Health News

The proposal does not include new ideas to expand health coverage or simplify America’s often-byzantine health care system. It also falls far short of Trump’s promises to deliver a replacement for the ACA, the sweeping 2010 health law that has been credited with helping more than 20 million Americans get health coverage and has long been targeted for repeal by Trump and his GOP allies. Republican leaders have refused to extend an ACA subsidy program that expired in December, with Democrats pushing to restore that program as a way to lower health care costs and reduce instability in insurance markets.

Wed, Jan 14, 2026:
U.S. healthcare spending rose by 7.2% to $5.3 trillion in 2024 from $4.9 trillion in 2023, driven by increased health insurance enrollment and a jump in use of medical services, particularly in private health insurance plans, the U.S. Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services said on Wednesday. - Reuters
Health package might move ahead without ACA deal - Axios

Mon, Jan 12, 2026:
A federal judge has ordered the Trump administration to restore nearly $12 million in funding to the American Academy of Pediatrics, including money for rural health care and the early identification of disabilities in young children. U.S. District Judge Beryl Howell in Washington, D.C., awarded the preliminary injunction late Sunday, siding with AAP in saying evidence showed the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services likely had a “retaliatory motive” when it terminated grants to the pediatric group in December. - STAT

Tues, Jan 6, 2026:
10 health stories that could define 2026. The year ahead promises new health care innovations alongside major changes to public health policy. - WP

Mon, Dec 15, 2025:
Born Deaf and Blind, She’s Caught in Trump’s Anti-Diversity Crusade. A program for deafblind children helped 3-year-old Annie Garner, born with poor vision and no ears, learn to communicate. The Trump administration cut the program’s funding over diversity goals. – NYT

Thurs, Nov 20, 2025:
RFK Jr. breaks another promise. The HHS secretary pulls the CDC website into his fantasyland. – WP

Wed, Oct 15, 2025:
Trump Administration Decimates Birth Control Office in Layoffs. Layoffs have raised fears the administration could be ending initiative that provides contraception for millions of low-income women. – NYT

Wed, Oct 8, 2025:
Health agencies lose ‘the backbone folks who can keep things running’ – Politico

Tues, Oct 7, 2025:
Six surgeons general: It’s our duty to warn the nation about RFK Jr. We took an oath to declare dangers when we found them. We’re doing that again today. – WP

Mon, Sept 22, 2025:
Weight-loss drugs can cut future health costs. The fight is over who pays now. New analysis found that GLP-1 drugs semaglutide and tirzepatide offer tangible health benefits for the cost, but the scale of their use presents a challenge. – WP

Tues, Sept 9, 2025:
Trump administration releases long awaited MAHA roadmap. The new strategy stops short of surprise regulations and leaves pesticides alone. – Politico

Mon, Sept 1, 2025:
The Turmoil Inside MAHA Is About More Than Just Vaccines. Disparate factions are sparring over some of RFK Jr.’s biggest priorities; a top FDA scientist is hired, ousted, then hired again. WSJ

Mon, Aug 18, 2025:
Trump’s health agency streamlining goals hit roadblock. Congress has not taken steps to create the Administration for a Healthy America – Roll Call

Wed, Aug 13, 2025:
Staff cuts are undermining federal research on how to make health care better. The gutting of AHRQ leaves it unable to award grants or support experts who advise on preventive services – STAT

Tues, Aug 5 2025:
RFK Jr. may be on the verge of dismantling U.S. preventive health care. Here’s how the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force influences medical guidance. – WP

Wed, July 30, 2025:
Half of Americans Struggling to Afford Healthcare – Gallup

Thurs, July 24, 2025:
Timeline of Healthcare Changes in Federal Budget Law – ACHI

Fri, July 18, 2025:
HHS under Kennedy might be moving to undercut lifesaving preventive care. Americans deserve to know about changes to the Affordable Care Act’s promise of insurance. – WP/Tumulty
A Kennedy Aide’s Start-Up Can Get You a Tax Break on a $9,000 Sauna. The start-up, called Truemed, helps people buy meat and mattresses with money that isn’t subject to federal income tax. But does the tax break apply? – NYT

