Nobody knew Medicaid could be so complicated

The House's plan to cut government spending, including on Medicaid, to help pay for the extension of tax cuts is already hitting snags.

The combination of Democrat-led expansion of the program and Trump's inroads with lower-income voters has made the Republican Party more vulnerable on Medicaid policy than in the past.

And it shows. Republicans are struggling with what policies they can categorize as fraud, waste, and abuse to help offset the $4.5 trillion cost of tax cuts. They don't even agree yet on how much in offsets to target from Medicaid. The troubles are only just getting started.

maha

States are embracing MAHA

It might be the clearest sign yet of how well MAHA has taken root. Republican-heavy states that include Texas, Florida, Oklahoma, and Utah have joined the likes of California and New York in introducing bills that aim to tackle chronic disease and other health issues, according to Sarah Todd and Isa Cueto.

Some of the new measures, such as West Virginia banning most artificial dyes and two preservatives from sale in the state starting in 2028, highlight how concern over the safety of the U.S. food supply is an increasingly nonpartisan issue. Other bills are more specific to the Make America Healthy Again movement, such as efforts to ban fluoride from drinking water, restrict the use of mRNA, and make ivermectin, an antiparasitic drug that has been falsely claimed to treat cancer and Covid-19, available over the counter.

Taken together, the wave of legislation demonstrates the extent to which MAHA has emboldened states to exert influence over national policy and corporate practices that affect health.

trump transition

Big day for team Trump as Makary, Bhattacharya confirmed

On Tuesday, the Senate confirmed Trump's picks to run the FDA and NIH, and a key Senate committee approved his nominee to run the agency that oversees Medicare and Medicaid.

The Senate voted largely along party lines to confirm Marty Makary as the FDA commissioner and Jay Bhattacharya the NIH director, according to Lizzy. All Republicans backed Bhattacharya in a 53-47 vote, and all Republicans plus three Democrats backed Makary in a 56-44 vote.

On the same day, Mehmet Oz inched closer toward confirmation to the position of CMS administrator, Tara Bannow reports. The Senate Finance Committee voted along party lines to back Oz's nomination.

HHS layoffs

Third NIH senior leader forced out

As the Trump team gets confirmed, the administration continues to force out HHS career leaders.

The National Institutes of Health on Wednesday placed deputy director Tara Schwetz on administrative leave, Lev Facher reports. Schwetz is the third senior leader to depart the NIH since Trump took power.

Schwetz had served as deputy director for coordination, planning, and strategic initiatives, a position she has held since late 2023. She previously served on a detail to the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy, where she played an instrumental role in the creation of the Advanced Research Projects Agency for Health, the new "moonshot" science agency housed within the NIH. More from Lev.

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