Jan 08, 2025
Click in for more news from The Hill{beacon} Health Care Health Care   The Big Story Cassidy doesn’t seem completely on board with RFK Jr  Senate Health Committee chairman Bill Cassidy (R-La.) doesn’t seem completely on board with Robert F. Kennedy Jr, President-elect Trump’s pick to lead the Department of Health and Human Services.© Allison Robbert After meeting with Kennedy on Wednesday, Cassidy wrote on social media that he and Kennedy had a “frank conversation” and spoke about vaccines “at length.”     Cassidy, a physician, said in an interview on “Fox News Sunday” that he thinks Kennedy is “wrong” about vaccines, but noted there are areas he and Kennedy agree on, like eliminating ultra-processed foods.     Kennedy’s long history of vaccine skepticism has troubled Republicans and Democrats, though the roughly two dozen Republicans who met with Kennedy in December seemed less bothered.  Cassidy did not rule out supporting Kennedy, but his less-than enthusiastic comments were a stark contrast to other conservatives who have met with Trump’s pick.   Kennedy is making his second round of meetings with senators this week as he seeks to convince them to support his nomination.   The easiest path for Kennedy’s confirmation runs through Senate Republicans, who hold a 53 to 49 seat majority. That means that if all Democrats oppose him, Kennedy can lose three Republican votes.   But Kennedy could pick up one or two Democratic votes, which would offset potential Republican defections. Sen. John Fetterman (D-Pa.) in particular has expressed a willingness to vote for some of Trump’s nominees, though he has not mentioned Kennedy.  Kennedy is a former Democrat whose views on issues like ultra-processed foods and the corporatization of the food and prescription drug industries could resonate with some Senate Democrats. Though his longstanding anti-vaccine advocacy might be hard to overcome.  Lawmakers are notoriously tight-lipped about their votes ahead of many Cabinet fights. And the optics of backing any nominee by Trump puts most Democrats in a tricky position.   Kennedy met with Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) on Wednesday but told reporters after that he “couldn’t say” if he had won Sanders’s support.    Welcome to The Hill’s Health Care newsletter, we’re Nathaniel Weixel, Joseph Choi and Alejandra O'Connell-Domenech — every week we follow the latest moves on how Washington impacts your health.  Did someone forward you this newsletter? Subscribe here.  Essential Reads How policy will be impacting the health care sector this week and beyond:  UnitedHealth shareholders demand review of policies that ‘delayed or denied’ health care access Shareholders of UnitedHealth Group (UHG) are calling on the company’s board of directors to release a report on how its policy of limiting or delaying access to health care may be impacting the company’s brand and the economy overall.  Full Story   How to prevent norovirus Cases of norovirus are spiking in the U.S. along with other illnesses in what some are calling a “quad-demic” of viruses.  Full Story   Dem-aligned watchdog group accuses RFK Jr. of voter fraud A Democratic-aligned watchdog group is accusing Robert F. Kennedy Jr., President-elect Trump’s pick to lead the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), of violating election law last year. Accountable.US filed a complaint with the New York State Board of Elections, according to a press release, asking the Division of Election Law Enforcement to investigate whether Kennedy broke the law by “registering for and voting” …  Full Story   In Other News Branch out with a different read: Biden administration achieves fourth record-breaking ACA enrollment ahead of exit The Biden administration has achieved a fourth consecutive record year in HealthCare.gov Marketplace enrollment, one week before the final sign-up deadline and its imminent exit from office. Nearly 24 million people signed up for Affordable Care Act Marketplace plans for 2025, according to White House domestic policy adviser Neera Tanden, exceeding the 21.3 million people who signed up last year. The past four years of record-breaking … Full Story   Around the Nation Local and state headlines on health care: Top Texas doctor steps down after GOP pressure over Planned Parenthood ties (The Houston Chronicle)   New York governor looks to expand forced hospitalization as Albany returns to session (Gothamist)  Missouri town rejects anti-abortion push to become ‘sanctuary city for the unborn’ (Missouri Independent)  What We're Reading Health news we've flagged from other outlets: Abortion pills prescribed by pharmacists are newest effort in abortion fight (The New York Times)  Leaving FDA, Califf unapologetic—and warns of staff departures (Stat News)  What wildfire smoke means for your health (The Washington Post)  What Others are Reading  Most read stories on The Hill right now: The Memo: Trump sparks political fight as Los Angeles wildfires rage President-elect Trump has sparked a political battle over the wildfires ravaging Los Angeles even as those fires are still far from contained. Any … Read more Germany warns Trump after Greenland takeover threat German Chancellor Olaf Scholz sent a warning to President-elect Trump over border rules as the incoming president continues his threat of taking over … Read more What People Think Opinion related to health submitted to The Hill: Can Americans end our abusive relationship with private health insurance?  You're all caught up. See you tomorrow!  Check out The Hill's Health Care page for the latest coverage.Like this newsletter? Take a moment to view our other topical products here 📩 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
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