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Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s effort to change how the federal government recommends vaccines against childhood diseases was dealt at least a temporary setback in federal court this week. A judge in Massachusetts sided with a coalition of public health groups arguing that changes to the vaccine schedule violated federal law. The Trump administration said it would appeal the judge’s ruling.
Meanwhile, some of the same public health groups continue to worry about the slow pace of grantmaking at the National Institutes of Health, which, for the second straight year, is having trouble getting money appropriated by Congress out the door to researchers.
This week’s panelists are Julie Rovner of KFF Health News, Alice Miranda Ollstein of Politico, Margot Sanger-Katz of The New York Times, and Lauren Weber of The Washington Post.
Among the takeaways from this week’s episode:
- The latest decision on potential changes to the federal childhood vaccine schedule, even if ultimately reversed by a higher court, may re-elevate the vaccine issue as midterm campaigns kick into gear — and just as the Trump administration is trying to downplay it.
- A new survey of Affordable Care Act marketplace enrollees from KFF, a health information nonprofit that includes KFF Health News, illuminates how many people are struggling to afford health insurance after the expiration of the enhanced premium tax credits. A large majority of respondents say their costs are higher this year, with half saying their costs are “a lot higher.”
- A dip in the number of health care jobs last month could suggest medical facilities and other providers are bracing for the impact of federal funding cuts. A reduction in the number of people with health insurance — an expected outcome of the expiration of enhanced ACA tax credits and, soon, stricter eligibility limits for Medicaid — would probably mean more unpaid bills that hospitals and others must absorb.
- And clinics that rely on Title X funding to provide care are in a bind, with funding set to expire at the end of the month and the federal government only just recently releasing guidance about applying. Many clinics are bracing for a gap in funding.
Also this week, Rovner interviews KFF President and CEO Drew Altman to kick off a new series on health care solutions, called “How Would You Fix It?”
Plus, for “extra credit” the panelists suggest health policy stories they read this week that they think you should read, too:
Julie Rovner: The New York Times’ “Trump Promised the ‘World’s Lowest’ Drug Prices. We Checked the Numbers,” by Rebecca Robbins.
Lauren Weber: The Atlantic’s “Sucker: My Year as a Degenerate Gambler,” by McKay Coppins.
Margot Sanger-Katz: Stat’s “How a Texas Couple Is Getting Rich Off Out-of-Network Medical Bills,” by Tara Bannow.
Alice Miranda Ollstein: The New York Times’ “U.S. Considers Withholding H.I.V. Aid Unless Zambia Expands Minerals Access,” by Stephanie Nolen.
Also mentioned in this week’s podcast:
- KFF’s “Cost Concerns and Coverage Changes: A Follow-Up Survey of ACA Marketplace Enrollees,” by Lunna Lopes, Isabelle Valdes, Grace Sparks, Mardet Mulugeta, and Ashley Kirzinger.
- The Washington Post’s “U.S. Vaccination Rates Are Plunging. Look Up Where Your School Stands,” by Lauren Weber, Caitlin Gilbert, Dylan Moriarty, and Joshua Lott.
- KFF Health News’ “Trump’s Cuts to Medicaid Threaten Services That Help Disabled People Live at Home,” by Tony Leys.
- Politico’s “Birth Control Clinics Rush To Reapply for Funding After Receiving New Trump Admin Guidance,” by Alice Miranda Ollstein.
- States Newsroom’s “Federal Funding for People in Poverty Heading to Anti-Abortion Centers Instead,” by Kelcie Moseley-Morris.
- ProPublica’s “They Didn’t Want To Have C-Sections. A Judge Would Decide How They Gave Birth,” by Amy Yurkanin.
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