Wed, July 2, 2025:
‘MAHA Report’ Calls for Fighting Chronic Disease, but Trump and Kennedy Have Yanked Funding – KFF

Tues, July 1, 2025:
Judge Halts Mass Firings and Organizational Changes at H.H.S. In an order on Tuesday, a judge found the Trump administration’s plans to drastically change the structure and mission of the Department of Health and Human Services was probably unlawful. – NYT
Federal judge finds HHS mass layoffs likely unlawful – The Hill

Mon, June 30, 2025:
How to Wreck the Nation’s Health, by the Numbers – NYT

Wed, May 28, 2025:
Why public health experts are worried about MAHA – WP

Fri, April 11, 2025:
President Donald Trump’s firings at the Department of Health and Human Services included the entire office that sets federal poverty guidelines, which determine whether tens of millions of Americans are eligible for programs such as Medicaid, food assistance, child care, and other services – KFF

Sun, April 6, 2025:
Worries grow over risks to Americans as Trump cuts health, safety agencies – WP
“The chorus of experts issuing warnings include Republican lawmakers, former Trump officials and civil servants who worked under GOP and Democratic presidents.”

Sat, April 5, 2025:
Trump is on shaky legal gound with mass layoffs at HHS, experts say – NYT

Fri, April 4, 2025:
Decoding the HHS Reorganization – KFF

Tues, April 1, 2025:
‘It’s a bloodbath’: Massive wave of job cuts underway at US health agencies – CNN
“These cuts to agency experts and programs leave our country less safe, less prepared and without the necessary talent and resources to respond to health threats,” Dr. Mandy Cohen, director of the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention during the Biden administration, said Tuesday.
In a post on LinkedIn, former US Food and Drug Administration Commissioner Dr. Robert Califf said, “The FDA as we’ve known it is finished, with most of the leaders with institutional knowledge and a deep understanding of product development and safety no longer employed.”
Thirty-eight senators sent a letter to HHS Secretary Kennedy saying, “you continue to deny visibility to the American public, despite your oft-repeated commitment to ‘radical transparency.’ You have promised that HHS will do more for the American people, at a lower cost to the taxpayer, yet you have not provided anything to substantiate these claims, despite repeated requests from Congress to do so.”
Also terminated was the entire staff of the Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program, or LIHEAP, according to Mark Wolfe, executive director of the National Energy Assistance Directors Association. The program provides about $4 billion to help millions of Americans with their heating and cooling bills.
Layoffs of 10,000 Government Health Workers Begin – NYT
Here’s where jobs and programs are being cut at the nation’s top health agencies – AP
Trump, Musk, RFK Jr. hollow out HHS, Threatening American’s Health and Wellbeing – Murray

Fri, March 28, 2025:
Health and Human Services will lay off 10,000 workers and close agencies in a major restructuring – AP

Thurs, March 27, 2025:
RFK Jr.’s massive cuts stun staff, leave senior employees scrambling. The cuts sent shockwaves through the department’s sprawling workforce, prompting a scramble among senior agency officials to figure out which employees and policy priorities were affected. – Politico
Targeting FDA user fees would leave agency gutted, experts say; Long-standing program collects fees from companies that produce certain products, such as drugs and medical devices, in exchange for reviews – Roll Call

Wed, March 26, 2025:
Trump administration pulls back billions in Covid-era funding for state, local health departments – CNN

Wed, March 12, 2025:
Wyden negotiating with Republicans on standalone health package – Politico

Mon, Feb 24, 2025:
What does the federal government spend on health care? KFF

Sat, Feb 22, 2025:
Scientists warn of long-term damage as Trump slows research – WP

Tues, Feb 11, 2025:
Judge orders HHS, CDC and FDA to restore deleted webpages with health information – CBS
Proposed NIH funding cut threatens U.S. leadership in medical innovation – WP

