Medicaid patients brace for new administration

Incoming President Trump has pledged to keep Medicare and Social Security intact. He hasn't said much, or anything, about what happens to Medicaid. But to pay for promised tax cuts, without compromising those behemoth programs, some Republicans are eyeing Medicaid reforms that could see deep cuts to who is eligible and what is covered, STAT's Timmy Broderick reports.

While Republican lawmakers have not released detailed Medicaid plans, we can look at first-administration proposals and people close to the transition, who have accused the program of waste and fraud. The first Trump administration, and other GOP lawmakers in both Washington and state governments, have floated work requirements, block grants, and spending caps for enrollees.

Those changes would dramatically alter states' budgets and could curtail or end care for millions of people with disabilities, Timmy writes. Two expensive programs in particular could be in the crosshairs: long-term care and home- and community-based services. More on Medicaid's future.

transition watch

Trump's FDA team takes form

A former adviser to ex-Commissioner Stephen Hahn, and a top executive of a communications firm that has worked with Trump's FDA pick, Marty Makary, are on board with the second-term transition team, Rachel Cohrs Zhang reports.

Lowell Zeta, who served as a senior counselor to Hahn from 2020 to 2021, is assisting with outreach and recruiting efforts for the FDA transition. Jim Traficent, CEO and managing partner of Pinkston Strategy, is also assisting, according to one source.

The outreach has included conversations with at least one influential former Congressional staff member for a key health committee about taking a top FDA role. Read more.

global health

Remembering Jimmy Carter's global health crusade

The late President Carter's family will arrive in Washington today with his remains, due for a procession to the U.S. Capitol where a service is scheduled this afternoon. His funeral will be held Thursday, at the National Cathedral.

As my STAT colleague Helen Branswell wrote last week, Carter in his post-presidency years fought against diseases whose names most of us barely know. He said often that his desire was to see the last Guinea worm die before he did. He didn't quite achieve that goal, but he left a legacy for global health in his wake, Helen writes.

The Carter Center — led initially by the former CDC director credited with leading the fight against smallpox — went on to fight for defeating Guinea worm, the contaminated drinking water that caused it, and a litany of other diseases. The former president became a "dominant change" in global health, the former CDC and Carter Center director Bill Foege told STAT. More on Carter's health care legacy.

fda policy

FDA issues pulse oximeter guidance

The FDA on Monday released draft guidance to address longtime concerns that pulse oximeters are less accurate in people with darker skin tones.

The agency proposes testing the devices, which measure blood oxygen levels, on a more diverse population and increasing the sample size for trials.

The new guidance for manufacturers comes decades after studies showed that the widely used devices work less well on patients with darker skin and more than four years after new research on the problem was published during the Covid-19 pandemic, when the devices were instrumental, STAT's Usha Lee McFarling and Anil Oza write. More on how to fix pulse oximeters.

public health

Murthy's alcohol warning faces resistance

In the final days of the Biden administration, Surgeon General Vivek Murthy called for new action to warn about the risks of alcohol use. Actually doing that could take many allies, several years, a label revamp, and a good amount of lawyers, Isabella Cueto reports.

Murthy on Friday recommended that alcohol should include more prominent labels that warn people of potential cancer risks. A new Congress will ultimately decide whether to take up Murthy's request or not. In an accompanying report, Murthy cites a growing body of research tying alcohol consumption to cancer, and especially female breast cancer.

But his parting recommendation will meet heavy resistance. The alcohol industry and its trade groups donate to both parties, and to races up and down the ballot. Many members of Congress also represent districts and states with alcohol producers, distributors, and retailers, Isa writes. More from her.

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What we're reading

What to know about a controversial new study on fluoride and IQ, STAT
How Trump can double down on price transparency for patients, Fox News
First Opinion: The long history of distrust for American insurance companies, STAT
Trump aides ready 'universal' tariff plans — with one key change, The Washington Post