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Celebrity doctor Mehmet Oz recently held broad investments in health care, tech, and food companies. Were he confirmed to run the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, his job would involve interacting with giants of the industry that have contributed to his wealth.
Not only has President-elect Donald Trump chosen prominent vaccine skeptic Robert F. Kennedy Jr. to lead the Department of Health and Human Services, Trump also has said he will nominate controversial TV host Mehmet Oz to run the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, which oversees coverage for nearly half of Americans. Meanwhile, the lame-duck Congress is back in Washington with just a few weeks to figure out how to wrap up work for the year. Rachel Cohrs Zhang of Stat, Sandhya Raman of CQ Roll Call, and Riley Ray Griffin of Bloomberg News join KFF Health News’ Julie Rovner to discuss these stories and more. Also this week, Rovner interviews Sarah Varney, who has been covering a trial in Idaho challenging the lack of medical exceptions in that state’s abortion ban.
Marty Makary, a surgeon at Johns Hopkins, is considered a contender for the job of FDA chief, sources told Bloomberg. And Jay Bhattacharya of Stanford University, who once was the object of ex-NIH director Francis Collins' scorn, has emerged as a contender to lead the agency. Plus: More on Robert F. Kennedy Jr.
Global health officials wait to see whether the incoming administration will withhold funding from the United Nations Population Fund and other groups that offer abortion assistance abroad. Past Republican administrations have. Meanwhile, women worried that contraception won't be covered after Trump takes office are racing to renew their IUDs.
Industry leaders are hopeful that the threatened taxes won't be imposed on items and pharmaceutical ingredients crucial to patient care. Also in the news: Affordable Care Act subsidies, prior authorization policies, health transparency rules, and more.
Some say that putting TV star Dr. Mehmet Oz in charge of the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services would be "devastating" for millions of Americans. Disability advocates warn that proposed changes would undermine the nation’s system of home and community-based services.
With a new Trump administration poised to move into the White House and Republicans set to control both chambers of Congress, party leaders are making a to-do list for the Affordable Care Act.
A former cardiothoracic surgeon and professor at Columbia University, Dr. Oz is better known to the public as a TV personality and has no experience running a government agency. If confirmed as the CMS administrator, he would be influential in major policies around how states run their Medicaid programs and regulations on Medicare Advantage private plans.
Stars and Stripes reports on the bill's intent to expand private-sector health care for veterans, noting that among other elements, it addresses issues related to in-home care, mental health counseling, ambulance transportation, and breast screening. Also in the news from Capitol Hill: the bathroom bill introduced by GOP Rep. Nancy Mace of South Carolina.
Two measures filed last week would allow doctors to intervene to preserve the mental or physical health of a patient or when the fetus has a catastrophic anomaly.
New York is among the states looking to shore up Medicaid funding while President Joe Biden, whose administration is amenable to social services, is still in office.
The FDA doesn't have the resources to take on the food industry as Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has proposed, an expert says. Moreover, those in the agriculture community see problems ahead if tariffs are imposed. His stance on vaccines — he's still sowing doubt about them in courts — rankles the public health community. And the American Public Health Association wants to see a qualified pick.
Some Republicans oppose extending enhanced tax credits for Affordable Care Act insurance plans that are set to expire at the end of 2025. Not doing so, though, would risk millions of people losing coverage, many of whom live in red states. Health care executives are optimistic that the subsidies will be extended even when Republicans take power.
The independent, Pacific nation of Samoa — a stone's throw from the U.S. territory of American Samoa — experienced a disastrous epidemic of measles in 2019. Kennedy had visited Samoa four months before the outbreak and met with anti-vaccine advocates, The Washington Post reported.
Pat Curry, a Republican in the Texas House, has pre-filed a bill to classify abortion pills as "controlled substances." If passed, it would go into effect late next year.
Research has generally shown that drinking fluoridated water at the recommended levels is safe and beneficial for oral health, especially in children. But many people feel that more research is needed to better understand whether and when health risks kick in.
New outlets explore what's at stake for the broad array of health programs run by the federal government should vaccine skeptic Robert F. Kennedy Jr. take the helm at HHS.
Globally, measles cases surged 20% in 2023, the CDC said Thursday. The news comes just as Donald Trump has nominated Robert F. Kennedy Jr. to lead the Department of Health and Human Services. Kennedy has advocated against covid-19 vaccines and has repeated the debunked claim that childhood vaccines cause autism.
Leaders in the scientific community, biopharma world, and veterans of the federal health agencies provide wide-ranging reactions to the news that Robert F. Kennedy Jr. will be nominated as the secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services.
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