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American Health Gets a Pink Slip

Episode 391

April 3, 2025

The Department of Health and Human Services underwent an unprecedented purge this week, as thousands of employees from the National Institutes of Health, the FDA, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and other agencies were fired, placed on administrative leave, or offered transfers to far-flung Indian Health Service facilities. Altogether, the layoffs mean the federal government, in a single day, shed hundreds if not thousands of combined years of health and science expertise. Lauren Weber of The Washington Post, Rachel Cohrs Zhang of Bloomberg News, and Sarah Karlin-Smith of the Pink Sheet join KFF Health News’ Julie Rovner to discuss this enormous breaking story and more. Also this week, Rovner interviews KFF Health News’ Julie Appleby, who reported and wrote the latest “Bill of the Month” feature about a short-term health plan and a very expensive colonoscopy.

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A woman in a red shirt and glasses smiles at the camera as a dog behind her looks over her left shoulder.

‘If They Cut Too Much, People Will Die’: Health Coalition Pushes GOP on Medicaid Funding

As House Republicans mull a massive $880 billion cut from federal programs likely including Medicaid, constituents, disability advocates, and health care providers are joining forces to lobby GOP members in California — including those who represent rural, deeply conservative pockets that stand to lose the most.

By Christine Mai-Duc

April 3, 2025

A photo taken from the street of a large, modern office building in Rockville, Maryland.

What’s Lost: Trump Whacks Tiny Agency That Works To Make the Nation’s Health Care Safer

The Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality has helped improve health care safety in a country where thousands die of medical errors each year. It was effectively dissolved Tuesday.

By Arthur Allen

April 3, 2025

A digital illustration with a black and white picture of President Donald Trump holding up an executive order after signing it on January 20, 2025 in Washington, D.C. and a disability pride flag with glitch visual effect applied behind his photo.

Trump’s DEI Undoing Undermines Hard-Won Accommodations for Disabled People

From halting diversity programs that benefit disabled workers to making federal staffing cuts, the Trump administration has taken a slew of actions that harm people with disabilities.

By Stephanie Armour

April 3, 2025

A photo of President Trump showing a signed executive order to photographers in the Oval Office of the White House. He is flanked by Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and Howard Lutnick.

How Much Will That Surgery Cost? 🤷 Hospital Prices Remain Largely Unhelpful.

Health care price transparency is one of the few bipartisan issues in Washington, D.C. But much of the information that hospitals and health plans have made available to the public is not helpful to patients, and there’s no conclusive evidence yet that it’s lowering costs or increasing competition.

By Daniel Chang

April 2, 2025

A photo of a Black woman posing for a photo while holding a sign that reads, "Stop overdose." Others hold signs behind her.

Systemic Sickness

Hit Hard by Opioid Crisis, Black Patients Further Hurt by Barriers to Care

The rate of overdose deaths from opioids has grown significantly among Black people. Yet, even after a nonfatal overdose, this group is half as likely to be referred to or get treatment compared with white people. Advocates and researchers cite implicit bias, insurance denials, and other systemic issues.

By Melba Newsome

April 2, 2025

A photo of President Trump sitting in a chair in a conference room in the White House.

Trump Says He’ll Stop Health Care Fraudsters. Last Time, He Let Them Walk.

In his first term, President Donald Trump granted pardons or clemency to more than 60 convicted fraudsters, including health care executives who defrauded Medicare out of hundreds of millions of dollars, courts and juries found. Now, Trump says cracking down on fraud is a priority.

By Brett Kelman

April 1, 2025

A young child receiving a vaccine from a female doctor

Montana May Start Collecting Immunization Data Again Amid US Measles Outbreak

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.

By Mara Silvers, Montana Free Press

April 1, 2025

A photo of a pharmacist writing notes on a clipboard.

Montana’s Small Pharmacies Behind Bill To Corral Pharmacy Benefit Managers

A bill designed to force PBMs to pay higher fees to independent drugstores sailed through the state House, but lobbyists are marshaling their forces to kill the measure in the Senate.

