Vaccines Archives - Page 5 of 41

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

KFF Health News On Air

Journalists Discuss Fallout of CDC Turmoil and Recap Bitter RFK Senate Hearing

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. 6, 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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Watch: How Controversies Over Vaccine Changes Affect You

Céline Gounder, KFF Health News’ editor-at-large for public health, discusses leadership changes at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and concerns over vaccine policy.

By Céline Gounder

Sept. 3, 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 a bandage applied to a young girl's arm after vaccination.

Do Pediatricians Recommend Vaccines To Make a Profit? There’s Not Much Money in It

Four pediatricians said evidence-based science and medicine and a desire to keep kids healthy drive doctors’ childhood vaccination recommendations. And while pediatric practices might make money immunizing privately insured children, most practices likely break even or lose money from providing the shots.

By Madison Czopek, PolitiFact

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

Blue States That Sued Kept Most CDC Grants, While Red States Feel Brunt of Trump Clawbacks

The Trump administration's cuts of public health funds to state and local health departments had vastly uneven effects depending on the political leanings of where someone lives, a new KFF Health News analysis shows.

By Henry Larweh, Rachana Pradhan, and Rae Ellen Bichell

Aug. 26, 2025

As Measles Exploded, Officials in Texas Looked to CDC Scientists. Under Trump, No One Answered.

Trump officials sowed fear and confusion among CDC scientists, slowing their response to the measles outbreak in West Texas. Cases surged and sparked new outbreaks across the U.S. and Mexico. Together, these linked outbreaks have sickened more than 4,500 and killed at least 16 in the U.S. and Mexico.

By Amy Maxmen

Aug. 25, 2025

The Week in Brief

Kennedy Takes Aim at Vaccine Injury Compensation Program

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

By Stephanie Armour

Aug. 22, 2025

Robert F. Kennedy Jr. dressed in a suit and tie seated at a table before a placard with his name on it

Kennedy’s Anti-Vaccine Strategy Risks Forcing Shots Off Market, Manufacturers Warn

Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. is targeting the government’s Vaccine Injury Compensation Program, without which manufacturers might cease producing shots.

By Stephanie Armour

Aug. 20, 2025

A nurse prepares to administer a flu shot

KFF Health News & PolitiFact HealthCheck

It’s Almost Flu Season. Should You Still Get a Shot, and Will Insurance Cover It?

Doctors and public health leaders, including at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, recommend that most people 6 months old and older get the 2025-26 flu vaccine — and it’s still covered by most insurance plans.

By Madison Czopek, PolitiFact

Aug. 18, 2025

What the Health? From KFF Health News

Trump Further Politicizes Science

Episode 410

Aug. 14, 2025

President Donald Trump’s latest executive order about science and medicine seeks to take funding decisions out of the hands of career scientists and give them to political appointees instead. And a gunman, reportedly disgruntled over covid vaccines, shoots at the headquarters of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, killing a law enforcement officer. Alice Miranda Ollstein of Politico, Shefali Luthra of The 19th, and Sarah Karlin-Smith of the Pink Sheet join KFF Health News’ Julie Rovner to discuss these stories and more. Also this week, Rovner interviews Aaron Carroll, president and CEO of the health services research group AcademyHealth, about how to restore the public’s trust in public health.

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A man in a suit, Robert F. Kennedy Jr., with gray hair is seated at a desk before a microphone.

Perspective

‘Alternative Facts’ Aren’t a Reason To Skip Vaccines

Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.'s decision to defund mRNA research is just the latest to put ideology above public health.

By Elisabeth Rosenthal

Aug. 14, 2025

What the Health? From KFF Health News

Kennedy Cancels Vaccine Funding

Episode 409

Aug. 7, 2025

The Health and Human Services secretary is winding down nearly $500 million in mRNA research funding, citing false claims that the technology is ineffective against respiratory illnesses — and notching a victory for critics of the covid vaccines. And President Donald Trump is demanding drugmakers drop their prices, quickly, but it’s unclear how he could make them comply. Lauren Weber of The Washington Post, Sandhya Raman of CQ Roll Call, and Sarah Karlin-Smith of the Pink Sheet join KFF Health News’ Emmarie Huetteman to discuss these stories and more.

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A close-cropped shot of a doctor wearing blue gloves giving second adhesive bandage to a young woman after administering vaccines.

Sorting Out Covid Vaccine Confusion: New and Conflicting Federal Policies Raise Questions

Should you get vaccinated? Will your insurer pay for it? And will you still be able to find a vaccine? KFF Health News tries to sort out where things stand.

By Michelle Andrews

Aug. 4, 2025

What the Health? From KFF Health News

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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