Policy-ish
RFK Jr. got rid of an ‘alphabet soup’ of health agencies. Now, Congress gets a say
On Wednesday, Robert F. Kennedy Jr. goes to Capitol Hill to promote and defend his massive overhaul of HHS, and President Trump's plans to change it even more.
House oversight committee demands answers on gutting of CDC public records office
House Rep. Gerry Connolly is pushing CDC leadership to explain why the personnel who handle FOIA requests lost their jobs, noting that that the public has a right to access federal records.
Help for ACA health plans could be harder to come by since RFK axed teams of ‘fixers’
Federal workers who help resolve complicated problems for Affordable Care Act policyholders are among those recently cut by the Trump administration.
Trump signs executive action to lower drug prices
The action is intended to build upon the existing program for Medicare drug price negotiations, which was created by the Inflation Reduction Act that passed during the Biden administration.
After delays, first vaccine advisory meeting under RFK Jr. set to start
For the first time since Robert F. Kennedy Jr. became health secretary, vaccine advisers to the CDC are meeting to discuss vaccines for RSV, HPV, COVID and more.
Judge rules Alabama can’t prosecute groups helping patients get abortions elsewhere
Although most abortions remain illegal in Alabama, the decision allows doctors and advocacy groups to tell patients about abortion options in other states, and help with travel and other costs
What happens when a Chicago hospital bows to federal pressure on trans care for teens
Patients and parents speak out after Lurie Children's in Chicago joined other hospitals in stopping gender-affirming surgeries. President Trump's executive order threatened their federal funding.
From TV to CMS: How Dr. Oz could shape Medicare and Medicaid
Dr. Oz lacks policy experience but has TV show chops. Tom Scully, who led Medicare & Medicaid for President George W. Bush, argues that Oz is well-suited to be a spokesman for Trump's health care agenda.
After historic indictment, doctors will keep mailing abortion pills over state lines
Doctors who mail abortion medication pills across state lines have been on alert ever since Louisiana, which bans abortion, indicted a New York doctor for mailing the pills to a woman there.
Trump vowed to end surprise medical bills. The team working on that just got slashed
Trump's first round of staff cuts to federal agencies eliminated dozens of positions at the Center for Consumer Information and Insurance Oversight, in charge of implementing the No Surprises Act.
Some Trump voters want him to rein in health care costs. It’s unclear if he will
In polls and focus groups, Trump voters say they want the government to do something about big medical bills. It's a big change from 5 years ago, pollsters say, and may not be on Trump's agenda.
NIH funding freeze stalls applications on $1.5 billion in medical research funds
The National Institutes of Health had to stop considering new grant applications, delaying funding for research into diseases ranging from heart disease and cancer to Alzheimer's and allergies.
Trump’s picks to oversee Medicare and biomedical research will divest stock
Dr. Mehmet Oz, nominated to run the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, will sell shares in Eli Lilly and UnitedHealth. Dr. Jay Bhattacharya, NIH nominee, will shed stock in Walmart and Nvidia.
Republican proposals to cut Medicaid could be politically fraught
Republicans are proposing deep cuts to Medicaid to finance tax cuts and other priorities. Pushback is coming not only from Democrats, but also from hospitals that rely on revenue from the program.
Trump’s ban on gender-affirming care for young people puts hospitals in a bind
Hospitals and clinics that have offered gender-affirming treatments to transgender youth reacted in a variety of ways to an executive order that aims to halt the care.
Why many Republicans think shrinking Medicaid will make it better
Republicans proposals to change the public health insurance program for low-income and disabled Americans could amount to more than $2 trillion of cuts over the next decade.
