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