Read today’s Kaiser Health News
In other news:
RFK Jr. threatens to bar government scientists from publishing in leading medical journals: HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. threatened to stop government scientists from publishing their work in major medical journals on a podcast Tuesday as part of his escalating war on institutions he says are influenced by pharmaceutical companies.
Speaking on the “Ultimate Human” podcast, Kennedy said the New England Journal of Medicine, the Journal of the American Medical Association and The Lancet, three of the most influential medical journals in the world, were “corrupt” and publish studies funded and approved by pharmaceutical companies.
“Unless those journals change dramatically, we are going to stop NIH scientists from publishing in them and we’re going to create our own journals in-house,” he said, referring to the National Institutes of Health, an HHS agency that is the world’s largest funder of health research.
Comment: While these Journals have very rigorous peer review and conflict-of-interest vetting processes, I wonder if the articles in RFK, Jr’s proposed journal would have the same scrutiny. My prediction: Academic articles derived from federally funded research will be prohibited from publishing in any but Kennedy’s journal. Watch for First Amendment lawsuits.
About health insurance/insurers
Blue Cross Blue Shield plans reverse course on GLP-1 coverage: Several Blue Cross Blue Shield (BCBS) plans are reversing their course on covering GLP-1 medications, particularly for weight loss, citing high costs and the novelty of these drugs. Some plans, like Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan and Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Massachusetts, are discontinuing coverage for GLP-1s used solely for weight loss, starting in 2026. However, they will continue to cover these medications when prescribed for Type 2 diabetes or other approved medical conditions.
About hospitals and healthcare systems
61 health systems ranked by total assets FYI
About pharma
Lilly snaps up non-opioid pain startup SiteOne for up to $1B: Eyeing an expansion of its pain portfolio, Eli Lilly entered the sodium channel inhibitor space on Tuesday through the acquisition of SiteOne Therapeutics. While the upfront amount was not disclosed, the total deal is valued at up to $1 billion, including regulatory and commercial milestones.
The takeout comes on the heels of a megaround for SiteOne — and the first FDA approval for a non-opioid pain medication in more than two decades.
About the public’s health
HHS cancels nearly $600 million Moderna contract on vaccines for flu pandemics: The Department of Health and Human Services has notified Moderna that it is canceling a nearly $600 million contract with the company to develop, test, and license vaccines for flu strains that could trigger future pandemics, including the dangerous H5N1 bird flu virus.
Time to Treatment Initiation [TTI] for the 30 Most Prevalent Cancer Types: Trends and Predictors of Change: The proportion of patients diagnosed with new stage I disease increased by 52.2% from 2004 (28.4%, n = 78,732) to 2015 (43.2%, n = 256,150). All other stages decreased in percent incidence. There was a 100.0% increase in median TTI for stage I patients from 2004 to 2015 (14-28 days). Cancer stage was the most important predictor of change in TTI for 16 cancer types (P < .001 for all 16).
About healthcare personnel
New Survey Shows Physician Appointment Wait Times Surge: 19% Since 2022, 48% Since 2004: The time required to schedule a physician appointment in 15 major metropolitan areas has increased by 19% since 2022 and by 48% since 2004…
The 2025 Survey of Physician Appointment Wait Times reveals that it now takes an average of 31 days to schedule a physician appointment in 15 of the largest metropolitan areas in the United States. This is an increase from 26 days in 2022, the last year the survey was conducted, and from 21 days in 2004, the first year the survey was conducted.
"Average physician appointment wait times are the longest they have been since we began conducting the survey in 2004," said Leah Grant, president of AMN Healthcare's Physician Solutions division (formerly known as Merritt Hawkins). "Longer physician appointment wait times are a significant indicator that the nation is experiencing a growing shortage of physicians."
Comment: See the article for specialty-specific data.
About health technology
GTCR sells Antylia Scientific for $1.34 billion: Private equity’s GTCR is selling Vernon Hills-based Antylia Scientific, a maker of molecular diagnostic reagents, specialty chemicals, and water- and air-quality testing equipment, to Brookfield Asset Management and CDPQ in a $1.34 billion deal.
The sale marks the second deal of more than $1 billion for one of GTCR’s portfolio companies this month, following its similar-sized saleof insurance technology firm Itel.
Gene therapy trial reports patient death, FDA enacts clinical hold: Rocket Pharmaceuticals said the patient experienced “clinical complications related to a capillary leak syndrome,” a rare disorder in which fluids escape blood vessels and enter surrounding tissue. The company voluntarily paused further dosing in the 12-person trial before the FDA placed a clinical hold on May 23.
Since then, the patient died after an acute systemic infection, according to a May 27 news release from the company.