Category: children’s health

Kennedy’s HHS Sent Congress ‘Junk Science’ To Defend Vaccine Changes, Experts Say

A look inside the Department of Health and Human Services document citing vaccine misinformation that could influence congressional perceptions.

Readers Endorse Doctor Migration and Shun ‘Elderspeak’

KFF Health News gives readers a chance to comment on a recent batch of stories.

Asthma Sufferers Could Be at Greater Risk if Trump Cuts Health Program

The Trump administration wants to shutter the CDC’s National Asthma Control Program, which provides millions in funding to state-administered initiatives aimed at fighting the disease. The program’s closure, combined with massive cuts to environmental programs, could put the 28 million Americans with asthma at increased risk.

KFF Health News’ ‘What the Health?’: Trump’s ‘One Big Beautiful Bill’ Lands in Senate. Our 400th Episode!

The House’s gigantic tax-and-spending budget reconciliation bill has landed with a thud in the Senate, where lawmakers are divided in their criticism over whether it increases the deficit too much or cuts Medicaid and the Affordable Care Act too deeply. Meanwhile, the Congressional Budget Office’s estimate that the bill, if enacted, could increase the ranks of the uninsured by nearly 11 million people over a decade won’t make it an easy sell. Alice Miranda Ollstein of Politico, Jessie Hellmann of CQ Roll Call, and Lauren Weber of The Washington Post join KFF Health News’ Julie Rovner to discuss these stories and more. Also this week, Rovner interviews KFF Health News’ Arielle Zionts, who reported and wrote the latest “Bill of the Month” feature, about a Medicaid patient who had an out-of-state emergency.

Role Reversal: Millions of Kids Are Caregivers for Elders. Why Their Numbers Might Grow.

As state officials anticipate Medicaid funding cuts that could strip resources for those with disabilities and chronic health conditions, an army of unpaid caregivers waits in the wings: children. At least 5.4 million kids are estimated to be caring for family members at home, a number likely to rise if Medicaid cuts hit professional home-based services.

RFK Jr. Says Healthy Pregnant Women Don’t Need Covid Boosters. What the Science Says.

Despite opposition by the leader of the Department of Health and Human Services, existing evidence on the safety and efficacy of getting a covid vaccine during pregnancy all points the same way: The shots are important for maternal and fetal health.

Silence on E. Coli Outbreak Highlights How Trump Team’s Changes Undermine Food Safety

Food safety inspections are being scaled back and the public was not notified after an investigation into E. coli contamination.

KFF Health News’ ‘What the Health?’: Bill With Billions in Health Program Cuts Passes House

The House narrowly passed a budget reconciliation bill, including billions of dollars in tax cuts for the wealthy along with billions of dollars in cuts to health program spending. But the Senate is expected to make major changes to the measure before it can go to President Donald Trump for his signature. This week’s panelists are Julie Rovner of KFF Health News, Anna Edney of Bloomberg News, Sarah Karlin-Smith of the Pink Sheet, and Alice Miranda Ollstein of Politico.

Readers Scrutinize Federal Cuts and Medical Debt

KFF Health News gives readers a chance to comment on a recent batch of stories.

Covered California Pushes for Better Health Care as Federal Spending Cuts Loom

Monica Soni, Covered California’s chief medical officer, oversees an effort to hold health plans financially accountable for the quality of care they provide, including childhood vaccination rates, which have fallen in California and nationwide. She worries federal spending cuts could soon bring turbulence to the state’s Affordable Care Act marketplace.