From Washington, DC,

• The House of Representatives and the Senate will be in session for Committee business and floor voting this week.

• The Senate is expected to pass S. Res. 520 which is bloc approval of over eighty nominations below the Cabinet or federal judicial level that require Senate approval. The FEHBlog did not notice any OPM nominations on the list.

• Modern Healthcare reports,
  • “States are using limited resources to mitigate the effects of rising health insurance exchange premiums and shrinking subsidies.
  • “Initiatives include financial assistance, reinsurance programs and intensified consumer outreach.
  • “Congress continues to debate whether to extend enhanced premium subsidies that expire at the end of the year.”

• The New York Times relates,
  • “The new Dietary Guidelines for Americans will not arrive until early 2026, a representative for the Department of Health and Human Services told The New York Times on Thursday, marking a delay of the release of the government’s official advice on what to eat and drink for good health.
  • “For months, Robert F. Kennedy Jr., the nation’s health secretary, has promised to overhaul the guidelines. Federal law requires that they are updated every five years; the current edition was supposed to be replaced by the end of 2025.”

• The Federal Benefits Open Season ends tomorrow December 8 on the following OPM established schedule:
  • “The Federal Benefits Open Season ends at 11:59 pm Eastern Time on Monday December 8, 2025 for the Federal Employees Dental and Vision Insurance Program (FEDVIP) and the Federal Flexible Spending Account Program (FSAFEDS). Open Season for the Federal Employees Health Benefits Program (FEHB) and Postal Service Health Benefits Program (PSHB) ends at 11:59 pm, in the location of your electronic enrollment system, on Monday December 8, 2025.”

• OPM’s Director Scott Kupor added a new post to his Secrets of OPM blog last Friday. Here is a link to the post which concerns employee performance management.

From the judicial front,

• Tomorrow, the U.S. Supreme Court will hold its oral argument in Case No. 25–332, captioned Donald J. Trump, President of the United States, et al. v. Rebecca Kelly Slaughter, et al. Amy Howe, writing in the SCOTUSBlog, offers an explainer about the case.
  • “On Monday, Dec. 8, the Supreme Court will hear oral arguments in Trump v. Slaughter, a battle that has been brewing, on one hand, since soon after President Donald Trump took office in January and, on the other hand, for years. At the center of the battle are laws that limit the president’s ability to fire the heads of independent, multi-member federal agencies like the Federal Trade Commission. The president and his supporters are proponents of a doctrine known as the “unitary executive” theory – the idea that the president should have complete control over the executive branch. Under this theory, the president should be able to fire any member of the executive branch, and laws – like the one at the center of this case – that restrict his ability to do so violate the constitutional separation of powers between the three branches of government.” 
    
• Federal News Network adds,
  • “A three-judge panel ruled Friday that President Donald Trump’s firings without cause of Cathy Harris and Gwynne Wilcox, Democratic members on the Merit Systems Protection Board and the National Labor Relations Board, were lawful.
  • “The split 2-to-1 panel decision of the D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals has no immediate effect, since both Harris and Wilcox’s firings were finalized in May. But Friday’s ruling comes as the Supreme Court is expected to hear arguments [on Monday December 8] on whether to overturn a 90-year-old ruling known as Humphrey’s Executor — a decision that could expand Trump’s [and future Presidents’] power to shape independent agencies.”

• These court decisions do not affect OPM which is considered an executive agency subject to Presidential authority.

From the public health and medical / Rx research front,

• The New York Time reports that a kidney recipient dies after transplant from organ donor who had rabies. Only four donors have transmitted rabies to organ transplant recipients since 1978, according to federal officials.
  • “Since 1978, four organ donors have passed rabies to 13 organ recipients, the report said. Of the 13 recipients, six who received treatment for rabies survived. The seven others, who did not receive treatment, died.
  • “Fewer than 10 human deaths are attributed to rabies each year in the United States, according to the C.D.C. More than 3,500 animals test positive for the virus annually.
  • “In 2024, a record 48,149 organ transplants were performed, according to the Organ Procurement and Transplantation Network, the United Network for Organ Sharing reported. The organs came from a total of 24,018 deceased and living donors.”

• The Wall Street Journal informs us,
  • “Despite being among the great scientific breakthroughs of all time, vaccines are under fire as top government officials cast doubts on their safety. 
  • “But as doctors and vaccine deniers spar over the safety of vaccines, emerging evidence finds that some vaccines aren’t only good at preventing the disease or virus they target but also might have broader or even unrelated health benefits.” * * *
    • “The shingles vaccine might reduce dementia risk, with one study showing it averted one in five new dementia diagnoses over seven years.
    • “A Nature study found that some cancer patients who received the Covid-19 vaccine while undergoing immunotherapy had a greater survival rate than those who didn’t.
    • “The BCG tuberculosis vaccine is being studied for Alzheimer’s prevention and has been shown to decrease infant mortality.”

