Simplicity is a virtue.

From Washington, DC,

• The House of Representatives Budget Committee lets us know,
  • “A new report from the Department of Health and Human Services’ Office of the Assistant Secretary for Planning and Evaluation (ASPE) finds reforms to Medicaid provider taxes and state-directed payments in The One Big Beautiful Bill will lower health care prices for Americans across the board.
  • “The report projects the reforms will reduce non-Medicaid health care prices by as much as 3.5 percent, generating between $502 billion and $875 billion in savings for taxpayers, families, and businesses over the next decade, with annual savings reaching $100 to $175 billion once the reforms are fully in place.
  • “The savings extend beyond Medicaid: ASPE estimates that every $100 billion in Medicaid savings produces another $29 billion in savings for Medicare and commercial coverage plans, which lowers health care costs and the tax burden for hardworking American families.”

• Per a Department of Health and Human Services news release,
  • “The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) today announced that health systems represented by the past, current, and incoming chair of the American Hospital Association (AHA) have joined the Make Hospital Food Healthier Pledge, strengthening a nationwide effort to improve the quality of food served in America’s hospitals and reinforce the role of nutrition in patient care. Corewell Health in Michigan, Houston Methodist in Texas, and Sanford Health in South Dakota all signed onto the pledge.
  • “Hospitals cannot promote healing while serving food that contributes to chronic disease,” said HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. “By joining this pledge, these health systems are putting nutrition where it belongs — at the center of patient care. We are working with hospitals across America to serve healthier food, improve patient health, and Make America Healthy Again.”

• Fierce Healthcare reports,
  • “The Pharmaceutical Care Management Association announced Thursday that its members had reached an agreement with the feds to offer information on cash prices available through TrumpRx.
  • “The commitment encompasses nine of the industry’s leading pharmacy benefit managers, including the “Big Three” in CVS’ Caremark, UnitedHealth Group’s Optum Rx and Cigna’s Express Scripts. Other participants that have signed on include Elevance Health’s CarelonRx, Humana, MedImpact Healthcare Systems, Navitus Health Solutions, Prime Therapeutics, VtylOne and WellDyne.
  • “Members covered by these PBMs will be able to see costs for drugs purchased through TrumpRx when using their plan’s real-time benefit or other pricing tools, PCMA said.”

• McKnight’s Homecare relates,
  • “In a new memo outlining the National Fraud Enforcement Division’s enforcement priorities in a variety of industries, the Department of Justice called out home health and hospice fraud as an area of focus in the healthcare sector.
  • “National healthcare expenditures are expected to grow from over $3 trillion a year to over $7 trillion, and estimates are that between 3–10% of that amount is lost to fraud,” the Aug. 13 memo from Colin M. McDonald, assistant attorney general, said. “Home health aide and hospice scams directly impact vulnerable elderly Americans and erode patient care.”

• The American Hospital Association News tells us,
  • “The Department of Health and Human Services Aug. 14 released a request for comments through the Office of the National Coordinator for Health IT on a proposed three-year generic clearance to collect routine customer feedback on service delivery and performance related to the Trusted Exchange Framework and Common Agreement. TEFCA is a nationwide network for health information sharing established by ONC to fulfill mandates under the 21st Century Cures Act. HHS said data collection under the clearance would be used to standardize monitoring and performance reports for TEFCA participants. Comments are due 30 days following publication in the Federal Register.”

From the U.S. Office of Personnel Management front,

• Govexec reports,
  • “Federal wildland firefighters will soon have more opportunities to receive hazard pay in connection with their work fighting and preventing wildfires, thanks to newly finalized regulations from the Office of Personnel Management.
  • “Currently, federal firefighters are eligible for hazard pay—a 25% increase over their normal salary—only when working to extinguish an unplanned wildfire. But they do not receive this increased pay when working on prescribed burns, in which officials intentionally ignite decaying forest material in the hopes of mitigating the risk of an uncontrolled wildfire breaking out in the future.
  • “In a new rule published in the Federal Register Friday, OPM finalized its April proposal to expand firefighters’ access to hazard pay to include prescribed burns, effective Sept. 13. The regulation authorizes hazardous duty pay for prescribed burns for firefighters hired under the “General Schedule pay sale, as well as environmental differential pay for those serving under the Federal Wage System.
  • “But OPM noted that the new hazard pay will not be available for every activity associated with a prescribed burn.

