TrumpRx expands, partners with Mark Cuban; Senate Democrats target WISeR; pediatric anxiety up 300% — Morning Medical Update Weekly Recap

TrumpRx adds 600+ generics through deals with Amazon, GoodRx and Mark Cuban’s Cost Plus Drugs

Cuban-Trump partnership brings everyday prescriptions like atorvastatin, lisinopril and metformin onto the federal price-comparison site — many starting under $5.

President Donald Trump announced Monday that more than 600 generic medications are being added to TrumpRx.gov through new partnerships with Amazon Pharmacy, GoodRx and Mark Cuban’s Cost Plus Drugs.

The move significantly expands a site that until now had mostly featured brand-name drugs, including high-priced obesity and fertility medications. Some product pages now include neighborhood maps comparing cash prices at local pharmacies, and in some cases route users to Cost Plus Drugs, which marks up generics about 15% over their negotiated price. TrumpRx.gov isn't a pharmacy, and most insured patients will likely still come out ahead using their coverage — but uninsured patients and those with unmet high deductibles stand to benefit most. Cuban, an independent and frequent critic of Trump, called the deal a "special partnership." Read more.

Senate Democrats move to kill Medicare’s AI prior auth pilot, the ‘WISeR’ model

GAO ruling opens a 60-day window to repeal the Medicare pilot, which lawmakers say is delaying and denying care for seniors in six states.

A group of Senate Democrats — including Ron Wyden (D-Oregon), Maria Cantwell (D-Washington), Richard Blumenthal (D-Connecticut) and Kirsten Gillibrand (D-New York) — introduced a Congressional Review Act resolution Wednesday to end the Wasteful and Inappropriate Service Reduction, or WISeR, model. The pilot, launched by CMS this year in six states, uses AI-backed prior authorization in traditional Medicare for procedures like skin substitutes, nerve stimulators, knee replacements and epidural steroid injections. The move follows a Government Accountability Office ruling that WISeR qualifies as a rule under the Congressional Review Act, meaning HHS was required to submit it to Congress before implementation. A snapshot report from Cantwell, based on data from 16 Washington state hospitals, found procedures previously approved in about two weeks are now taking four to eight weeks under WISeR. HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has said delays in patient care are unacceptable and pledged to work with Congress. Fierce Healthcare has more.

Anxiety-related visits in pediatric primary care jumped 300% over the past decade

A study of 1.8 million Massachusetts children found mental health diagnoses in primary care visits rose steadily from 2014 to 2023.

Children's mental health concerns are showing up in primary care offices at a dramatically higher rate than a decade ago, with anxiety-related visits rising 300% between 2014 and 2023, according to a study published in JAMA Network Open. Researchers analyzed health insurance claims for approximately 1.8 million insured children ages 1 to 18 in Massachusetts and found that primary care visits including a mental health diagnosis climbed from about 6 per 100 children in 2014 to nearly 10 per 100 children in 2023.

ADHD remained the most common mental health condition addressed in those visits. The authors say the trend reflects both a genuine rise in children's mental health needs and the difficulty families face accessing specialty mental health care — making primary care an increasingly critical point of intervention.

"With the right training and support, primary care practices can help screen, diagnose, and treat mental health conditions or connect families to care," said senior author Megan Cole, Ph.D., M.P.H., of the Harvard Pilgrim Health Care Institute. The researchers call for greater mental health training and resources in pediatric primary care, including integrated care models that bring mental health services directly into primary care settings. Patient Care Online has more.