HHS Archives - Page 7 of 27

Next on Kennedy’s List? Preventive Care and Vaccine Harm

Episode 408

July 31, 2025

Robert F. Kennedy Jr., the secretary of Health and Human Services, is eyeing an overhaul of two more key entities as part of his ongoing effort to reshape health policy. And President Donald Trump signed an executive order last week that would enable localities to force some homeless people into residential treatment. Anna Edney of Bloomberg News, Joanne Kenen of the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health and Politico Magazine, and Shefali Luthra of The 19th join KFF Health News’ Julie Rovner to discuss these stories and more. Also, Rovner interviews Sara Rosenbaum, one of the nation’s leading experts on Medicaid, to mark Medicaid’s 60th anniversary this week.

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Letters to the Editor

Readers Weigh In on Making American Health Care Affordable Again

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

July 31, 2025

A photo of Robert F. Kennedy Jr. speaking in front of a building. Two microphones are seen next to him.

Chronically Ill? In Kennedy’s View, It Might Be Your Own Fault

In their zeal to “Make America Healthy Again,” top Trump administration officials depict patients and the doctors who treat them as partly responsible for whatever ails them.

By Stephanie Armour

July 31, 2025

Alcohol pads, syringes, vaccines, and bandages lie on a tray at a pediatrician's office

Fearing Medicaid Coverage Loss, Some Parents Rush To Vaccinate Their Kids

Worried parents are hurrying to get their children vaccinated, fearing future federal policy changes will limit access to free immunizations. Pediatricians worry that any changes to the childhood vaccine schedule will leave families without affordable options for essential shots.

By Jackie Fortiér

July 25, 2025

A photo of the front of a research building. A sign on the front reads, "National Cancer Institute."

Listen: Some Scientists Speak Out on Deep Cuts to National Cancer Institute, While Others Flee

The U.S. has made enormous progress reducing cancer mortality since the 1990s, partly due to significant investment in research at the National Cancer Institute. But scientists say the Trump administration has been hollowing out the agency in its push to dramatically shrink the federal government.

By Rachana Pradhan

July 25, 2025

What the Health? From KFF Health News

Here Come the ACA Premium Hikes

Episode 407

July 24, 2025

Medicaid may have monopolized Washington’s attention lately, but big changes are coming to the Affordable Care Act as well. Meanwhile, Americans are learning more about what’s in Trump’s big budget law, and polls suggest many don’t like what they see. Julie Appleby of KFF Health News, Jessie Hellmann of CQ Roll Call, and Alice Miranda Ollstein of Politico join KFF Health News’ Julie Rovner to discuss these stories and more. Also this week, Rovner interviews historian Jonathan Oberlander to mark Medicare’s 60th anniversary.

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A photo of a Black woman posing for a portrait in the produce section of her grocery store. A sign behind her bears the store's name: A Better Way Grocers.

Cuts to Food Benefits Stand in the Way of RFK Jr.’s Goals for a Healthier National Diet

The Trump administration has said improving American nutrition is a priority, but deep cuts to federal food assistance could lead people to forgo healthy food in favor of cheaper alternatives.

By Renuka Rayasam

July 22, 2025

What the Health? From KFF Health News

The Senate Saves PEPFAR Funding — For Now

Episode 406

July 17, 2025

The Senate narrowly approved the Trump administration’s request to claw back about $9 billion for foreign aid and public broadcasting but refused to cut funding for the international AIDS/HIV program PEPFAR. Meanwhile, a federal appeals court ruled that West Virginia can ban the abortion pill mifepristone, which could allow states to block other FDA-approved drugs. Joanne Kenen of the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health and Politico Magazine, Shefali Luthra of The 19th, and Sandhya Raman of CQ Roll Call join KFF Health News’ Julie Rovner to discuss these stories and more.

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Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. speaking in a House of Representatives hearing room. He is also seen on a screen behind him broadcasting the hearing.

Vested Interests. Influence Muscle. At RFK Jr.’s HHS, It’s Not Pharma. It’s Wellness.

Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. lambasted federal agencies he accused of being overly influenced by the pharmaceutical industry. But he and other “Make America Healthy Again” notables have their own financial ties to the vast and largely unregulated $6.3 trillion global wellness industry that ethicists say raise red flags.