By Mike Dennison

March 31, 2025

Letters to the Editor

Readers Shop for Nutritional Information and Weigh Radiation and Cancer Risks

KFF Health News gives readers a chance to comment on a recent batch of stories.

March 31, 2025

A photo of a woman sitting at a table with several pill bottles in front of her.

Deadly Denials

‘They Won’t Help Me’: Sickest Patients Face Insurance Denials Despite Policy Fixes

The fatal shooting of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson prompted both grief and public outrage about the ways insurers deny treatment. Republicans and Democrats agree prior authorization needs fixing, but patients are growing impatient.

By Lauren Sausser

March 31, 2025

KFF Health News On Air

Journalists Talk Public Health Data Under Trump, Therapists’ Discontent With Insurers

KFF Health News journalists made the rounds on national and local media this week to discuss topical stories. Here’s a collection of their appearances.

March 29, 2025

The Week in Brief

Treatment Tops Housing in Trump Homeless Policy

Get our weekly newsletter, The Week in Brief, featuring a roundup of our original coverage, Fridays at 2 p.m. ET.

By Angela Hart

March 28, 2025

A photo of Tim Winard sitting at a table beside a window. His face and much of his surroundings are cast in shadow.

Bill of the Month

He Had Short-Term Health Insurance. His Colonoscopy Bill: $7,000.

After leaving his job to launch his own business, an Illinois man opted for a six-month health insurance plan. When he needed a colonoscopy, he thought it would cover most of the bill. Then he learned his plan’s limited benefits would cost him plenty.

By Julie Appleby

March 28, 2025

A physical therapist wearing a black shirt and pants presses the foot of a woman sitting on a table

Broken Rehab

Their Physical Therapy Coverage Ran Out Before They Could Walk Again

Health plans limit physical or occupational therapy sessions to as few as 20 a year, no matter the patient’s infirmities. The limits persist despite federal rules banning insurers from setting annual dollar limits on the care they will provide.

By Jordan Rau

March 28, 2025

What the Health? From KFF Health News

The Ax Falls at HHS

Episode 390

March 27, 2025

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.

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A photo of a dentist working with his patient, who is lying back in a dental chair, using a mirror to look at his teeth.

With Few Dentists and Fluoride Under Siege, Rural America Risks New Surge of Tooth Decay

The anti-fluoride movement has more momentum than ever. In rural counties with few dentists, tooth decay could surge to levels that have not been seen in decades, experts warn.

By Brett Kelman

March 27, 2025

a row of tents along a street in Los Angeles

Trump Turns Homelessness Response Away From Housing, Toward Forced Treatment

The Trump administration is moving to end the “Housing First” approach despite warnings from providers and homelessness experts that the shift won’t work. But with homelessness rising, President Donald Trump could find allies in blue cities and states as the public clamors for streets to be cleaned up.

By Angela Hart

March 27, 2025

A photo of a senior man having his blood pressure checked during a visit with a health care professional at his home.

Montana Examines Ways To Ease Health Care Workforce Shortages

Bills before the legislature would license community health workers and make it easier for some other health professionals licensed in other states to do business in Montana.

By Sue O'Connell

March 26, 2025

A drawing of a man in black and white covering his face with his hands. Behind him is a glowing red computer screen with windows. On the top left, the window shows Elon Musk with a chainsaw. The center window tells the man his employment has been terminated. The window on the bottom right shows a fork. The last window on the bottom left reads, "Employee of the Year 2024."

‘I Am Going Through Hell’: Job Loss, Mental Health, and the Fate of Federal Workers

Since the Trump administration began firing federal workers, they say they feel overwhelmed, have obtained or considered seeking psychiatric care and medication, and are anxious about paying their bills. And soon, their health insurance will run out.

By Rachana Pradhan and Aneri Pattani

March 26, 2025

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