Bob Herman

MAGA influencers take a sudden interest in Medicare Advantage reforms, echoing a dark money group It's not clear why right wing influencers are suddenly pushing back against Medicare reforms.

MAGA influencers are attacking Republicans with tweets supporting Medicare Advantage — and some of the language is almost verbatim from a dark money group called the Medicare Advantage Majority. Lawmakers are pissed. @caseyross.bsky.social and John Wilkerson dig in: www.statnews.com/2025/08/01/m...

Inside the fall of Vinay Prasad at the FDA Prasad's departure followed a campaign by a right-wing activist and a controversy over a rare disease drug.

A must-read story into how the outspoken and extremely online Vinay Prasad lasted only 84 days as a top FDA official. Includes a feisty email, obtained by @lizzylawrence.bsky.social, that he sent to FDA staff just days before he left. www.statnews.com/2025/07/30/v...

If you aren't checking out @statnews.com today, you're missing out. Our newsroom is on fire. So many important stories to read. www.statnews.com

Vinay Prasad departs the FDA A top FDA official is out after less than 3 months on the job.

BREAKING: Vinay Prasad is out at FDA www.statnews.com/2025/07/29/v...

A cut to Medicare that could affect millions is buried in Trump’s tax law Trump's tax law adds red tape to Medicare Savings Programs, risking coverage losses for low-income seniors.

Millions of older adults in America who are extremely destitute qualify for a public benefit called Medicare Savings Programs. Trump's tax law will make it more difficult for these people — again, the poorest of the poor — to get these subsidies. www.statnews.com/2025/07/28/m...

NIH, FDA plan to reduce animal testing draws mixed reactions among scientists As the Trump administration reshapes biomedicine, it wants to change how scientists test drug safety: animal research.

FDA and NIH are moving away from animal testing. Scientists are split on whether that's a good idea, @marissa-russo.bsky.social and I report for @statnews.com after talking with 10+ researchers across academia and biotech.
www.statnews.com/2025/07/25/n...

UnitedHealth confirms DOJ investigations into Medicare practices, says it’s cooperating UnitedHealth is facing criminal and civil investigations into its Medicare practices

UnitedHealth Group confirms what has already been widely reported: The Department of Justice has initiated civil and criminal investigations into its "participation in the Medicare program." More from @tarabannow.bsky.social: www.statnews.com/2025/07/24/u...

Venus Williams after becoming the oldest WTA match winner since 2004:

“I had to come back for the insurance, because they informed me this year that I’m on cobra. So it’s like, I got to get my benefits on” 😭😭😭😭

10 million expected to lose health insurance under Trump’s tax cut law, CBO says Trump's law cuts federal health spending by more than $1 trillion over a decade to help pay for tax cuts.

10 million expected to lose health insurance under Trump’s tax cut law, CBO says

www.statnews.com/2025/07/21/c...

Judge dismisses Humana’s case over downgraded Medicare Advantage ratings A federal judge has tossed out a lawsuit from Humana that attempted to reinstate higher quality ratings to its 2025 Medicare Advantage plans.

A federal judge just tossed out Humana's lawsuit over its downgraded Medicare Advantage star ratings. Humana "did not exhaust the appeal process." Another loss for MA plans that have aggressively sued the gov't over star ratings. But Humana could refile. www.statnews.com/2025/07/18/h...

Why MAHA’s push on Coca-Cola and ice cream is 'nutritionally hilarious' Getting Coca-Cola to use cane sugar rather and ice cream manufacturers to stop their use of synthetic dyes are the latest achievements trumpeted by the Make America Healthy Again movement.

This week, MAHA celebrated ice cream without artificial dyes and Coca-Cola without corn syrup. Nutrition experts say...uhhh, it's still Coke and ice cream.

from @sarah-todd.bsky.social www.statnews.com/2025/07/17/c...

Medicare proposes ‘efficiency’ pay cuts that would hit highly paid specialists the most Medicare is proposing cuts to how much it pays doctors for many medical procedures, scans, and tests.

The first Medicare physician payment rule under RFK Jr. proposes cuts to thousands of procedures, scans, and tests because doctors have gotten more "efficient" over time. Specialty physicians, and the AMA, are big mad. more w/ @tarabannow.bsky.social www.statnews.com/2025/07/16/m...

Fascinating story today from @levfacher.bsky.social about a rehab center where patients are currently being treated for substance use disorder with GLP-1 drugs — even as clinical trials measuring their effectiveness as anti-addiction medications remain years from reading out data.

Big price hike for the blockbuster cystic fibrosis drug Trikafta

Federal judge tosses Blue Cross Blue Shield of Louisiana lawsuit, another loss for Medicare Advantage insurers The Medicare Advantage industry has aggressively sued the federal government to overturn reduced quality ratings and keep billions of taxpayer-funded bonuses.

Medicare Advantage plans have been suing the government like crazy over their downgraded star ratings. Billions of $ are on the line, so they are finding any reasons to claim the calculations are wrong. But the industry is on a bit of a losing streak. www.statnews.com/2025/07/09/f...