• A Washington Post recounts undergoing a full body MRI as a preventive measure which by the way is not covered by health insurance.

• From the American Society of Hematology conference, now underway in Orlando, Florida,
  • Per Fierce Pharma,
    • “Pfizer has unveiled phase 3 results that could help the company’s hemophilia drug Hympavzi level the playing field in its competition with Sanofi’s Qfitlia and Novo Nordisk’s Alhemo.
    • “After an FDA approval about a year ago for the treatment of hemophilia in patients without inhibitors, Pfizer now has detailed data showing prophylactic Hympavzi can outperform traditional therapies at controlling bleeding in patients with inhibitors.”
  • Per BioPharma DIve,
    • “Vertex Pharmaceuticals’ genetic medicine Casgevy hit an early goal in two late-stage trials focused on children with uncommon blood disorders, helping them avoid damaging vessel blockages and the need for transfusions in a setting expected to be among the first to receive an extra-speedy review from the Food and Drug Administration.
    • “The data, disclosed Saturday at the American Society of Hematology scientific meeting in Orlando, may help boost disappointing sales for Casgevy, the first therapeutic to use CRISPR gene-editing technology to modify human diseases. Casgevy is a cell therapy made from patients’ own tissues and engineered to embed in the bone marrow and stimulate a protein called fetal hemoglobin. In sickle cell disease, this protein prevents the characteristic bending that results in blockages, while, in another disorder called beta thalassemia, it can prevent anemia and the need for frequent transfusions.”
  • Per STAT News,
    • “With sales of its existing blood cancer CAR-T therapies weakening, Gilead Sciences needs anito-cel, its next CAR-T therapy for multiple myeloma — to succeed more than ever. 
    • “On Saturday at the annual meeting of the American Society of Hematology, the company and its partner Arcellx reported deepening and durable responses with no concerning safety issues in the latest analysis of a pivotal-stage clinical trial.
    • “Among 117 patients enrolled in the study, 96% showed a tumor response, with 74% of patients achieving complete remission, the companies said in a press release. 
    • “Anito-cel delayed the worsening of multiple myeloma in 67% of patients at 18 months. At the same time point, 88% of the multiple myeloma patients in the study were still alive. 
    • “None of the study participants experienced delayed neurotoxicity, including Parkinsonian symptoms and cranial nerve palsies, and there were no cases of enterocolitis, an inflammation of the intestines.”
  • and
    •  “Revuforj is a pill made by Syndax Pharma that blocks a protein called menin implicated in certain types of genetically altered acute myeloid leukemia, or AML, an aggressive and difficult-to-treat blood cancer that occurs when immature bone marrow cells fail to mature into healthy blood cells and instead start dividing uncontrollably.
    • “For now, Revuforj is approved for patients with menin-susceptible AML that is no longer responsive to other therapies. On Saturday, however, a researcher presented preliminary study results showing strong efficacy for an experimental Revuforj combination regimen in patients with newly diagnosed AML.”

From the U.S. healthcare business front,

• Kaufman Hall reports
  • “The most recent National Hospital Flash Report highlights stabilizing hospital margins, with a persistent gap in hospital performance, according to September 2025 data. Year to date margins range from 14.7% for hospitals performing at the top quartile to -1.8% at the lowest quartile, with the 50th percentile at approximately 2.9% when adjusted for the allocations to hospitals from corporate, physician, and other entities.
  • “September saw also month-over-month and year-over-year increases in inpatient discharges, patient days and emergency department visits. With patient volumes moderately increasing year over year, the ability of hospitals to manage patient throughput efficiently is more important than ever.”

• Kaufman Hall also offers advice to hospitals and payers about recent and potential site neutral payment developments.

• Modern Healthcare points out,
  • “Prime Healthcare Foundation has decided not to acquire two Prospect Medical Holdings hospitals in Rhode Island. 
  • “Prospect Medical Holdings has filed a motion to close the facilities if a buyer is not found.”

• Per Becker Payer Issues,
  • “This year, Elevance Health began covering doula care for members of some employer-sponsored health plans. Cynthia Brown, MD, medical director and clinical lead for women’s health at Elevance Health, joined the Becker’s Payer Issues podcast for an upcoming episode on her team’s push for doula coverage.”