From Washington, DC
- Healthcare Dive reports,
- “Republicans and Democrats in the House Budget Committee spent Wednesday blaming each other for the steep cost of healthcare, and arguing for diametrically opposed ideas to lower it. However, a few areas of bipartisan agreement emerged, including targeting healthcare consolidation — once an unheard-of view for members of the GOP.
- “We got problems in Peoria with consolidation, with too much power and too many assets in too few market participants,” said Chairman Jodey Arrington, R-Texas, referring to a small community in Hill County. “You know how we feel about big government … but the most important thing here is, I think there’s common ground here.”
- “We ought to huddle up at some point, probably not during a hearing, and figure out where we can deal with big medicine monopolies in pharma, hospital, insurance — the whole gambit. And I just want you to know I’m down with that,” Arrington continued.”
- AHIP released two more healthcare cost articles today.
- The Hill reports,
- “Some of the nation’s top health insurance executives sought to deflect blame for the soaring cost of health care in the U.S., arguing that rising hospital and prescription drug prices were driving premiums higher and making health care less affordable for Americans.
- “The CEOs of five major health insurers testified before a House Energy and Commerce subcommittee on Thursday, the first in a series of back-to-back hearings focused on finding the root causes driving unaffordability in the health care system, including skyrocketing premiums.”
- and
- “The House passed its final four appropriations bills Thursday afternoon, bringing Congress one step closer to avoiding a partial shutdown at the end of the month.
- “A minibus package passed with a convincing 341-88 vote, funding the departments of Defense, Transportation, Housing and Urban Development, Health and Human Services, Labor, Education and other related agencies. The House separately passed legislation to fund the Department of Homeland Security with a 220-207 vote.”
- The House of Representatives will be on recess next week while the Senate returns to Capitol Hill to tackle these appropriations bills.
- Beckers Payer Issues raises three big questions about Trump’s healthcare policy plan.
- On the bright side, Modern Healthcare relates,
- “More than 40 hospitals have converted to rural emergency hospitals since 2023 [under a new federal program].
- “The program has stabilized rural hospital finances but fewer hospitals converted last year.
- “Hospitals have expanded services to their communities since joining the program.”
- Federal News Network tells us,
- “Agencies are getting more information on how to implement the recently finalized “rule of many.” The federal hiring strategy, several years in the making, aims to create broader pools of qualified job candidates while adding flexibility for federal hiring managers.
- “A series of guidance documents the Office of Personnel Management published earlier this month outlined the steps agencies should take to begin using the “rule of many” when hiring. OPM’s new resources also detail how the “rule of many” intersects with other aspects of the federal hiring process, such as shared certificates, skills-based assessments and veterans’ preference.
- “Under the “rule of many,” federal hiring managers score job candidates on their relevant job skills, then rank the candidates based on those scores. From there, hiring managers can choose one of several options — a cut-off number, score or percentage — to pare down the applicant pool and reach a list of qualified finalists to select from.”
- Tammy Flanagan, writing in Govexec, answers “a litany of new questions on how to receive retirement benefits” coming from “an influx of federal retirees due to the Deferred Resignation Program and other separation programs.”
From the Food and Drug Administration front,
- BioPharma Dive reports,
- “Drugmakers developing experimental multiple myeloma drugs may have a quicker path to market under new guidance the Food and Drug Administration published this week.
- “According to the new framework, the regulator may grant accelerated approvals in some settings based on a therapy’s ability to induce “minimal residual disease” or “complete responses,” both of which are achieved when drugs drastically reduce levels of dysfunctional blood cells in people with the disease.
- “The FDA has recently handed accelerated approvals to multiple myeloma drugs like Johnson & Johnson’s Tecvayli and Talvey based on the “objective response rate” — a measure of remissions determined by the presence of disease on a scan — observed in clinical testing.”
From the public health and medical / Rx research front,
- The New York Times reports,
- “Despite gains in treatment, cardiovascular disease remains the leading cause of death in the United States, accounting for nearly three in 10 fatalities — 916,000 — in 2023, according to a report published Wednesday by the American Heart Association.
