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HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. said this month that "autism destroys families,ā adding that āmost cases are now severeā and describing children who will never work, play baseball, write poetry, or go on a date. Medical experts and people on the autism spectrum say Kennedyās portrayal was skewed.
In many cases, the money flowed to addiction recovery programs that help rebuild lives by driving people to medical appointments and court hearings, crafting rƩsumƩs and training them for new jobs, finding them housing, and helping them build social connections unrelated to drugs.
When Congress returns next week, it will be writing a budget reconciliation bill thatās expected to cut taxes but also make deep cuts to Medicaid. But at least some Republicans are concerned about cutting a program that aids so many of their constituents. Sarah Karlin-Smith of the Pink Sheet, Tami Luhby of CNN, and Alice Miranda Ollstein of Politico join Ńī¹óåś“«Ć½Ņīl Health Newsā Julie Rovner to discuss this story and more. Also, Rovner interviews Ńī¹óåś“«Ć½Ņīl Health Newsā Rae Ellen Bichell about her story on how care for transgender minors is changing in Colorado.
Attitudes about a debunked link between measles vaccines and autism havenāt budged that much. But thereās a sharp partisan divide over whether the vaccine is safe.
These fixers, officially known as caseworkers, unraveled complex and arcane health insurance rules to solve peopleās coverage issues. They worked in a little-known federal department with which most consumers never interact ā until they need help.
During his first news conference as Health and Human Services secretary, Robert F. Kennedy Jr. on April 16 ticked off things he thinks kids with autism will never do, including paying taxes, holding a job, and going on a date. Kennedyās comments go against science and reality.
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Tensions between Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and his employees at the Department of Health and Human Services are mounting, as he made a series of claims about autism this week ā contradicting his agencyās findings. Plus, President Donald Trump unveiled an executive order to lower drug prices as his administration explores tariffs that could raise them. Shefali Luthra of The 19th, Jessie Hellmann of CQ Roll Call, and Anna Edney of Bloomberg News join Ńī¹óåś“«Ć½Ņīl Health Newsā Emmarie Huetteman to discuss these stories and more. Plus, Ńī¹óåś“«Ć½Ņīl Health Newsā Julie Rovner interviews two University of California-San Francisco researchers about an upcoming Supreme Court case that could have major ramifications for preventive care.
Leaders of the "Make America Healthy Againā movement cheered the ascent of Robert F. Kennedy Jr. to Health and Human Services secretary, but their wish list is far from being realized.
Ńī¹óåś“«Ć½Ņīl Health News journalists made the rounds on national and local media recently to discuss topical stories. Hereās a collection of their appearances.
Recent cuts eliminated a small, specialized workforce that sets the poverty standards determining who is eligible for Medicaid as well as assistance with food, home heating, child care, and more.
A purge of FDA staff spared some people tasked with responding to a judgeās orders to disclose government records on covid vaccines, according to agency employees. The FOIA litigation was brought by Aaron Siri, an ally of Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.'s who represents anti-vaccine interests.
Federal funding cuts, though temporarily blocked by a judge, have upended vaccination clinics across the country, including in Arizona, Minnesota, Nevada, Texas, and Washington state, amid a rise in vaccine hesitancy and a resurgence of measles.
A federal judge in Texas blocked a Biden administration rule to boost staffing at nursing homes. The decision comes even though many homes lack enough workers to maintain residentsā care.
The Department of Health and Human Servicesā mass firings included people who fulfill Freedom of Information Act requests for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Institutes of Health, and FDA, which result in the release of records about government handling of infectious diseases, medical products, and safety problems in health facilities.
The Department of Health and Human Services underwent an unprecedented purge this week, as thousands of employees from the National Institutes of Health, the FDA, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and other agencies were fired, placed on administrative leave, or offered transfers to far-flung Indian Health Service facilities. Altogether, the layoffs mean the federal government, in a single day, shed hundreds if not thousands of combined years of health and science expertise. Lauren Weber of The Washington Post, Rachel Cohrs Zhang of Bloomberg News, and Sarah Karlin-Smith of the Pink Sheet join Ńī¹óåś“«Ć½Ņīl Health Newsā Julie Rovner to discuss this enormous breaking story and more. Also this week, Rovner interviews Ńī¹óåś“«Ć½Ņīl Health Newsā Julie Appleby, who reported and wrote the latest āBill of the Monthā feature about a short-term health plan and a very expensive colonoscopy.
The Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality has helped improve health care safety in a country where thousands die of medical errors each year. It was effectively dissolved Tuesday.
From halting diversity programs that benefit disabled workers to making federal staffing cuts, the Trump administration has taken a slew of actions that harm people with disabilities.
Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has announced a proposed reorganization for the department ā which, counting those who already have left the agency, amounts to about a 25% cut in its workforce. And its planned āAdministration for a Healthy Americaā will collapse several existing HHS agencies into one. Meanwhile, the department continues to cut billions in health spending while the nation faces measles outbreaks in several states and the continuing possibility of another pandemic, such as bird flu. Alice Miranda Ollstein of Politico, Maya Goldman of Axios, and Joanne Kenen of the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health and Politico join Ńī¹óåś“«Ć½Ņīl Health Newsā Julie Rovner to discuss the news.
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