• Also in today’s Federal Register, OPM issued a new direct final rule. Here is the summary and comment information:
  • SUMMARY: Pursuant to the President’s direction in Executive Order 14410, Implementing Schedule Policy/Career in the Excepted Service, the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) is issuing a direct final rule to update and amend obsolete and outdated provisions of the
  • Civil Service Rules that do not substantively affect agency operations.
  • DATES: This rule is effective October 13, 2026, unless significant adverse comments are received by September 14, 2026. If significant adverse comments are received, OPM will withdraw the relevant provisions of this direct final rule.

• Federal News Network relates,
  • “Retirement is supposed to be the payoff for decades of saving, planning and serving the federal government. But for some federal employees, the first year of retirement can bring surprises they never saw coming, whether that be a delayed pension, a tax bill that looks very different from what they expected, anxiety about spending the money they’ve saved for decades, and decisions that can affect a spouse’s benefits for years to come.
  • “On this episode of Fed Thread [which the article summarizes], we called back our three financial professionals—James Campbell of Federal Employees Benefit Association, Katelyn Murray of RJFS and Serving Those Who Serve, and Chris Campbell of CJC Wealth Management and the DC Society for Financial Awareness—to talk through the financial and psychological traps feds may encounter before or after their last day. Because retirement isn’t just the day your paycheck stops. It’s the beginning of a completely different financial system.”

From the Food and Drug Administration front,

• The Washington Post informs us,
  • “About 1.5 million dozen white and brown cage-free eggs recalled for potential salmonella contamination have been upgraded to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s highest-risk warning. 
  • “The agency reclassified the recall of Midwest Poultry Services eggs to Class I due to the reasonable possibility that exposure to the product would cause serious health issues or death, it said in a safety alert. 
  • “Salmonella is a bacteria that can cause diarrhea, vomiting, fever and stomach pain.
  • “The eggs were available to consumers in Brookshire Grocery stores in Texas, Louisiana, Oklahoma, Arkansas, New Mexico and Mississippi. Other locations include Kroger stores in Texas and Louisiana, as well as other small retail outlets, the FDA said.”

• The UPI reports,
  • “U.S. health officials said they have begun inspections at the Mexican processing plant of the U.S. food distributor Taylor Farms as they deal with a continuing cyclosporiasis outbreak that has spread across 17 states.
  • “The Food and Drug Administration and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention announced Thursday they have “initiated an onsite inspection and sampling” at Taylor Farms de Mexico’s facility in Guanajuato, Mexico, located about 185 miles northwest of Mexico City.”

• The University of Minnesota’s CIDRA adds,
  • “The best-if-used-by dates of recalled iceberg lettuce associated with the massive Cyclospora outbreak have passed, according to an update from the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) yesterday. This means that Cyclospora-tainted Taylor Farms lettuce should no longer be available at stores and restaurants.” 

• Radiology Business relates,
  • “The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has approved a new brain imaging agent targeted toward Alzheimer’s, drugmaker Lantheus announced Friday. 
  • “Tauklarify, also known as MK-6240, is a radiodiagnostic agent indicated for PET (positron emission tomography) imaging of adults. Ideal candidates have cognitive impairment, with physicians evaluating them for abnormal buildup of tau—twisted, insoluble protein fibers in brain cells—a potential sign of the neurodegenerative disease. 
  • “Bedford, Massachusetts-based Lantheus—which recently reached a deal to be sold to rival Curius for $8 billion—said the drug’s safety was tested in two clinical trials. Across over 1,700 subjects, researchers reported strong results, with only about less than 1% of subjects experiencing adverse reactions.”

No Surprises Act News

• The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Service posted a notice today (Dropbox link) about implementation of changes to the Independent Dispute Resolution Gateway required by a recent final rule.
  • “Organizations and individuals thatprocess disputes, represent parties, or submit IDR web forms in the current Federal IDR process must sign up to manage disputes in the IDR Gateway. If a party uses a third-party administrator or another organization to process disputes, the party does notneed to sign up for the IDR Gateway but must ensure the third-party administrator or organization responsible for managing dispute processing activities signs up for an IDR Gateway account.
  • “Details about signing up for the IDR Gateway are coming soon. Until then, continue using the Federal IDR web.” 

