Kennedy鈥檚 HHS Sent Congress 鈥楯unk Science鈥 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.
Pregnancy
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RFK Jr. Says Healthy Pregnant Women Don鈥檛 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.
Bill With Billions in Health Program Cuts Passes House
Episode 398The 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鈥檚 panelists are Julie Rovner of 51视频 Health News, Anna Edney of Bloomberg News, Sarah Karlin-Smith of the Pink Sheet, and Alice Miranda Ollstein of Politico.
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Rural Patients Face Tough Choices When Their Hospitals Stop Delivering Babies
More than 100 rural hospitals have stopped delivering babies since 2021, including a South Dakota hospital that serves small towns, farming communities, and a Native American reservation. Patients there now travel at least an hour to give birth.
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Moms in Crisis, Jobs Lost: The Human Cost of Trump鈥檚 Addiction Funding Cuts
In many cases, the money flowed to addiction recovery programs that help rebuild lives by driving people to medical appointments and court hearings, crafting r茅sum茅s and training them for new jobs, finding them housing, and helping them build social connections unrelated to drugs.
The Ax Falls at HHS
Episode 390Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has announced a proposed reorganization for the department 鈥 which, counting those who already have left the agency, amounts to about a 25% cut in its workforce. And its planned 鈥淎dministration for a Healthy America鈥 will collapse several existing HHS agencies into one. Meanwhile, the department continues to cut billions in health spending while the nation faces measles outbreaks in several states and the continuing possibility of another pandemic, such as bird flu. Alice Miranda Ollstein of Politico, Maya Goldman of Axios, and Joanne Kenen of the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health and Politico join 51视频 Health News鈥 Julie Rovner to discuss the news.
Courts Try To Curb Health Cuts
Episode 384Some of the Trump administration鈥檚 dramatic funding and policy shifts are facing major pushback for the first time 鈥 not from Congress, but from the courts. Federal judges around the country are attempting to pump the brakes on efforts to freeze government spending, shut down the U.S. Agency for International Development, eliminate access to health-related webpages and datasets, and limit grant funding provided by the National Institutes of Health. Meanwhile, Congress is off to a slow start in trying to turn President Donald Trump鈥檚 agenda into legislation, although Medicaid is clearly high on the list for potential funding cuts. Shefali Luthra of The 19th, Jessie Hellmann of CQ Roll Call, and Maya Goldman of Axios News join 51视频 Health News鈥 Julie Rovner to discuss these topics and more. Also this week, Rovner interviews Mark McClellan, director of the Duke-Margolis Institute for Health Policy and a former health official during the George W. Bush administration, about the impact of cutting funding to research universities.
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Republican States Claim Zero Abortions. A Red-State Doctor Calls That 鈥楲udicrous.鈥
In several red states, officials say few or no abortions happened in 2023, raising alarm among researchers about the politicization of vital statistics.
By Sarah Varney -
Midwives Blame California Rules for Hampering Birth Centers Amid Maternity Care Crisis
Birth centers, where midwives deliver babies with emergency backup from hospitals, can offer an alternative for families as hospitals close maternity units. But the state鈥檚 stiff regulations and what many call a dysfunctional licensing process are hobbling new initiatives and forcing some facilities to shut down.
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For Many Rural Women, Finding Maternity Care Outweighs Concerns About Abortion Access
A legislative effort to expand access to prenatal care in rural Oregon with mobile clinics was scuttled because those clinics would have provided abortions in rural areas. Opposition to the proposal shows that, even in states that ensure access to abortions, that care isn鈥檛 universally available or accepted.
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Native American Patients Are Sent to Collections for Debts the Government Owes
Federal law says Native Americans aren鈥檛 liable for medical bills the Indian Health Service promises to pay. Some are billed anyway as a result of backlogs or mistakes from the agency, financial middlemen, or health systems.
By Katheryn Houghton and Arielle Zionts A Colorful Cast Could Lead Key Health Agencies
Episode 375President-elect Donald Trump has made his choices to fill some top jobs at the Department of Health and Human Services. They include controversial figures who were vocal critics of the Biden administration鈥檚 handling of the covid pandemic and have proposed sweeping changes to the agencies they would lead. Meanwhile, the Supreme Court heard its first two health-related cases of the term, challenging a Tennessee law barring transgender medical care for minors and, separately, challenging the FDA鈥檚 handling of e-cigarettes. Joanne Kenen of the Johns Hopkins University and Politico, Shefali Luthra of The 19th, and Sarah Karlin-Smith of the Pink Sheet join 51视频 Health News鈥 Julie Rovner to discuss these stories and more. Also this week, Rovner interviews 51视频 Health News鈥 Bram Sable-Smith, who reported and wrote the latest 51视频 Health News-Washington Post Well+Being 鈥淏ill of the Month鈥 feature, about an emergency room bill for a visit that didn鈥檛 get past the waiting room.
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Journalists Dish on New Weight Loss Drugs, RFK Jr.’s Fluoride Claims, and Reproductive Health
51视频 Health News staffers and contributors made the rounds on national and local media this week to discuss their stories. Here鈥檚 a collection of their appearances.
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Florida鈥檚 Deloitte-Run Computer System Cut Off New Moms Entitled to Medicaid
Florida discovered a glitch in its Deloitte-run Medicaid eligibility system. The problem, alleged in court testimony, led to new mothers wrongly losing their insurance coverage.
By Daniel Chang and Samantha Liss -
Readers Embrace ‘Going It Alone’ Series on Aging and Chastise Makers of Pulse Oximeters
51视频 Health News gives readers a chance to comment on a recent batch of stories.
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Pay First, Deliver Later: Some Women Are Being Asked To Prepay for Their Baby
Pregnant women are being asked to make large cash payments months before they deliver their babies. Some patient advocates worry this billing practice allows providers to hold treatment hostage.
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Mothering Over Meds: Docs Say Common Treatment for Opioid-Exposed Babies Isn’t Necessary
Amid what has been called the fourth wave of the opioid epidemic, doctors and researchers are walking back medication-heavy methods of treating babies born experiencing opioid withdrawal symptoms, replacing the regimen with the simplest care: parenting.
By Taylor Sisk Yet Another Promise for Long-Term Care Coverage
Episode 367As part of her presidential campaign, Vice President Kamala Harris has rolled out a plan for Medicare to provide in-home long-term care services. The proposal would fill a longtime need for families trying to simultaneously care for young children and older parents, but its enormous price tag makes it a promise unlikely to be fulfilled. Meanwhile, a growing number of Republican candidates up and down the ballot facing voter backlash over their support for abortion restrictions are trying to reinvent their positions. Shefali Luthra of The 19th, Jessie Hellmann of CQ Roll Call, and Joanne Kenen of Johns Hopkins University and Politico join 51视频 Health News鈥 Julie Rovner to discuss these stories and more. Also this week, excerpts from a 51视频 lunch with 鈥淪hark Tank鈥 panelist and generic drug discounter Mark Cuban, who has been consulting with the Harris campaign about health care issues.
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Catholic Hospital Offered Bucket, Towels to Woman It Denied an Abortion, California AG Said
In California, where abortion rights are guaranteed, there鈥檚 a loophole. The growth of Catholic hospital systems, which restrict reproductive health care, has left patients with no other option for care. That will be the case for pregnant women in Northern California, with a hospital set to close its birth center.