By Stephanie Armour

July 14, 2025

The Week in Brief

Trump Team’s Actions on Health Policy Clash With Its ‘MAHA Report’

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

By David Hilzenrath

July 11, 2025

What the Health? From KFF Health News

Digesting Trump’s Big Budget Law

Episode 405

July 10, 2025

President Donald Trump’s big budget bill became his big budget law on July 4, codifying about $1 trillion in cuts to the Medicaid program. But the law includes many less-publicized provisions that could reshape the way the nation pays for and receives health care. Meanwhile, at the Department of Health and Human Services, uncertainty reigns as both staff and outside recipients of federal funds face cuts. Rachel Roubein of The Washington Post, Tami Luhby of CNN, and Rachel Cohrs Zhang of Bloomberg News join KFF Health News’ Julie Rovner to discuss these stories and more. Also this week, Rovner interviews KFF Health News’ Julie Appleby, who reported the latest KFF Health News’ “Bill of the Month” feature, about some very pricey childhood immunizations.

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A man stands before a room of seated construction workers wearing high-vis clothing and hard hats.

Workplace Mental Health at Risk as Key Federal Agency Faces Cuts

Efforts to decrease alarmingly high rates of suicide among construction workers and prevent burnout in health care workers are in jeopardy after the firing of hundreds of employees at the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health.

By Aneri Pattani

July 8, 2025

A photo of a White House event with three people sitting at the end of the table: Brooke Rollins, Donald Trump, and Robert F. Kennedy Jr.

‘MAHA Report’ Calls for Fighting Chronic Disease, but Trump and Kennedy Have Yanked Funding

Scientists and public health advocates see disconnects between what the Trump administration says about health — notably, in its “MAHA Report” — and what it’s actually doing.

By David Hilzenrath

July 2, 2025

A family portrait taken indoors. From left to right, the adolescent son, mother, father, and young daughter. They are wearing matching T-shirts.

HHS Eliminates CDC Staff Who Made Sure Birth Control Is Safe for Women at Risk

The Trump administration eliminated the CDC team that developed national guidelines for prescribing contraception safely for millions of women with underlying medical conditions.

By Rachana Pradhan

July 1, 2025

An outside view of the University of Michigan Hospital, a tan building with a large M on the outside

Feds Investigate Hospitals Over Religious Exemptions From Gender-Affirming Care

Federal health officials are investigating claims that a Michigan health system fired an employee who sought a religious exemption to avoid calling transgender patients by their pronouns or referring them for gender-affirming care. Legal experts say the investigation escalates the Trump administration’s effort to curb medical care for transgender patients.

By Kate Wells, Michigan Public

July 1, 2025

An older man in a suit and tie with glasses is seated while a sign that reads "CDC" is in the distance behind him

Kennedy’s Vaccine Advisers Sow Doubts as Scientists Protest US Pivot on Shots

A new vaccine advisory panel appointed by the HHS secretary, a longtime anti-vaccine activist, reflected his unsupported claims about the safety of childhood inoculations.

By Arthur Allen and Sam Whitehead

June 27, 2025

What the Health? From KFF Health News

Live From Aspen — Governors and an HHS Secretary Sound Off

Episode 403

June 26, 2025

In this special episode taped before a live audience at Aspen Ideas: Health, three former governors — one of whom also served as secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services — discuss how state and federal officials can work together to improve Americans’ health. Democrat Kathleen Sebelius, former Kansas governor and HHS secretary under President Barack Obama; Republican Chris Sununu, former New Hampshire governor; and Democrat Roy Cooper, former North Carolina governor, join KFF Health News’ Julie Rovner.

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A senior man sits in a chair. A nurse stands beside him with her hand on his back, like good friends. They are both smiling in the direction of the camera.

Broken Rehab

Dual Threats From Trump and GOP Imperil Nursing Homes and Their Foreign-Born Workers

Understaffed nursing homes face a workforce crisis if President Donald Trump and Republicans further curtail immigration and cut Medicaid.

By Jordan Rau

June 26, 2025

What RFK Jr. Isn’t Talking About: How To Make Vaccines Safer

Vaccines are under fire from the top of the Trump administration. Federal programs to monitor them and make them safer have always been underfunded.

By Arthur Allen

June 25, 2025

A photo of Mehmet Oz speaking at a podium. Robert F. Kennedy Jr. stands behind him.

Deadly Denials

5 Takeaways From Health Insurers’ New Pledge To Improve Prior Authorization

Dozens of health insurance companies pledged on Monday to improve prior authorization, a process often used to deny care. The announcement comes months after the killing of UnitedHealthcare executive Brian Thompson, whose death in December sparked widespread criticism about insurance denials.

By Lauren Sausser and Phil Galewitz

June 24, 2025

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