NIH Allegedly Tells Workers To Ignore DOGE Emails About Their Productivity
April 11, 2025
Morning Briefing
Messages obtained by Politico said, “NIH … will notify employees directly if any information related to work duties or performance is needed.” The messages also said the ability to travel or purchase work materials “will be restored to full capacity and use” on Thursday, Politico reported. In March, DOGE put a $1 spending limit on purchasing cards.
What Is Causing Rising Autism Rates? RFK Jr. Vows To Find Out By September
April 11, 2025
Morning Briefing
At Thursday’s Cabinet meeting, HHS Chief Robert F. Kennedy Jr. said his agency has launched a large research effort involving “hundreds of scientists from around the world” to determine “what has caused the autism epidemic.” Experts in the field of autism say rising rates are due to increased awareness and expanded parameters, as well as increased access to services, reports ABC news.
First Edition: Friday, April 11, 2025
April 11, 2025
Morning Briefing
Today’s early morning highlights from the major news organizations.
Trump elimina la oficina que establece los niveles de pobreza vinculados a servicios para 80 millones de personas
By Arthur Allen
April 11, 2025
KFF Health News Original
Los despidos y el cierre de la oficina podrían causar recortes en la asistencia a las millones de familias de bajos ingresos el próximo año.
More Psych Hospital Beds Are Needed for Kids, but Neighbors Say Not Here
By Eric Berger
April 11, 2025
KFF Health News Original
Amid a youth mental health crisis and a shortage of inpatient psychiatric beds, residents of a St. Louis suburb opposed a plan to build a 77-bed pediatric mental health hospital. Resistance to such facilities has occurred in other communities as misconceptions about mental health spur fear.
Trump HHS Eliminates Office That Sets Poverty Levels Tied to Benefits for at Least 80 Million People
By Arthur Allen
Updated April 11, 2025
Originally Published April 11, 2025
KFF Health News Original
Recent cuts eliminated a small, specialized workforce that sets the poverty standards determining who is eligible for Medicaid as well as assistance with food, home heating, child care, and more.
What the Health? From KFF Health News: The Dismantling of HHS
April 10, 2025
Podcast
A week into the reorganization of the Department of Health and Human Services announced by Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., the scope of the staff cuts and program cutbacks is starting to become clear. Among the biggest targets for reductions were the nation’s premier public health agencies: the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the […]
RFK Jr.’s Purge of FOIA Staff at FDA Spares People Working on Covid Vaccine Lawsuits
By Rachana Pradhan
April 10, 2025
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.
Research Roundup: The Latest Science, Discoveries, And Breakthroughs
April 10, 2025
Morning Briefing
Each week, KFF Health News compiles a selection of the latest health research and news.
Morning Briefing for Thursday, April 10, 2025
April 10, 2025
Morning Briefing
Behind on your reading? Catch up on this week's KFF Health News stories with The Week in Brief, delivered every Friday to your inbox. Sign up here !
Fate Of Medicaid Cuts Unclear After House Pauses Budget Resolution Vote
April 10, 2025
Morning Briefing
Modern Healthcare reported that the measure was abandoned Wednesday because a few conservative Republicans had reservations. House Speaker Mike Johnson said he’d try to hold a vote today before the House goes on a two-week recess.
Maternal Health Under Siege As Study Shows Mortality Rate Up 27% in US
April 10, 2025
Morning Briefing
The NIH analysis saw the increase over five years and called the issue “an urgent public health priority.” Almost one-third of the pregnancy-related deaths took place between six weeks to a year after giving birth. Meanwhile, the entire team behind a key CDC dataset for OB-GYN research has been cut as part of the administration’s downsizing of federal health agencies.
Pharmaceutical Tariffs, Still Promised, Would Hurt Americans, Experts Warn
April 10, 2025
Morning Briefing
Such tariffs could cause drug shortages and added costs for consumers, they say. For example, an assessment by The Budget Lab at Yale found that a 25% tariff would raise pharmaceutical prices by an average of 15%. House representatives have warned the move could backfire and drive manufacturers to “cheaper foreign markets.”
In Interview, Kennedy Says He Is ‘Not Familiar’ With $11 Billion In HHS Cuts
April 10, 2025
Morning Briefing
Speaking to CBS News’ chief medical correspondent Dr. Jon LaPook, health chief Robert F. Kennedy Jr. stated the HHS cuts were mainly “DEI cuts.” Other topics discussed in the interview were food additives, weight loss drugs, and measles.
Idaho’s ‘Medical Freedom’ Law Bans School, Business Vaccine Mandates
April 10, 2025
Morning Briefing
Under the law, which goes into effect July 1, state entities may not require medical interventions as a condition for school attendance or business employment. Texas is pursuing similar legislation. Meanwhile, measles continues to spread across the nation.
Trump Wants $45B To Build Immigrant Lockups That Have Little Medical Care
April 10, 2025
Morning Briefing
The New York Times reports that detention centers under contract don’t have to meet the same standards for detainee care that the government typically abides by. The new centers likely wouldn’t include comprehensive medical care, such as access to mental health services. Plus: Recent federal funding cuts have left about 600 immigrant children in Pennsylvania without legal aid.
First Edition: Thursday, April 10, 2025
April 10, 2025
Morning Briefing
Today’s early morning highlights from the major news organizations.
Tácticas migratorias de Trump obstaculizan esfuerzos para evitar una pandemia de gripe aviar, dicen investigadores
By Amy Maxmen
April 10, 2025
KFF Health News Original
Los trabajadores de las industrias láctea y avícola han representado la mayoría de los casos de gripe aviar en el país, y prevenir y detectar los casos entre ellos es clave para evitar una pandemia.
Tax Time Triggers Fraud Alarms for Some Obamacare Enrollees
By Julie Appleby
April 10, 2025
KFF Health News Original
Consumers who were enrolled fraudulently in Affordable Care Act coverage could receive unexpected tax bills — the first and possibly only clue they were a victim of fraud. Getting help may become difficult as federal workers are laid off and funding for assistance programs is cut.
