All could play pivotal roles in fulfilling a political agenda that could change how the government goes about safeguarding Americans' health - from health care and medicines to food safety and science research. In line to lead the Department of Health and Human Services secretary is environmental lawyer and anti-vaccine organizer Robert F. Kennedy Jr.
Bhattacharya this week met with Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and impressed him with his ideas to transform the NIH. He outlined a vision for reforming the NIH, calling for a significant shift in the agency's priorities.
CMS manages Medicare, the health program for seniors, and Medicaid, which assists low-income individuals and families. The agency has a massive impact, controlling around 25% of all federal spending. Its decisions on healthcare regulations, payments to doctors and hospitals, and drug costs have wide-ranging consequences.
Kennedy, the son and nephew of two titans of Democratic politics, has frequently talked about tackling what he calls the "chronic disease epidemic" of conditions including obesity, diabetes and autism, and reducing chemicals in food.
Bloomberg News reported in October that Cigna had revived efforts to merge with Humana. That came after Reuters reported last year that Cigna had ended its attempt to negotiate an acquisition after the pair failed to agree on a price.
Fulton County Superior Court Judge Robert McBurney ruled that Georgia's so-called "heartbeat" abortion law is unconstitutional. The state law banned abortions after an embryo's cardiac activity can be detected, which is usually around six weeks, before many women even know they are pregnant.
The bill's sponsor, Democratic Senator Tammy Duckworth, first attempted to get a vote on the same bill in late February, after the Alabama Supreme Court ruled the embryos used in in vitro fertilization, or IVF, should be considered children, jeopardizing access to the treatment used by millions of Americans every year. Republicans blocked it then, too.
More than 1.18 million people in the US died from COVID-19, according to CDC data and 6.85 million were hospitalized over the past four years. More than 270 million people have received at least one dose of a COVID-19 vaccine in the US. The vaccines have helped dramatically reduce instances of serious disease and death since their widespread availability in early 2021.
The arguments scheduled before a three-judge panel of the New Orleans-based 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals on Monday stem from a lawsuit brought by a group of businesses, including Texas-based Christian wellness center operator Braidwood Management, objecting to the requirement that they provide coverage for HIV pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP).
It has repeatedly been found to be safe and effective, and has been used by more than 5 million women in the US since the FDA approved it in 2000. The Supreme Court had initially said it would decide by Wednesday whether the restrictions could take effect while the case continues. A one-sentence order signed by Justice Samuel Alito on Wednesday gave the justices two additional days, without explanation.
The drug, mifepristone, was approved for use by the Food and Drug Administration more than two decades ago. It's used in combination with a second drug, misoprostol. The 5th US Circuit Court of Appeals in New Orleans ruled Wednesday just before midnight and the case may now be headed to the US Supreme Court.
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