Verma-Azar feud extends into coronavirus era

Verma-Azar feud extends into coronavirus era-politico: Even in the midst of coronavirus, the Trump administration's top health officials are competing for attention. Medicare administrator Seema Verma announced on Tuesday night that hospitals could tap $30 billion in “no-strings-attached” coronavirus grants — a move that won her plaudits from health care providers but also one that her rival, Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar, had planned to make, according to three people close to the situation. Azar, however, was away from Washington because of the death of his father, and two of his advocates in the agency insist Verma should have waited for his return the next day.