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John O'Brien, chief adviser to HHS Secretary Alex Azar on drug-pricing reform, is leaving the Trump administration as the congressional debate over legislation is poised to intensify. O'Brien stepped up to the post last December, not long after his predecessor Dan Best died last year. He had already served with Azar as an adviser and helped with the Trump administration's drug-pricing strategy. His last day is Aug. 22. (Luthi, 8/12)

John O’Brien will leave the department on Aug. 22 after nine months as the senior adviser for drug pricing reform to HHS Secretary Alex Azar, a tenure marked by a series of aggressive — sometimes thwarted — efforts to follow through on President Donald Trump’s vow to slash the cost of medicines. O’Brien will be replaced by John Brooks, who will take on the senior adviser role in addition to his current job as principal deputy director for the Center for Medicare at CMS. (Cancryn and Owermohle, 8/12)

Advocates for the country's healthcare safety net urged the Trump administration to rescind proposed changes to the Affordable Care Act's anti-discrimination provisions, alleging they could roll back protections for LGBTQ individuals and nonproficient English speakers. HHS proposed changing provisions of Section 1557 of the ACA, which prohibits racial, gender, age or disability discrimination in health programs. The changes would effectively reverse a 2016 Section 1557 rule that added a regulatory definition of sex discrimination based on gender identity, which included gender expression and transgender status. Comments on the proposal are due Tuesday. (Johnson, 8/12)