Four things to read about health policy this week suggested by Gregg Margolis

Gregg Margolis, Director of Health Policy Fellowships and Leadership Programs at the National Academy of Medicine, shared a post on LinkedIn:

“It was a big week and hard to narrow down the health policy news. That said, if you can only read four things about health policy this week, I suggest…

KFF Health News: Trump’s White House Return Poised To Tangle Health Care Safety Net Former President Donald Trump’s election victory and looming return to the White House will likely bring changes that scale back the nation’s public health insurance programs — increasing the uninsured rate, while imposing new barriers to abortion and other reproductive care.

The reverberations will be felt far beyond Washington, D.C., and could include an erosion of the Affordable Care Act’s consumer protections, the imposition of work requirements in Medicaid and funding cuts to the safety net insurance, and challenges to federal agencies that safeguard public health.

Abortion restrictions may tighten nationwide with a possible effort to restrict the mailing of abortion medications. (Armour, 11/6)

ABC News: What A 2nd Trump Term May Look Like For Health Care Issues Including ACA, Abortion Donald Trump has been inconsistent on what his plans are regarding the Affordable Care Act (ACA), the landmark law signed in 2010 by then-President Barack Obama.

During his first term, Trump tried several times to repeal the ACA but was unsuccessful. In March, Trump said is ‘not running to terminate’ the ACA but said he wanted to make it ‘better’ and ‘less expensive.’ There could also be changes to Medicare, a federal health insurance program for people aged 65 or older and younger people with disabilities. (Kekatos, 11/6)

Roll Call: A Look At Those Who Could Be On Trump’s Health Team Short List President-elect Donald Trump has pledged to involve anti-vaccine activist and conspiracy theorist Robert F. Kennedy Jr. in his next administration in some capacity, but whoever else he picks to run the major health agencies will have a major impact on the GOP health agenda of the next four years.

Top posts require Senate confirmation, meaning Trump will need Senate buy-in too. Positions include Health and Human Services secretary, which requires Senate confirmation; Centers for Disease Control and Prevention director, which will require Senate confirmation beginning in January 2025; Food and Drug Administration commissioner and National Institutes of Health director, which also require Senate confirmation. (Cohen, 11/7)

Healthcare Dive: How The Healthcare Industry Is Reacting To A Second Trump Term Major trade associations for the hospital industry congratulated Trump on his win this week, while reiterating their priorities for lawmakers in Washington. Insurer groups were quieter.

AHIP, the largest lobby representing payers, told Healthcare Dive it had no statement to share. Other associations which represents nonprofit insurers, didn’t issue official statements on the election but posted blogs outlining their priorities for the incoming administration. (Pifer, 11/7)

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Gregg S. Margolis, PhD, serves as the director of Health Policy Fellowships and Leadership Programs at the National Academy of Medicine (NAM).

Previously, he held the position of Director of the Division of Health System Policy for the Office of the Assistant Secretary of Preparedness and Response at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS).

Dr. Margolis specializes in health policy, leadership development, emergency medicine, and public health emergency preparedness and response.