Public Health Archives - Page 8 of 186

Crunch Time for ACA Tax Credits

Episode 426

Dec. 11, 2025

Dec. 15 is the deadline to sign up for Affordable Care Act plans that begin Jan. 1, and Congress remains at odds over letting expanded tax credits for the plans’ premiums expire and increasing the cost of insurance for millions of Americans. Meanwhile, HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. continues to remake vaccine policy to reflect ideology rather than science. Anna Edney of Bloomberg News, Maya Goldman of Axios, and Sheryl Gay Stolberg of The New York Times join KFF Health News’ Julie Rovner to discuss those stories and more. Also this week, Rovner interviews Georgetown professor Linda Blumberg about the GOP’s health plans.

Listen Now

A black and white photograph from 1988 shows Rafeeuddin Ahmed, Chairman of the UN Steering Committee for the Prevention and Control of AIDS, speaking at the opening ceremony. On the right is Mrs. M Perez de Cuellar, wife of the UN Secretary-General.

This HIV Expert Refused To Censor Data, Then Quit the CDC

HIV physician John Weiser talks about why complying with President Donald Trump’s orders to erase transgender people is bad for science and society. And he notes that acquiescing didn’t spare the CDC from further harm.

By Amy Maxmen

Dec. 10, 2025

A photo of the ACIP hearing from the press section. Reporters type on laptops in the foreground. In front of them is a large TV screen showing Robert Malone speaking. The full panel is seen behind the screen.

In RFK Jr.’s Upside-Down World of Vaccines, Panel Votes To End Hepatitis B Shot at Birth

A session of a vaccine panel dominated by skeptics was chaotically at odds with past practices of the CDC, which HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has described as a “cesspool of corruption.” His crew voted to end a 34-year recommendation to vaccinate newborns against hepatitis B.

By Arthur Allen

Dec. 5, 2025

An exterior photograph of an emergency entrance at a hospital at daybreak.

While Scientists Race To Study Spread of Measles in US, Kennedy Unravels Hard-Won Gains

Scientists are conducting genetic analyses to see if the measles outbreak that started in Texas is still spreading from state to state. It’s a contentious question, because the findings may determine whether America loses its measles-free status.

By Amy Maxmen

Dec. 5, 2025

Under Kennedy, America’s Health Department Is in the Business of Promoting Kennedy

Under Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., the Department of Health and Human Services increasingly uses its social media channels to promote Kennedy himself and his agenda. Interviews with over 20 former and current employees provide a look inside an agency where personality and politics steer communications with the public.

By Darius Tahir

Dec. 4, 2025

Two men walk beside each other in the hallway of a health clinic. Signage on the wall reads, "we help each other."

Rural Health Payout

Republicans Left Tribes Out of Their $50B Rural Fund. Now It’s Up to States To Share.

The Trump administration has championed its Rural Health Transformation Program as an investment in American families who have been left behind. But Native American tribes, whose communities have a significant presence in rural America and have some of the greatest health needs, are ineligible to apply directly for funding.

By Jazmin Orozco Rodriguez

Dec. 4, 2025

A photo of Robert F. Kennedy Jr. at a Senate hearing.

RFK Jr. Wants To Delay the Hepatitis B Vaccine. Here’s What Parents Need To Know.

A CDC panel is reconsidering the birth dose of the hepatitis B vaccine. Renewed doubt could lead to fewer kids getting vaccinated, leaving them vulnerable to an incurable, preventable virus that can be acquired by indirect contact with infected blood.

By Jackie Fortiér

Dec. 2, 2025

A woman standing before a metal table sorts boxes of non-perishable foods

New Work Requirement Adds Red Tape to Missouri’s Snarled Food Aid System

Under Republicans’ One Big Beautiful Bill Act, states must shoulder more of the administrative and cost burdens of the food aid program SNAP, which helps feed 42 million Americans.

By Samantha Liss

Dec. 1, 2025

A photo of a young boy receiving a vaccine in his arm.

