Vaccines

On Autism, Kennedy Turns Against Science and Reality

KFF Health News Original

During his first news conference as Health and Human Services secretary, Robert F. Kennedy Jr. on April 16 ticked off things he thinks kids with autism will never do, including paying taxes, holding a job, and going on a date. Kennedy’s comments go against science and reality.

KFF Health News' 'What the Health?': On Autism, It’s the Secretary’s Word vs. the CDC’s

Podcast

Tensions between Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and his employees at the Department of Health and Human Services are mounting, as he made a series of claims about autism this week — contradicting his agency’s findings. Plus, President Donald Trump unveiled an executive order to lower drug prices as his administration explores tariffs that could raise them. Shefali Luthra of The 19th, Jessie Hellmann of CQ Roll Call, and Anna Edney of Bloomberg News join KFF Health News’ Emmarie Huetteman to discuss these stories and more. Plus, KFF Health News’ Julie Rovner interviews two University of California-San Francisco researchers about an upcoming Supreme Court case that could have major ramifications for preventive care.

Beyond Ivy League, RFK Jr.’s NIH Slashed Science Funding Across States That Backed Trump

KFF Health News Original

A KFF Health News analysis underscores how the terminations have spared no part of the country, politically or geographically. Of the organizations that had grants cut in the first month, about 40% are in states President Donald Trump won in November.

RFK Jr.’s Purge of FOIA Staff at FDA Spares People Working on Covid Vaccine Lawsuits

KFF Health News Original

A purge of FDA staff spared some people tasked with responding to a judge’s orders to disclose government records on covid vaccines, according to agency employees. The FOIA litigation was brought by Aaron Siri, an ally of Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s who represents anti-vaccine interests.

Se cancelan clínicas de vacunación por recortes federales, mientras aumentan los casos de sarampión

KFF Health News Original

Los esfuerzos de inmunización en todo el país se vieron afectados después que los Centros para el Control y Prevención de Enfermedades cancelaran abruptamente $11.400 millones en fondos relacionados con covid-19 que se usaban para muchas vacunas.

Slashed Federal Funding Cancels Vaccine Clinics Amid Measles Surge

KFF Health News Original

Federal funding cuts, though temporarily blocked by a judge, have upended vaccination clinics across the country, including in Arizona, Minnesota, Nevada, Texas, and Washington state, amid a rise in vaccine hesitancy and a resurgence of measles.

Montana May Start Collecting Immunization Data Again Amid US Measles Outbreak

KFF Health News Original

Montana is the only state that doesn’t collect immunization reports from schools, creating a data gap for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and community health officials. With more than 480 measles cases reported in the U.S., state lawmakers are considering a bill to restart the data collection.

KFF Health News' 'What the Health?': The Ax Falls at HHS

Podcast

Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has announced a proposed reorganization for the department — which, counting those who already have left the agency, amounts to about a 25% cut in its workforce. And its planned “Administration for a Healthy America” will collapse several existing HHS agencies into one. Meanwhile, the department continues to cut billions in health spending while the nation faces measles outbreaks in several states and the continuing possibility of another pandemic, such as bird flu. Alice Miranda Ollstein of Politico, Maya Goldman of Axios, and Joanne Kenen of the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health and Politico join KFF Health News’ Julie Rovner to discuss the news.

KFF Health News' 'What the Health?': Federal Health Work in Flux

Podcast

It’s the Trump administration vs. the federal courts, as the Department of Government Efficiency continues to try to cancel federal contracts and programs and fire workers. But in the haste to cut things, jobs and programs are being eliminated even if they align with the new administration’s goal to “Make America Healthy Again.” Jessie Hellmann of CQ Roll Call, Sarah Karlin-Smith of the Pink Sheet, and Rachel Roubein of The Washington Post join KFF Health News’ Julie Rovner to discuss these stories and more.

Scientists Say NIH Officials Told Them To Scrub mRNA References on Grants

KFF Health News Original

Two senior scientists say National Institutes of Health officials advised them to remove references to mRNA vaccines in grant applications, and they fear the Trump administration will abandon a promising field of medical research.

KFF Health News' 'What the Health?': The Cutting Continues

Podcast

The Trump administration’s efforts to downsize the federal government continue, with both personnel and programs being cut at the Department of Health and Human Services, the Department of Veterans Affairs, and the Social Security Administration. Meanwhile, the fight over cuts to the Medicaid program for those with low incomes heats up, as Republicans worry that more of their voters than ever before are Medicaid beneficiaries. Alice Miranda Ollstein of Politico, Shefali Luthra of The 19th, and Anna Edney of Bloomberg News join KFF Health News’ Julie Rovner to discuss these stories and more. Also this week, Rovner interviews Jeff Grant, who recently retired from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services after 41 years in government service.

Texas Measles Outbreak Nears 100 Cases, Raising Concerns About Undetected Spread

KFF Health News Original

Health officials expect a measles outbreak in West Texas to exceed 100 cases because of low vaccination rates and undetected infections. Vaccine misinformation and new laws may make such situations more common and harder to contain.

KFF Health News' 'What the Health?': Medicaid in the Crosshairs, Maybe

Podcast

President Donald Trump has said he won’t support major cuts to the Medicaid health insurance program for people with low incomes, but he has endorsed a House budget plan that calls for major cuts, leaving the program’s future in doubt. Meanwhile, thousands of workers at the Department of Health and Human Services were fired over the holiday weekend, from the National Institutes of Health, the FDA, and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, with possibly more cuts to come.

Alice Miranda Ollstein of Politico, Joanne Kenen of the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health and Politico Magazine, and Sarah Karlin-Smith of the Pink Sheet join KFF Health News’ Julie Rovner to discuss these stories and more.

Crece brote de sarampión en uno de los condados menos vacunados de Texas

KFF Health News Original

Profesionales de salud pública advierten que estos brotes se volverán más comunes: decenas de leyes en todo Estados Unidos, pendientes y aprobadas, podrían seguir reduciendo las tasas de vacunación.