Health Care — MAHA's big week

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View Online Health Care Health Care The Big Story  The MAHA movement's wild week The “Make America Healthy Again” movement flexed its muscle this week by successfully pushing a pro-pesticide provision out of the farm bill but lost a chance for higher influence when the Trump administration dropped one of its top influencers as a nominee.  © AP Thursday marked a tumultuous day of highs and lows for MAHA supporters.  The day began with a major win for MAHA supporters when the House stripped an amendment from the farm bill that would have protected pesticide makers from legal blowback.   The provision would have helped Bayer avoid thousands of lawsuits over cancer and glyphosate—the same issue that the Supreme Court heard arguments about earlier in the week.   MAHA activists turned up the heat on lawmakers, and Republicans threatened to oppose the farm bill unless the provision was removed. Rep. Anna Paulina Luna (R-Fla.), who led the GOP revolt with Rep. Eli Crane (R-Ariz.) said she would “slaughter” the farm bill unless her amendment got a floor vote.   Seventy-three Republicans backed Luna's measure, while 142 GOP lawmakers rejected it.   But even as MAHA activists were taking a victory lap, President Trump announced that he was dropping Casey Means, a darling of the movement, as his pick for surgeon general. She was replaced by Fox News contributor and radiologist Nicole Saphier.  MAHA movement leaders had pushed hard for Means’s nomination, but she couldn’t overcome opposition from key lawmakers, especially about her stance on vaccines.    Trump choosing Saphier represents a shift towards more mainstream medical views. Saphier is a licensed physician, unlike Means. She has also previously been critical of some of Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s actions, including how the updated, reduced childhood vaccine schedule was rolled out earlier this year.   Saphier’s past comments also show her to be much more pro-vaccine than Kennedy and his allies at HHS, even as she’s opposed the idea of mandates. Kennedy in a social media post called Saphier a “long-time warrior for the MAHA movement.”  While she may not have the same online influencer bonafides as Means, Saphier wrote the book on MAHA before MAHA existed: “Make America Healthy Again: How Bad Behavior and Big Government Caused a Trillion-Dollar Crisis” was published in 2020.  Welcome to The Hill’s Health Care newsletter, we're Nathaniel Weixel and Joseph Choi — every week we follow the latest moves on how Washington impacts your health. Did someone forward you this newsletter? Subscribe here. Essential Reads  How policy will be impacting the health care sector this week and beyond: Cigna’s exit adds to ObamaCare marketplace upheaval Cigna is pulling out of the Affordable Care Act (ACA) exchanges in 2027, the company said, adding to the turmoil facing the individual marketplace after the loss of enhanced federal subsidies.  Executives announced the decision on Cigna’s earnings call Thursday, a day when the company reported a better-than-expected first quarter, including $1.7 billion in first quarter net income.  Cigna is now the second company to exit the …  Full Story FDA names new director for vaccines, biologics unit The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has named Katherine Szarama to be the acting director of the unit in charge of regulating vaccines and other biological products for human use. An official for the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) confirmed to The Hill that Szarama will take over the role from Vinay Prasad to lead the Center for Biologics Evaluation and Research (CBER). Szarama previously served as deputy …  Full Story Nebraska faces challenges as first state to impose Medicaid work requirements under GOP bill Nebraska on Friday is set to become the first state to impose Medicaid work requirements under the GOP’s One Big Beautiful Bill Act, racing ahead of the national deadline by eight months ...  Full Story In Other News  Branch out with a different read: Who is eligible for Trump’s new order expanding retirement benefits? A new executive order signed by President Trump on Thursday expands retirement benefits for employees without employer-provided benefits through the upcoming launch of TrumpIRA.gov. Eligible workers will be able to enroll in private-sector retirement plans called Individual Retirement Accounts, or IRAs, when the Treasury Department launches the website on Jan. 1, 2027 ... Full Story Around the Nation  Local and state headlines on health care: Josh Hawley puts Missouri at center of national fight over abortion pill (Missouri Independent)  'Sham' network accessed 300,000 medical records, including Michigan's (Detroit Free Press)  ‘We are entering a new, more dangerous stage’: Washington reports 40 measles cases in 2026, more than triple all of 2025 (MyNorthwest)  What We're Reading  Health news we’ve flagged from other outlets: Delays in visa program threaten placement of hundreds of doctors in underserved areas (KFF Health News)  Since Congress let Obamacare subsidies expire, millions are dropping coverage (New York Times)  Physician groups want better enforcement of No Surprises Act (MedPage Today)  What People Think  Opinions related to health submitted to The Hill: Antibiotic resistance is growing — don’t delay new antibiotics Restoring trust in hospice begins with ending Medicare fraud   You’re all caught up. See you next week!  Check out The Hill's Health Care page for the latest coverage. Like this newsletter? Take a moment to view our other topical products here 📩 Privacy Policy  |  Manage Subscriptions  |  Unsubscribe  400 N Capitol Street NW Suite 650, Washington, DC 20001 Copyright © 1998 - 2026 Nexstar Media Inc. | All Rights Reserved.

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