HHS Faces Criticism From Senate Investigation For Not Ensuring The Safety Of Unaccompanied Minors
During Senate testimony, though, one agency official asked members of a Senate subcommittee to not make the Department of Health and Human Services a "law enforcement agency." In other administration news: senators challenge HHS Secretary Alex Azar's assertion that PMBs are preventing drugmakers from lowering prescription prices.
The Wall Street Journal:
Senate Investigators Fault Federal Authorities’ Tracking Of Unaccompanied Immigrant Children
Thousands of unaccompanied minors who crossed the border illegally aren’t being tracked after being placed with sponsors by the Health and Human Services Department, according to a bipartisan Senate investigation that faulted the HHS and Homeland Security departments for the lapse. Representatives from HHS and the Justice Department pushed back in a Senate subcommittee hearing Thursday, with an HHS representative saying the agency has started doing background checks on adults that volunteered to take care of the children and that the department wasn’t responsible for children once they are placed with sponsors. (Andrews, 8/16)
The Washington Post:
HHS Official: Agency Not Able To Ensure Safety Of Unaccompanied Migrant Kids After They Leave Its Care
A Health and Human Services official insisted that the agency is not responsible for ensuring the safety of unaccompanied migrant children once they leave its care -- and pleaded with senators on Thursday not to force it to take on the responsibility. “Please don’t make us a law enforcement agency,” said Jonathan White, testifying on behalf of HHS at a hearing held by the Senate Homeland Security and Government Affairs subcommittee on investigations. "I think it’s very important that HHS remain the agency tasked with the best interests of the child rather than to assign it enforcement duties. (Itkowitz, 8/16)
Stat:
Senators Challenge Azar Over His Comments About PBMs And Price Cuts
In a sharply worded letter, two lawmakers are challenging Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar over his recent comments about drug makers and their insistence that pharmacy benefit managers and distributors were making it difficult to lower prices. The missive was sent in response to testimony Azar gave two months ago at two different Senate committee hearings, in which he described how drug makers contacted by the Trump administration expressed willingness to lower prices, but claimed they were thwarted by various middleman in the pharmaceutical chain. (Silverman, 8/17)
In other health care policy news from around the country —
Politico Pro:
How Trump's Value-Based Gambit Could Make ACOs Flee
HHS Secretary Alex Azar has called the shift to value-based care a top priority, signaling for months that the Trump administration will take steps like cracking down on free riders in Medicare's Shared Savings Program. The question is whether a new rule aimed at redesigning that program will spur a health system resistant to quick and sweeping change or undermine that priority. (Roubein, 8/15)
Modern Healthcare:
Rebates Don't Correlate To Drug Price Spikes, AHIP Study Says
As scrutiny tightens on drug middlemen and the significance of their role in spiking drug costs within Medicare Part D, health insurers are hitting back. A new Milliman study commissioned by America's Health Insurance Plans (AHIP) downplayed the overall impact of rebates offered by drugmakers to insurers and pharmacy benefit managers (PBMs) on total drug spending. The report blamed spiking costs on lack of competition. (Luthi, 8/16)
The Hill:
Supreme Court Nomination Reignites Abortion Fights In States
The possibility of another Trump nominee ascending to the Supreme Court bench has created a sense of urgency among abortion supporters in the states, where activists are pushing to safeguard access to the procedure. Supporters of abortion rights worry that Judge Brett Kavanaugh’s confirmation could lead to the weakening of Roe v. Wade, the landmark Supreme Court decision that cemented a woman’s right to abortion. (Hellmann, 8/16)
The New York Times:
Surprise Gift: Free Tuition For All N.Y.U. Medical Students
N.Y.U.’s plan, which was announced Thursday morning in an unexpected ending to the annual “White Coat Ceremony” for new students and their families, goes beyond that, and may spur other top medical schools to follow suit. In a statement, N.Y.U. said that it would be the only top-ranked medical school in the nation to offer full-tuition scholarships to all students. (Chen, 8/16)