Health care is at the middle of the Federal government shutdown. This analysis of what will happen if they are allowed to lapse shows that for many Americans, premiums will double.

Today, the administration has begun further layoffs in targeted agencies, including Health and Human Services.

The week just passed included enough big stories that a smaller possibly positive story might have gotten missed. The Trump administration may be seeking to push pharmaceutical manufacturers to lower prices in the US till they match other economically advanced countries.

Meanwhile, for the 16th anniversary of the Conversations on Health Care podcast from CHC Radio, the latest episode welcomes their first guests, Nancy Pelosi and Dr. Mitchell Katz. Pelosi recalled the effort to pass the Affordable Care Act and noted the importance of patient stories in communicating why the reform was necessary.

KFF has a piece out today on how reductions in Medicaid and Title IX funding will reduce access to reproductive health care of all kinds. Another KFF piece talks about cuts to HRSA and the difficulty the agency has with getting grants in process.

Sarah Kliff at the New York Times has a piece talking about how the policy moves to curtail access to Medicaid reflects the belief that health insurance should be tied to work. The piece also mentions the uncertain future of HRSA and community health clinics.

AAFP alerted chapters this week that the federal government has launched an inquiry via a Request for Information into whether providers of gender affirming care have been violating federal consumer protection laws. They seek information about “how consumers may have been exposed to false or unsupported claims about gender-affirming care, especially as it relates to minors, and to gauge the harms consumers may be experiencing.” We’ll have more information from AAFP soon on this.

Sharing a positive reflection on finding joy (again) in practice with the help of a simple question.

The Secretary of Health and Human Services has confirmed that it seeks to disband the US Preventative Services Task Force.

Early analysis is that some changes proposed in the physician fee schedule would be positive for primary care.