Public Health Archives - Page 4 of 187

Democrats Keep Healthcare at the Fore

Episode 451

June 18, 2026

Senate Democrats hope to highlight health costs by forcing a vote on the Trump administration’s changes to the Affordable Care Act before the midterm elections. Meanwhile, Alabama is the latest state to try to cut off access to medication abortion via telehealth. Anna Edney of Bloomberg News, Sheryl Gay Stolberg of The New York Times, and Lauren Weber of The Washington Post join KFF Health News’ Julie Rovner to discuss these stories and more. Also, Rovner interviews Michael Cannon of the Cato Institute and Liz Fowler of the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health to discuss the employer health insurance tax exclusion.

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A man with dark hair and glasses sits on a bed with a blue blanket as he looks at the camera

Growing Up Scared

Arrests of Immigrant Parents Create Mental Health Crisis for Children

An estimated hundreds of thousands of children, many of them U.S. citizens, have been separated from a parent in the Trump administration’s immigration crackdown. Their distress manifests in physical and mental health symptoms including developmental regression, stomachaches, sleep problems, and falling grades. Research points to long-term health consequences.

By Claudia Boyd-Barrett

June 18, 2026

A night photograph of a billboard that shows an advertisement for ivermectin.

Tennessee Pharmacies Sell Potent Ivermectin, Led by Anti-Vaccine Doctor Who’s Taken ‘Bucketloads’

Four years after the Volunteer State enacted the nation’s first law allowing drugstores to sell ivermectin without patient-specific prescriptions, dozens of pharmacies dispense the drug in highly concentrated pills — many with the help of one anti-vaccine physician.

By Brett Kelman and Rachana Pradhan

June 17, 2026

KFF Health News On Air

Journalists Highlight Medical Neglect in ICE Detention, RFK Jr. Antidepressant Comments

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

June 13, 2026

A senior man with grey hair wearing a navy suit and red tie

Final Rules for Medicaid Work Requirements Are Out. Here’s What You Need To Know.

The Trump administration has laid out what millions of Americans on Medicaid must do to prove they’re working or completing other activities. Health policy researchers and consumer advocates say there are some important takeaways.

By Sam Whitehead

June 12, 2026

What the Health? From KFF Health News

The Drip, Drip, Drip of Declining Coverage

Episode 450

June 11, 2026

As predicted, the expiration of enhanced tax subsidies for Affordable Care Act health plans is causing many people to lose coverage for failing to make premium payments. Meanwhile, Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. responded angrily to a New York Times article suggesting he’s not actively engaged in the work of his sprawling department. Lauren Weber of The Washington Post, Lizzy Lawrence of Stat, and Sandhya Raman of Bloomberg Law join KFF Health News’ Julie Rovner to discuss these stories and more. Also this week, Rovner interviews KFF’s Tricia Neuman, who is retiring this month as a senior vice president and the executive director of the Program on Medicare Policy.

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Trump Bought Tobacco Stocks and Raked In Industry Donations as FDA Eased Standards

The Trump administration has pursued an extensive pro-tobacco agenda as the president and his political movement have been buoyed by a flood of tobacco industry money, federal records show.

By Darius Tahir

June 11, 2026

A man squeezes sunscreen into his hand from a tube.

FDA’s Greenlight of Old Chemical Offers Chance To Restore Faith in Sunscreen

The FDA has approved the sunscreen chemical bemotrizinol, a UV light filter that has been available in Europe, Asia, and Australia for more than 20 years. Health advocates and skin care industry groups alike are hopeful it can restore faith in sunscreen.

By Michael Scaturro

June 10, 2026

A mother sits in a living room chair, holding her baby.

Anguished Parents. Doctors in Tears. Utah’s Long Measles Outbreak Takes a Toll.

Measles has been spreading in Utah for nearly a year, straining hospitals, schools, and parents. The state’s outbreak provides a glimpse into a new era in America’s health, in which vaccine-preventable diseases become common again.

By Amy Maxmen

June 10, 2026

A man wearing a navy baseball cap and a gray shirt that reads "Out of the Darkness community walks" stands along light rail tracks with a train passing behind him

Eleven Minutes

Trivia Nights, Valentine’s Cards: Overlooked Social Connections Can Prevent Suicide

The research is clear: Among the various complex issues that contribute to suicide, loneliness is a big one. Now, there’s a growing push to address loneliness not just through personal choices but also through public policy.

