Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Senator's Probe Of 340B Program Finds 'Transparency And Oversight Concerns'
Fierce Healthcare: Cassidy Backs Greater 340B Hospital, Pharmacy Transparency
A new report on the 340B Drug Pricing Program released Thursday by the chairman of the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee calls for “much-needed” legislative reforms around transparency and oversight of the contentious discount program. Chairman Bill Cassidy, M.D., R-Louisiana, kicked off his investigation in late 2023 as a response to substantial increases in the program’s utilization among providers. (Muoio, 4/24)
Politico: Once All-Powerful, Pharma’s Allies In Washington Are Fleeting
Big Pharma isn’t sure how to handle Donald Trump’s Republican Party. Trump is pledging to impose tariffs on drug imports, while Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has vilified the drug industry’s profits and questioned the safety of its products. Long a lobbying powerhouse in Washington, pharma’s struggling to settle on a strategy for defending itself, according to six industry lobbyists and three company officials who spoke to POLITICO. All were granted anonymity to reveal internal discussions. (Gardner and Lim, 4/24)
Also —
The Hill: Oversight Democrat Questions How CDC Can Provide Public Records Without Staffers
Rep. Gerry Connolly (D-Va.), ranking member of the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee, is demanding to know how the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) plans to comply with Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) requests when the relevant staff have been put on administrative leave. Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. laid off or eliminated HHS staffers in charge of handling FOIA requests at the CDC, Food and Drug Administration and the National Institutes of Health, according to reporting earlier this month. (Choi, 4/24)
On Medicaid cuts —
CBS News: House Republicans Face Dilemma Over Medicaid Cuts As They Vow To Protect Benefits
House Republicans are facing the difficult task of slashing $1.5 trillion — with hundreds of billions likely in Medicaid spending — to help offset the cost of President Trump's tax cuts. House leadership has denied that Medicaid — a joint federal-state health insurance program that provides care for more than 70 million low-income adults, children and people with disabilities — will be gutted. But it's unclear how Republicans plan to reach the level of spending cuts laid out in the budget resolution that Congress adopted earlier this month without drastically trimming the program. (Yilek, 4/24)
KFF Health News: KFF Health News’ ‘What The Health?’: Can Congress Reconcile Trump’s Wishes With Medicaid’s Needs?
When Congress returns next week, it will be writing a budget reconciliation bill that’s expected to cut taxes but also make deep cuts to Medicaid. But at least some Republicans are concerned about cutting a program that aids so many of their constituents. (Rovner, 4/24)
Modern Healthcare: Medicaid Work Requirement Lessons From Arkansas, Georgia
Republicans eyeing deep cuts to Medicaid are considering imposing work requirements on some beneficiaries. This policy's track record suggests it may not produce the savings the GOP craves without making a lot of people uninsured and subjecting providers to unpaid medical bills. (McAuliff, 4/23)