From the judicial front,

• The Wall Street Journal reports,
  • “Luigi Mangione, whose coldblooded killing of an insurance executive on a Manhattan sidewalk rattled the nation and struck fear into Corporate America, pleaded guilty Friday to two federal stalking charges in the death of UnitedHealthcare leader Brian Thompson.
  • “On the morning of Dec. 4, 2024, I shot Mr. Thompson in Manhattan and he died,” Mangione solemnly told the judge during a court hearing.
  • “Mangione, wearing tan jail garb, told the judge that he spent years enduring severe pain, including a broken back, and witnessed others with similar experiences. He said that after learning of an investor conference, he emailed UnitedHealthcare, posing as an investor at a firm managing over $50 million in assets, to request information about it.
  • “Unlike my previous interactions with insurers, I received an immediate response within an hour,” Mangione added. He said he made part of a gun using a 3-D printer and planned the killing.
  • “U.S. District Judge Margaret Garnett said Mangione faces up to life in prison at his sentencing, which she set for December. Jamie McDonald, the U.S. attorney for the Southern District of New York, said after Friday’s hearing that his office intended to seek the maximum penalty, saying Mangione committed the crime in order to “draw public attention to his dislike of certain businesses.” 
  • “No grievance, political belief or ideological cause can ever justify murder,” McDonald said. “There can be no celebrity in assassination.”
• FEHBlog observation: Well put observation, Mr. McDonald.

• Healthcare Dive tells us,
  • “A patient advocacy group is going up against the most powerful doctor’s association in the U.S. in a bid to wrest away its ownership of U.S. medical codes and release them into the public domain.
  • “On Thursday, PatientRightsAdvocate.org sued the American Medical Association, challenging its copyright over the current procedural terminology, or CPT, billing code system, which shapes billions of dollars in healthcare payments every year.
  • “The goal of the lawsuit is to get the codes published online and let the public access them for free, the group, which lobbies for better price transparency in healthcare, said. Currently, the AMA charges licensing fees to retrieve and use CPT codes.”
• FEHBlog observation — It’s no problem looking up CPT Codes on the internet.

From the public healh and medical / Rx research front,

• The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention announced today,
  • “As of August 14, 2026, the amount of acute respiratory illness causing people to seek health care is very low.
  • “Based on multiple data sources, COVID-19 activity is low in many regions but is increasing in the West and South.
  • “RSV activity is very low in most areas of the country.
  • “Seasonal influenza activity is low.
  • “Parainfluenza (PIV) and respiratory adenovirus are elevated nationally. Whooping cough (pertussis) continues to circulate at lower levels compared to post-pandemic peaks.”

• The University of Minnesota’s CIDRAP reports,
  • “With 101 newly confirmed measles cases nationwide, the US total has now reached 2,566 this year, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) said today in its weekly update.
  • “This is the second straight week of about 100 new cases after previous weeks’ totals of about half that. Most this week’s cases are in Pennsylvania, though Ohio also saw a substantial increase. 
  • “The CDC noted 38 outbreaks, the same as last week. Last year saw 48 measles outbreaks, defined as three or more related cases. Total cases for all of 2025 reached 2,289, which was the most since 1991 until the country surpassed that level several weeks ago. 
  • “All but 16 of this year’s cases have been locally acquired, with the rest tied to international travel.
  • “Of the 2026 cases, 19% involve children age 5 and under, and 67% involve kids and teens. Seven percent of patients have been hospitalized, compared with 11% in 2025. Among all measles patients, 93% are unvaccinated or have unknown vaccine status.”
• and
  • “A pair of new studies confirm that recently developed immunizations against respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) protect infants in their first year of life. 
  • “The research, including one study conducted in France and another in the United Kingdom, confirm that the immunizations are effective in the real world, not just in carefully supervised clinical trials”

