Category: Vaccines

KFF Health News’ ‘What the Health?’: Chaos Continues in Federal Health System

The Senate has yet to confirm a Health and Human Services secretary, but things around the department continue to change at a breakneck pace to comply with President Donald Trump’s executive orders. Payment systems have been shut down, webpages and entire datasets have been taken offline, and workers — including those with civil service protections — have been urged to quit or threatened with layoffs. Meanwhile, foreign and trade policy changes are also affecting health policy. Alice Miranda Ollstein of Politico 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’ Julie Appleby, who reported the latest “Bill of the Month” feature, about a young woman, a grandfathered health plan, and a $14,000 IUD.

Readers Offer Their Takes on the Opioid Crisis, Family Doctor Shortage, and Vaccine Policies

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

What RFK Jr. Might Face in His Nomination Hearings This Week

Two Senate committees are expected to question Robert F. Kennedy Jr. on how his disproven views of science and medicine qualify him to run the $1.7 trillion, 80,000-employee federal health system.

What a US Exit From the WHO Means for Global Health

By withdrawing from the World Health Organization and overhauling aid, Trump’s new executive orders endanger Americans and the globe, researchers warn. The move also cedes U.S. power to other nations.

KFF Health Tracking Poll: Public Weighs Health Care Spending and Other Priorities for Incoming Administration

With the incoming Trump administration and Republican-led Congress looking to ways to reduce federal spending, this Poll finds that the Medicare and Medicaid programs remain broadly popular, and more people favor more spending on those programs than le…

Readers Offer Solo Agers Support and Reflect on Ancestors

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

KFF Health News’ ‘What the Health?’: End-of-Year Chaos on Capitol Hill

Democrats and Republicans in the House and Senate successfully negotiated an enormous end-of-Congress health package, including bipartisan efforts to address prescription drug prices — only to see it blown up at the last minute after Elon Musk and President-elect Donald Trump applied pressure. Meanwhile, the Supreme Court accepted its first abortion-related case of the term, and the attorney general of Texas sued a doctor in New York for prescribing abortion pills to a Texas patient. Alice Miranda Ollstein of Politico, Jessie Hellmann of CQ Roll Call, and Victoria Knight of Axios join KFF Health News’ Julie Rovner to discuss these stories and more. Also this week, Rovner interviews KFF President and CEO Drew Altman about what happened in health policy in 2024 and what to expect in 2025.

Trump’s Picks for Top Health Jobs Not Just Team of Rivals but ‘Team of Opponents’

The president-elect’s choices to lead the Department of Health and Human Services, as well as agencies such as the National Institutes of Health, FDA, and CDC, hold positions on issues including abortion and vaccination that are often at odds.

Journalists Dig Into Vaccine Debate and America’s Obesity Rates

KFF Health News staff made the rounds on national and local media in recent weeks to discuss topical stories. Here’s a collection of their appearances.

How Measles, Whooping Cough, and Worse Could Roar Back on RFK Jr.’s Watch

Inoculation campaigns that protect children and adults from dangerous diseases rely on a delicate web of state and federal laws and programs. If senior officials cast doubt on vaccine safety, the whole system might collapse, especially in red states.