HHS Reviews Create Bottlenecks At Indian Health Service Facilities
New HHS contract reviews are delaying care and filling of vacancies, IHS insiders tell Stat News. Meanwhile, KFF Health News dives into rehabilitation hospitals.
Race and Health
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Layoffs Formally Resume At HHS As Agency Undergoes Restructuring
Almost all employees who had received a layoff email on April 1 have now been officially severed from the agency, an HHS spokesperson says. Other administration news includes the gutting of the Education Department; federal cuts hitting Texas school programs; and more.
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Journalists Tally State and Local Health Care Implications of GOP Megabill
KFF Health News journalists made the rounds on national and local media recently to discuss topical stories. Here’s a collection of their appearances.
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Doulas, Once a Luxury, Are Increasingly Covered by Medicaid — Even in GOP States
Even as states brace for significant reductions in federal Medicaid funding over the next decade, conservative legislatures across the country are passing laws that grant doula access to Medicaid beneficiaries.
By Lauren Sausser and Katheryn Houghton -
UC Health, Blue Shield Of California Reach Deal, Assuring Access To Care
The deal means tens of thousands of Californians can continue accessing services at in-network rates. Other industry news covers a health care worker strike; a Medicare rating recalculation for Alignment Healthcare; and more.
By khnlaureno -
Medicaid Cuts, Take 2: Senate Floats Second Bill To Pursue Policy Priorities
Republican party leaders are eyeing fall for passage of legislation that would include provisions cut from the One Big Beautiful Bill Act. One such provision is rolling back the Affordable Care Act Medicaid expansion. Plus, news outlets unpack the megabill's effects.
By khnlaureno -
Retired Doctor With No Public Health Background Becomes Top CDC Adviser
Retired urologist Dr. Barry Zisholtz, a supporter of President Donald Trump, is the first doctor who’s been named to the agency as a political appointee under the Trump administration, Bloomberg reported. Meanwhile, the Senate is set to vote today on Trump's nominee for CDC director.
By khnlaureno -
Medicaid Funding Cuts For Planned Parenthood Put On Hold — For Now
A provision in the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, which President Donald Trump signed into law Friday, imposes a one-year ban on state Medicaid payments to health care nonprofits that received more than $800,000 in federal funding in 2023 and also offer abortions. A judge on Monday halted cuts to Planned Parenthood; the provision can still be enforced against other providers.
By khnlaureno -
CDC Curtails Bird Flu Updates, Making It Harder To Spot State Outbreaks
The U.S. ended its emergency designation for bird flu last week, a person familiar with the situation told Bloomberg. Starting this week, bird flu stats will be updated monthly and won't include infection rates for animals. “We are letting our guard down,” said one infectious-disease expert.
By khnlaureno -
Centene Withdraws Earnings Forecast, Triggering Possible Credit Downgrade
S&P Global Ratings is considering whether to reclassify Centene Corp.'s credit ratings to junk, which would strongly impact its borrowing power. Centene, the top seller of ACA health plans, is suffering from financial uncertainty due to federal crackdowns on Affordable Care Act enrollments.
By khnlaureno -
‘Backdoor Ban’ In Megabill Will Likely Cripple Abortion Access In Blue States
Planned Parenthood stands to lose $700 million in federal funding tied to Medicaid. Planned Parenthood Federation of America's President and CEO, Alexis McGill Johnson, warned Wednesday that nearly 200 health centers could close. The legislation affects blue states more severely because those states have larger numbers of people on Medicaid, The Guardian reported.
By khnlaureno -
CDC Recommends RSV Vaccine For High-Risk People 50 And Older
The agency's website indicates HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. adopted the previous advisory panel's suggestion to expand access on June 25. AP also reports on FDA vaccine chief Vinay Prasad's role in a decision to restrict covid shots.
By khnlaureno -
DOJ May Strip Citizenship From Those Who Dupe Medicaid, Medicare
A legal expert notes the U.S. denaturalization policy is legit but says "its use has historically been rare and reserved for extreme cases — such as war crimes or national security threats." Plus, news about immigrant detention centers, including the "Alligator Alcatraz" set to receive occupants.
By khnlaureno -
Senate Megabill That Would Erode Social Safety Net Now Heads To House
Hospital associations on Tuesday slammed the legislation, which would devastate millions of sick or poor Americans. The bill passed 51-50 on a tie-breaking vote from Vice President JD Vance after three Republicans joined Democrats in opposing it.
By khnlaureno -
Federal Judge Pauses RFK Jr.’s Mass Firings, Calling Them Unlawful
Tuesday's order blocked the layoffs and organizational changes at HHS. Judge Melissa DuBose of the U.S. District Court for the District of Rhode Island said the changes far exceeded Kennedy's authority. Andrew Nixon, RFK Jr.'s spokesperson, said they are considering next steps.
By khnlaureno -
Social Security ‘Resurrects’ Immigrants From Death List; Benefits Still Blocked
They'll instead be flagged as “unverified." An unnamed administration official told The New York Times that it would achieve the same goal by alerting third parties that they may not be eligible for services. Also, 20 states have sued over the administration's use of immigrants' Medicaid data.
By khnlaureno -
Wyoming Confirms Its First Measles Case In 15 Years
The patient is an unvaccinated child. Other states making news: New Mexico, Texas, Florida, North Carolina, Illinois, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, and elsewhere.
By khnlaureno -
Supreme Court Orders Judges To Reexamine Gender-Affirming Care
On Monday, the Supreme Court dismissed lower court rulings that benefited transgender Americans and are now requiring those lower courts to look into those cases again. The cases under review include state-sponsored health care coverage for gender-affirming care and the changing of birth certificates.
By khnlaureno -
California Changes Environmental Law That Made It Harder To Help Homeless
Former California Gov. Ronald Reagan signed the landmark California Environmental Quality Act into law in 1970 in an effort to protect the state from pollution and sprawl. But it also made it more difficult to build housing, adding to the state's pervasive homelessness problem.
By khnlaureno -
Second WHO Probe Into Covid’s Origins Ends Just As The First: Inconclusively
It likely jumped from animals to humans, the experts said in their final report Friday. However, a critical component of the investigation was missing: Despite repeated requests, the group was not given access to Chinese data and therefore could not evaluate claims of a lab leak, AP reports.
By khnlaureno