House GOP unaware of Trump's health plan Presented by

With help from Renuka Rayasam and Adam Cancryn

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Quick Fix

— House Republicans say they're unaware of the White House's pending health plan.

— A watchdog is suing for more information about FDA's relationship with a company founded by its acting commissioner.

— Medicaid expansion won't be on Florida's ballot in 2020, organizers told POLITICO.

A message from PhRMA: Today, there are several promising vaccine candidates in stage three clinical trials. These trials have tens of thousands of participants, from every walk of life. From development to robust clinical trials, and throughout manufacturing, these vaccine candidates follow the same rigorous process of other vaccines that have saved millions of lives. More.

THANK GOODNESS IT's FRIDAY PULSE — Here's hoping for a restful weekend. Tips to [email protected].

Driving the Day

HOUSE GOP IN THE DARK ON TRUMP’S HEALTH PLAN — White House counselor Kellyanne Conway sent a ripple through Washington this week when she said Trump would unveil his long-awaited health care plan next month — adding that the administration had already briefed House Republicans on the details of a proposal she reportedly called “elaborate” and “impressive.”

If such a briefing happened, it remains unclear — even to many House Republicans — when and where it occurred. Conway did drop in on a closed-door Republican conference meeting in July to talk health care, GOP sources with knowledge of the session told POLITICO's Adam Cancryn, but it was to lay out party talking points — not, they emphasized, to discuss any forthcoming proposals.

“She did not brief members on the WH ‘plan,’ but rather spoke about how our members should be messaging on the issue of health care,” said a source in the room, adding that Conway focused her presentation on the need to highlight Trump’s “overall vision to lower cost and increase access to quality care.”

— Looking forward: The White House is working on a series of health initiatives ranging from drug pricing to a broader Obamacare replacement plan, but hasn’t clarified whether it will push ahead with specific regulations or legislation.

“President Trump has said we will protect people with pre-existing conditions, lower drug prices, end surprise medical bills, and make sure Americans get the highest quality of care they deserve,” White House spokesperson Judd Deere said. Conway didn’t return a request for comment.

In the Courts

Watchdog to sue over FDA relationship with Sharpless-connected company. Restore Public Trust told PULSE that the group is filing suit in federal court today over FDA's decision to repeatedly fast-track a cancer drug made by G1 Therapeutics, a biotech company founded by acting FDA Commissioner Ned Sharpless.

G1 Therapeutics announced this week that the agency had granted breakthrough therapy designation for trilaciclib. Restore Public Trust's lawsuit seeks to compel disclosure of documents related to Sharpless’ contacts with G1 Therapeutics, including potential meetings and phone calls.

ACLU seeks to prevent HHS from disclosing migrant minors’ abortion details. The ACLU is asking the DC District Court to prevent HHS from sharing the information while a larger class action suit proceeds, POLITICO's Renuka Rayasam reports.

— Legal maneuvering: The DC Court of Appeals earlier this week asked the District Court to revisit whether HHS could share abortion decisions to potential sponsors and force teens in custody to get parental consent before having the procedure, undoing a March 2018 court order that blocked HHS from doing so.

The ACLU now wants to ensure that the agency doesn’t restart the policy, which it says could lead to further harm at the hands of parents and sponsors. Before courts blocked the policy, HHS officials forced shelter staff to inform the girls' parents in their home country and potential sponsors about their request for an abortion.

— How we got here: The legal filing is the latest twist in a two-year-old case that started when the Trump administration blocked the abortion of a migrant teen in the custody of HHS’ Office of Refugee Resettlement. The girl, known as Jane Doe in court filings, eventually obtained an abortion but a class action suit on behalf of pregnant teens in federal custody is still making its way through the courts. A separate court order that prevents the administration from blocking abortion among migrant teens in their care remains in place.

Around the Nation

Florida: Medicaid expansion won't be on 2020 ballot. An effort to expand Medicaid in Florida has failed to raise enough money to win a place on the 2020 ballot after legislation passed this year put the brakes on fundraising.

Short on cash, the group pushing the measure, Florida Decides Healthcare Inc., won't be able to gather the necessary signatures to get a Medicaid question before voters next year, spokesperson Dan Newman told POLITICO's Alexandra Glorioso.

What We're Reading

With Mohana Ravindranath

Dorothy Pomerantz writes in Stat about receiving difficult news from a 23andMe test without much guidance.

Early drafts of a 2018 report show that the CDC weakened language that might have suggested restricting access to guns as a way to prevent suicide, NPR’s Nell Greenfieldboyce reports.

The Boston Globe’s Jonathan Saltzman reports on the challenges of obtaining Zolgensma, an expensive treatment for children with spinal muscular atrophy.

Naomi Kresge and Cynthia Koons explore the economics of birth control development for Bloomberg.

Forty-eight male patients said USC doctor Dennis Kelly sexually abused them, writes Sasha Urban for student journalism initiative The Beacon Project and Buzzfeed.

A message from PhRMA: America’s biopharmaceutical companies are making great progress against a common enemy – COVID-19. They’re learning from successful vaccines for other diseases, developing new treatments and collaborating like never before. Today, there are several promising vaccine candidates in stage three clinical trials. These trials have tens of thousands of participants, from every walk of life. From development to robust clinical trials, and throughout manufacturing, these vaccine candidates follow the same rigorous process of other vaccines that have saved millions of lives. America’s biopharmaceutical companies are working day and night until they defeat COVID-19. Because science is how we get back to normal.

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