Wakely Wire

May 8, 2025

New Insights

Events & More

Newsworthy Findings

Bonus Article

Just for Fun

New Insights

Whitepapers, briefs, press releases and more

Week in Washington 05/08/25

Congress House Republicans continue to debate various ideas around how to achieve savings in their reconciliation bill via reductions in spending for Medicaid. Ideas continue to be raised from capping provider taxes to per capita caps to increased eligibility checks to work requirements to revoking Biden era eligibility/enrollment regulations. CBO CBO released scores (budget/enrollment implications) ... Read more

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Events & More

Registration is available for Medicare, Medicaid, And Marketplace: Adapting for Success in a Changing Healthcare Landscape, October 14-16 in New Orleans.

Learn more and register today! Early Bird ends July 31.

Newsworthy Findings

Trump Releases 2026 Budget Including Heavy Healthcare Cuts

The White House released a 2026 budget that includes steep cuts to healthcare programs, particularly those housed in the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the National Institutes of Health.

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Editor's Note

If enacted, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) would have discretionary funding cut by 26%.

CVS Plans to Exit ACA Individual Exchanges, Strikes Wegovy Deal With Novo Nordisk

Aetna is once again retreating from the Affordable Care Act market, while its parent company notched a deal with Danish drugmaker Novo Nordisk that should expand access to its in-demand GLP-1.

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Editor's Note

CVS’ pharmacy benefit manager (PBM), Caremark, reached an agreement with Novo Nordisk to grant weight loss drug, Wegovy, preferred access on Caremark’s standard formulary.

Trump Orders FDA to Help Speed Building of New Drug Factories

Yet regulatory relief for U.S. expansion could be accompanied by new tariffs and drug pricing rules.

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Editor's Note

Building drug factories in the U.S. takes five to ten years – making it difficult for tariffs alone to move drug manufacturing domestically. To shorten the timeline from a regulatory perspective, the executive order instructs the FDA to remove “duplicative or unnecessary requirements” and to make inspections more efficient.

State Attorneys General Sue Over ‘Unconstitutional’ HHS Restructuring

The lawsuit alleges the Trump administration overstepped its authority in reshaping the federal health department and asked the court to reinstate workers laid off last month.

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Editor's Note

The attorneys argue that the mass layoffs undermined years of government investment and weakened HHS’s ability to carry out key health programs.

Pager Health Rolls Out New AI Agent to Guide Health Plan Members Through Wellness Programs

Pager Health has launched an AI wellness agent designed to personalize and simplify health plan member engagement by guiding users through wellness programs, reducing friction, and improving utilization through conversational, proactive support built on generative AI.

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Editor's Note

Pager Health’s AI wellness agent represents a strategic opportunity to boost member engagement, reduce administrative costs, and enhance overall satisfaction through scalable, personalized support.

Bonus Article

Raising a Glass to the Bronze Age Vinters Who Domesticated the Grape 3,200 Years Ago

A new study tracing 7,000 years of grape use in Italy reveals that grape domestication was a gradual process, with wild varieties coexisting and contributing to winemaking traditions well into the Roman era.

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Just for Fun

Math Joke:

Parallel lines have so much in common… it’s a shame they’ll never meet.

Prior Week

I told my math book I had problems… It said, “Same.”

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