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Trump administration appoints acting CDC director. Anne Schuchat has been tapped to lead the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention following the resignation of the former director Wednesday. Dr. Brenda Fitzgerald resigned after Politico reported that she had invested in tobacco stocks after becoming the agency's director. The CDC carries out a wide range of public health efforts, including those aimed at smoking cessation. Fitzgerald's resignation came two days after a new secretary was sworn in to the Department of Health and Human Services, which oversees the CDC and other agencies such as the Food and Drug Administration and the National Institutes of Health. Schuchat, who was the principal deputy director at CDC, also worked as the acting director when the Trump administration took the helm at the White House in January 2017, until Fitzgerald arrived in July. She has been at the agency since 1988 and has overseen vaccine and bacteria prevention programs. She led the response to the 2009 flu pandemic as well as the response to the SARS outbreak in Beijing in 2003.
Outgoing CDC director denies she resigned because of tobacco stock buy. Fitzgerald told a local TV station that she abruptly resigned from the CDC because of intractable financial conflicts and not a scandal surrounding her purchase of tobacco stocks. Fitzgerald resigned on Wednesday and told a local CBS station that the stock purchase was inadvertently done by a financial adviser. “I don’t want to be invested in tobacco,” she said. “I have been a doctor for 30 years and I have been against tobacco use of any form.” However, the tobacco sales were not the only financial issue facing Fitzgerald. She said she could not extract herself from investments in health technology companies, including a company called Greenway Health that provides electronic health records. “It is taking too long and it is too much of a distraction from the CDC work and that is why I offered my resignation,” Fitzgerald said.
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Republican doctors describe rush to chaotic train crash scene. A group of Republican lawmakers, many of them doctors, described their actions moments after the train crash that occurred on the way to their retreat in West Virginia. Rep. Michael Burgess, a surgeon from Texas, jumped off the train as quickly as he could to try to tend to the three passengers of the decimated truck, “after realizing it was not an intentional act and that there was very likely people injured outside.” So did Rep. Phil Roe, an obstetrician and gynecologist from Tennessee.
Roe, arriving at the truck, found one passenger had died, likely on impact. But he tried to resuscitate him. Roe said he wanted the man’s family to know the man likely didn’t suffer. The House chaplain, Fr. Patrick J. Conroy, who was also on the train, administered last rites.
He was joined at the scene by Sen. Bill Cassidy, a gastroenterologist who represents Louisiana.
Cassidy worried about the fluid leaking out of the truck igniting in flames. “We didn’t know whether there was brake or diesel fluid,” Cassidy recalled. “We were all looking at this, knowing we could not move the bodies, hoping that a match did not go off.” Other lawmakers with medical backgrounds rushed off the train to help. Rep. Larry Bucshon, of Indiana, is a heart surgeon and worked on resuscitating the injured, but his wife, Kathryn, an anesthesiologist, played a key role in establishing an airway on the most injured survivor. “It’s hard to intubate somebody when they are not sedated, said Rep. Brad Wenstrup, of Ohio, who is also a physician and was at the scene.
Democrats question legality of Idaho's plan for Obamacare. Congressional Democrats are questioning the legality of a plan by Idaho officials to overhaul Obamacare so insurers can offer cheaper and less robust healthcare coverage. The letter to Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar and Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services Administrator Seema Verma warns that Idaho's proposal would endanger customers on Obamacare. “The state of Idaho’s new guidelines eviscerate critical protections that are enshrined in federal law and have the potential to destabilize the health insurance market and raise premiums for thousands of consumers and families in the state of Idaho,” Democrats wrote.
Veterans lacking access to mental healthcare, report finds. While the Department of Veterans Affairs provides mental healthcare that is comparable or better than private providers, a new study found that access is lacking. The study from the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering and Medicine found that there is a lack of awareness among veterans on how to connect with the VA for mental healthcare. Veterans seeking mental health services are also unsure if they are eligible for benefits or are unaware of them. Other barriers to access include a lack of convenient medical facilities, concerns about taking time off work and fears that “discrimination could lead to a loss of contact with or custody of their children,” the report said. The report was based on a survey of veterans.
Joe Manchin 'shocked' and 'disappointed' by Mike Pence's attacks on his voting record. Sen. Joe Manchin, D-W.Va., said he is "shocked" and "disappointed" by Vice President Mike Pence after he attacked Manchin on Twitter for voting against a number of Republican policies.
Tax law bolsters Cigna wages, retirement funds. Health insurer Cigna announced Thursday that it will increase the minimum wage for its employees to $16 an hour and raise contributions to retirement accounts thanks to the passage of the Republican tax law signed by President Trump in December. The total cost invested in higher wages, mostly for frontline employees, will be $15 million, and $30 million for its additional 1 percent match to the 401(k) program. Cigna credited the freed up funds with the tax law, which reduced the corporate tax rate from 35 percent to 21 percent. More than 30,000 of the company's workers are expected to benefit from the increased contribution to retirement funds.
Insurers waiting for proposal on Medicare advantage rates. The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services passed its Wednesday deadline to make public proposed rates for 2019 Medicare Advantage payment policies. It isn’t clear when the rate proposals will be released.
RUNDOWN
The Hill House GOP warming to Obamacare fix
Politico Why the CDC director had to resign
Axios Veterans struggle to find mental healthcare
Reuters Two U.S. lawmakers voice concerns over Philip Morris
STAT News Hospitals are revolting against the generic drug industry. Here’s why
Boston Globe Doomsday drug: Need for radiation sickness treatment a sign of scary times
New York Times Amazon wants to disrupt healthcare in America. In China, tech giants already have
ProPublica Unnecessary medical care is more common than you think
Kaiser Health News As states target high drug prices, pharma targets state lawmakers
Calendar
THURSDAY | Feb. 1
National Press Club. Health Affairs and National Pharmaceutical Council to hold live webcast on “Health Spending: Tackling The Big Issues.” Details.
TUESDAY | Feb. 6
3 p.m. 1100 Longworth. Hearing on the Opioid Crisis: Removing Barriers to Prevent and Treat Opioid Abuse and Dependence in Medicare. Details.
THURSDAY | Feb. 8
10 a.m. 430 Dirksen. Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee hearing about the impact of the opioid crisis on children and families. Details.
