Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
CDC Nominee Susan Monarez Skirts Questions On RFK Jr. During Hearing
AP: CDC Nominee Monarez Affirms Vaccines But Sidesteps Questions About RFK Decisions
Susan Monarez, President Donald Trump’s pick to lead the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, told senators Wednesday that she values vaccines, public health interventions and rigorous scientific evidence, but largely sidestepped questions about widespread cuts to the agency, elimination of programs and whether she disagreed with any of Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.'s actions to date. “The secretary is doing the important work of leading a complex agency,” Monarez told members of a Senate health committee that will decide whether to advance her nomination. (Aleccia, 6/25)
On the federal research cuts and reorganization —
Stat: NIH Halts Grant Terminations 'Effective Immediately'
Days after a federal judge ordered the restoration of more than 1,000 biomedical research grants, the National Institutes of Health is halting further terminations of grants, an internal email shows. (Oza, 6/25)
Stat: Eric Green's Forced Exit From NIH Remains Unexplained
Three months later, it’s still unclear why Eric Green became the first institute director at the National Institutes of Health ousted by the Trump administration, and who ordered it — even to him. (Oza, 6/26)
Stat: Cancer Data In Danger As CDC Cuts May Threaten Tracking Efforts
State workers who for decades have been pivotal in identifying U.S. cancer trends, curbing new cases, and improving screening fear their federally funded programs could be deeply cut or eliminated altogether come July. By next week, state and local programs that work on cancer are supposed to find out if their annual allocations from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention will be renewed. (Cueto, 6/26)
Stat: To Tackle Race In Clinical Guidelines, Researchers Seek Private Funding
Over the last five years, health systems, medical societies, and their clinicians have been working to unravel the role of race in clinical practice. After clinical algorithms that use race as a variable came under scrutiny in 2020, several commonly used tools have been revised to align with medicine’s understanding that race is not a biological construct, but a social one. (Palmer, 6/26)
KFF Health News: At Some Federal Beaches, Surf’s Up But The Lifeguard Chair’s Empty
When Azania Lane-Majestic arrived at the beach with her family, her initial excitement gave way to concern. No lifeguards could be seen despite heavy, pounding surf. So she held the hand of her 8-year-old daughter whenever they went in the water. And, just in case, she went online and looked up how to spot and escape a riptide. “The presence of lifeguards provides an extra level of security,” said Lane-Majestic, of Pittsburgh. “Lifeguards are an important extra set of eyes.” (Armour, 6/26)
On immigration and health care —
The Washington Post: Immigration Fuels Population Growth As Americans Age, Census Shows
Immigration is driving U.S. population growth and helping offset a broader demographic shift as the baby boom generation ages, according to data from the U.S. Census Bureau. U.S. children outnumber older adults, but older adults’ share of the population is growing, the census data released Thursday shows. (Sheinerman and Mourtoupalas, 6/26)
KFF Health News: Dual Threats From Trump And GOP Imperil Nursing Homes And Their Foreign-Born Workers
In a top-rated nursing home in Alexandria, Virginia, the Rev. Donald Goodness is cared for by nurses and aides from various parts of Africa. One of them, Jackline Conteh, a naturalized citizen and nurse assistant from Sierra Leone, bathes and helps dress him most days and vigilantly intercepts any meal headed his way that contains gluten, as Goodness has celiac disease. “We are full of people who come from other countries,” Goodness, 92, said about Goodwin House Alexandria’s staff. Without them, the retired Episcopal priest said, “I would be, and my building would be, desolate.” (Rau, 6/26)
The Colorado Sun: Colorado Spending On Health Care For Immigrants Under Review
The Trump administration is launching an investigation into Colorado Medicaid spending on undocumented immigrants, an extensive data request from federal officials reveals. (Brown, 6/25)
