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In which RFK Jr. says the “government lies to us” while sitting in front of an HHS seal. Send news tips and podcast recommendations to John.Wilkerson@statnews.com or John_Wilkerson.07 on Signal.

First, control health care costs

Last month, a group of 12 Senate Democrats proposed a framework for rebuilding the health care system. The idea was to spur input from others ahead of when Democrats might get a chance to act on those plans.

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In medicine, we like to believe that progress is linear. That once a patient stabilizes, regains lost skills, and returns to work, the hardest part is behind them. But in addiction care, stability is fragile because the systems supporting patients are weak.

Recently, I sat with a patient who has done everything we ask of people in recovery. She has been abstinent for years. She attends visits. Her urine drug screens are consistently appropriate. She works. She parents. She plans for the future. And yet, halfway through our appointment, her voice changed, not when we discussed cravings or trauma, but when she told me her insurance premium was about to triple.

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Today’s the day

By law, the 2027 Medicare Advantage payment regulation must come out today. It will set the tone for how the Trump administration wants to work with the health insurance industry: as the “new sheriff in town” or just another friendly regulator.

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