Click in for more news from The Hill{beacon} Health Care Health Care   The Big Story Trump picks Dr. Jay Bhattacharya to lead NIH The nomination completes the president-elect's selections for top public health roles in his forthcoming administration. © GettyPresident-elect Trump has finished choosing top health leaders for his next administration after nominating Jay Bhattacharya as director of the National Institutes of Health (NIH) late Tuesday night.   Trump announced his pick in a post on his social media platform Truth Social, writing Bhattacharya would work in coordination with Robert F. Kennedy Jr. to “direct the Nation’s Medical Research, and to make important discoveries that will improve the Health, and save lives.”   Kennedy has been tapped to lead the Department of Health and Human Services, which oversees NIH.  Bhattacharya is a Stanford-educated physician and economist who was critical of the federal government’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic.   He was one of the authors of the Great Barrington Declaration, an open letter written in 2020 calling for rollbacks to COVID-19 lockdowns.  The nomination still needs Senate approval before it is finalized. But if confirmed, Bhattacharya will head an agency with a $47 billion budget and that oversees clinical trials, efforts to develop drugs and issues research grants, among other tasks.    “Together, Jay and RFK Jr. will restore the NIH to a Gold Standard of Medical Research as they examine the underlying causes of, and solutions to, America’s biggest health challenges, including our Crisis of Chronic Illness and Disease,” Trump added in his post to Truth Social.    Welcome to The Hill’s Health Care newsletter, I'm Alejandra O'Connell-Domenech — every week my colleagues and I follow the latest moves on how Washington impacts your health.   Programming note: We will be off for the Thanksgiving holiday and this newsletter will return on Dec. 2.   Did someone forward you this newsletter? Subscribe here.   Essential Reads How policy will be impacting the health care sector this week and beyond:   Jim O’Neill selected to lead HHS alongside RFK Jr. as deputyPresident-elect Trump’s choice for deputy secretary of Health and Human Services is Jim O’Neill, an investor and historically close associate of billionaire Peter Thiel, the president-elect said Tuesday. “I am very pleased to nominate Jim O’Neill to serve as the Deputy Secretary of Health and Human Services to work alongside Robert F. Kennedy Jr.,” Trump said in a Tuesday statement. “He will oversee all operations …  Full Story  4 takeaways from Trump’s health agency nominationsPresident-elect Trump’s team to lead the nation’s health agencies is rapidly coming together.   Trump first tapped Robert F. Kennedy Jr. to lead the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). Then, he announced television’s Mehmet Oz was his pick to lead the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services. In a string of announcements late Friday, Trump nominated former Rep. Dave Weldon (R-Fla.) to direct the Centers for …  Full Story  Biden proposes Medicare, Medicaid coverage of obesity drugsThe Biden administration proposed a new rule Tuesday that would allow anti-obesity drugs like Wegovy and Zepbound to be covered under Medicaid and Medicare for more Americans. Millions of Americans are diagnosed with obesity, which is considered a chronic disease that can lead to serious health consequences like cardiovascular disease, stroke and diabetes. One recent study found three-quarters of U.S. adults are overweight …  Full Story   Around the Nation Local and state headlines on health care: Warnings issued for contaminated raw milk sold at L.A. County stories (LA Times)  A third woman has died under Texas’ abortion ban as doctors reach for riskier miscarriage treatment (The Texas Tribune)  Florida’s Deloitte-run computer system cut off new moms entitled to Medicaid (KFF News)  What We're Reading Health news we've flagged from other outlets: Biden officials end fight over $6.6B contract that became election-year battle (The Washington Post)  Hoping for allies among Trump picks, pharma faces hostility (The New York Times)  Why abortions rose after Roe was overturned (NBC)  What Others are Reading  Most read stories on The Hill right now: Musk accuses Trump whistleblower Vindman of ‘treason,’ says ‘he will pay’ Elon Musk on Wednesday suggested retired Army Lt. Col Alexander Vindman “committed treason” and “will pay” after the former … Read more 5 key takeaways from Israel-Lebanon ceasefire brokered by US President Biden’s announcement Tuesday of a ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah in Lebanon marked a significant foreign policy achievement weeks … Read more What People Think Opinions related to health submitted to The Hill: Make contraception, IVF available to familiesHow America can make health insurance great again    You're all caught up. See you next week!  Close Thank you for signing up! Subscribe to more newsletters here The latest in politics and policy. Direct to your inbox. Sign up for the Health Care newsletter Subscribe