WEBVTT - From TV Doctor to Power Broker: Dr. Oz Thrives on Trump’s Team

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<v Speaker 1>Bloomberg Audio Studios, Podcasts, radio News.

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<v Speaker 2>You're listening to Bloomberg BusinessWeek with Carol Masser and tim

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<v Speaker 2>Stenoveek on Bloomberg Radio.

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<v Speaker 1>Hey, listen, we want to switch to gear to another

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<v Speaker 1>great story that's definitely on our radar. Nobody's appear President Trump.

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<v Speaker 1>But it does feel like doctor Oz comes awfully closed.

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<v Speaker 2>Yeah. Check out these similarities similarities between the two of them.

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<v Speaker 2>They're both wealthy television stars of the early two thousands,

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<v Speaker 2>degrees from the University of Pennsylvania. They became regulars on

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<v Speaker 2>the Palm Beach social scene before entering Republican politics, and

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<v Speaker 2>as a member of Trump's administration, Oz's remit has been sprawling.

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<v Speaker 2>That's according to people familiar with the matter who were

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<v Speaker 2>quoted and spoken to by Rachel Korzeng, Bloomberg News health

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<v Speaker 2>policy reporter, who writes all about how doctor al Oz

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<v Speaker 2>is thriving.

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<v Speaker 1>I had no idea, And anyway, it's the.

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<v Speaker 2>Perfect story because it's like, wait a second, and we

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<v Speaker 2>don't think about this. Well, you did interview him at Milkin, right,

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<v Speaker 2>I did.

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<v Speaker 1>I did, But you know it's interesting, I didn't realize

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<v Speaker 1>he was His purview was so like he oversaws so much.

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<v Speaker 1>Let's get to it with Rachel. She is here. He

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<v Speaker 1>is the administrator of the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services.

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<v Speaker 1>You right, though he's become the heir apparent to lead

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<v Speaker 1>the Health Department if RFK Junior departs. Tell us a

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<v Speaker 1>little bit about what you found out.

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<v Speaker 3>So I found that typically the CMS administrator really focuses

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<v Speaker 3>on health insurance. You know, they're running Medicare and Medicaid.

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<v Speaker 3>These are it's a lot of money, and it's really

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<v Speaker 3>technical programs. It's really wonky. Usually people don't pay a

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<v Speaker 3>whole lot of attention to it. But because doctor Oz

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<v Speaker 3>is close to the president and he has forged a

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<v Speaker 3>friendship with Secretary Kennedy, he gets brought into the room

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<v Speaker 3>on big discussions that are happening about health policy, including

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<v Speaker 3>on childhood vaccinations and you know, global health affairs. That

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<v Speaker 3>just it's really unusual, but I think it's not a

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<v Speaker 3>high conflict exercise. It's really interesting how he operates.

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<v Speaker 2>You know, one thing that will and we should note

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<v Speaker 2>that you don't there's no indication that our f K

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<v Speaker 2>Junior is going to depart, And you make that point

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<v Speaker 2>in the piece.

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<v Speaker 3>Yes, not before the mid terms is kind of the expectation.

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<v Speaker 2>But there is this view in Washington that it's kind

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<v Speaker 2>of surprising that he's lasted this long, right.

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<v Speaker 3>Certainly, But I mean, I think the President really likes

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<v Speaker 3>Secretary Kennedy and he's really on board with a lot

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<v Speaker 3>of his ideas.

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<v Speaker 2>Well on the health side of things. Going back to

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<v Speaker 2>doctor Oz, we've learned some things about what makes someone

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<v Speaker 2>click with this president. What is it that makes doctor

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<v Speaker 2>Oz click with this president.

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<v Speaker 3>I think, as you said, they do have a lot

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<v Speaker 3>in common. But I think doctor Oz is somebody who

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<v Speaker 3>likes to explain things. You know. He has built a

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<v Speaker 3>great team around him, and he's interested in the policy ideas.

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<v Speaker 3>When I talk to people who had briefed him, they

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<v Speaker 3>said he just inhaled the information and he loves to

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<v Speaker 3>dig into the details. And I think the President understands

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<v Speaker 3>that the Medicare constituency is honestly, really important in politics,

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<v Speaker 3>and he trusts doctor Oz to deliver wins for him

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<v Speaker 3>and to turn these big ideas he has into things

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<v Speaker 3>that actually work in the government.

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<v Speaker 1>I love this too, this exchange, because it often you

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<v Speaker 1>see in a term, a presidential term, people leaving like

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<v Speaker 1>kind of midway and that he committed to President Trump

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<v Speaker 1>to serve his full term. He said, Okay, I'll give

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<v Speaker 1>you the job, but I'm going to insist on four years.

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<v Speaker 1>And Oz committed to that is that he's going to

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<v Speaker 1>go the distance here, and I think that's kind of interesting.

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<v Speaker 1>Has his responsibilities and his access kind of grown since

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<v Speaker 1>he's come to this position.

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<v Speaker 3>Absolutely certainly, And I think, you know, Secretary Kennedy never was,

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<v Speaker 3>you know, a hands on manager in his prior roles either,

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<v Speaker 3>So I think they've really worked on building a team

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<v Speaker 3>around him to handle some more of those day to

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<v Speaker 3>day management solutions. And I think the White House certainly

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<v Speaker 3>values doctor Oz is somebody who can kind of translate

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<v Speaker 3>from the White House and the goals we want and

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<v Speaker 3>try to get a Secretary Kennedy fully on board with

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<v Speaker 3>that and just figure out how to make it happen.