• MedPage Today relates,
  • “By this time of year, both the FDA and CDC normally have weighed in on fall respiratory virus vaccine recommendations. But given ongoing controversies over vaccination spurred by the Trump administration, a wrench has once again been thrown into the gears of that process.
  • “The FDA has done its part, making recommendations about vaccine composition for influenza vaccines in March, followed by recommendations for COVID shots in May. But the CDC’s Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) hasn’t done its part as it hasn’t held its March or June meetings this year.” * * *
  • But clinicians shouldn’t worry, because medical groups have stepped in to fill the gaps. The IDSA, the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP), the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, and the American Academy of Family Physicians (AAFP) have issued guidance on fall respiratory virus shots and more, as the Trump administration has also tried to make significant changes to the pediatric immunization schedule.
  • At the same time, insurers have pledged to cover all recommended vaccines without cost-sharing through the end of 2027, Richard Hughes IV, MPH, legal counsel for AAP, said in an email in June.
  • “There are some shades of gray, however, as the FDA approved the first mRNA flu shot (mFlusiva) from Moderna earlier this month. While the company has said its shot — approved for adults 50 and up — should be available for the upcoming 2026-2027 season, it’s unclear whether it will be written into recommendations.”
• and
  • “GLP-1 agonists and bariatric surgery are top obesity treatments, raising questions of their combined efficacy.
  • “A retrospective study found that patients taking GLP-1 drugs before surgery achieved similar 12-month weight loss as non-users (24% vs 25%).
  • “Treatment groups had comparable outcomes on surgical complications and diabetes control.”
    
• Health Exec informs us,
  • “Right now U.S. healthcare has almost everything it needs to eliminate one awful affliction—and then to adapt the resulting victory for going after many others.  
  • “All it would take to set the precedent is responsible AI deployment, attuned government leadership, cross-sector partnerships and generational investments.  
  • “That, and an orchestrated targeting of the low-hanging fruit at hand—cervical cancer.  
  • “The cure-in-waiting for this maddeningly preventable cancer represents a “breakthrough with a failure to follow through,” physician-researchers explain in an article published Aug. 13 in JAMA.  
  • “Erstwhile Surgeon General Special Advisor Adam Beckman, MD, MBA, and co-author Dave Chokshi, MD, MSc, believe cervical cancer is a prime candidate for first dibs because of its 90%-plus early-stage survival rate on top of the near-perfect efficacy of vaccines for human papillomavirus (HPV), which causes many if not most cervical cancers. 
  • “All that’s lacking is the will to “bridge the stubborn gap between what we know and what we do in public health and healthcare,” the researchers write.”

• Health Day points out,
  • “Taking the stairs instead of the elevator may do more for your health than you think.
  • “A large study published in the American Journal of Cardiovascular Drugs found people who regularly climbed the stairs were 39% less likely to die from cardiovascular disease. And 24% less likely to die from any cause. Their odds of heart attack, stroke and heart failure were also lower.
  • “Taking the stairs is a practical and often overlooked way to build physical activity into daily life,” said senior author Dr. Vassilios Vassiliou, a professor of cardiac medicine at Norwich Medical School at the University of East Anglia in the U.K. “We wanted to better understand how this everyday activity could have life-saving potential.”
• and
  • “Gambling is a powerful temptation for today’s college students, and those hooked have a greater risk of deeper mental health issues, a new study says.
  • “Student gambling frequently occurs alongside depression, anxiety and substance use, researchers reported recently in the International Journal of Mental Health and Addiction.
  • “What’s interesting about this study is even though mental health concerns were very prominent, students who tended to gamble more were more likely to be experiencing greater levels of problems among a sample that was already experiencing plenty,” said lead researcher Nicholas McAfee, director of the William Magee Center for AOD and Wellness Education at the University of Mississippi.
  • “Gambling is a real concern for college students, given the proliferation of online betting and prediction markets in the United States, researchers said in background notes.”

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

• The International Foundation of Employee Benefit Plans reports,
  • “U.S. employers project a median health care cost increase of 10% for 2027, according to Health Care Costs Pulse Survey: 2027 Cost Trend, a new survey from the International Foundation of Employee Benefit Plans. A similar International Foundation survey conducted in 2025 also projected a 10% increase for 2026.” 
    
