Medicare Policy Fight: House Republicans advanced a bill to steer MedPAC’s Medicare Advantage spending reviews toward insurer-friendlier overpayment assumptions, as scrutiny grows after MedPAC estimated Medicare Advantage pays about 14% more per enrollee than traditional Medicare. Medicaid Crackdown: Missouri AG Catherine Hanaway charged 17 people in a statewide Medicaid fraud sweep tied to more than $450,000 in alleged schemes, including identity theft and adult daycare billing abuse. Access & Coverage Costs: A “Worried Retiree” Q&A explains how a big IRA withdrawal can trigger Medicare IRMAA premium surcharges two years later, affecting Social Security deductions. Health System Under Strain: Gaza medical relief warns hospitals are running at bare minimum after transport services were suspended, with mortality rates reportedly tripling and younger patients affected. Global Emergency Readiness: WHO verified Ethiopia’s National Emergency Medical Team as the first civilian EMT in Africa’s WHO region to receive international classification. Rural Care Continuity: Alabama’s Dr. Sumpter Blackmon transferred his clinic to Cahaba Medical to protect primary care access as rural hospital models shift. Tech in Drug Discovery: Novo Nordisk partnered with Anthropic to use Claude for AI-assisted R&D and automated software engineering. Medicare Education: Illinois Rep. Brandun Schweizer announced free Medicare 101 seminars in Savoy and Danville with SHIP counselors.