Kennedy Sharpens Vaccine Attacks, Without Scientific Backing

HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. claims that the aluminum ingredients in vaccines cause a variety of harmful reactions, from allergies to autism. Scientists say that’s wrong and warn of risks if they’re removed. Here are some of the basics.

By Céline Gounder

Nov. 24, 2025

The Week in Brief

The Covid Contrarian Clubhouse Makes Its Mark on Trump’s Washington

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

By Rachana Pradhan

Nov. 21, 2025

A close-up photo of the header of the CDC website.

What To Know About the CDC’s Baseless New Guidance on Autism

A reshaped CDC website suggesting that vaccines cause autism has appalled the medical community.

By Arthur Allen

Nov. 21, 2025

A woman sits on a blue couch typing on a keyboard before a phone. A small dog lays beside her.

Cancer Stole Her Voice. She Used AI, Curse Words, and Kids’ Books To Get It Back.

After a total glossectomy and laryngectomy to treat her cancer, Sonya Sotinsky can no longer speak. She searched for a way to sound like herself again and now pays out-of-pocket for an artificial intelligence app that can replicate her old voice — emotion, inflection, and all.

By April Dembosky, KQED

Nov. 21, 2025

A closely cropped shot of a preschool-aged girl coughing while holding a thermometer.

Waning Immunity and Falling Vaccination Rates Fuel Pertussis Outbreaks

New details from health officials suggest the whooping-cough surge may be part of a national pattern driven by slipping vaccine coverage and waning immunity, with infants bearing the brunt of the consequences.

By Céline Gounder

Nov. 20, 2025

A photo illustration collage in four panels. Two are of a handgun in silhoutte, two are of bullets.

Help Us Investigate Medical Care for Gunshot Wounds

We’d like to talk to people who’ve been wounded or families of those killed by gun violence to better understand how insurance affects such medical care.

Nov. 19, 2025

A Small Texas Think Tank Cultivated Covid Dissidents. Now They’re Running US Health Policy.

Fueled by covid backlash, a libertarian author created the Brownstone Institute in 2021. In recent months, people with ties to the group have catapulted to the highest levels of U.S. government, exercising significant authority over access to vaccines and scientific research.

By Rachana Pradhan

Nov. 19, 2025

A photo of mold growing along the baseboard of two walls.

A Hidden Health Crisis Following Natural Disasters: Mold Growth in Homes

As extreme weather wreaks havoc, the risk of dangerous mold looms. An estimated 47% of homes already have mold or dampness, leaving their residents exposed to mold spores and associated allergens that can cause respiratory problems.

By Jonathan R.M. Charles

Nov. 19, 2025

KFF Health News On Air

Journalists Untangle Issues of Health Care Costs and Food Benefits

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

Nov. 15, 2025

Conflicting Advice on Covid Shots Likely To Ding Already Low Vaccine Rates, Experts Warn

About 1 in 4 American adults got a covid vaccine shot during the 2024-25 virus season, a fraction health care experts warn could be smaller this year as millions wrestle with conflicting advice from the government and trusted medical organizations about the value of a shot.

By Phillip Reese

Nov. 14, 2025

A person sitting on a bed, their head in their hands, backlit by a window

ICE Crackdown Heightens Barriers for Immigrant Domestic Violence Victims

Immigrant victims of domestic violence have long encountered hurdles when seeking help from police and courts. The Trump administration’s immigration crackdown has made victims without legal status even more afraid to report abuse, advocacy groups say.

By Cheryl Platzman Weinstock

Nov. 13, 2025

Wielding Obscure Budget Tools, Trump’s ‘Reaper’ Vought Sows Turmoil in Public Health

Through shrouded bureaucratic maneuvers, White House budget director Russell Vought and DOGE have quietly upended outbreak response, HIV treatment, and dementia care in communities across America.

By Amy Maxmen

Nov. 7, 2025

Trump 2.0

Public Health

Audio Reports

Special Reports

More Topics

Public Health