HHS Archives - Page 6 of 27

Public Health Further Politicized Under the Threat of More Firings

Episode 415

Sept. 25, 2025

In a rambling news conference that shocked public health experts, President Donald Trump — without scientific evidence — blamed the over-the-counter drug acetaminophen, and too many childhood vaccines, for the increase in autism diagnoses in the U.S. That came days after a key immunization advisory panel, newly reconstituted with vaccine doubters, changed several long-standing recommendations. Former Centers for Disease Control and Prevention official Demetre Daskalakis joins KFF Health News’ Julie Rovner to discuss those stories. Meanwhile, Sandhya Raman of CQ Roll Call and Anna Edney of Bloomberg News join Rovner with the rest of the news, including a threat by the Trump administration to fire rather than furlough federal workers if Congress fails to fund the government beyond the Oct. 1 start of the new fiscal year.

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A close up view of a woman getting vaccinated.

Amid Confusion Over US Vaccine Recommendations, States Try To ‘Restore Trust’

The decisions by the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices matter, because insurers and federal programs rely on them, but they are not binding. States can follow the recommendations, or not.

By Céline Gounder

Sept. 24, 2025

KFF Health News & PolitiFact HealthCheck

Trump Claims ‘No Downside’ to Avoiding Tylenol During Pregnancy. He’s Wrong.

Doctors say acetaminophen, the main ingredient in Tylenol, is safe to take during pregnancy. Other over-the-counter pain relievers such as aspirin and ibuprofen aren’t recommended because they can harm fetal development. Untreated fever in pregnancy can pose maternal and fetal health risks.

By Madison Czopek, PolitiFact

Sept. 24, 2025

A photo of President Donald standing at a podium speaking into a microphone flanked by four other people

‘Sick to My Stomach’: Trump Distorts Facts on Autism, Tylenol, and Vaccines, Scientists Say

The White House’s autism announcement exaggerates links to Tylenol, misleads on vaccines, and sets back the field by ignoring decades of research, scientists say.

By Amy Maxmen

Sept. 22, 2025

Mercury in Your Hot Dog? Vaccine Skeptics Face Their Limits at Crucial CDC Meeting

A Centers for Disease Control and Prevention meeting on vaccines pitted scientific expertise against vaccine skepticism. An often confusing debate ended with critics of the current vaccine schedule tabling a vote to remove one of its cornerstones.

By Arthur Allen and Renuka Rayasam

Sept. 19, 2025

A man in a suit sits at a table in front of a microphone

Kennedy’s Take on Vaccine Science Fractures Cohesive National Public Health Strategies

A lack of faith in the soundness of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s new direction has led states to explore enacting their own vaccine policies. A patchwork of divergent recommendations and requirements could result.

By Stephanie Armour, Christine Mai-Duc, Amy Maxmen, and Arthur Allen

Sept. 19, 2025

What the Health? From KFF Health News

Ousted CDC Officials Clap Back at RFK Jr.

Episode 414

Sept. 18, 2025

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Former CDC Director Susan Monarez speaks inside a Senate hearing room.

Watch: Fired CDC Chief Says RFK Jr. Demanded She Roll Back Vaccine Policies Without Evidence

Susan Monarez and former Centers for Disease Control and Prevention chief medical officer Debra Houry described turmoil in an agency dominated by anti-vaccine political officials nominated by Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.

By Arthur Allen and Hannah Norman

Sept. 17, 2025

A photo of Robert F. Kennedy Jr. seated in a Senate hearing room.

RFK Jr.’s Vaccine Panel Expected To Recommend Delaying Hepatitis B Shot for Children

A federal vaccine panel, recently reshaped by Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., is expected to vote on delaying the hepatitis B shot for newborns. Pediatricians warn that could open the door to a comeback for a disease virtually eradicated among U.S. children.

By Jackie Fortiér

Sept. 16, 2025

KFF Health News On Air

Journalists Talk New ‘MAHA’ Strategy, RFK Jr.’s Tack at HHS, and Plight of Rural Hospitals

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

Sept. 13, 2025

A photo of Marty Makary in a Senate hearing room speaking to Sen. Bill Cassidy.

