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Hello and Happy Tuesday, DC Diagnosis readers! We are one week away from Election Day; I probably don’t need to remind you. Send news, tips and feedback on all this election coverage to (email protected). And keep an eye on your inbox tomorrow for a special DCD edition from my colleague John Wilkerson.
Trump talks RFK, vaccines and a ‘wild’ future for health agencies
Former President Trump was busy this weekend. He had a nearly three-hour interview with podcaster Joe Rogan on Friday and took the stage at Madison Square Garden on Sunday to talk about his political priorities — including health care.
He calls on Robert F. Kennedy Jr., the face of the Make America Healthy Again movement. Trump said RFK Jr. would play a role in a second government. ‘I let him focus on his health. I let him go wild with the food. I’ll let him do his thing with medication,” he told rallygoers in New York.
That’s exactly what many people, including former GOP officials and industry executives, are afraid of.
But Trump was cautious when Rogan asked him about vaccine safety, indicating he doesn’t fully believe RFK’s rhetoric. “They’ve come up with some amazing things,” he said when Rogan asked about the pharmaceutical industry. “I know you’re against certain vaccines, but just like the polio vaccine, people had polio. It felt like a disaster.”
Trump’s embrace of RFK is indicative of potential policies in a future Trump administration. On Monday, I laid out some of the other actions Trump could take if re-elected ACA Medicaid reform and high drug prices.
Why ‘bad genes’ are back
When Trump talks about undocumented immigrants, he often brings up genetics. The former president’s language underlines a larger trend, experts told STAT’s Anil Oza.
The eugenics movement is take center stage again in the US – both in the immigration policies and rhetoric Trump promotes, and in the rise of racial science in academic literature.
Even well-meaning scientists have contributed to this shift by promoting genetic determinism — the idea that genes are the primary driver of traits and behavior — and by platforming problematic work in the name of academic freedom, Anil writes. The rise of popular genetic sequencing companies has also led to a public interest in understanding our genetic backgrounds, with marketing hype that this information would unlock health secrets and family histories. More from Anil.
Medicare Director: This is how price negotiations took place
There is one many questions – and a lot political debate – on how Medicare began negotiating the first round of drug prices under the Inflation Reduction Act. In a piece for STAT, Medicare Director Meena Seshamani tries to do just that shed some light on the process.
Seshamani points to her experiences in the private sector, meeting with patients and countless phone calls with “stakeholders” (the industry) as the program shaped what would eventually become the new prices for ten of the best-selling drugs in America.
She also talks about what CMS is like approaching the second round of negotiationsincluding more patient discussions. The agency will announce up to 15 drugs for the next negotiating cycle by February 1.
What you need to know about the dietary guidelines debate
These are the Dietary Guidelines for Americans, which are revised and issued by the federal government every five years back for discussion. Last week, an advisory panel met for two days about what the next set should include. It’s something many of us may ignore, but it could have major consequences for many Americans, experts tell STAT’s Elizabeth Cooney.
For example: why are we postponing the debate about ultra-processed food? Where do we stand on alcohol, added sugars and saturated fat?
Check something experts had to say about where the dietary guidelines come from and what we still don’t know.
The op-ed that no one writes
Here’s one confession from STAT’s First Opinion editor, Torie Bosch: Every day, her inbox is bursting with potential opinion pieces, from medical innovations to climate change policies. But there’s one topic she can’t get people to write about.
It’s about the health of the major presidential candidates. Hardly anyone wants to touch it, Torie wrote this week. “I thought STAT readers would like to hear from an expert in health and aging, so I reached out to probably dozens of gerontologists and geriatricians.” They objected, or didn’t respond. Read more about why and what Torie learned.
What we read
- In the era of GLP-1 drugs, the demand for bariatric surgery is declining. STAT
- Black Americans continue to suffer from poorer health. This is why there is so little progress: KFF Health News
- For the behemoth UnitedHealth, a new threat to Medicare profits, STAT
- Despite uncertain risks, many are turning to AI like ChatGPT for mental health, The Washington Post
- Opinion: Louisiana’s Creative New Ways to Combat Maternal Mortality, STAT