U.S. sees most single-year measles cases since it declared disease eliminated The U.S. has now recorded more confirmed measles cases this year than in any year in well over a quarter-century.

#CDC reports the confirmed #measles count in the country so far this year has hit 1,288, the highest single year total since 1992 — and the highest since measles was declared eliminated in the US in 2000. www.statnews.com/2025/07/09/m...

Inside the staff exodus and tanking morale that threaten Makary’s FDA FDA staff are struggling and missing deadlines, and the future consequences could be even more dire.

Exclusive: I spoke with 15 employees at the FDA to get a sense of how the agency is functioning since the April 1 layoffs. They described tanking morale and an intensifying staff exodus. Read more here:
www.statnews.com/2025/07/07/f...

How the tax-cut bill that's headed to Trump's desk would upend health care Trump's tax cut bill makes major changes to Medicaid and the Affordable Care Act.

Here's how the tax-cut bill that’s headed to Trump’s desk would upend health care
www.statnews.com/2025/07/03/t...

Hospitals, pharma, doctors, medical devices, health insurers, PBMs — the entire health care industry has crushed working households through higher prices and out-of-pocket spending, to the point that health care is a bigger expense than a mortgage. bsky.app/profile/lydi...

Senate passes Trump’s tax-cut bill that would slash Medicaid spending The Senate has passed a $4.5 trillion tax cut bill after last-minute changes to its health care provisions, as Republicans scrambled to get their party on board.

Republicans are one step closer to gutting Medicaid and other health care programs, as Trump's tax bill clears Senate. Still a ways to go. Follow @danielpayne.bsky.social, @chelseacirruzzo.bsky.social, and John Wilkerson: www.statnews.com/2025/07/01/s...

Yes, the series of errors is known as "the entire U.S. health care system." A truly outrageous story from @kffhealthnews.org kffhealthnews.org/news/article...

Supreme Court rejects challenge to free preventive care, bolsters RFK Jr.'s power The SCOTUS decision preserves free preventive health care and sets the stage for a bigger role for RFK Jr. in determining what's covered.

The Affordable Care Act survives another trip to SCOTUS. Health insurers will continue to cover top-graded preventive services for free, but RFK (and other future HHS secretaries) have a lot of power over the independent body that grades those services. www.statnews.com/2025/06/27/s...

GOP tax bill faces major setback as Senate parliamentarian strikes down key Medicaid measures Republicans are regrouping after key Medicaid measures were struck from their tax cut bill.

What the parliamentarian's rulings could mean for Republican's Medicaid proposals

www.statnews.com/2025/06/26/s...

From boom to bitcoin: A device maker’s surprising pivot amid a Medicare crackdown Semler Scientific is now focused on bitcoin, after a series of escalating threats to its core artery-testing business.

Semler and its MA insurers have claimed to care about spotting artery disease, saving people’s limbs, even preventing heart attacks. But once a change from Medicare made doing that less profitable, they abandoned that premise. True motives were revealed. www.statnews.com/2025/06/24/s...

From boom to bitcoin: A device maker’s surprising pivot amid a Medicare crackdown Semler Scientific is now focused on bitcoin, after a series of escalating threats to its core artery-testing business.

But Semler confronted an existential problem: Medicare eliminated that artery disease code, worried it was being abused. So how did this health care company respond? It jumped fully into the cryptocurrency casino, calling itself a “bitcoin-first company.” www.statnews.com/2025/06/24/s...

How UnitedHealth turned a questionable artery-screening program into a gold mine This is the second in a periodic series from STAT about how UnitedHealth Group wields its unrivaled physician empire to boost profits and expand its influence.

Using Semler’s QuantaFlo device to “detect” asymptomatic artery disease was a goldmine for large MA insurers, like UnitedHealth Group, and their home-screening companies. We reported on this last year: www.statnews.com/2024/08/07/u...

From boom to bitcoin: A device maker’s surprising pivot amid a Medicare crackdown Semler Scientific is now focused on bitcoin, after a series of escalating threats to its core artery-testing business.

Semler zeroed in on Medicare Advantage from the jump. Before going public, Semler told investors it could help insurers find a lucrative artery disease code: “The more common and more dangerous a condition is, the greater the opportunity for profit.” www.statnews.com/2025/06/24/s...

Semler is one of the oddest companies I’ve ever reported on. A company built around a questionable artery screening device pivoting into a bitcoin speculator. Read more from @caseyross.bsky.social, @lizzylawrence.bsky.social, @tarabannow.bsky.social, and me: www.statnews.com/2025/06/24/s...

Balkanization of vaccine policy raises concerns about vaccine uptake, insurance coverage, experts warn The U.S. may be headed for a “choose your own adventure” approach to vaccine policy, in which skeptical parents follow the guidelines that confirm their beliefs.

That happens when #ACIP recommendations are no longer science based? When #CDC's vaccine schedules include recommendations based on opinions, not data? We're heading towards a balkanization of vaccination recommendations, experts fear. www.statnews.com/2025/06/24/v...