Monday Report

From Washington, DC
- Roll Call reports,
- “House Budget Committee Republicans advanced a sweeping reconciliation bill Sunday night, but for the GOP, the internal debate is far from over. * * *
- “Rep. Chip Roy, R-Texas, one of four conservative Budget Committee members who agreed to vote “present” Sunday to allow the House to move forward with the bill designed to implement Trump’s policy agenda, said in a statement, “the bill does not yet meet the moment.”
- “The Rules Committee is scheduled to convene at 1 a.m. Wednesday to set the ground rules for floor debate on the measure after releasing an updated committee print version of the legislative text overnight.
- “Among the newest changes is the removal of a provision opposed by Rep. Michael R. Turner, R-Ohio, that would force federal agency employees, lawmakers and congressional staff to contribute more of their salaries to their pension plans. The effective dates of two other pension-related provisions would be delayed to 2028.”
- “Roy said provisions related to curbing spending enacted under President Joe Biden, especially for environmental and energy programs, needed to see further cuts. He also criticized the bill’s Medicaid language.
- “Roy said in a statement that the bill “fails to end the Medicaid money laundering scam and perverse funding structure that provides seven times more federal dollars for each dollar of state spending for the able-bodied relative to the vulnerable. This all ultimately increases the likelihood of continuing deficits and non-Obamacare-expansion states like Texas expanding in the future,” Roy said in a statement.”
- STAT News adds,
- “Although moderate and conservative Republicans disagree over some Medicaid policies that have been considered, both groups support imposing work requirements on adults without kids or disabilities. For that reason, the bill leaned hard on that policy by applying work requirements on beneficiaries up to the age of 64, instead of 55. Those people would keep Medicaid if, twice a year, they document that they’re working at least 80 hours a month. They could also maintain coverage if they perform community service or are enrolled in educational programs.
- “Those work requirements would take effect in 2029, and conservatives are demanding they start next year.”
- Here is a link to a House Budget Committee document that identifies the changes that the Committee approved last night.
From the public health and medical research front,
- Blue Cross FEP offers a healthcare checklist for women of all ages on LinkedIn.
- The American Medical Association tells us “what doctors wish patients knew about getting a cesarean section.”
- The New York Times reports
- “Men are taller than women, by an average of about five inches. But why? It’s not a genetic inevitability — there are many species in the tree of life where females outclass males.
- “A new study, published on Monday in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences that involved genetic data from a million people, has found a partial explanation.
- “It involves a gene called SHOX, which is known to be associated with height. SHOX is present on both the X chromosome — females have two X chromosomes — and the Y chromosome; males have one X and one Y.”
- Per Medscape,
- “An oral obesity treatment (SYNT-101) that mimics the metabolic effects of gastric bypass established preliminary safety, tolerability, and efficacy in a first-in-human study.”
- and
- “An online obesity clinic named Embla was associated with weight loss like that seen in randomized controlled trials (RCTs) of semaglutide, but with less than half of the semaglutide dose, according to new real-world data.
- “Average weight loss reached 16.7% after 64 weeks’ use of the digital health platform, which combines tailored semaglutide dosing with intensive behavioral therapy delivered via an app. In clinical trials of semaglutide, the dose was 2.4 mg/wk, but patients in the present study used an average of 1 mg/wk. Similar mean weight loss was observed across baseline body mass index (BMI) classes and with all medication doses.
- “This [study] showed us that combining an intensive behavioral intervention within an e-health weight management clinic can reproduce some of the results we see in confirmatory trials but in the context of a real-world cohort and with far less medication used,” said lead researcher Henrik Gudbergsen, MD, chief medical officer at Embla and general practitioner.
- “The intensive behavioral therapy is key, and it goes a long way when you want to lose weight,” Gudbergsen added. He presented the findings at European Congress on Obesity (ECO) 2025. Publication of the study in The Lancet Digital Health is pending, but a preprint version is available.”
- MedPage Today informs us, “Health officials are making a renewed call for vigilance against bird flu, but some experts are puzzling over why reports of new human cases have stopped.” * * *
- During a call with U.S. doctors this month one CDC official noted that there is a seasonality to bird flu: Cases peak in the fall and early winter, possibly due to the migration patterns of wild birds that are primary spreaders of the virus.
- That could mean the U.S. is experiencing a natural — maybe temporary — decline in cases.” * * *
- “The CDC characterizes the risk to the general public as low, although it is higher for people who work with cattle and poultry or who are in contact with wild birds.
- “Earlier this month, an agency assessment said there is a “moderate risk” that currently circulating strains of bird flu could cause a future pandemic, but the CDC stressed that other emerging forms of bird flu have been similarly labeled in the past.