- “It outnumbers deaths from the second and third leading causes — cancer and accidental injuries — combined.
- “The statistics are a sobering reminder that there is “a lot of work to do” when it comes to prevention and treatment of heart disease and stroke, said Dr. Donald Lloyd-Jones, a professor of cardiology at Boston University and former president of the association, who was not involved in the new report.”
- Cardiovascular Business adds,
- “Cardiology has been shifting away from reactionary treatment strategies to a greater emphasis on prevention. With a shortage of heart failure specialists in the United States and hospitalization rates on the rise, reducing the number of advanced heart failure cases is a major target of such prevention efforts.
- “A joint scientific statement from the Heart Failure Society of America (HFSA) and the American Society for Preventive Cardiology (ASPC) about prevention in heart failure was released online in 2025 and then published in the Journal of Cardiac Failure (JCF) to kick off 2026.[1] The goal of the statement is to raise awareness that prevention efforts to stop the advance of heart failure symptoms should start with primary care and general cardiologists before the symptoms of these patients becomes critical. This is part of a wider effort across cardiology and medicine to try and reduce heart failure hospitalizations.”
- and
- “Reducing the activity of a specific protein, RBM20, may provide significant relief for certain patients with heart failure, particularly those with preserved ejection fraction (HFpEF), according to a new analysis published in Cardiovascular Research.[1]
- “HFpEF is associated with stiff, rigid cardiac muscles. A team of researchers out of the University of Missouri School of Medicine believe they may be able to improve HFpEF symptoms by limiting RBM20’s influence in the heart and encouraging another protein, titin, to thrive.
- “Titin is a protein found in cardiac muscle cells and acts as a ‘spring,’ enabling the heart chamber to recoil and stretch sufficiently,” lead author Mei Methawasin, MD, PhD, said in a statement. “In HFpEF, it’s common for the titin to stiffen and no longer be as flexible. We learned that if we reduced the activity of a different protein, RBM20, it caused longer and more flexible filaments of titin and significantly improved heart filling in mice.”
- “There are certain risks associated with too much RBM20 inhibition. Methawasin emphasized that it would be critical to find the “right balance” and not taking things too far.”
- The Wall Street Journal relates,
- “Colorectal cancer is on the rise among young people. Now it is the leading cause of cancer death in the U.S. for those under 50, according to a new analysis.
- “More than 1.2 million people under age 50 died of cancer in the U.S. from 1990 through 2023, American Cancer Society researchers reported Thursday.
- “Some 3,905 people ages 20 to 49 died of colorectal cancer in 2023, according to Cancer Society statistics, compared with 3,809 for breast cancer and 2,086 for brain and other nervous system cancers.
- “This is absolutely disconcerting,” said Dr. Madappa Kundranda, division chief of cancer medicine at Banner MD Anderson Cancer Center in Phoenix, who wasn’t involved in the research.” * * *
- “As colorectal cancer among younger people has emerged as a bigger threat, medical groups have lowered the recommended age for colonoscopies that can detect the disease while there are good odds for effective treatment.
- “Yet not enough people under 50 are getting the screenings, doctors said, prompting calls for a redoubling of efforts to educate doctors and nurses about the need to talk with patients.”
- The New York Times points out,
- “Is there a way to use the body’s way of fighting cancers to make a new drug?
- “Perhaps, according to preliminary research studies.
- “The idea is to exploit what is known about the growth of cancers. While many grow and spread and are deadly without treatment, some go away on their own or simply do not progress. They remain in the body, harmless and causing no symptoms. It’s contrary to conventional wisdom.
- “But Dr. Edward Patz, who spent much of his career researching cancer at Duke, has long been intrigued by cancers that are harmless and has thought they might hold important clues for drug development.
- “The result, after years of research, is an experimental drug, tested so far only in small numbers of lung cancer patients. The results are encouraging, but most promising experimental drugs fail after larger, more rigorous studies.
