CMS Chief Draws Criticism For Halloween-Related Twitter Jab At ‘Medicare-For-All’
In health policy developments from around the country: Seema Verma's tweet; the Trump administration's decisions related to changes to Wisconsin Medicaid; the Food and Drug Administration clears first genetic test for consumers; and migrant detention.
USA Today:
Seema Verma Tweet: 'Scariest Halloween Costume' Is Medicare For All
The head of Medicare and Medicaid was being criticized online Wednesday after she took a Halloween-inspired jab at Medicare for all on Twitter. Seema Verma, Administrator for the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, posted a photo of a man wearing a black T-shirt emblazoned with "Medicare for All" Wednesday afternoon with the comment "this year’s scariest Halloween costume goes to..." ... Verma, in a statement to USA TODAY, said the post was a way to get attention and said critics weren't wrong, changing the U.S. healthcare system isn't a joke. (Hayes, 10/31)
The Washington Post:
Trump Administration Allows Wisconsin To Question Medicaid Applicants About Risky Behavior
The Trump administration is allowing Wisconsin to become the first state to compel certain poor residents to disclose behavior such as drinking and exercise to qualify for Medicaid — and to charge more to people whose behavior the state judges as risky. Federal health officials, however, rebuffed an unprecedented effort by Wisconsin to impose drug tests on Medicaid applicants. The rejection placed a limit on the flexibility the administration has been urging states to embrace for the vast safety-net health insurance system, though illicit drug use can be an item in a health-risks questionnaire. (Goldstein, 10/31)
Stat:
FDA Clears The First Consumer Genetic Test For How Well Your Medications May Work — With Caveats
The Food and Drug Administration on Wednesday cleared the first DNA test meant to be marketed directly to consumers to help them determine how well certain drugs may work for them. (Robbins, 10/31)
The Hill:
Dem Senators Want Hearing On Funding For Detained Migrant Children
A group of Senate Democratic appropriators have asked their Republican colleagues to hold a hearing regarding how the Trump administration has been funding the detention of unaccompanied migrant children. (Weixel, 10/31)