Bob Herman

When I hear "value-based care" these days.

👀 statnews.com/alcohol-epidem…

NEW: The FDA has started to rehire after losing thousands of employees last year. But it will be difficult to replace what was lost. Read our profile of six of the folks who left, featuring video portraits filmed by @HoganAlex: statnews.com/2026/05/07/fda…

This week, on the @statnews First Opinion Podcast, I talked to @DGlaucomflecken about his advocacy around PeaceHealth in Eugene, Oregon, which sought to replace community-based ER physicians. statnews.com/2026/05/06/dr-…

SCOOP: Sanofi has asked the FDA to pull its type 1 diabetes drug, Tzield, out of the Commissioner's drug review voucher program. The move comes after acting CDER director Tracy Beth Høeg disagreed with a staff decision to approve the drug. statnews.com/2026/05/06/san…

New: McClatchy journalists at newspapers in 4 states are now withholding their bylines from A.I.-generated content as tensions grow over a "content scaling agent" tool that the company rolled out nytimes.com/2026/05/01/bus…

Cigna is abandoning the ACA health insurance marketplaces by the end of the year, following in Aetna’s footsteps. Insurers have shown, time and again, they will bail on the ACA market if people are too sick. @TaraBannow reports: statnews.com/2026/04/30/cig…

Finally, the AI feature we all wanted and needed: Amazon now creates an AI “podcast” about products where two AI “hosts” discuss the product and take your questions as if it’s a call-in show.

Obamacare

Yesterday's House committee hearing on health care affordability showed in stark terms how averse Democrats are to criticizing #hospitals, a testament to their lobbying power. statnews.com/2026/04/28/hea… via @statnews

help us settle the greatest debate of all time: is it “healthcare” or “health care”???? statnews.com/2026/04/28/ap-…

Hospital CEOs are currently testifying in front on Congress. @ahahospitals just held its annual meeting, and @_daniel_payne caught this extremely candid quote from Chuck Schumer showing just how much lobbying power hospitals have. statnews.com/2026/04/27/for…

More than 20 years ago, UnitedHealthcare was getting rid of prior authorization. But when Steve Hemsley first became CEO of UHC's parent company, he brought it back. statnews.com/2026/04/27/for…

The risk posed by the SARS-CoV-2 virus — the cause of #Covid — is much different these days than it was in April 2020, when we were all learning about social distancing & flattening the curve. What happened? What does it mean for us? Experts share their thoughts. statnews.com/2026/04/27/is-…

The big surprise of the No Surprises Act: Doctors are cashing in on the consumer protection law, getting paid $440,000 for breast reductions and $14,000 for steroid injections. Latest investigation with @sangerkatz: nytimes.com/2026/04/22/us/…

Breaking: CMS pilot program for Medicare to cover GLP-1s is indefinitely delayed. Government bridge program extended through 2027, however. Plans cited unstable Part D program and lack of data in their concerns to CMS. endpoints.news/medicare-indef…

The Labor Department wants pharmacy benefit managers to disclose, for the first time, all the different ways they get paid. PBMs are warning this proposal is illegal. Supporters want the proposal to go further. The black box of Rx prices is at stake. statnews.com/2026/04/20/pbm…

This week's Biotech Scorecard newsletter: $TVTX Travere Therapeutics' drug for a rare kidney disease doesn’t improve kidney function. The FDA approved it anyway. statnews.com/2026/04/16/tra…

The Trump administration has voiced some tough rhetoric about health insurers. But almost every major decision from Trump officials has benefited insurers and their bottom lines. The new Medicare Advantage rule is the latest example. statnews.com/2026/04/09/med…

Abbvie put Humira on TrumpRx even though two biosimilar competitors are already on the site. Humira costs $950 via TrumpRx but the biosimilar competitors start at $207 to $299 via the site and never get to nearly as high a price point as the brand. How does this help patients?