- “That hasn’t stopped Dr. Patz from recently starting a company, Grid Therapeutics, hoping that the experimental drug will turn out to be a new type of cancer treatment.”
- The Washington Post cautions,
- Obesity in midlife may cause vascular dementia later in life by raising blood pressure over decades and quietly damaging brain vessels, according to new research released Thursday.
- The danger could be significant. Having a higher body mass index increases the risk of vascular dementia by roughly 50 to 60 percent, according to the study, published in the Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism. An association between obesity and dementia has long been the subject of study, and the new research strongly indicates there is indeed a link.
- “We add a layer of evidence that suggests causality,” said Ruth Frikke-Schmidt, who was the study’s lead author and is a professor and chief physician at Copenhagen University Hospital Rigshospitalet and the University of Copenhagen. “For public health, this is an important message.”
- Beckers Clinical Leadership informs us,
- “Even as patient acuity climbed over the last several years, hospitals posted notable gains in mortality and reductions in two major hospital-acquired infections, a new Vizient report found.
- “The Jan. 22 report is based on an analysis of the Vizient Clinical Data Base, which includes data from more than 1,000 hospitals nationwide. It compares trends from the fourth quarter of 2019 to the second quarter of 2025 across measures of acuity, mortality performance and select hospital-acquired infections.
- “These improvements occurred during a period marked by workforce shortages, supply chain instability and rising case complexity, signaling that the system’s quality infrastructure is stronger, more adaptive and more scalable than often recognized,” the report said.”
- Per MedPage Today,
- “Ten-year follow-up results showed that 37.8% of patients who received antibiotics versus appendectomy had a true recurrence of appendicitis.
- “Overall, cumulative complication rates at 10 years were significantly higher in the appendectomy group versus the antibiotic group.
- “The analysis “reaffirms antibiotics as a safe and feasible alternative to appendectomy,” researchers said.”
- Per Health Day,
- “Even brief treatment with Ozempic can improve knee replacement outcomes among people with type 2 diabetes.
- “Taking semaglutide for as little as two to three months improved a person’s odds of avoiding major surgery complications.
- “Less than a month’s treatment lowered odds of minor complications.”
- and
- “Super agers are likely to have genetic advantages that protect their brain health.
- “They are less likely to carry a gene linked to increased risk of Alzheimer’s.
- “They also are more likely to have a gene that appears to protect against Alzheimer’s. * * *
- “Super agers” are people whose brain power at 80 or older compares to that of people 20 to 30 years younger, researchers said.”
- Truveta adds,
- “As of December 2025, GLP-1 RA prescriptions account for more than 7% of all prescriptions.
- “Tirzepatide continues to be the most prescribed anti-diabetic (ADM) and anti-obesity (AOM) medication (sold as Mounjaro and Zepbound, respectively) and showed the largest increase in total prescribing from September to December 2025.
- “Overall prescribing rates (GLP-1 RA prescriptions per total prescriptions) increased slightly from September to December 2025 (+5.0%); however, first-time prescribing rates declined over the same period (-6.6%). These trends are consistent with first-time prescribing rates seen around the holidays in previous years.”
From the U.S. healthcare business front,
- Modern Healthcare reports,
- “Insurance technology company Sidecar Health is offering health plans to employers in Texas.
- “The company, which launched in 2018, covers employees in 48 states who work for businesses headquartered in Ohio, Georgia, Florida and Texas.
- “Insurance technology company Sidecar Health is offering health plans to employers in Texas.
- The company, which launched in 2018, covers employees in 48 states who work for businesses headquartered in Ohio, Georgia, Florida and Texas.
- “Sidecar touts an alternative model promising no prior authorizations, referrals or specific networks. For covered services, the plan will pay for up to a maximum allowable amount based on local market prices, according to the company. If a service is below the benefit amount, members can keep half the savings, Sidecar said in the release. If they receive care that costs more than the benefit amount, members are required to pay the difference.”
