing LGBTQ Nondiscrimination Protections
With little more than a week left to the Trump administration, the Department of Health and Human Services has finalized a rule permitting social-service providers that receive government funds to discriminate based on sexual orientation and gender identity. Critics claim the new guidance could have wide-ranging implications for agencies that address adoption and foster-parenting, as well as homelessness, HIV prevention, elder care and other public services. (Avery, 1/12)
Modern Healthcare: CMS Axes MFAR Rule For Good
CMS on Thursday officially killed its controversial Medicaid fiscal accountability regulation after putting it on ice in September. The Trump administration proposed the rule in November 2019 because it worried that states were gaming the state-federal Medicaid financing system to collect additional federal dollars. But a wide range of stakeholders opposed the rule, including providers, state regulators and governors, patient advocacy groups and some members of Congress. That's because it would have ramped up federal oversight of how states fund their Medicaid programs and possibly led to significant funding cuts. (Brady, 1/14)
In other Trump administration news —
Modern Healthcare: AHA Freezes Political Contributions To Lawmakers Who Objected To Electoral College Results
The American Hospital Association is the latest healthcare organization to publicly announce it will suspend all political contributions to lawmakers who voted to object to the election results last week. In a statement Thursday, the AHA said it will "immediately suspend" contributions to members of Congress who voted to object to electoral college results. AHA's decision follows that of Blue Cross and Blue Shield Association, which made a similar announcement earlier this week. The Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America has also followed the lead of the Blues association. Other healthcare organizations are responding to last week's events by reviewing their policies for political contributions or pausing them entirely. (Castellucci, 1/14)
Politico: Harold Bornstein, Trump’s Eccentric Ex-Doctor, Dies
Harold Bornstein, President Donald Trump’s former personal physician, has died. He was 73.News of Bornstein’s death first surfaced last Thursday, after a paid notice was published in The New York Times. The Times notice did not state a cause or place of death, and Bornstein’s office did not immediately return a request for comment from POLITICO. The shaggy-haired, bespectacled gastroenterologist first came to public prominence in 2015, when he authored a note for the Trump campaign memorably predicting his patient “will be the healthiest individual elected to the presidency.” (Forgey, 1/14)
KHN: KHN’s ‘What The Health?’: On Capitol Hill, Actions Have Consequences
The reverberations from the Jan. 6 storming of the U.S. Capitol by supporters of President Donald Trump continue. A broad array of business groups, including many from the health industry, are halting contributions to Republicans in the House and Senate who voted against certifying the victory of President-elect Joe Biden. Meanwhile, Republicans in the House who have refused to wear masks or insisted on carrying weapons are being subjected to greater enforcement, including significant fines. (1/14)
