What We're Reading: Replacing Price; CHIP Deadline Passes; STDs in America

The Search Is on to Replace Tom Price

On Friday, HHS Secretary Tom Price, MD, stepped down amid controversy over his use of private charter flights for government business, and now a replacement needs to be found. According to POLITICO, already a dozen names are being discussed, from a former senator to famous talk show doctor Mehmet Oz, MD. However, rumored to be considered is Seema Verma, the current administrator for CMS, who is close to Vice President Mike Pence; Florida Governor Rick Scott, who is a former hospital executive; Scott Gottlieb, MD, who is the current FDA Commissioner; and David Shulkin, the VA secretary and a holdover from the Obama administration.

CHIP Not Reauthorized by Deadline

Congress has missed its chance to reauthorize funding for the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP), which is set to expire. The Senate had released a bipartisan plan to reauthorize the program earlier in September, but hadn’t voted on it. According to The Hill, 3 states and the District of Columbia are set to run out of money by December. The majority of states will run out of money by March 2018.

CDC Releases Report on STDs

There are an estimated 110 million sexually transmitted disease (STD) cases at any given time in the United States, according to a new report from the CDC. The most common STD is chlamydia, which had a 4.7% increase in the number of cases from 2015 to 2016. The number of gonorrhea infections increased 22.2% among men and 13.8% among women during that same time frame. And the rate of syphilis is at the highest it has been since 1993.