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Daniel Payne

@danielpayne.bsky.social

30K followers 301 following 317 posts

Washington Correspondent @statnews.com daniel.payne (at) statnews (dot) com Signal: danielp.100 @politico.com / Ole Miss alum

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Daniel Payne @danielpayne.bsky.social · 25/09/2026

U.S. genomics data was at one point on the table in the secret deals between the Trump admin and pharma companies. From our reporting this week:

A screenshot of a STAT article that reads:
Oz, who has led the drug pricing efforts, told reporters last week each company engaged in dealmaking has specific needs that can be met to complete private agreements.

One company, he said, sought to create and access U.S. genomics data as part of a pricing deal.

A CMS spokesperson did not respond to questions about whether the administration pledged genomics data as part of a deal, though one person familiar with the process said they didn’t believe such a database was included in such a deal.

“At a high level,” Oz said, “we have released the parts of this deal that I think are most important for Congress to know, so they can codify the deal.”

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Daniel Payne @danielpayne.bsky.social · 09/09/2026

An important theme in our reporting on how Medicaid and ACA cuts are changing the U.S. health system: Washington is increasingly skeptical of hospitals. That reality could have major policy implications as hospitals look to blunt the impact of the cuts.

A photo showing an excerpt of linked stories

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Daniel Payne @danielpayne.bsky.social · 18/06/2026

After secret drug pricing deals with Trump, some drugmakers are mapping out how they could respond to Democrats' oversight efforts, should they take control of Congress. www.statnews.com/signup/dc/

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Industry prepares for Democrats
A potential power shift also is on the mind of the drug industry.
Industry consultants are mapping out how they might respond to requests about the secret pricing deals they made with the Trump administration, three people familiar with the efforts tell Daniel. There's not yet consensus on the best course of action.
The possibility of increased oversight pressure is the latest challenge for pharma, and it's happening as the industry's top trade group is looking for new leadership and a fresh approach to lobbying. Drug prices are a top affordability issue for President Trump, and Democrats are plotting their next moves on drug pricing, too.

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Daniel Payne @danielpayne.bsky.social · 20/05/2026

How the Democratic Republic of the Congo's health system — now at the center of the Ebola outbreak — changed after U.S. aid was cut, according to people who worked in the country:

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"The actors who once ensured epidemic preparedness... are now absent or paralyzed," the person said. "Politicians control budgets; budgets control lives. That is the painful reality."

An image of text that reads: “The central pharmacies collapsed, the rural clinics collapsed, and the mortality doubled,” said Les Roberts, a professor emeritus at Columbia University who was part of the research, conducted by the Congolese nongovernmental organization RHA.

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Daniel Payne @danielpayne.bsky.social · 18/04/2026

Illuminating detail on how (at least some) health policymaking is done in the Trump administration:

A screenshot of story text that says:

Trump said he was called by influential podcaster Joe Rogan and people who had taken psychedelics, who joined him at the signing ceremony, about the need to open access to the drugs.

Rogan said he texted Trump about research around ibogaine, and the president’s response was quick: “Sounds great. Do you want FDA approval? Let’s do it.”

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Daniel Payne @danielpayne.bsky.social · 19/03/2026

Many interesting conversations ahead today at #STATBreakthrough — including on CMS and FDA, both at critical junctures:

An image showing the details of a conversation between Rob Califf and Lizzy Lawrence

An image showing the details of a conversation between Chris Klomp and Mario Aguilar

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Daniel Payne @danielpayne.bsky.social · 07/02/2026

TrumpRx claims to offer the lowest prices. But many drugs have cheaper generics. (Full story below)

A chart showing the lower generic prices of drugs compared to their listings on TrumpRx

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Daniel Payne @danielpayne.bsky.social · 17/09/2025

Monarez's meeting with Kennedy has come up again and again at this hearing. Context from our earlier reporting: www.statnews.com/2025/09/16/c...

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Daniel Payne @danielpayne.bsky.social · 14/02/2025

Democrats and their allies are going on the offensive over Republican discussions of Medicaid cuts. www.politico.com/newsletters/...

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Daniel Payne @danielpayne.bsky.social · 13/02/2025

In other health news… talks of breaking up UnitedHealthcare continue into the new Congress — even among Republicans. www.politico.com/newsletters/...

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Daniel Payne @danielpayne.bsky.social · 28/01/2025

Federal grant freeze reaches community health centers: subscriber.politicopro.com/article/2025...

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The pause is already having impacts on providers.
St. John's Community Health, a network of community health centers in Southern California, has had nearly $18 million in federal funding frozen, the group's president and CEO, Jim Mangia, told POLITICO.
"We're doing the best we can to continue services," he said in a text message. "But yes, if this freeze is permanent there will be substantial cuts."
Mangia said the most vulnerable groups, including children and patients who are homeless, would be most at risk from the funding freeze - and said it put them and other providers in financial peril.

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Daniel Payne @danielpayne.bsky.social · 27/01/2025

RFK Jr. opponents mount a big advertising push in the days leading up to his confirmation hearing. www.politico.com/newsletters/...

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Daniel Payne @danielpayne.bsky.social · 16/01/2025

RFK Jr. meets with more Democrats

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Daniel Payne @danielpayne.bsky.social · 20/12/2024

The House gets a MAHA Caucus:

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Daniel Payne @danielpayne.bsky.social · 30/09/2024

The Harris campaign looks to bring health policy issues (ACA changes, Medicare funding, abortion restrictions) to the fore on VP debate week, highlighting comments from Trump and Vance on the issues in a new report

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Daniel Payne @danielpayne.bsky.social · 01/08/2023

Excited to give my full attention to reporting on health providers after about a year co-authoring Morning Pulse. Are you a doctor, work at a health system or know something about the provider world? Let’s talk — DMs open / dpayne (at) politico . com.

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