Simplicity is a virtue.

From Washington, DC,

• Roll Call reports,
  • “As the Senate speeds toward its upcoming August recess, President Donald Trump is turning up the pressure on Senate Majority Leader John Thune to keep his chamber in session and in Washington instead. 
  • “So far, that’s unlikely.  “You could stay here till Christmas” and the situation wouldn’t change, Thune said. “If I thought there was a path to getting a result, I’m all for it.” 
  • “The president posted to Truth Social on Monday morning that “Thune should not allow the United States Senate to ‘leave town’ until it passes” the SAVE America Act, a GOP-crafted package that would require proof of citizenship to register to vote and photo ID at the polls.
  • “The sweeping bill does not have the 60 votes needed to advance through the Senate — a message the South Dakota Republican leader has reiterated both publicly and privately to the other end of Pennsylvania Avenue.” 

• Per a U.S. Senate Committee news release,
  • “On Thursday, July 30, the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP) Committee will vote on bills to increase Americans’ educational opportunities and give them more tools to secure a strong retirement. The Committee will also vote the nominations for Assistant Secretary for Preparedness and Response for the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, the Director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and the Secretary of the U.S. Department of Labor.”

• Govexec relates,
  • “While lawmakers are debating what an appropriate regulatory framework for artificial intelligence should be, experts who spoke at a panel on Monday noted that federal employees have been using the technology for years to develop all sorts of regulations. 
  • “Cary Coglianese, a regulation professor at the University of Pennsylvania, said that agencies, for example, have been using AI to analyze thousands of public comments that some proposed rules receive. 
  • “Back in the day, contractors would literally photocopy comments, clip them out and sort them in different categories — and do what essentially natural language processing tools can do now so quickly and rather effectively,” he said. 
  • “But as the technology advances, speakers on the panel — which was sponsored by the Coalition for Sensible Safeguards, a left-leaning group of more than 220 regulatory-focused organizations — argued that AI could take over more steps in the rulemaking process, potentially supercharging the Trump administration’s efforts to slash regulations and downsize the federal government.”
•  FEHBlog observation: The government can use AI for many more tasks, and you don’t have to be left leaning to be concerned about this development.

• Fierce Healthcare tells us,
  • “A tiny federal agency tasked with protecting the public from injuries caused by lawn mowers and coffeemakers is demanding that some of the nation’s biggest health systems turn over detailed, personally identifiable medical records of all patients who seek help at their emergency rooms.
  • “The Consumer Product Safety Commission, responsible for tracking and issuing recalls of dangerous products sold in the U.S., began discreetly pressuring hospital executives this year to share personally identifiable health data with a private contractor. But hospital lawyers and other industry experts have questioned the agency’s authority to collect, its ability to safeguard such a swath of sensitive information, and whether it has followed the legal process to overhaul its surveillance system.
  • “After KFF Health News asked the CPSC about the new system, the agency announced the program on July 21. Left unmentioned, however, is the alarm it has raised among hospital executives, as well as the nature and extent of the agency’s data demands.”
• and
  • “A new analysis finds that Medicare Advantage enrollees spend less on average than those in the traditional program, but report similar satisfaction levels.
  • “ATI Advisory conducted the study on behalf of the Better Medicare Alliance, analyzing data from the Medicare Current Beneficiary Survey and Cost Supplement files from 2021 to 2023. The analysis found that MA enrollees spent $2,824, or 36%, less out-of-pocket on average in 2023 compared to those in fee-for-service Medicare.
  • “And the difference in spending has risen over time, with savings 16% higher in 2023 than in 2022, according to the report.
  • “Twelve percent of MA beneficiaries said they faced a significant cost burden, or spent more than 20% of their income on healthcare, compared to 24% of people enrolled in traditional Medicare.”
    
