Category: Kaiser Health News

Trump Policies at Odds With ‘Make America Healthy Again’ Push

On the surface, President Donald Trump embraced the MAHA movement with a pledge to end the nation’s high rates of chronic disease. But the broader Trump agenda may prove to be the biggest barrier this effort confronts.

Despite Historic Indictment, Doctors Will Keep Mailing Abortion Pills Across State Lines

When a New York physician was indicted for shipping abortion medications to a woman in Louisiana, it stoked fear across the network of doctors and medical clinics who engage in similar work. But some physicians vowed not to stop.

HIV Testing and Outreach Falter as Trump Funding Cuts Sweep the South

A disruption in federal funds has jeopardized HIV testing and outreach in Mississippi, and researchers warn of a resurgence of the epidemic in the South.

At Social Security, These Are the Days of the Living Dead

In recent weeks, Social Security has been plagued by problems related to technology, system errors, and even the marking of living people as dead.

An Arm and a Leg: Why ‘The Pitt’ Is Our Fave New Drama

An emergency room doctor says what the TV show “The Pitt” gets right about hospitals, including why they’re so crowded and the bills so high.

Trump Team’s $500 Million Bet on Old Vaccine Technology Puzzles Scientists

Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s HHS said an enormous, noncompetitive flu vaccine development grant to two favored NIH leaders would ensure “transparency, effectiveness, and comprehensive preparedness.” But their vaccine is in early stages, relies on old technology, and is just one of scores of similar efforts.

Alabama Can’t Prosecute Groups Helping Patients Get Abortions Elsewhere, Judge Rules

Although most abortions remain illegal in Alabama, a judge’s decision in early April allows doctors and advocacy groups to tell patients about abortion options in other states, and help with travel and other costs.

In Reversal, FDA Rehires Staff Tasked With Releasing Public Records

At least some workers who process public records in response to Freedom of Information Act requests have been reinstated, agency employees say.

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.

Government Watchdog Expects Medicaid Work Requirement Analysis by Fall

This fall, the U.S. Government Accountability Office expects to release a report on how much it costs to run Georgia Pathways to Coverage — the country’s only active Medicaid work requirement program — as other states and Congress consider similar programs.