Believe it or not, in fact, there were other stories in the world this week, alongside the market roller coaster surrounding President Trump's trade policy.
Take health care. Between major announcements on Medicare advantage, emerging drug tariffs, and Dr. Mehmet Oz's first speech to the military at the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, we are beginning to get a more clear glimpse into the new White House healthcare agenda.
Here's a breakdown of recent news.
Private Medicare plans have fallen
The large health insurance company is the biggest increase in a decade after stocks pop earlier this week and management officials announced this year that it would increase the benchmark payment rate for the Medicare Advantage Plan by 5.1%, more than double what was originally proposed by the Biden administration. According to CMS, bumps mean that carriers should pocket $25 billion in additional revenue.
The Trump administration was widely expected to become more accessible to the Medicare Advantage Plan, especially after appointing Dr. Oz, who had a long record of promoting private plans at the show, as head of CMS. The new payment reportedly was confirmed without the opinion of a celebrity doctor. He was only confirmed by the Senate later last week. However, they can help incur insurers pay more profits and pay for additional benefits that attract patients.
This bump could also exacerbate concerns about overpayment of Medicare advantages. This was expected to exceed the government's $1 trillion over the next decade. According to the administration, the benchmark rate was driven highly by updated estimates of the costs of Medicare fees that support the formula that the government uses to compensate private insurers selling advantage plans. But Jeffreys analyst David Windley suggested that some politics still play.
“We keep that Trump's administrators had fingers on scale,” he wrote in a note to his client.
Prescription drug tariffs will soon arrive
Trump may have set back his incredible round of “mutual” tariffs, but global drug makers still have a lot to be nervous when it comes to trade. On Tuesday, the president said he would “stolen” new import taxes “around the time.”
“And when they hear that, they'll leave China. They'll leave elsewhere because they have to sell. Most of their products are sold here and they have their plants open here and there,” he told the crowd at dinner on the National Republican Congressional Committee.
More Information: What does Trump's tariff mean for the economy and your wallet?
The story continues