• Beckers Payer Issues adds,
  • Medicare Advantage will account for 57% of overall Medicare enrollment by 2036, up from 51% this year, according to a July report from the Congressional Budget Office.
• and
  • “Four more Medicare Advantage prescription drug plans have received five-star ratings thanks to CMS’ recalculation.” * * *
  • In a July 21 letter to MA organizations, CMS said ratings stayed the same for 61%, increased for 9% and declined for 30% of contracts. The agency did not change ratings for plans that had worse performance in the latest review. The threshold for MA plans earning additional payments is four out of five stars. Top plans get their own perks, though, such as special enrollment period privileges and further rebate benefits.
  • CMS clarified to Becker’s that it only updated overall ratings, not the separate Parts C and D summary ratings, on the plan finder.
  • Here are the four contracts joining the five-star club:
    • Renown Health
      • Hometown Health Plan (Senior Care Plus) — Contract H2960
    • Rifkin Managed Care Holding
      • Provider Partners Health Plan of Texas — Contract H4054
      • Provider Partners Health Plan of Pennsylvania — Contract H4093
    • Longevity Health Founders
      • Longevity Health Plan of New Jersey Insurance Co. — Contract H9942

From the Food and Drug Administration front,

• MedPage Today tells us,
  • Nearly 100 people in 17 states have been sickened in a salmonella outbreak tied to recalled eggs, federal health officials said Friday.
  • The 98 people had illnesses that started between Nov. 21 and June 30, according to the FDA. No deaths have been reported, but 26 people have been hospitalized.
  • Investigators have determined that shell eggs recalled by Midwest Poultry Services are a likely source of the germ, but the Indiana-based company doesn’t account for all the illnesses.

• BioPharma Dive reports,
  • “The Food and Drug Administration has approved Freenome’s blood-based screening test for colorectal cancer, called SimpleScreen CRC. Abbott will exclusively market the test in the U.S., starting this fall, the companies said Monday.
  • “Abbott already sells the Cologuard stool test for colorectal cancer screening, following its $21 billion acquisition of Exact Sciences earlier this year. Through its collaboration with Freenome, Abbott now adds a blood test to its colorectal cancer screening portfolio.
  • “SimpleScreen will compete with Guardant Health’s Shield blood test for colorectal cancer screening, which gained FDA approval in 2024. TD Cowen analysts said that with a very large population of patients who are unscreened, “We see room for multiple players.”

• Fierce Pharma relates,
  • “The FDA has approved Otsuka Pharmaceutical’s once-daily extended-release capsule Simtriyo (centanafadine) for attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) in patients aged 6 years and older.
  • “Approval of the first-in-class norepinephrine, dopamine, serotonin reuptake inhibitor (NDSRI) gives the Japanese drugmaker its “next major CNS launch” and positions the therapy to become a potential blockbuster in a large, under-penetrated market, according to Jefferies analysts in a July 26 note.
  • “Before Simtriyo can launch in the U.S. market, it must clear controlled-substance review by the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), a standard, up-to-three-month procedure for all central nervous system stimulants.”

• Contemporary OB/GYN informs us,
  • “Roche received FDA 510(k) clearance for its cobas BV/CV (Bacterial vaginosis/Candida vaginitis) assay, a molecular diagnostic test that returns results for both conditions from a single vaginal swab. The assay is intended for professional laboratory use, based on a clinician’s order, the company noted in a July 24, 2026, news release.
  • “The test uses real-time polymerase chain reaction technology to identify the specific bacteria and yeast species that are responsible for BV and CV in symptomatic patients. Roche stated that the assay is designed to support faster, more accurate diagnosis than syndromic evaluation alone, with the goal of improving both patient outcomes and laboratory efficiency.
  • “BV and CV are among the most common causes of vaginal symptoms in the United States, and both conditions can present with overlapping symptoms that complicate clinical diagnosis based on history and examination alone.”

• NBC News San Diego CA points out,
  • “The Food and Drug Administration has recalled a commonly prescribed thyroid medication.
  • “The recall involves levothyroxine sodium tablets that are used to treat hypothyroidism and decrease the size of enlarged thyroid glands, according to Mayo Clinic.
  • “The FDA said they had been functioning as “subpotent drugs,” meaning they had less of an active ingredient and were ultimately less effective.
  • “Major Pharmaceuticals packaged and distributed the recalled tablets, while Cardinal Health also distributed some of the recalled products.
  • “Twelve different dosages and cartons from the two companies were listed in the FDA’s recall notice. You can read the full list here.”

