What’s up next in GOP health care plans? Brian Blase can tell you

Daniel covers the intersection of the health industry and the federal government. He reports on corporate influence in government, the health consequences of federal policies, and the politics of health care. Confidential tips can be sent on Signal at danielp.100.

WASHINGTON — Brian Blase, president of Paragon Health Institute, has become a trusted adviser to Republicans in Congress, who passed sweeping changes to federal funding for health care last year.

The Medicaid program is expected to pay out some $1 trillion less than projected over the coming decade, thanks to policies Blase supported. The changes are causing health providers to scramble and rethink how they offer care. 

The cuts to the Medicaid program through the One Big Beautiful Bill Act were used to offset the cost of tax cuts — a change that’s expected to lead to 7 million people losing Medicaid coverage, according to preliminary estimates from the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office.