Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Verma Spent $3.5M On Image Consultants: Congressional Report
Politico: $2,933 For ‘Girl’s Night’: Medicaid Chief’s Consulting Expenses Revealed
The efforts were steered by Pam Stevens, a Republican communications consultant and former Trump administration official working to raise the brand of [Seema] Verma, who leads the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services. The prices were the amount a consulting company billed the government for her services, based on her invoices, which were obtained by congressional Democrats. They are among the revelations included in a sweeping congressional investigation chronicling how Verma spent more than $3.5 million on a range of GOP-connected consultants, who polished her public profile, wrote her speeches and Twitter posts, brokered meetings with high-profile individuals — and even billed taxpayers for connecting Verma with fellow Republicans in Congress. (Diamond and Cancryn, 9/10)
In other Medicaid news —
Modern Healthcare: Arkansas' Medicaid Work Requirement Didn't Boost Employment
Arkansas' Medicaid work requirement for people age 30-49 did not increase employment, according to a Health Affairs study released Tuesday. Researchers also found that most of the 2018 Medicaid coverage losses—about 18,000 people lost coverage after the work requirement went into effect—were reversed after a federal judge shutdown the state's work requirement in April 2019. (Brady, 9/9)