Under Trump, FDA Seeks To Abandon Expert Reviews of New Drugs

Advisory committee meetings help FDA scientists make decisions and increase public understanding of drug regulation, and abandoning them doesn’t make sense, former officials said.

By Arthur Allen

Sept. 12, 2025

What the Health? From KFF Health News

Countdown to Government Shutdown

Episode 413

Sept. 11, 2025

With less than three weeks before the deadline to pass legislation to keep the federal government running, lawmakers are still far apart on a strategy. Democrats hope Republicans will agree to extend expanded tax credits for the Affordable Care Act as part of a compromise, but so far Republicans are not negotiating. Meanwhile, HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. released his long-awaited “Make America Healthy Again” report, with few specific action items. Anna Edney of Bloomberg News, Sandhya Raman of CQ Roll Call, and Lauren Weber of The Washington Post join KFF Health News’ Julie Rovner to discuss these stories and more.

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RFK Jr. Said ‘Everybody Can Get’ a Covid Vaccine. Is That True?

Although the FDA has approved the vaccines for anyone 65 or older and anyone at least 6 months old who is at risk of a severe covid infection, barriers to coverage and access persist.

By Grace Abels, PolitiFact and Maria Ramirez Uribe, PolitiFact

Sept. 10, 2025

The Week in Brief

Public Health Experts See More Trouble at CDC as Kennedy Looks To Exert Control

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

By Stephanie Armour

Sept. 5, 2025

What the Health? From KFF Health News

On Capitol Hill, RFK Defends Firings at CDC

Episode 412

Sept. 5, 2025

A combative Robert F. Kennedy Jr, the U.S. secretary of health and human services, appeared before a Senate committee Thursday, defending his firing of the newly confirmed director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention as well as other changes that could limit the availability of vaccines. Meanwhile, Congress has only a few weeks to complete work on annual spending bills to avoid a possible government shutdown and to ward off potentially large increases in premiums for Affordable Care Act health plans. Jessie Hellmann of CQ Roll Call, Sarah Karlin-Smith of Pink Sheet, and Alice Miranda Ollstein of Politico join KFF Health News’ Julie Rovner to discuss these stories and more. Also this week, Rovner interviews KFF Health News’ Tony Leys, who discusses his “Bill of the Month” report about a woman’s unfortunate interaction with a bat — and her even more unfortunate interaction with the bill for her rabies prevention treatment.

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RFK Jr. Faces Senate Finance Committee: A Live Discussion

KFF Health News’ Stephanie Armour, Julie Rovner, and Arthur Allen and KFF’s Josh Michaud discuss the biggest takeaways from Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s hearing before the Senate Finance Committee.

Sept. 4, 2025

A photo of a woman pushing a grocery cart through a produce aisle in a grocery store.

Listen: Limiting Benefits and Adding Restrictions, ‘MAHA’ Reshapes Food Aid

The White House and congressional Republicans have made historic changes to the federal anti-hunger program SNAP. They say the changes will boost healthy eating for low-income Americans. Some nutrition experts aren’t so sure.

By Renuka Rayasam

Sept. 4, 2025

Changes at NIH Give Political Appointees Greater Power To Fund or Block Research

The National Institutes of Health’s long-held standard of peer review for grantmaking has been subverted by President Donald Trump and NIH Director Jay Bhattacharya, who gave unprecedented power to politicos, NIH workers say.

By Arthur Allen

Sept. 3, 2025

A photo of Robert F. Kennedy Jr. at a podium at the White House. President Trump stands to the right.

At CDC, Worries Mount That Agency Has Taken Anti-Science Turn

Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s push to fire Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Director Susan Monarez is more than an administrative shake-up. It marks a major offensive by Kennedy to seize control of the agency and impose an anti-science agenda, public health leaders say.

By Stephanie Armour

Sept. 3, 2025

A photo of middle school students getting on a school bus.

Listen: As Kids Head Back to School, Parents Sort Out Confusion Over Vaccine Access

Confusion over federal immunization policy could have major implications for how families with private insurance and Medicaid pay for routine vaccinations. Some doctors are encouraging parents not to wait and get their children shots as soon as they are eligible.

By Jackie Fortiér

Sept. 2, 2025

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