• Healthcare Dive adds,
  • “Nearly 4 in 5 U.S. adults said either high insurance premiums or out-of-pocket spending were the most important problem in the healthcare system, according to a Commonwealth Fund survey released Thursday. 
  • “Affordability concerns crossed party and coverage lines. Premiums were the top problem for 45% of Republicans, 44% of Democrats and 42% of independents, while more than 8 in 10 adults with employer, individual or marketplace coverage — as well as uninsured adults — said either premiums or out-of-pocket costs were the biggest issue.
  • “Still, according to the survey, Americans are split over who’s best to tackle the problem. Most respondents said the federal government is best suited to solve high healthcare prices, while Republicans were more likely to say insurance companies were best to address the issue.”
• FEHBlog observation — Consumers pay insurance premiums and cost sharing but evidently fail to understand that those costs are driven by hospital, doctors and pharmacy charges.

• In that regards, The Washington Post relates,
  • Prescription drug prices recorded the biggest year-over-year drop in more than 60 years in July, a startling reduction experts chalked up to an array of factors, including more generics and discount GLP-1 weight-loss drugs. 
  • While overall costs for medical services continued to rise, prices for medicinal drugs fell 2.7 percent over the 12 months ending in July, the largest annual drop on record, according to Bureau of Labor Statistics data released Wednesday. Prescription drugs, part of the medicinal drug category, fell by 3.1 percent, the steepest annual decline since March 1963.

• EBRI calls to our attention,
  • “Plan sponsors that wish to introduce or continue offering health savings account (HSA)-eligible health plans as part of their workplace benefit program can benefit from a long-term view of HSA accountholder behaviors. As such, the Employee Benefit Research Institute (EBRI) has undertaken a series of longitudinal studies from its HSA Database, examining trends in account balances, individual and employer contributions, distributions, invested assets, and account-owner characteristics from 2011‒2024. Such analysis can help plan sponsors, providers, and policymakers better understand strategies that can help improve employee financial wellness.”
  • “HSAs offer a triple tax advantage to accountholders, enabling them to stretch money they save for health care expenses further than they otherwise could. The tax benefits of HSAs are maximized when accountholders contribute the statutory maximum and minimize withdrawals for current medical expenditures — if they are able — and invest their HSA balances in assets other than cash. However, the majority of accountholders appear to use their HSAs to pay for current expenses and do not take complete advantage of the tax benefits HSAs offer. Average contributions are well below the statutory maximum, most accountholders take a distribution from their HSA, and relatively few accountholders invest. We do find that as time goes on, accountholders tend to take fuller advantage of the benefits HSAs offer. And, despite out-of-pocket spending on health care rising by 5.9 percent in 2024, average balances in HSAs increased, rising from $4,747 in the prior year to $5,532. Further, the share of accountholders who invest their HSAs has crept steadily upward since EBRI began analyzing its HSA Database, reaching 18 percent in 2024.”

• Beckers Hospital Review tells us,
  • “Providence Health Plan will completely shut down after it was unable to reach a deal with a national insurer to operate its Medicare Advantage business.
  • “We are in discussion with regulators about this development and the broader wind-down of Providence’s health plan operations,” a spokesperson for the system told Becker’s. “We will share more details with our members and the public as we are able under applicable regulations.”
  • “In May, the Renton, Wash.-based health system said it would shutter most of its insurance business beginning in 2027 after operating more than 40 years as a regional payer and serving more than 440,000 members. 
  • “At the time, President and CEO Erik Wexler said state and federal regulations and consolidation among large insurers had left Providence “in an untenable situation” and unable to continue operating the health plan.”
• and
  • “Cleveland Clinic recorded operating income of $245.6 million (5% operating margin) during the second quarter of 2026, down from operating income of $255.3 million (5.6% margin) during the same period last year, according to its Aug. 14 financial report.”
• and
  • “New Orleans-based Ochsner Health recorded operating income of $32.5 million (0.8% operating margin) in the first half of 2026, up from an operating loss of $42.7 million (-1.1% margin) during the same period last year, according to its Aug. 13 financial report.” 

• Beckers Physician Leadership points out,
  • “Hollywood, Fla.-based DermCare Management and Dallas-based U.S. Dermatology Partners have partnered to form one of the largest dermatology groups in the U.S. 
  • “The combined company will expand patient access, preserve physician autonomy, support national dermatology clinical trials, improve practice management support and unify culture, according to an Aug. 13 news release from DermCare Management. 
  • “DermCare Management partners with more than 270 dermatology practices, and U.S. Dermatology Partners supports a network of more than 120 locations across nine states.”