HHS Family Planning Office Staffers Axed During Ongoing Shutdown
Almost everyone who worked for the Office of Population Affairs was emailed a reduction-in-force notice — after they had logged off for the weekend. The Title X program, in place for more than 50 years, had already been targeted for elimination under the administration's 2026 budget proposal.
The New York Times:
Trump Administration Decimates Birth Control Office In Layoffs
The Trump administration has targeted a federal office that oversees a $300 million family planning program for layoffs, raising fears that it is effectively ending an initiative that provides contraception for millions of low-income women, according to three people with knowledge of the events. The decimation of the Department of Health and Human Services’ Office of Population Affairs — part of a larger effort by President Trump to fire federal employees during the government shutdown — threatens a program that has existed for over 50 years and also offers testing for sexually transmitted diseases and pregnancy, as well as basic infertility care. (Kitchener, 10/15)
CBS News:
After CDC Cuts, Former Officials Say "We're Not Prepared" For Daily Public Health Or Emergencies
Days after hundreds of Centers for Disease Control and Prevention employees were laid off, former CDC officials are warning it has left the agency more unprepared to keep Americans healthy and safe. While 1,300 CDC employees initially received reduction-in-force notices on Friday, about 700 were later notified their terminations were revoked, union officials said. Some of the RIF notices had been sent to CDC employees due to a coding error, a Department of Health and Human Services spokesperson said. (Moniuszko, 10/15)
The Hill:
Union: Nearly 1 In 4 CDC Staffers Laid Off In 2025
Nearly a quarter of staffers at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) have been removed from the agency through reduction in force (RIF) notices this year, according to the union representing federal workers. With the most recent round of layoffs this past weekend, the American Federation of Government Employees (AFGE) Local 2883 estimates roughly 3,000 of the more than 13,000 employees that the CDC had at the start of the year have received RIF notices. (Choi, 10/15)
More on the shutdown and how it's affecting the health industry —
AP:
Senate Democrats Ready To Reject Government Funding Bill Again Over Health Care
Senate Democrats are poised for the 10th time Thursday to reject a stopgap spending bill that would reopen the government, insisting they won’t back away from demands that Congress take up health care benefits. The repetition of votes on the funding bill has become a daily drumbeat in Congress, underscoring how intractable the situation has become as it has been at times the only item on the agenda for the Senate floor. House Republicans have left Washington altogether. (Groves and Jalonick, 10/16)
The Hill:
John Fetterman Criticizes Democrats Over Government Shutdown
Sen. John Fetterman (D-Pa.) has criticized Democrats over the government shutdown, adding that discussions on health care subsidies can take place when the government is funded. “I follow country, then party,” Fetterman said at the Kennedy Center on Wednesday night during NewsNation’s live town hall. (Mancini, 10/15)
Stat:
CMS Backs Off Pause On Medicare Doctor Payments Amid Shutdown
The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services said late Wednesday that it was not pausing all Medicare payments to doctors, after a statement earlier in the day stated it would. Instead, the agency will only wait to process claims that are related to programs that have expired, such as some telehealth or rural services. (Payne and Bannow, 10/15)
Modern Healthcare:
Medicaid DSH Payments Are Getting Cut. Here's What To Know
Hospitals that treat large numbers of low-income uninsured patients at long last are confronting a Medicaid cut that had been kicked down the road for more than a decade. The government shut down Oct. 1 when Congress failed to enact fiscal 2026 appropriations bills to finance federal operations. Simultaneously, a number of key healthcare policies expired because of the deadlock, including a provision to delay a reduction in Medicaid disproportionate share hospital, or DSH, payments. (Early, 10/15)
Modern Healthcare:
Hospital-At-Home Programs, Vendors Seek Workarounds Amid Shutdown
Health systems are seeking workarounds and trying to contain vendor costs as the ongoing government shutdown impacts hospital-at-home programs nationwide. Some health systems are still allowing patients with private insurance to receive acute-level care where they live, while Medicare patients are sidelined from hospital-at-home service until Congress decides the program’s future. Although many providers remain bullish about home-based acute care, others considering launching hospital-at-home could be having second thoughts as the shutdown has entered its third week. (Eastabrook, 10/15)
Related news about the Affordable Care Act —
NBC News:
Idaho Kicks Off Affordable Care Act Open Enrollment As Premiums Are Set To Rise Nationwide
On Wednesday, open enrollment for Affordable Care Act plans began in Idaho, offering a preview to the rest of the country of how much monthly premiums are set to increase in 2026. Many Idahoans will have to decide whether they’ll be able to afford coverage once the enhanced subsidies that kept premiums lower for many middle-class families expire at the end of the year. (Lovelace Jr., 10/15)
The Hill:
If Obamcare Tax Credits Expire, This Is Who Could Lose Health Insurance
The fight over enhanced premium tax credits for the Affordable Care Act’s (ACA) marketplace drags on in Congress as crucial deadlines draw near and certain groups stand to be hit the hardest if an agreement to extend the subsidies doesn’t materialize. Estimates of how many will be impacted by expiring tax credits have ranged from 3 million to more than 4 million enrollees. Based on early projections, this subsection is likely to be younger. (Choi, 10/15)