By Aneri Pattani

June 9, 2026

KFF Health News On Air

Gounder Fills In Details Behind Ebola, GLP-1, and Trump Headlines

KFF Health News' editor-at-large for public health discussed Ebola, GLP-1 drugs, ultraprocessed food, and more in TV appearances this week.

June 6, 2026

A line of medical workers in Congo walk out of a building in protective gear: caps, goggles, face masks, long white body coverings, and teal gloves.

‘We Live With Fear’: In Congo, Doctors Face Ebola With Little Protection

Travel bans and conflict have disrupted supply chains in the Democratic Republic of Congo, leaving health workers without Ebola tests and protective gear needed to contain the outbreak.

By Amy Maxmen

June 5, 2026

What the Health? From KFF Health News

Medicaid Work Rules Surprise States

Episode 449

June 4, 2026

Adult Medicaid enrollees with serious health conditions may not be automatically exempt from new work rules, according to a new regulation from the Trump administration. Meanwhile, the administration is also proposing to give political appointees even more power over who gets health and science grant funding. Margot Sanger-Katz of The New York Times, Alice Miranda Ollstein of Politico, and Liz Essley Whyte of The Wall Street Journal join KFF Health News’ Julie Rovner to discuss these stories and more. Also this week, Rovner interviews KFF Health News’ Lauren Sausser, who wrote the latest “Bill of the Month.”

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A woman stands near some shelves indoors and is in silhouette against two windows with blinds drawn.

Louisiana’s Reporting Law Chills Immigrant Medicaid Applications

A year after the measure’s passage, a state law is keeping immigrants and their children from accessing Medicaid even when they qualify.

By Halle Parker, Verite News

June 4, 2026

A photo of Robert F. Kennedy Jr. at a podium at the Department of Health and Human Services. A screen to the side of him shows a chart titled, "Intellectual Disability Among Those with Autism Continues to Rise."

Data Grab

RFK Jr. Seeks To Peek at Americans’ Medical Records for Clues on Autism and Vaccines

To collect and scrutinize millions of Americans’ health data, U.S. health secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. aims to work with state organizations that help health systems share medical records. In Nebraska, millions in federal dollars has flowed into one nonprofit cooperating with Kennedy’s project.

By Amanda Seitz and Darius Tahir

June 4, 2026

A white sign on a sidewalk says "Stop. If measles testing, return to car. Call 7345446700"

Michigan Found a Way To Reduce School Vaccine Waivers. Until It Backfired.

The state had high rates of parents not vaccinating their children, so it started making them attend vaccine education sessions to opt out their kids. It seemed to work. Then things got ugly.

By Kate Wells

June 3, 2026

A person wearing tank on their back holds out a hose to dispense liquid from it onto the gloved hands of three other people. All four people wear personal protective equipment from head to toe, including goggles and head coverings.

Amid Ebola, Hantavirus Outbreaks, Democrats Decry Trump’s Health Cuts

Infectious disease specialists say the viruses are unlikely to become pandemics, but some are still raising concerns about the federal health response and what it portends should a pandemic similar to or worse than covid occur.

By Stephanie Armour

June 1, 2026

KFF Health News On Air

Gounder Gives Lowdown on Ebola, Peptides, and Colorectal Screenings

KFF Health News' editor-at-large for public health discussed peptides, colorectal cancer screening, and Ebola in TV appearances this week.

May 30, 2026

What the Health? From KFF Health News

More Kids Without Coverage

Episode 448

May 28, 2026

When Republicans passed their big budget bill in 2025, they thought the effects of cuts to health programs wouldn’t show up until after the 2026 midterms. They were wrong. Meanwhile, the party is trumpeting its efforts to lower drug prices. Maya Goldman of Axios, Shefali Luthra of The 19th, and Lauren Weber of The Washington Post join KFF Health News’ Julie Rovner to discuss these stories and more. Also this week, Rovner discusses Ebola with KFF Health News’ Céline Gounder.

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An exterior photo of Shasta County Health and Human Services' public health branch building.

In a Vaccine-Skeptical California County, a Potential Playbook To Contain Measles

Conservative Shasta County stopped a measles outbreak from spreading, enlisting teachers, church leaders, and other trusted community members to get the public on board with health guidelines. Infectious disease specialists say the successful effort could be a guide for other communities struggling to contain the highly contagious virus.

By Annie Sciacca

May 28, 2026

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