• California: GoodRx has named Christopher McGinnis as its new CFO. Previously, McGinnis served as CEO of the pharmacy benefit manager CitizensRx and held leadership positions at Lumeris and Express Scripts. McGinnis succeeds former CFO Karsten Voermann, who resigned last month due to personal reasons. According to Healthcare Dive, McGinnis stepping into the CFO role comes just a few weeks after the company named Wendy Barnes as its new CEO. Barnes officially became CEO on Jan. 1, more than a year after GoodRx's founders Trevor Bezdek and Doug Hirsch left their positions as co-CEOs in April 2023. Currently, Bezdek and Hirsch serve on GoodRx's board of directors, along with Scott Wagner, who served as interim CEO before Barnes joined the company. (Olsen, Healthcare Dive, 2/7)
• Illinois: According to a new study published in JAMA Ophthalmology, a small number of patients taking GLP-1 weight-loss drugs may experience vision loss. In the study, researchers evaluated nine people who experienced vision problems while using GLP-1 drugs like semaglutide or tirzepatide. Of the patients, seven experienced symptoms of a condition called nonarteritic anterior ischemic optic neuropathy (NAION), one had papillitis, and one had paracentral acute middle maculopathy. NAION can result in sudden partial vision loss, and the damage is typically permanent. Other research has also documented vision problems in patients taking GLP-1 medications, but a direct link to the drugs has not been established. Although reports of vision problems with GLP-1 medications are rare, the researchers said they are still a cause for concern since the medications are becoming so widespread. According to a 2024 study, 12% of the U.S. population had taken a GLP-1 drug, and 6% are currently taking a GLP-1 drug. (Whiteside, The Hill, 2/12)
• Maryland: CMS has reduced funding for the Affordable Care Act navigator program to $10 million, an approximately 90% decrease from what it received in 2024. Previously, the Biden administration had pledged $500 million in funding for the navigator program over the next five years, but President Donald Trump reversed that decision. Trump had also previously reduced the program's funding during his first term. According to CMS, the navigator program enrolled too few people to justify its funding amount. "These numbers indicate that navigators are not enrolling nearly enough people to justify the substantial amount of federal dollars previously spent on the program," the agency said. "… This change will directly benefit people enrolled without subsidies who pay the full premium for their health insurance." It's estimated that the reduction in funding will save the government $360 million by 2029. (Tepper, Modern Healthcare, 2/14; Tong, Fierce Healthcare, 2/14)

Host Rachel Woods talks with researchers Kara Marlatt, Gaby Marmolejos, and Chloe Bakst about the questions healthcare leaders have about the growing demand and accessibility of new weight management drugs and what this could mean for the industry.