Mon, Feb 10, 2025:
Judge temporarily blocks NIH research cuts after 22 states sue – Roll Call
Federal judge blocks Trump administration cuts to medical research funding – CBS

Thurs, Feb 6, 2025:
DOGE gains access to health payment systems – WP
White House preparing order to cut thousands of federal health workers; could come next week – WSJ

Tues, Feb 4, 2025: RFK Jr. nomination to be HHS Secretary advances in committee vote – WP

Tues, Jan 28, 2025: Caroline Kennedy warns of “predator” RFK Jr – WashPost

Tues, Jan 28, 2025: Who funds the WHO – a list of its biggest donors – AP

Tues, Jan 21, 2025: Trump officials pause health agencies’ communications – WashPost

Tues, Jan 21, 2025: US withdrawal from WHO will hurt Americans — and help China – WashPost

Tues, Jan 21, 2025: Trump again initiated the process to withdraw the U.S. from the World Health Organization – WashPost

Tues, Jan 14, 2025: Top three insurers reaped $7.3 billion through drug middlemen markups – FTC

Tues, Jan 7, 2025: Bipartisan Senate report highlights the harmful effects of private equity on the U.S. health care system – Senate Budget Committee (Whitehouse/Grassley)
“The results of this bipartisan investigation—including the documents released publicly today for the first time—highlight significant concerns regarding the impact of PE ownership on the quality of care, patient safety, and financial stability at hospitals across the United States. By focusing on two prominent private equity firms, LGP and Apollo, and their associated hospital operators, Prospect and Lifepoint Health, the Committee has uncovered troubling patterns of prioritizing profits over patients and of unfulfilled promises. While not every PE firm operates in an identical fashion, the evidence highlights systemic issues with PE investment in health care, including underinvestment in critical hospital infrastructure, understaffing, and the pursuit of financial gains through leveraged buyouts and dividend extractions—often to the detriment of patients and hospital operations.”

Tues, Jan 7, 2025: Biden Admin bars medical debt from credit scores – KFF

Fri, Dec 13, 2024: The twin problems of mental health care: access and affordability – KFF

Mon, Dec 2, 2024: Potential conflicts of interest may haunt Dr. Oz’s confirmation to run Medicare, Medicaid – WashPost

Fri, Nov 1, 2024: Drew Altman on the Future of Health Policy After the Election – KFF

Wed, Apr. 24, 2024: KFF reports, “The FDA recently approved a new use for Wegovy (semaglutide), the blockbuster anti-obesity drug, to reduce the risk of heart attacks and stroke in people with cardiovascular disease who are overweight or obese….An estimated 1 in 4 Medicare beneficiaries with obesity or overweight could be eligible for Medicare Part D coverage of Wegovy to reduce the risk of serious heart problems….It’s possible that Medicare could select semaglutide for drug price negotiation as early as 2025….As of 2022, gross Medicare spending on Ozempic alone placed it sixth among the 10 top-selling drugs in Medicare Part D, with annual gross spending of $4.6 billion, based on KFF analysis. This estimate does not include rebates….”

Fri, Mar. 8, 2024: See this KFF review of five health policy topics touched on during the State of the Union Address: Abortion, Drug Prices, Affordable Care Act, Health Care Affordability, and Gun Violence.

Tues, Feb. 27, 2024: Roll Call reports that “health package talks (broke) down amid broader spending feud….(A) smaller bill will likely focus (on) extender policies as well as…funding for community health centers and partial offsets to scheduled Medicare cuts for physicians.”

Wed, Jan. 31, 2024: CBO Testimony on Federal Subsidies for Health Insurance and Policies to Reduce the Prices Paid by Commercial Insurers

Wed. May 24, 2023: CBO report: health insurance for people younger than 65 — Expiration of Temporary Policies Projected to Reshuffle Coverage

Tues. May 16, 2023: CBO Federal Health Spending Update

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