Latest KFF Health News Stories
At His HHS Job Interview, RFK Jr. Stumbles Over Health Policy Basics
Robert F. Kennedy Jr., the anti-vaccine activist President Donald Trump nominated to lead the nation’s top health agency, did little to win over his critics at two Senate confirmation hearings this week. Democrats argued he’s not qualified for the job. And by botching answers to basic questions about health policy, Kennedy supplied some evidence. It’s […]
Trump’s Order on Gender-Affirming Care Escalates Reversal of Trans Rights
The Jan. 28 executive order directs federal regulators to cut insurance coverage for hormonal or surgical treatments that help in young people’s gender transitions and cut federal funding for medical professionals or institutions that provide such care. It will likely be challenged in court.
Orden de Trump sobre procedimientos de afirmación de género pone en peligro los derechos trans
Aunque está dirigida principalmente a programas de salud del gobierno, la orden también podría tener implicaciones para el sector privado y es probable que enfrente litigios por parte de los estados o grupos de defensa.
KFF Health News' 'What the Health?': RFK Jr. in the Hot Seat
President Donald Trump’s choice to lead the vast Department of Health and Human Services, Robert F. Kennedy Jr., faced sharp questioning from senators this week, particularly over his history of vaccine denialism. Meanwhile, the Trump administration’s second week has been even more disruptive than its first, with an on-again, off-again funding freeze that left many around the country scrambling to understand what was going on. Sandhya Raman of CQ Roll Call and Sarah Karlin-Smith of the Pink Sheet join KFF Health News’ Julie Rovner to discuss these stories and more. Also this week, Rovner interviews Nicholas Bagley, a University of Michigan law professor, who explains how the federal regulatory system is supposed to operate to make health policy.
Recapping the RFK Jr. Hearings: A Live Discussion With KFF Health News Journalists
KFF Health News reporters break down the biggest takeaways from Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s confirmation hearings for secretary of Health and Human Services.
Trump Administration’s Halt of CDC’s Weekly Scientific Report Stalls Bird Flu Studies
An unprecedented freeze on the agency’s Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report sparks new concerns about political meddling in science.
Led by RFK Jr., Conservatives Embrace Raw Milk. Regulators Say It’s Dangerous.
Controversy over raw milk reflects the push-pull the Trump administration faces in rolling back regulations and offering consumers more choices. For now, the CDC still recommends against consuming raw milk and the FDA bans its interstate sale.
Trump’s Funding ‘Pause’ Throws States, Health Industry Into Chaos
A sweeping Trump administration order threw the nation’s health system into disarray Tuesday, as states and the health industry tried to make sense of what looked like a freeze on federal Medicaid funding.
Health Providers Gird for Immigration Crackdown
Different states are offering starkly different guidelines to hospitals, community clinics, and other health facilities for interacting with immigrant patients as President Donald Trump issues a flurry of executive orders on immigration.
What a US Exit From the WHO Means for Global Health
By withdrawing from the World Health Organization and overhauling aid, Trump’s new executive orders endanger Americans and the globe, researchers warn. The move also cedes U.S. power to other nations.
What Trump’s Executive Order on Gender Means for Trans Health Care
In his first days in office, President Donald Trump signed an executive order on gender that affects transgender health care. The order aims to directly limit care for trans people incarcerated in federal prisons, but the broader implications on health aren’t clear-cut.
KFF Health News' 'What the Health?': Creating Chaos at HHS
President Donald Trump was sworn in Monday and by Wednesday had virtually stopped scientific policymaking at the Department of Health and Human Services. While incoming administrations often pause public communications, the acting HHS head ordered an unprecedented shutdown of all outside meetings, travel, and publications. Meanwhile, Trump issued a broad array of mostly nonbinding executive orders, but notably none directly concerning abortion. Rachel Cohrs Zhang of Stat, Alice Miranda Ollstein of Politico, and Rachel Roubein of The Washington Post join KFF Health News’ Julie Rovner to discuss these stories and more. Also this week, Rovner interviews Rodney Whitlock, a former congressional staffer, who explains the convoluted “budget reconciliation” process Republicans hope to use to enact Trump’s agenda.
Trump’s Early Health Moves Signal Intent To Erase Biden’s Legacy. What’s Next Is Unclear.
President Donald Trump issued a flurry of executive orders and other actions on health care soon after reentering office. Other than signaling he intends to reverse many of Joe Biden’s moves, the orders will have little immediate impact.
As States Diverge on Immigration, Hospitals Say They Won’t Turn Patients Away
California and Massachusetts are teaching immigrants their rights while Florida and Texas are collecting patients’ immigration status. As states offer differing guidelines for interacting with immigrant patients, hospitals around the U.S. say they won’t turn people away for care because of their immigration status.
Hospitales dicen que no rechazarán pacientes, mientras los estados se posicionan sobre inmigración
Mientras Trump inicia la “operación de deportación más grande” en la historia de la nación, estados han emitido pautas marcadamente diferentes a los hospitales, clínicas comunitarias y otros centros de salud, sobre cómo actuar con pacientes inmigrantes.
What To Know About Trump’s Executive Orders on US Health Care
From rolling back drug pricing policies to limiting gender-affirming care, President Donald Trump signed several health-related executive orders in the first hours of his second presidency. Here’s a roundup of the changes and what they mean.
Junk Food Turns Public Villain as Power Shifts in Washington
Some Trump insiders are ready to take on the food industry. It remains to be seen whether their entrée will result in any meaningful change in government oversight of “Big Food” — or in American health.
La comida chatarra es la nueva villana de Washington
Los candidatos a las principales agencias de salud están apuntando a los alimentos ultraprocesados, que representan aproximadamente el 70% del suministro de alimentos de Estados Unidos.
KFF Health News' 'What the Health?': Hello, Trump. Bye-Bye, Biden.
With just days to go before the official launch of a new administration, the GOP-led Congress is putting together plans on how to enact incoming President Donald Trump’s agenda, with a particular emphasis on cutting spending on the Medicaid program. Meanwhile, the Biden administration makes major moves in its last days, including banning a controversial food dye and ordering cigarette companies to minimize their nicotine content. Joanne Kenen of Johns Hopkins University and Politico Magazine, Anna Edney of Bloomberg News, and Sandhya Raman of CQ Roll Call join KFF Health News’ Julie Rovner to discuss these stories and more. Also this week, Rovner interviews Harris Meyer, who reported and wrote the latest KFF Health News “Bill of the Month” feature, about a colonoscopy that came with a much larger price tag than estimated.
New California Laws Target Medical Debt, AI Care Decisions, Detention Centers
California has a few major changes coming to its health policy landscape in 2025. New laws that took effect Jan. 1 ban medical debt from credit reports, allow public health inspections of private immigration detention centers, and ban toxic chemicals in makeup.
