The Gist Healthcare Podcast

The White House has pulled its pick to lead the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention hours before he was to appear for his confirmation hearing in front of the Senate HELP committee. UnitedHealth Group is the first major insurer to add a new non-opioid painkiller to its formulary. And, a new study finds that women paid nearly $9 billion more for prescription drugs than men last year. We’ll get those stories—and more—coming up on today’s episode of the Gist Healthcare podcast. 

The Trump Administration proposes a new rule that would roll back certain Biden-era flexibilities that allowed more people to enroll in Affordable Care Act plans on the exchanges. Nearly 750 rural hospitals face closure nationwide due to financial problems, according to new data. And, Americans borrowed an estimated $74 billion for medical bills last year. We’ll get those stories—and more—coming up on today’s episode of the Gist Healthcare podcast. 

Walgreens officially will go private in a $10 billion deal with private equity firm Sycamore Partners after months of speculation. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is on the ground in Texas as the measles outbreak continues to grow.  And, Novo Nordisk drops the price of its popular weight loss drug after a similar move from rival drugmaker Eli Lilly. We’ll get those stories—and more—coming up on today’s episode of the Gist Healthcare podcast. 

President Trump’s pick to lead the National Institutes of Health faced his first Senate Committee hearing this week. UnitedHealthcare announces it will cut its prior authorizations by 10 percent for certain services.  And, the nonprofit Coalition for Health AI has released details of its long-awaited AI model card registry. We’ll get those stories—and more—coming up on today’s episode of the Gist Healthcare podcast. 

The US Department of Health and Human Services scales back a decades-old policy that allows for public comment on healthcare regulations. President Trump issues an executive order on hospital price transparency. And, a new study finds that Black and Hispanic mothers bear the brunt of high maternity care costs. We’ll get those stories—and more—coming up on today’s episode of the Gist Healthcare podcast. 

House Republicans passed a budget blueprint last Tuesday that includes around $2 trillion in federal spending cuts. That plan includes $880 billion in spending cuts from programs that are overseen by the House Energy and Commerce Committee, a majority of which are anticipated to come from the Medicaid program. Bruce Siegel, MD, MPH, President and CEO of America’s Essential Hospitals, joins host J. Carlisle Larsen to talk about how those expected cuts could impact safety net hospitals nationwide.

Lawmakers call on the Department of Veterans Affairs to clarify the expected budget for its large-scale electronic health record modernization project.  A Texas child dies from a measles infection – the first death from the virus in the United States in a decade.  And, Eli Lilly announces plans to invest billions in new United States-based manufacturing plants. We’ll get those stories—and more—coming up on today’s episode of the Gist Healthcare podcast. 

The Department of Justice is reportedly investigating UnitedHealth Group over its Medicare Advantage billing practices. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention cancels—indefinitely—a meeting of vaccine advisors . And, fatal drug overdoses are down nationwide. We’ll get those stories—and more—coming up on today’s episode of the Gist Healthcare podcast. 

Budget Committee Republicans have tasked the Energy and Commerce Committee with finding $880 billion in cuts to federal healthcare spending. Though the committee has jurisdiction over many programs, it notably oversees Medicare Part B and Medicaid spending. Matthew Fiedler, Senior Fellow at the Brookings Institution, joins host J. Carlisle Larsen to talk about the news and why most of those potential spending cuts could come from Medicaid.