Latest News On Trump Administration

Latest KFF Health News Stories

She Owed Her Insurer a Nickel, So It Canceled Her Coverage

KFF Health News Original

When medical bills started rolling in, a teacher’s aide in Florida wondered why her insurance suddenly wasn’t covering them. The answer? She owed a balance of 5 cents, so her insurer canceled her policy.

Give and Take: Federal Rural Health Funding Could Trigger Service Cuts

KFF Health News Original

States are rolling out plans for their share of a $50 billion fund meant to improve rural health care. In some states, the money may provoke rural hospitals to cut services.

What the Health? From KFF Health News: A Headless CDC

Podcast

The Trump administration this week missed a deadline to nominate a new director for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Without a nominee, current acting Director Jay Bhattacharya — who is also the director of the National Institutes of Health — has to give up that title, leaving no one at the helm of […]

CDC’s Acting Chief Promises a Return to Stability in a Tumultuous Moment

KFF Health News Original

Jay Bhattacharya, head of the National Institutes of Health and interim leader of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, told the CDC staff, “I know that it has been such a difficult year.”

Demoralized CDC Workforce Reels From Year of Firings, Funding Cuts, and a Shooting

KFF Health News Original

Thousands of employees are gone and last summer’s shooting resonates still at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention headquarters and among the large public health community in Atlanta.

“Me engañaron”: agentes encadenan a un padre que había ido al ICE a reunirse con sus hijos

KFF Health News Original

Se supone que la agencia que cuida a niños que llegan solos al país deben reunirlos pronto con sus familias o cuidadores. Pero cada vez más los usan como “carnada” para arrestar a los padres.

‘They Tricked Me’: A Father Was Chained After He Went to ICE To Reunite With His Kids

KFF Health News Original

The administration has largely converted the HHS Office of Refugee Resettlement into an arm of immigration enforcement, detaining children longer while helping immigration officers arrest their parents or other family members. One father was chained when he went to an ICE office to discuss being reunited with his son and daughter.

Oz Escalates Medicaid Fraud Claims Against States After Focus on Minnesota

KFF Health News Original

The Trump administration’s unprecedented actions targeting Medicaid funding in Minnesota are part of what could become a playbook as officials turn pressure toward California, Florida, Maine, and New York.

What the Health? From KFF Health News: RFK Jr.’s Vaccine Schedule Changes Blocked — For Now

Podcast

A federal judge in Massachusetts this week sided with public health groups to block changes to the federally recommended schedule of childhood vaccines, dealing at least a temporary setback to Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s efforts to remake the schedule. Meanwhile, Congress has put its debate over the future of the Affordable Care Act on the back burner, but the issue of rising health care costs is still front and center for the voting public. Lauren Weber of The Washington Post, Margot Sanger-Katz of The New York Times, and Alice Miranda Ollstein of Politico join KFF Health News’ Julie Rovner to discuss these stories and more. Also this week, Rovner interviews KFF President and CEO Drew Altman to kick off a new series looking at health care solutions, called “How Would You Fix It?”

Lawmakers Seek To Protect Crisis Pregnancy Centers as Abortion Clinic Numbers Shrink

KFF Health News Original

Some states have tried to crack down on crisis pregnancy centers, accusing them of deceptive practices. But now conservative lawmakers are pushing legislation to increase protections for the organizations, which work to dissuade women from abortions.

Oz Says California’s Not Fighting Health Care Fraud, but Data Shows It’s Part of a Larger Battle

KFF Health News Original

Trump administration officials say the state allows rampant fraud and have promised to investigate, blaming the “Russian, Armenian mafia” in the hospice and home health care industry. But data shows hotbeds of health care fraud throughout the country, with California outperforming most other states in recovering fraud dollars.

Watch: Affordability Plagues Health Care in Its Shift From Nonprofit to Profit Machine

KFF Health News Original

On “What the Health? From KFF Health News,” distributed by WAMU, chief Washington correspondent and host Julie Rovner sat down with Drew Altman, president and CEO of KFF, to talk about the likelihood of a national health care debate.

Evidence Shows ACA’s Mandated Benefits Alone Don’t Drive Up Costs. The Debate Continues.

KFF Health News Original

The Affordable Care Act put in place a package of benefits that health insurance plans must cover. Critics contend this mandate has jacked up premiums. Evidence supporting that claim is mixed.

Birth Control Skepticism, Teen Fertility Take Center Stage at Trump’s Women’s Health Summit

KFF Health News Original

Amid falling birth rates and presidential approval numbers, the Department of Health and Human Services convened doctors, tech executives, and influencers to discuss women’s health. Panelists criticized reliance on birth control pills to treat health problems and encouraged doctors to talk with girls about whether they want to have babies.