Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Uninsured Rates Among Minorities Took A Nosedive Under The ACA
The Hill: Minority Groups' Uninsured Rates Plummeted Under Affordable Care Act: Research
Uninsured rates among minority groups in the U.S. plunged between 2010 and 2022, according to reports released Friday by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). The increase in the number of insured people points to the impact of the Affordable Care Act, former President Obama’s signature health law. (Maher, 6/7)
Meanwhile —
The Hill: Trump Takes Credit For Insulin Pricing: Biden 'Had Nothing To Do With It'
Former President Trump attempted to take credit for insulin pricing in a Saturday post on Truth Social. “Low INSULIN PRICING was gotten for millions of Americans by me, and the Trump Administration, not by Crooked [President Biden,]” Trump said in the Truth Social post. “He had NOTHING to do with it. It was all done long before he so sadly entered office. All he does is try to take credit for things done by others, in this case, ME!” (Suter, 6/8)
The Hill: James Clyburn On Donald Trump Attempt To Take Credit For Insulin Pricing: 'How Can You Be So Bold With Your Lies'
“Donald Trump is now saying he, not Joe Biden, reduced the cost of insulin. How can you be so bold with your lies? If this guy didn’t do a single thing, but the push to reduce, in fact, eliminate the Affordable Care Act? In fact, he used that as his reason for being against John McCain and mimic him for having cast the deciding vote, not to eliminate the Affordable Care Act,” Clyburn said. (Sforza, 6/9)
Politico: What Can Trump Do To Undermine Vaccines? More Than You Might Think
Trump’s new anti-vaccine persona could have far-reaching consequences if he’s elected to a second stint as president with far-reaching administrative powers. Public health experts say a White House opposed to immunization mandates could potentially cause upticks in cases of measles, polio and other vaccine-preventable diseases, or hamper efforts to fight a future pandemic. The CDC could pare back the number of vaccines it recommends children receive or eliminate those recommendations entirely. (Messerly, 6/9)
The Washington Post: Democrats Increasingly Take Aim At Patents In Bid To Lower Drug Prices
Democrats have hit on a new tactic in their long battle with drug companies: challenge patents that they say are deliberate attempts to game the system and box out low-cost, generic competitors. ... The Democrats are targeting Novo Nordisk, including some of its patents related to expensive drug Ozempic; GlaxoSmithKline; and other companies that produce asthma and diabetes medications. (Diamond, 6/7)
Modern Healthcare: DOJ Motion To Toss Humana Medicare Advantage Lawsuit Denied
A federal judge Friday denied a motion by the federal government to dismiss a legal challenge seeking to block updated Medicare Advantage auditing standards. Humana, the second-largest Medicare Advantage insurer by membership, sued the Health and Human Services Department in September 2023 over a regulation announced by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services earlier that year. (Tepper, 6/7)
In other administration news —
Modern Healthcare: NIH Pilots Primary Care Research Network To Boost Access, Delivery
The National Institutes of Health is piloting a cross-country network for primary care research to improve community-based primary care and increase the presence of underserved populations in clinical research, the agency announced Thursday. As part of the Communities Advancing Research Equity for Health initiative, also known as CARE for Health, NIH-funded clinical research networks and primary care sites will partner to conduct studies and research on health issues affecting local patient populations. (Devereaux, 6/7)
Reuters: US FDA Expands GSK's RSV Vaccine Approval To Adults Aged 50 To 59
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration approved the expanded use of GSK's (GSK.L) respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) vaccine on Friday in adults aged between 50 and 59, making it the first shot endorsed for that age group. The shot, branded Arexvy, and vaccines from rivals Pfizer (PFE.N) and Moderna (MRNA.O) are already approved for people aged 60 and older for the virus. RSV is a leading cause of pneumonia ... causing 177,000 hospitalizations and 14,000 deaths in the United States annually. (Roy and Santhosh, 6/8)
Axios: Lilly's Alzheimer's Drug Faces Delayed Reckoning
The outlook for the latest experimental drug shown to delay Alzheimer's disease will come into focus Monday, when Food and Drug Administration advisers review an application from Eli Lilly that's been held up by questions about the design of clinical trials and safety risks. Their conclusions could influence how the FDA treats future drugs that target proteins in the brain known as amyloid plaques that are believed to contribute to the development of the dreaded neurological condition that afflicts nearly 7 million people in the U.S. (Bettelheim, 6/10)
Politico: Farmers Sue EPA Over ‘Forever Chemicals’ In Fertilizer
Five Texas farmers and ranchers are suing EPA over its failure to limit "forever chemicals" in sludge, a problem that they say has killed their animals, jeopardized their health and devalued their land. The complaint, filed Thursday in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia, comes while EPA assesses the risks of two types of PFAS, or per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, in biosolids, a term for sewage sludge treated to be used as fertilizer. (Borst, 6/7)