From the judicial front,

• Bloomberg Law reports,
  • “Novo Nordisk A/S is asking a federal judge to halt Eli Lilly & Co.’s advertisements for its GLP-1 drugs, escalating a legal fight against the company’s campaign for weight loss treatments.
  • “The company said Friday [July 24] it filed a motion for preliminary injunction seeking to block Lilly’s advertisements of its obesity drugs, days after filing a lawsuit accusing the company of deceptive promotions. 
  • “Misleading advertisements that selectively compare lower doses of Novo Nordisk’s medicines against higher doses of Lilly’s medicines, based on outdated studies, leave patients with the mistaken impression that Lilly’s drugs are vastly superior, and that is simply not true,” John F. Kuckelman, senior vice president and group general counsel of Novo, said in a statement.”
• and
  • “Johnson & Johnson on Monday said it agreed to a $5.5 billion commitment to resolve litigation related to claims that its talc products caused ovarian cancer. 
  • “The drugmaker said the proposed resolution represents “an efficient conclusion” to the lawsuits. The agreement requires the participation of lead plaintiff firms in ovarian talc litigation pending in state and federal court that represent at least 95% of claims, according to J&J. 
  • “While we are confident the company would have ultimately prevailed with further litigation, as it has in the vast majority of cases tried to date, this resolution allows the Company to put this matter behind it and remain focused on its mission to develop medicines and devices that save lives,” J&J Vice President of Litigation Erik Haas said in the statement on the company’s website.” 

• Beckers Payer Issues identifies five health system vs. payer lawsuits to watch.

From the public health and medical / Rx research front,

• Health Day reports,
  • “More than one-third of women and one-quarter of men engage in intentional outdoor tanning, with variance observed by age, race, physical activity level, and alcohol use, according to a study published online July 22 in JAMA Dermatology.
  • “Dawn M. Holman, M.P.H., from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in Atlanta, and colleagues examined the prevalence of intentional outdoor tanning among U.S. adults. The analysis included 31,615 adults participating in the 2024 National Health Interview Survey.” * * *
  • “These findings support the need to address intentional outdoor tanning in the context of skin cancer prevention,” the authors write. “The variation in demographic and behavioral factors points to venues for future research and interventions.”
    
• The American Medical Association lets us know “what doctors want patients to know about summer skin safety” and “what doctors want patients to know about cardiac stress tests.“

• The American Hospital Associagtion News relates,
  • “The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration July 27 released results from its latest national survey on drug use and mental health. The survey found that fewer adolescents 12-17 and adults 18-25 used alcohol, tobacco, marijuana and other drugs between 2021 and 2025. In addition, 27.6% of adolescents received mental health treatment in the past year, while 21.6% of adults 18 or older received treatment. The survey highlighted additional findings on suicide, substance use treatment and recovery.”
• and
  • “The Association for the Advancement of Blood and Biotherapies Interorganizational Task Force on Domestic Disasters and Acts of Terrorism announced July 24 that the U.S. blood supply is at significant risk for shortages due to weeks of decline in blood donations. The task force said the reduced supply is more pronounced in certain areas of the country, and in some areas blood collectors are already reporting an impact on the availability of blood for some patients. The organization is urging eligible donors to make and keep an appointment to donate blood as soon as possible. An AHA Member Advisory will be issued on the matter, which will include a call to action and resources for conserving blood supplies.” 
    
• MedPage tells us,
  • “Despite the availability of multivalent pneumococcal vaccines, infants remain susceptible to invasive pneumococcal diseases.
  • “In this French study, infants immunized against RSV with nirsevimab were about 35% less likely to be hospitalized for invasive pneumococcal disease through 9 months.
  • “The rise in pneumococcal disease cases in kids involving serotypes not covered by vaccines highlights the need for complementary prevention strategies, the researchers said.”
• and
  • “Diabetes and weight loss are associated with an increased risk of fragility fractures, which can be associated with substantial morbidity and mortality.
  • “In this retrospective study of adults with type 2 diabetes, those starting a GLP-1 drug had a 21% lower risk of fragility fractures over 3 years compared with initiators of a DPP-4 inhibitor.
  • “The lower fracture risk associated with GLP-1 drugs was independent of changes in body mass index.”