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<v Speaker 3>And he's really served that role.

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<v Speaker 1>Does the medical community as a whole. I'm just curious,

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<v Speaker 1>as you guys were talking to different folks, do they

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<v Speaker 1>also think, Okay, this is as good as kind of

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<v Speaker 1>having an adult in the room, or how do they

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<v Speaker 1>feel about this.

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<v Speaker 3>I think it's widely viewed that his team or he

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<v Speaker 3>built a serious team of Republican policymakers around him. That

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<v Speaker 3>being said, there's still republic Republican policymakers, and they're still

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<v Speaker 3>pursuing traditional kind of priorities in terms of scaling back

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<v Speaker 3>Medicaid funding over the next ten years, and you know,

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<v Speaker 3>not continuing subsidies that made Affordable Care Act insurance more

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<v Speaker 3>affordable for people. And I think monthly costs are going

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<v Speaker 3>to go up over time and people are going to

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<v Speaker 3>lose their health insurance. I don't think there's any question

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<v Speaker 3>about that. So all of that, so I think there's

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<v Speaker 3>certainly concerns about those policies. But I think there is

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<v Speaker 3>a general sense that nobody expected doctor Oz to be

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<v Speaker 3>this serious and I guess this effective in his role.

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<v Speaker 2>What's the relationship that doctor Oz has with RFK Junior.

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<v Speaker 3>I think they're honestly friends, and I think both of

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<v Speaker 3>them it's striking.

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<v Speaker 2>It's interesting because one of them is a you know,

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<v Speaker 2>trained medical doctor who understands the science and peer review

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<v Speaker 2>and clinical trials, and the other one comes from a

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<v Speaker 2>place where critics argue that he doesn't necessarily see science

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<v Speaker 2>in the way that that you know, is it has

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<v Speaker 2>been proven out in the medical establishment. No.

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<v Speaker 3>I mean he the secretary understandples right, He understands he

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<v Speaker 3>doesn't have a medical background. And I think he really

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<v Speaker 3>values doctor Oz's opinion, and he is someone who goes

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<v Speaker 3>around the room and seeks the council of his advisors

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<v Speaker 3>and really listens. And I think just that trust has

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<v Speaker 3>allowed doctor Oz to have this influence in the room

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<v Speaker 3>where it's not, you know, a backstabbing thing. It's not

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<v Speaker 3>a conflict heavy exercise. But I think he really values

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<v Speaker 3>his opinion and they do seem to be pretty open

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<v Speaker 3>minded to those discussions.

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<v Speaker 1>He's also smart about undercutting right, yes, rfk JR.

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<v Speaker 3>It's a very fine line. I think the worst thing

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<v Speaker 3>to be in the Trump administration is a show voter.

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<v Speaker 3>They really don't like that. They want all the credit

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<v Speaker 3>to go back to the administration, and I think he's

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<v Speaker 3>played that game very well.

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<v Speaker 2>We see that a lot when these members of the

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<v Speaker 2>administration speak, and the way that they highlight the contry

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<v Speaker 2>video the president and talk about the leadership of.

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<v Speaker 1>The president, not naming anybody, but yet no, no, no, no,

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<v Speaker 1>listen like you know, read the room, right, And I

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<v Speaker 1>don't think that's also just specific to this president, I

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<v Speaker 1>think in general.

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<v Speaker 2>Right past administration of other countries too.

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<v Speaker 1>Yeah, And I would say even past administrations, right, Like

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<v Speaker 1>you have to be careful about like kind of how

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<v Speaker 1>you don't kind of show up your president and the team.

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<v Speaker 1>What did you learn in doing this?

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<v Speaker 2>Do you?

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<v Speaker 1>Guys you talk to a lot of people, just get

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<v Speaker 1>about thirty or forty seconds of all of it.

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<v Speaker 3>What like?

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<v Speaker 1>As you kind of think about this story, what really

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<v Speaker 1>sticks with you?

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<v Speaker 3>I think it's striking that just how how much they're

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<v Speaker 3>genuinely friends and how much how little conflict there is

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<v Speaker 3>in that.

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<v Speaker 1>Relationship between RFK and doctor Oz.

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<v Speaker 3>Yes, And I think there's a perception that you know somebody,

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<v Speaker 3>there's so much speculation. I think the assumption would be

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<v Speaker 3>that people try to grasp for power as much as

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<v Speaker 3>they can, as quickly as they can, and I think

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<v Speaker 3>we just haven't seen that dynamic play out between them.

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<v Speaker 3>So it was odd, but it feels it's true. And

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<v Speaker 3>so I think that is going to stick with me.

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<v Speaker 1>And I think it's safe to say that when he

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<v Speaker 1>was named two people were like scratching their head a

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<v Speaker 1>little bit. But here he is right and certainly very involved,

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<v Speaker 1>and certainly it sounds like a very trusted advisor to

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<v Speaker 1>both RFK and to the President. Great stuff. Rachel Corsang.

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<v Speaker 1>She is Boomberg News health policy reporter. Check out her story.

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<v Speaker 1>It is on the Bloomberg and at bloomberg dot Com.

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<v Speaker 3>Rachel Place