Save big on the 2025 STAT Summit with a STAT+ subscription

Subscribe to STAT+ and access exclusive benefits

As a STAT+ subscriber, you can go beyond the paywall to access STAT's award winning journalism premium data tools, special discounts on STAT Events and Reports, and must-read subscriber-only newsletters.

LEARN MORE

Note from Tara Bannow: Hospitals and Insurance Reporter

Dear readers,

If you're a regular here, you know all about the far-reaching effects of the U.S. DOGE Service's cuts at the Department of Health and Human Services. DOGE's work has had massive consequences, and it's critical to understand the people at the center of that work.

At HHS, that was Brad Smith, a health care startup founder from Nashville. Unlike Elon Musk, Smith stays out of the spotlight. When I started calling around to his former colleagues, a theme quickly emerged. People described him as relentless. From day one of starting a company, he's got his eye on the exit, and hitting ambitious growth targets came first. Employee and patient wellbeing were not a priority, they told me. All of that made Smith the ideal person for an operation like DOGE.

I hope you'll take some time to read my portrait of the little-known man at the center of the HHS cuts.

As always, thank you for reading!

Tara Bannow

SAVE ON SUMMIT: Super Early Access

Join us in Boston (or online) as we mark 10 years of STAT and look ahead to the future of health and medicine with some of the field's most influential voices.

STAT+ subscribers get free virtual access or $300 off an in-person ticket.

Prices increase June 18th, 2025 at 12:00 A.M.

BIO in 30 seconds: Updates from the largest and most comprehensive event for biotechnology

BIO starts in two weeks, so make sure you're signed up for our conference newsletter. STAT's Allison DeAngelis and Elizabeth Cooney are sending daily updates on the conference's biggest updates June 16-19.