Children's Health Archives - Page 8 of 43

Bill With Billions in Health Program Cuts Passes House

Episode 398

May 23, 2025

The House narrowly passed a budget reconciliation bill, including billions of dollars in tax cuts for the wealthy along with billions of dollars in cuts to health program spending. But the Senate is expected to make major changes to the measure before it can go to President Donald Trump for his signature. This week’s panelists are Julie Rovner of KFF Health News, Anna Edney of Bloomberg News, Sarah Karlin-Smith of the Pink Sheet, and Alice Miranda Ollstein of Politico.

Listen Now

Letters to the Editor

Readers Scrutinize Federal Cuts and Medical Debt

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

May 12, 2025

Spotlight

Covered California Pushes for Better Health Care as Federal Spending Cuts Loom

Monica Soni, Covered California’s chief medical officer, oversees an effort to hold health plans financially accountable for the quality of care they provide, including childhood vaccination rates, which have fallen in California and nationwide. She worries federal spending cuts could soon bring turbulence to the state’s Affordable Care Act marketplace.

By Bernard J. Wolfson

May 2, 2025

Street view of signage outside Lurie Children's Hospital in Chicago

A Chicago Hospital Bows to Federal Pressure on Trans Care for Teens

In the wake of an executive order by President Donald Trump opposing gender-affirming surgeries for minors, hospitals are pausing procedures — even those already scheduled. Families fear the eventual loss of all gender-affirming care for their transgender kids.

By Kristen Schorsch, WBEZ Chicago

April 24, 2025

A photo of a flyer that reads, "Measles: Measles symptoms include high fever, cough, runny nose, red and watery eyes, rash breakout 3-5 days after symptoms begin. Measles can be serious. 1 out of 5 people who get measles will be hospitalized. One person can make 12 people sick. If someone in your family has measles, please try to stay away from other people."

Measles Misinformation Is on the Rise — And Americans Are Hearing It, Survey Finds

Attitudes about a debunked link between measles vaccines and autism haven’t budged that much. But there’s a sharp partisan divide over whether the vaccine is safe.

By Arthur Allen

April 23, 2025

An abstract illustration shows the silhouette of a young girl's head filled with scribbles, unhappy faces, and a low battery symbol. The background depicts a rain shower in blues, greens, and pinks.

More Psych Hospital Beds Are Needed for Kids, but Neighbors Say Not Here

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.

By Eric Berger

April 11, 2025

A photo of a tray of syringes and vaccine vials.

Slashed Federal Funding Cancels Vaccine Clinics Amid Measles Surge

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.

By Bram Sable-Smith, Arielle Zionts, and Jackie Fortiér

April 9, 2025

What the Health? From KFF Health News

Federal Health Work in Flux

Episode 389

March 20, 2025

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.

Listen Now

A photo taken at night of two police cars with blue flashing lights driving on a highway.

Law and Order or Bystander Safety? Police Chases Spotlight California’s Competing Priorities

California’s governor is pressuring Oakland to allow more police pursuits as part of a crackdown on crime. But more pursuits mean a greater risk to public health, with more potential injuries and deaths among bystanders. Policies in cities including New York and San Francisco reflect divergent local priorities.

By Don Thompson

March 4, 2025

The Week in Brief

Can Medicaid’s Popularity Shield It From the Budget Ax?

Republicans in Congress have suggested big cuts to Medicaid, the state-federal health insurance program for people with low incomes or disabilities. The complex, multifaceted program touches millions of Americans and has become deeply woven into state budgets and the U.S. health care system.

By Renuka Rayasam

Feb. 21, 2025

A photo of a doctor giving a little girl a bandage on her arm after getting vaccinated.

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

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.

By Amy Maxmen

Feb. 21, 2025

A photo of a members of the House of Representatives' Budget Committee seated in a hearing room.

GOP Takes Aim at Medicaid, Putting Enrollees and Providers at Risk

Congressional Republicans are pushing plans that could make deep cuts to Medicaid to finance President Donald Trump’s tax cuts and other priorities. At stake is coverage for millions of low-income Americans, as well as a huge revenue source for hospitals — and every state.

By Phil Galewitz

Feb. 21, 2025

What the Health? From KFF Health News

Medicaid in the Crosshairs, Maybe

Episode 385

Feb. 20, 2025

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.

Listen Now

A photo of a medical worker using a syringe to give a child a vaccine.

Measles Outbreak Mounts Among Children in One of Texas’ Least Vaccinated Counties

With hospitalizations and at least nine confirmed cases, health officials race to contain a growing outbreak in a community with low vaccination.

By Amy Maxmen

Feb. 7, 2025

An illustration of a teen walking toward the viewer, and away from a shadowy background of prison bars. They are taking off an orange prison shirt, revealing a white button down that has a Medicaid card in the chest pocket. A warm, golden beam of sunlight highlights the card and illuminates the teen's front.

Some Incarcerated Youths Will Get Health Care After Release Under New Law

It’s common for young people leaving jails and prisons to end up back behind bars, often after lapses related to untreated mental health issues or substance abuse. A new law is aimed at getting them on Medicaid before they’re released. But the government coordination required to make it happen is significant.

By Renuka Rayasam

Feb. 7, 2025

A white cross stands in green grass, adorned with candles and other memorial objects. Beside the cross is a sign that reads, "Pray for Parkland."

Little Tracking, Wide Variability Permeate the Teams Tasked With Stopping School Shootings

Several states require schools to assemble teams of law enforcement and education officials to identify students who could become mass shooters and intervene before it’s too late. But some experts say the efforts often face a lack of guidance and significant pressure, putting them at risk of maligning innocent students.

By Cheryl Platzman Weinstock

Feb. 3, 2025

A small crowd of people face each other outdoors on a cold day. A man on the left wears a winter hat that says "TRUMP." A woman on the right holds a sign that says, "Trans rights are human rights!"

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.

By Julie Appleby

Jan. 31, 2025

A young teen girl stands as she scans her diabetic patch on her arm with her phone. She is dressed casually and has a backpack on as she focuses on managing her diabetes.

Schools Aren’t as Plugged In as They Should Be to Kids’ Diabetes Tech, Parents Say

With continuous glucose monitors, students with Type 1 diabetes no longer have to visit the school nurse for a finger prick. But some parents say it falls to them to keep an eye on blood sugar levels from home or work — even though they may not be able to quickly reach their child when something’s wrong.

By Phil Galewitz

Jan. 28, 2025

A close up photo of an unidentifiable toddler sitting in his mother's lap while a doctor puts a band-aid on his arm after receiving a vaccination.

Childhood Vaccination Rates, a Rare Health Bright Spot in Struggling States, Are Slipping

Mississippi, Tennessee, and West Virginia — states with some of the worst health outcomes — also have some of the highest childhood vaccination rates. But doctors and health officials worry a rising tide of vaccine skepticism is causing those public health bright spots to dim.

By Daniel Chang and Sam Whitehead

Jan. 16, 2025

A photograph of the back of President-elect Donald Trump as he walks away from the camera.

Trump’s Return Puts Medicaid on the Chopping Block

Republicans in Washington are working on plans to shrink Medicaid, the nearly $900-billion-a-year government health insurance program that covers 1 in 5 Americans.

By Phil Galewitz

Jan. 13, 2025

Trump 2.0

Public Health

Audio Reports

Special Reports

More Topics

Children's Health