Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
RFK Jr. Concedes Measles Vaccine Is Safe, Effective, Better Than Being Sick
The New York Times: RFK Jr. Shifts Tone On Vaccines In Congressional Hearing
In a sharp break with his past rhetoric, Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. offered a qualified embrace of the measles vaccine on Thursday, as President Trump named a new director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention whose views on vaccination are more conventional than Mr. Kennedy’s. (Gay Stolberg and Blum, 4/16)
The New York Times: RFK Jr. To Reform Health Panel That Determines Which Screenings Insurers Cover
Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. said on Thursday that he was reforming an influential task force that determines which preventive medical screenings, procedures and medications insurance companies must cover at no cost for millions of Americans. Speaking at a congressional hearing, Mr. Kennedy accused the panel, the United States Preventive Services Task Force, of having been “lackadaisical and negligent for 20 years.” He said he would appoint new members with “a clear mission,” which he did not elaborate on. (Astor and Blum, 4/16)
The Boston Globe: RFK Jr. Returned To Congress For Hearings. Here Are Some Takeaways.
Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. on Thursday kicked off what will be a marathon of congressional hearings over the next week, facing lawmakers’ questions for the first time since last fall. The first two of what will be seven hearings across Capitol Hill took place Thursday. Kennedy’s first stop was the House Ways & Means Committee where he was appearing for the first time. He then testified in front of the House Appropriations Committee. (Kopan, 4/16)
In related news about vaccine skepticism —
New Hampshire Public Radio: NH Lawmakers Move To Scale Back A Ban On School Vaccine Clinics
New Hampshire lawmakers may drop plans to prohibit all vaccine clinics at public schools. State senators passed legislation Thursday that would allow flu vaccine clinics to continue during the school day and permit clinics during a public health emergency. But funding those clinics may be a hurdle. (Timmins, 4/16)
The Daily Pennsylvanian: Penn Researchers Explain Rising Skepticism Over Pediatric Vaccination
A recent federal effort to scale back the routine childhood vaccine schedule has shaped how families approach immunization, according to physicians and researchers at Penn Medicine and the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia. In the last six years, CHOP’s Primary Care Network has seen a decrease in the percentage of children up to date on immunizations at age 2, according to Joseph St. Geme, the hospital’s physician-in-chief. St. Geme wrote that “the percentage was 80.0% in 2020 and has dropped to 73.0% in 2026.” (Saji and Calcagno, 4/15)
