D.C. Diagnosis: Why is Kamala Harris headed to Texas?

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MAHA moment canceled — momentum still going 

President Trump canceled his plan Tuesday to talk with Robert F. Kennedy Jr. about chronic illnesses and their causes under the “Make America Healthy Again” banner. A spokesperson told STAT that it was due to scheduling conflicts. (Trump rallied Tuesday night in Greensboro, NC; the virtual town hall with RFK was slated for the afternoon).

But that doesn’t mean Trump’s throwing distance between himself and the MAHA world, to some former officials’ chagrin. The former president will tape an interview with Joe Rogan, host of the extremely popular “Joe Rogan Experience” podcast, on Friday. Rogan this month also interviewed Calley Means, one-half of a sibling duo that has risen as public voices of the MAHA movement.

At the HLTH conference in Las Vegas, STAT’s Nicholas St. Fleur moderated a panel on longevity featuring the other half of that duo, Casey Means. She’s the founder of the metabolic health tracking company Levels. On stage, St. Fleur asked Means about her connections with Kennedy, Trump, and MAHA.

“I am so absolutely thrilled and heartened that at the presidential level — I don’t care who’s talking about it, Bobby Kennedy, Trump or Kamala — that these conversations are now making it into the mainstream,” Means said, praising in particular Kennedy’s views on regenerative agriculture, environmental toxins, PFAS, and phthalates.

After Kennedy halted his presidential campaign and moved to Trump’s team, he said that Casey and Calley Means are the type of people he would suggest putting in charge of the nation’s health agencies. When asked if she would take a Trump administration position, Casey said: “My greatest hope is…that we put chronic disease at the center of American health care policy. And if I can have a small part in that I’d be thrilled to do so.”

Harris heads to Texas. Why?

Vice President Harris will take the stage in Houston tomorrow night with Texas Senate candidate Colin Allred. It’s a state she’s projected to lose, though Allred is deadlocked with incumbent Sen. Ted Cruz. But it’s also a reminder of the stakes she wants to keep in front of voters: Abortion bans and the impact they’re having on health care.

This isn’t a last-ditch effort to turn Texas blue, but a bid at reigniting urgency in states she could actually swing, her surrogates say. (“We’re diverting out of the battlegrounds because we think it’ll help us in battlegrounds,” senior campaign adviser David Plouffe told AP).

There are already questions about how much Democrats’ reproductive rights arguments resonate with voters juggling the range of Harris’ and Trump’s political platforms. While many Americans seem to back abortion rights, they aren’t always voting for the Democrats championing them. Harris is clearly hoping to change that: Ahead of her Houston visit, she launched an ad Wednesday that tells the story of a Texas couple who lost their pregnancy at 16 weeks but were refused abortion care.

What to expect in a Harris presidency 

So, what would a Harris presidency look like? DCD co-writer Rachel Cohrs Zhang delves into it with a breakdown of her platform on high drug costs, strengthening ACA, and broadening Medicaid coverage, to name a few.

In many ways, these are goals that Democrats couldn’t quite complete during President Biden’s tenure. But others — like canceling medical debt — are newer targets. Rachel expands on what Harris has said and how she might get it done here. (And expect a Trump edition soon!)

Health care issues to watch on Election Day 

With less than two weeks until Election Day, it’s no surprise that Vice President Harris and former President Trump’s policy stances are dominating the headlines. But there is a lengthy list of health care proposals and down-ballot races that could heavily shape health policy in the coming years.

More than a dozen states are voting on health care ballots and pivotal races for congressional control. I wrote a rundown of key ballot measures and races that could transform state and federal health care and ignite new debates, from what happens to 340B to more legal psychedelics.

Lame duck cheat sheet

A lot of what happens on health care policy during the lame duck and the next Congress depends on election outcomes. But that doesn’t mean you can’t prepare now by reading John Wilkerson’s cheat sheet on the health care policies to watch following the election. 

Health care policies that could be in play during the lame duck include telehealth, Chinese biotech restrictions, Medicare payments for hospitals, and PBM reforms.

No matter what happens, or doesn’t happen, before newly elected officials take office in January, expect a major fight next year over expanded Affordable Care Act premium subsidies and Trump’s 2017 tax cuts, both of which expire at the end of 2025. 

State Medicaid programs coming around on GLP-1s

Most state Medicaid programs don’t cover the new class of drugs for obesity — but half of those holdouts are considering it, per a new KFF report. 

The potential for expanded coverage of Wegovy and Zepbound under Medicaid comes as private plans are starting to aggressively crack down on covering the medications for obesity. Medicare prohibits coverage of the drugs for that indication, Tara Bannow writes.

Currently, just 13 state Medicaid programs cover GLP-1s for obesity; most others cite the drugs’ high cost. The report notes increased spending on the class of drugs starting in 2021. Dive into the findings.

Meet the new CDRH director

It’s official: Michelle Tarver will be the new leader of the FDA’s medical devices center, STAT’s Lizzy Lawrence scooped this week.

Tarver has temporarily served in the role since veteran devices head Jeffrey Shuren announced his departure in July. The agency conducted a nationwide search for Shuren’s replacement, but Tarver quickly seemed to be the top pick, shadowing Shuren at conferences and town halls, Lizzy writes.

Tarver joined the center in 2009, eventually becoming the director of the Office of Transformation and helping to launch the agency’s patient engagement advisory committee. Read more.

Jill Biden calls on industry to support women’s health

Addressing a packed main stage hall on the last day of the HLTH conference, Jill Biden touted her husband’s track record on womens’ health — and called on industry to investigate and fund key gaps in medical knowledge about womens’ health care.

“The potential in this space is too great to ignore,” Biden said.

As of Wednesday, Joe Biden-founded health agency ARPA-H has awarded $110 million — more than it had originally pledged — to a few dozen projects, the White House announced in conjunction with HLTH.

What we’re reading

• Frustrated with Change Healthcare breach, senators propose removing limits on HIPAA fines, STAT
• “Not Medically Necessary”: Inside the company helping America’s biggest health insurers deny coverage for care, ProPublica
• Opinion: Primary care physicians should receive abortion training, STAT
• CDC told McDonald’s about potential E. coli outbreak late last week, CNBC