• Health Day adds,
  • “Worried that your Ozempic is becoming less effective over time?
  • “Don’t worry — you’re still eating less, even if you are feeling a bit hungrier, a new study says.
  • “People on semaglutide for weight loss continue to eat less even after they’ve taken the drug for more than a year, researchers report in the August issue of The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition.
  • “While some of the drug’s early reduction of hunger and food-related thoughts wanes over time, people continue to eat substantially fewer calories compared to others provided a placebo, researchers found.”

• MedScape notes,
  • “A compression device worn around the abdomen during colonoscopy reduced cecal intubation time by more than 1.5 minutes and significantly lowered post-procedural pain, the need for manual abdominal pressure, and patient position changes. Greatest improvements were seen in patients who were lean or had obesity.”
    
• Per a National Institutes of Health news release,
  • “Months to several years before amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) symptoms arise, levels of certain blood proteins may dramatically shift. Researchers analyzed data from the long-running, National Institutes of Health (NIH)-funded Pre-symptomatic Familial ALS (Pre-fALS) study, to identify a lineup of key proteins that may predict the emergence of clinically manifest ALS. By anticipating the arrival of symptoms, investigators could intervene with preventative therapies before the irreversible motor neuron damage that is characteristic of ALS sets in.
  • “If someone carrying an ALS-associated genetic variant had asked me in the past when they would become symptomatic, I would have struggled to provide a reasonable estimate,” said senior author Michael Benatar, M.D., Ph.D., a professor of neurology and public health sciences at the University of Miami. “These biomarkers give us a far better idea of the timing, allowing us to estimate the time to symptom onset with an average error of about 18 months. That’s something we can work with.”

From the U.S. healthcare business and artificial intelligence front,

• Beckers Payer Issue tells us eight things to know about healthcare spending trends. 

• Modern Healthcare reports,
  • “Cone Health CEO Dr. Paul Krakovitz said the system is focusing on value-based care coordination.
  • “Cone’s parent system, Risant Health [,a subsidiary of Kaiser Permanente], provides a national network with added scale and expertise to operate in a highly competitive healthcare market.
  • “Krokovitz said the system is expanding to take advantage of North Carolina’s booming population growth.” * * *
  • “We’re coming up on our second anniversary soon. The tools that Risant is bringing us in terms of value-based care and giving us national scale have been impressive. They’ve been very open-minded. Most importantly, they’ve stuck to the value of the deal, which has been making sure Cone Health remains a community-based health system.”

• Beckers Hospital Review relates,
  • “King of Prussia, Pa.-based Universal Health Services recorded an operating income of $516.7 million (11.1% operating margin) during the second quarter of 2026, compared to an operating income of $500.3 million (11.7% margin) during the same period last year, according to its July 27 financial report.” * * *
  • “UHS operates 30 inpatient acute care hospitals, 346 inpatient behavioral health facilities, about 170 outpatient and other facilities, a health plan and a physician network in 40 states, Washington, D.C., Puerto Rico and the United Kingdom.”
    
• Leapfrog posted its 2026 hospital safety ratings.

• The Wall Street Journal informs us,
  • “Argenx agreed to buy Forte Biosciences for $2.2 billion to strengthen its immunology pipeline.
  • “The purchase price of $77 a share in cash represents a 41% premium to Forte’s closing price on Friday.
  • “The deal adds Forte’s experimental drug FB102, which Argenx said has potential to address multiple autoimmune diseases.”
• and
  • “AstraZeneca reported higher second-quarter sales driven by cancer medicines and said it remains on track to hit its 2030 revenue target.
  • “AstraZeneca’s second-quarter revenue rose to $15.38 billion from $14.46 billion, driven by a 15% increase in oncology product sales.
  • “Chief Executive Pascal Soriot sought to reassure investors after a recent trial failure raised doubts about the company’s 2030 revenue goal.”

• MedCity News discusses “What Happens When Patients Trust AI Over Their Doctor?”
  • As patients increasingly bring AI chatbot advice into exam rooms, where does liability land when that advice goes wrong? Health law attorney Meghan O’Connor said the answer still isn’t clear, but silence is the riskiest response for providers.