“While there is more work to be done, this bipartisan legislation takes an important step forward and will save lives.” – Statement from Republican and Democratic Congressional committee leaders

The uninsured rate for low-income adults has dropped 29 percentage points since Colorado expanded Medicaid — the largest decrease experienced by a state, according to a new study. Colorado is one of multiple states to see a decrease in the number of uninsured adults in rural areas since expanding Medicaid. (Jessica Seaman, Denver Post)

Tennessee officially posted its Medicaid waiver that would require enrollees to either seek or maintain work. It's the fourth state to propose a Medicaid work requirement this month for comment, joining Alabama, Michigan, and Virginia. (Virgil Dickson, Modern Healthcare)

A top health official in the Trump administration defended Medicaid work requirements Thursday, arguing that the intent isn't to expel people from the program. "Community engagement requirements are not some subversive attempt to just kick people off of Medicaid," Seema Verma, head of the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, said in a speech in Washington, D.C. "Instead, their aim is to put beneficiaries in control with the right incentives to live healthier, independent lives." More than 4,300 people lost their Medicaid coverage in Arkansas this month for not adhering to the new rules. (Jessie Hellmann, The Hill)

Democratic candidates for governor in red and purple states are going on the offensive on Medicaid expansion, betting the Obamacare issue will resonate with voters.  (Nathaniel Weixel, The Hill)

President Donald Trump made reducing drug prices a key promise during his election campaign, repeatedly accusing drugmakers of "getting away with murder." At the end of May, he promised that drug companies would be announcing "massive" voluntary drug price cuts within two weeks. That hasn't happened, and an Associated Press analysis of brand-name prescription drug prices shows it’s been business as usual for drugmakers, with far more price hikes than cuts. (Linda A. Johnson and Nicky Forster, Associated Press)

The House and Senate have reached agreement on a big package of measures to address the opioid epidemic. The legislation, backed by leaders of both parties, is a rare bipartisan achievement that lawmakers are eager to have in hand when they go home to campaign for the midterm elections. The 653-page bill contains a mix of law enforcement and public health measures, including one that aims to block deadly fentanyl from being imported through the mail and one that will allow more nurses to prescribe medication for opioid addiction.  (Abby Goodnough, New York Times)