- and
- “A unique marketing campaign from Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Vermont lays out price variations between specific providers for certain services.
- “Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Vermont unfavorably compares costs at the University of Vermont Medical Center to other hospitals.
- “Industry watchers say it could represent a new era in contract negotiations between health insurance companies and providers.”
- Beckers Health IT tells us,
- Amazon’s One Medical and Cleveland Clinic have opened their second collaborative primary care office.
- The new office, located in Shaker Heights, Ohio, offers preventive care, chronic disease management and treatment for common illnesses such as colds and flu. Patients also have access to on-site lab services and same- or next-day appointments.
- The office follows the October opening of the organizations’ first joint primary care site in Northeast Ohio, according to a Jan. 22 news release One Medical shared with Becker’s.
- Fierce Pharma relates,
- “As Sandoz looks to address the “biosimilar void” created by the scores of lucrative drugs going off patent in the next decade, the generic and biosim specialist sees a multibillion-dollar opportunity up for grabs.
- “The company detailed its outlook on the upcoming “‘golden decade’ of affordable medicines” at the J.P. Morgan Healthcare Conference last week. Tallying up expected losses of exclusivity across the industry over that period, the Swiss drugmaker sees a generic drug opportunity of up to $340 billion and a biosim opportunity totaling $322 billion.
- “More than 50 biologic drugs are set to go off patent in the next seven years and have no biosimilars lined up to launch. This situation has created what’s been coined the “biosimilar void” among industry watchers.
- “While fully dissipating the void will require participation from many biosim players, Sandoz is committed to the cause: The company boasts a plan to target some 60% of the total biosimilar opportunity in sight.
- “Still, “we want to do more,” the company’s North American president, Keren Haruvi, told Fierce Pharma in an interview on the sidelines of JPM.”
- MedTech Dive notes,
- “Abbott’s fourth quarter sales came in below expectations, as the company navigated challenges in its nutrition and diagnostics businesses. Abbott also reported less growth than expected in its medical devices segment.
- “The company’s revenue of $11.46 billion for the quarter fell short of analysts’ consensus of $11.8 billion, Leerink Partners analyst Mike Kratky wrote in a research note on Thursday.”
From the artificial intelligence front,
- Healthcare Dive shares a mixed bag of reports,
- “Amazon is launching a health-focused artificial intelligence chatbot for members of its One Medical primary care chain, the tech giant said Wednesday.
- “The Health AI assistant uses One Medical members’ medical record information to answer health questions and provide guidance on symptoms and potential treatments. Users can also chat with the assistant to book appointments, decide between care settings and renew prescriptions.
- “The chatbot is built with “multiple patient safety guardrails,” including protocols that connect patients with a provider through messages or an in-person appointment when their clinical judgment is needed, an Amazon spokesperson said.”
- and
- “Healthcare workers are using artificial intelligence tools that haven’t been approved by their organizations — a potential patient safety and data privacy risk, according to a survey published Thursday by Wolters Kluwer Health.
- “More than 40% of medical workers and administrators said they were aware of colleagues using “shadow AI” products, while nearly 20% reported they have used an unauthorized AI tool themselves, according to the survey by the information services and software firm.
- “Those unapproved tools might be useful to individual workers, but their health systems haven’t vetted the products’ risks or considered governance processes, according to Dr. Peter Bonis, chief medical officer at Wolters Kluwer. “The issue is, what is their safety? What is their efficacy, and what are the risks associated with that?” he said. “And are those adequately recognized by the users themselves?”
- and
- “Misuse of artificial intelligence-powered chatbots in healthcare has topped ECRI’s annual list of the top health technology hazards.
- “The nonprofit ECRI, which shared its list Wednesday, said chatbots built on ChatGPT and other large language models can provide false or misleading information that could result in significant patient harm.
- “ECRI put chatbot misuse ahead of sudden loss of access to electronic systems and the availability of substandard and falsified medical products on its list of the biggest hazards for this year.”