- “Still, research is continuing.”
- Advice from GoodRx
- Over the last few years, many artificial tear products have been recalled over safety concerns. These recalls have included products from Global Pharma Healthcare, Kilitch Healthcare India, and Brassica Pharma. Most recently, eye drops made by BRS Analytical Service, LLC have been recalled.
- Recalled artificial tear eye drops, gels, and ointments had previously been sold in retail stores, such as CVS and Walmart, and online. Before using or buying artificial tears, check the most recent recall list to see if your product is affected.
- Contact your healthcare team right away if you’ve used artificial tears and notice vision changes or eye infection symptoms.
From the U.S. healthcare business front,
- Healthcare Dive reports,
- “Regeneron Pharmaceuticals, a biotechnology company with a long history of large-scale genetics research, plans to buy DNA testing firm 23andMe out of bankruptcy, announcing Monday it was named the successful bidder in a court-run auction.
- “Regeneron’s offer, which is still subject to court and regulatory approvals, is a bet it can do what 23andMe couldn’t and mine the troves of genetics data the testing firm collects to discover new drug targets. Regeneron plans to continue 23andMe’s consumer genome services without interruption — a task made easier by its decade of experience sequencing the DNA of millions of people through its genetics center. * * *
- “Under the proposed deal, Regeneron will pay $256 million to acquire “substantially all” of 23andMe’s assets, including its personal genome service, health and research service and biobank. It will also offer jobs to all of the employees at those business units.
- “The purchase would not include the telehealth business Lemonaid Health, which 23andMe will wind down.
- “Regeneron expects the deal will close in the third quarter, assuming it obtains all the necessary approvals. An ombudsman appointed by the bankruptcy court will review the transaction to assess how it might affect the privacy of individuals who previously used 23andMe to sequence their genome. A report from that review is due to the court by June 10, and a hearing is set for June 17.”
- Fierce Pharma informs us,
- “With $27 billion earmarked to expand its U.S. production footprint starting this year, Eli Lilly is busy scouting out potential sites for new drug ingredients plants.
- “Eli Lilly is jockeying for a tax break in Texas as it weighs whether to build a $5.9 billion active pharmaceutical ingredient (API) manufacturing facility in Houston, according to a recent filing (PDF) with the state.
- “Should the proposal move forward, Lilly plans to purchase roughly 236 acres at Houston’s Generation Park from the commercial development’s owner, McCord Development. The final project would comprise multiple buildings and outdoor facilities, plus infrastructure buildout and equipment installation, according to the filing.
- “Assuming Lilly settles in Houston, the drugmaker expects the new plant will employ 604 full-time staffers upon ramp-up completion. The company would look to hire operations technicians and production specialists, as well as a mix of roles across maintenance, quality control, engineering, administration and management functions.”
- Per Fierce Healthcare,
- “Vertical consolidation in healthcare has been a hot-button topic of late as regulators eye strategies to bring down healthcare costs.
- “But do these massive “payvider” firms do more harm than good? The jury is still out, according to a panel of experts hosted by the Brookings Institution. The panelists highlighted both the risks of vertical integration between payers and providers as well as the potential positives of these relationships.”
- and
- “A new study suggests “upcoding” practices are growing across outpatient service lines.
- “The report, compiled by researchers at Trilliant Health, found that the share of visits that were coded at higher intensities grew in emergency care, urgent care and physician office visits between 2018 and 2023. For example, the number of emergency department visits coded as 99284, or level four of five total, grew from 32.5% to 39.6% in the study window.
- “Providers use standard CPT codes for outpatient visits, ranging from level one to level five, to indicate the intensity of services offered and the amount of time clinicians spent with a patient.
- “The study similarly found an increase in urgent care visits coded at level four, with the share growing from 34% to 40.6% between 2018 and 2023. For physician office visits, the share of those coded at level four increased from 38.5% to 45%.
- “In tandem, the study found a decline in the number of patient visits coded at lower intensity. For urgent care, the share of visits coded at level one decreased from 9.5% to 2.9% by 2023.”
- Beckers Hospital Review lets us know,
- “U.S. hospitals and health systems in many regions are seeing a sharp rise in uncompensated care, with new data showing big increases in bad debt and charity care deductions during the first quarter of 2025.
- “Disruptions in health insurance coverage can drive increases in bad debt and charity care deductions for U.S. hospitals and health systems. According to the latest data from Q1 2025, health systems across the country already experienced significant increases in bad debt and charity deductions in recent years,” noted Strata in its “Healthcare Performance Trends: Q1 2025” report.”