Washington, DC

1. Democrats eye health push
2. Trump’s nominees
3. Midterms shake-up
4. Health and the farm bill
5. Voters’ midterms mindset
6. Mark Cuban vs. insurers

PDB: Do AI and clinical trials mix?

Midterms bear down … Farm bill fight … ‘Skinny labels’

Democrats eye healthcare affordability push

House Democrats are eyeing a push on healthcare affordability if they flip the chamber next year, and restoring the since-lapsed enhanced Obamacare tax credits could be part of their plans. Those credits expired at the end of last year, prompting fears of spiking healthcare costs for Americans buying insurance through the Obamacare exchanges — and concern among purple-district Republicans fearful of a midterm backlash. Now, Democrats are saying they’ll try to bring the subsidies back as part of a broader policy agenda. “We need to make sure that everyone in this country has access to quality care from providers they know and trust, when and where they need it,” said Rep. Brad Schneider, D-Ill. “So it’s not just one thing. It’s addressing all the things that make healthcare more accessible, more affordable, and higher-quality.”

— Nicholas Wu

Trump shuffles health nominees

Trump is moving away from some of his more controversial health nominees as they struggle to get confirmed. Trump withdrew Casey Means as his surgeon general pick after her nomination stalled amid concerns about her critical stance on vaccines. His new choice, radiologist and Fox News contributor Nicole Saphier, has refuted claims about links between vaccines and autism. It’s unclear whether she’ll have a smooth confirmation path, but at least one of Trump’s other nominees will: Dr. Erica Schwartz, a former deputy surgeon general who Trump tapped to lead the CDC. The Senate HELP Committee hasn’t scheduled a hearing for Schwartz — lawmakers are still awaiting her paperwork, a committee spokesman said — but she’s likely to pick up Democrat support. “I’m generally sort of impressed with what I know, particularly compared with some of the other Trump nominees in the health space,” said committee member Sen. Tim Kaine, D-Va.

— Morgan Chalfant

How the midterms will change health committees

The midterm elections could shake up congressional committees overseeing healthcare. In the Senate, HELP Committee Chair Bill Cassidy, R-La., is fighting for reelection. Should he lose, Republicans would elect a new top GOP committee member — one that would likely clash less with Trump and his health officials. And Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., would be in line to lead the HELP Committee again if Democrats take control of the chamber. On the House side, a Democratic victory would see Rep. Frank Pallone, D-N.J., take charge of the House Energy and Commerce Committee again, and Rep. Richard Neal, D-Mass., take over the House Ways and Means Committee for another term. If Democrats win either chamber, expect a renewed push to revive the enhanced Obamacare credits, as well as scrutiny of the Trump administration’s overhaul of vaccine recommendations.

— Morgan Chalfant

Hill battles over herbicide’s health effects

A bipartisan rebellion against a legal shield for production of the herbicide glyphosate — mounted by conservative allies of Make America Healthy Again activists, aligned with Democrats — ultimately prevailed this week during House farm bill debate. Rep. Anna Paulina Luna, R-Fla., scored a victory on an amendment that stripped from the bill a provision restricting legal challenges to federal labeling of glyphosate, an ingredient in the Roundup weedkiller that multiple studies have linked to cancer. Luna aligned with the vast majority of Democrats on her anti-glyphosate amendment, while also getting 72 of her fellow Republicans to vote yes. While the Environmental Protection Agency has not deemed glyphosate a carcinogen, it’s conducting a fresh review set to wrap in October. Meanwhile, MAHA activists are also awaiting a Supreme Court ruling on Roundup maker Monsanto’s state liability after oral arguments this week.

— Elana Schor

Health is front of mind for midterm voters

A majority of registered US voters — 88%— say that healthcare will have a “major” or “minor” impact on their decision to vote in the midterm elections, according to the latest KFF Health Tracking Poll. While 92% of Democrats said health affordability and policies will impact their decision, 83% of Republicans said the same. Voters are also giving Democrats the edge on health affordability, with those surveyed saying they are more likely to trust the Democratic Party (37%) over the Republican Party (26%) on addressing the issue. And while healthcare remains Americans’ leading affordability concern, the war in Iran has voters increasingly alarmed about gas and transportation. Two-thirds of adults (64%) expressed concern about the two cost buckets in recent weeks.

Mark Cuban’s health quest

Mark Cuban disagrees with Trump on a lot of things, but he’s a fan of TrumpRx. “I think they’re doing a good job. I mean, is it perfect? No. But literally, if you save one patient money, that’s a win for TrumpRx,” Cuban told Semafor’s Compound Interest. The serial entrepreneur and television personality, whose company Cost Plus Drugs does business with TrumpRx, said the federal program is especially helpful for lowering the costs of weight-loss drugs and IVF treatments. More broadly, he’s itching to take on the big insurers: “I’d like to kick out the insurance companies because, effectively, they’re banks.” He conceded that dramatic progress is not going to happen overnight, but says he’s patient. “I’m rich as f*ck. I don’t need the money.”

White House

• Scientists are baffled by the White House abruptly dismissing the entire board overseeing the National Science Foundation. — NPR
• The Trump administration has appealed a federal judge’s ruling that blocked Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s overhaul of the children’s vaccine schedule.

Executive Branch

• The CDC is warning about salmonella infections linked to backyard poultry.
• The FDA asked the public to weigh in on whether AI should be used to speed up clinical trials. — STAT News
• The “Operation Stork Speed” infant formula test results are in.

Congress

• A bill to fund research into the link between intimate partner violence and maternal deaths and illness got a Republican co-sponsor. — The Hill

Outside the Beltway

• Texas is pushing to ban in-home ketamine treatment. — The Texas Tribune
• Nebraska became the first state to enforce Medicaid work requirements. — AP

Business

• Companies that sell cannabis-based drugs are flirting with IPOs and private funding after the US rescheduled some marijuana products.

Courts

• The Supreme Court appears open to a limited ruling on drug “skinny labels.”

Edited by Karey Van Hall, Washington editor

With help from Elana Schor, senior Washington editor; Morgan Chalfant, Washington briefing editor; and Lauren Morganbesser and Brendan Ruberry, newsroom fellows

Graph Massara and Marta Biino, copy editors