Dan Gorenstein

At @tradeoffs.org, we’re committed to cutting through the noise with clear, evidence-based reporting on America’s complex health care system.

Now, we’ve made it even easier to find the stories that matter.

Check out our new website and explore key topics like the cost of care & health law.

@melanie-evans.bsky.social explains how RFK Jr. could push his vaccine cynicism through an obscure CDC committee.

Helpful context as Senate Finance holds HHS confirmation hearing.

Donate to Tradeoffs When you donate to Tradeoffs, you do more than just support rigorous independent journalism. You also help us raise the level of health care debate, pushing us toward a smarter, more evidence-based he...

I started Tradeoffs to help people have smarter health policy discussions.

With policy changes potentially ahead, that mission is more crucial than ever.

So is your support.

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Trump Forced Hospitals and Insurers to Reveal Their Prices. What Happened? A mandate to make health care prices public was one of President Trump’s signature health policies in his first term. But forcing hospitals to publish prices hasn’t yet helped patients shop around for...

So psyched to share Melanie Evan’s 1st story as a @tradeoffs.bsky.social reporter!

Her topic: one of Trump’s most lasting health policy moves: public pricing.

tradeoffs.org/2024/12/19/t...

“Dr. Jay Bhattacharya, a Stanford physician and economist, is considering a plan to link a university’s likelihood of receiving research grants to some ranking or measure of academic freedom on campus, people familiar with his thinking said.”

Are you looking to follow really cool people and read some awesome research? I thought so. Give this starter pack a go!
go.bsky.app/6S4Q9Mn

Your support goes a long way to keeping @tradeoffs.bsky.social going strong!

Thanks in advance!

One way the incoming Trump administration can affect health policy is by not defending existing laws and regulations against lawsuits.
www.kff.org/medicare/iss...

Medicare proposes covering weight-loss drugs, teeing up clash with RFK Jr. The proposal would expand coverage of anti-obesity drugs to 7.5 million people covered by Medicare and Medicaid, the Biden administration said.

New: Officials will issue proposed rules today to cover weight-loss drugs like Ozempic for millions of patients on Medicare and Medicaid.

But.

It’s up to Trump’s admin whether to finalize the rules. And RFK Jr. is no fan of Ozempic.

www.washingtonpost.com/health/2024/...

Dark, Cynthia, dark.

The power of a platform.

@dariustahir.bsky.social lays out the many potential conflicts of interest Oz would face running CMS.

Michael Pollan Is Not Endorsing RFK Jr. A Q&A with the food reform advocate about the common ground he has with RFK Jr. — and why he does not want him to be HHS secretary.

Q: Where might you and others on the left have some common ground with RFK, Jr.?

“I make a pretty sharp distinction between his medical ideas, which I think are really unsound and dangerous, and his critique of the food system.”

www.politico.com/news/magazin...

How HHS, FDA, and CDC Can Influence U.S. Vaccine Policy | KFF This policy brief highlights areas in which HHS, FDA, and CDC have authority to shape U.S. vaccine policy with a specific focus on vaccine approvals and recommendations for the public. Ultimately, whi...

Helpful read from @kff.org

“While there are limits, federal officials have significant authority to influence and alter vaccine policy, which could affect vaccine availability, views about vaccines, and vaccine use in the U.S.”

www.kff.org/policy-watch...

What Could RFK Jr. Do As Head of HHS? We Asked Someone Who’s Done the Job Former HHS Secretary Kathleen Sebelius shares what the country’s top health official can and can't do, and what she wants senators to know ahead of RFK’s confirmation hearings.

The first question I got after RFK Jr.’s nomination: how much power would he have?

So @ryan-levi.bsky.social and I dialed up former Obama HHS Sec. Sebelius for her take.

tradeoffs.org/2024/11/21/r...

RFK Jr. is exploring a plan to upend Medicare’s physician payments system The idea would reduce the role played by the American Medical Association in determining how much doctors get paid

RFK Jr. wants to reduce the American Medical Association's role in determining what Medicare pays for medical services. For those who follow billing codes and the RUC, big scoop from @rachelcohrs.bsky.social: www.statnews.com/2024/11/20/r...

Ben - would appreciate you keeping @tradeoffs.bsky.social in the loop on any plans.

Medicaid May Face Big Cuts and Work Requirements Republicans in Congress are eyeing cuts to Medicaid, which could threaten health coverage for tens of millions of poor Americans.

#Medicaid “is going to be where the action is.”

GOP eyes seismic changes to the program that enrolls 70+ million people.

@sarahkliff & @noahweiland with a strong state-of-play story.

www.nytimes.com/2024/11/20/h...

Guessing this chart - or one like it - gets a lot of play during Senate confirmation hearings for RFK.

Former CMS chief (a Republican) told me you need to have HHS Sec. and head of CMS to get along.

What does a Kennedy/Oz marriage look like?

Thanks @cynthiaccox.bsky.social!

How much power does HHS Sec actually have?

Interviewing former federal health official for upcoming @tradeoffs.bsky.social episode.

What questions do you have?

Thanks!

How Radical Can RFK Jr. Be as America’s Top Health Official? The authority of an HHS secretary is broad, ranging from drug approvals to Medicare.

“It took the FDA 15 years to define peanut butter.”

Good primer on the influence and limits of the HHS Sec.

www.wsj.com/health/healt...

Jay Bhattacharya, an NIH critic, emerges as a top candidate to lead the agency The Stanford physician was excoriated by NIH’s director in 2020 for his “fringe” ideas on covid. Four years later, he’s poised for power in Trump’s Washington.

Four years ago, his call to end covid lockdowns made him a public health pariah. The NIH director dismissed his ideas as “fringe.”

Now JAY BHATTACHARYA, an author of the Great Barrington Declaration, is poised for power in Trump’s Washington — perhaps as NIH director himself.

Our look at his rise.

Stalemate breaks on telehealth prescriptions of stimulants and addiction treatment The DEA grants a one-year extension on telehealth prescription of addiction medications, kicking resolution on a fraught issue to the second Trump administration.

Late Friday news drop: Telehealth prescribing flexibilities for controlled substances extended for another year by DEA and HHS — leaving long-awaited permanent rule making to the next administration www.statnews.com/2024/11/15/t...

Excellent thread as we ponder all the potential damage that could be done by the incoming administration. Most of that is focused nationally, but the international repercussions will also be awful.

Smart take the public health risks that come with undermining vaccines.

Hey #healthpolicy crew! Looking into RFK Jr.’s beliefs on chronic conditions.

Hoping to interview a few chronic condition experts on best evidence to treat cc.

All suggestions welcome.

RT’s (or what they’re called here appreciated)

I haven’t. It’s a good reason to start one!

(Will share if this is more than aspirational)