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Just a few weeks after summarily firing hundreds of employees, the Trump administration is now notifying some staff at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention that they're back on the job. On Tuesday, an unknown number of CDC staff began receiving emails stating that their letters of termination were being rescinded, according to emails reviewed by NPR and interviews with more than half a dozen sources at the agency who were not authorized to speak publicly. (Huang and Stone, 3/4)

�鶹Ů�� Health News: CDC Firings Undermine Public Health Work Far Beyond Washington

The Trump administration’s sudden firing of Centers for Disease Control and Prevention employees gutted training programs across the nation whose participants bolstered the workforce of state and local public health departments that for decades have been starved of resources. The programs are designed to cultivate a new generation of public health leaders, many of whom have gone on to work at the CDC. That was far from its only purpose. Local and state officials said the departures threaten to undermine the nation’s constant effort to identify and control infectious disease outbreaks. (Pradhan, 3/5)

The General Services Administration announced Tuesday that it will begin selling off some of the federal government’s most recognizable office buildings, including the Hubert H. Humphrey Building (home to the Department of Health and Human Services). (Cai and Nguyen, 3/4)

The Social Security Administration (SSA) said in a release that it has identified more than $800 million in savings or “cost avoidance” for fiscal 2025 among information technology, grants, property and payroll. The SSA stated that it froze hiring and “drastically” cut back on overtime, saving about $550 million. (Timotija, 3/4)

�鶹Ů�� Health News: Trump Vowed To End Surprise Medical Bills. The Office Working On That Just Got Slashed

As President Donald Trump wrapped up his first term in 2020, he signed legislation to protect Americans from surprise medical bills. “This must end,” Trump said. “We’re going to hold insurance companies and hospitals totally accountable.” But the president’s wide-ranging push to slash government spending, led by billionaire Elon Musk, is weakening the federal office charged with implementing the No Surprises Act. (Levey, 3/4)

What’s the air quality in New Delhi, Jakarta or Buenos Aires? Until Tuesday, the United States Embassy in those cities could have told you. But the Trump administration has effectively shut down a global air quality monitoring program, ending more than a decade of public data-collection and reporting from 80 embassies and consulates worldwide. (Friedman and Plumer, 3/4)

A federal judge extended a nationwide block Tuesday on President Donald Trump’s executive orders halting federal funding for providers of gender-affirming health care for transgender people under age 19. The judge’s ruling came in a lawsuit filed earlier this month on behalf of families with transgender or nonbinary children who allege their health care has already been compromised by the president’s orders. (3/5)

Dr. Marty Makary rose to national attention by skewering the medical establishment in books and papers and bashing the federal response to COVID-19 on TV. Now the Johns Hopkins University surgeon and researcher has been nominated to lead the Food and Drug Administration. The agency — responsible for regulating products ranging from toothpaste to vaccines — is famously understated, issuing carefully worded statements devoid of opinion or scientific speculation. (Perrone, 3/4)

The new head of the Food and Drug Administration division that regulates infant formula was in recent months a corporate lawyer defending a top formula maker from claims that its product gave rise to debilitating harm to premature babies. Kyle A. Diamantas joined the F.D.A. last month to lead the food division, leaving the law firm Jones Day, which has served as a pipeline of talent to both Trump administrations. (Jewett, 3/4)

Makers of a wide variety of medical products will feel the pain of tariffs imposed Tuesday by the Trump administration, and they are likely to pass those higher costs along to hospitals and other providers. The tariffs include 25% on imports from Canada and Mexico and an additional 10% tariff on imports from China. That follows two other tariffs imposed on Chinese goods, a 10% one last month and one in September that varied in scope. (Dubinsky, 3/4)

The Trump administration's cuts to federal agencies could negatively impact some healthcare companies' financial stability and spark more deal activity as businesses look for additional support. The future of Medicaid is top-of-mind, as proposed cuts loom large. Decreased reimbursements could have a materially negative impact on providers' credit ratings, especially organizations that have relied on supplemental payment programs, and create revenue challenges for payers as well, according to a Fitch Ratings report published last week. (Hudson, 3/4)

Gene-sequencing company Oxford Nanopore Technologies Plc’s shares plunged the most in more than a year as uncertainty around cuts to US research funding and the impact of a global trade war eclipsed the firm’s plans to forge ties with the pharmaceutical industry. The shares fell about 15% in London, the biggest intra-day decline since Jan. 9, 2024, after the company’s forecast for 2025 included warnings of possible cuts to research funding by the US National Institutes of Health. (Furlong, 3/4)

As biopharma players continue to parse out what the second Trump administration means for the industry, Pfizer CEO Albert Bourla, Ph.D., outlined one potential response by his company if pharmaceutical tariffs come into play. Pfizer’s local manufacturing setup is already well positioned in the U.S., and the New York-based drugmaker could bring additional resources into the country if the situation demands, Bourla said Monday at TD Cowen’s 45th annual healthcare conference in Boston. (Kansteiner, 3/3)

Now that the Trump administration has imposed 25% tariffs on goods from Canada, the Canadian government is levying tariffs in return. But other measures are also being examined and one notion the Canadian government should consider is suspending patent rights held by U.S. companies, including pharmaceutical companies, according to Richard Gold, a professor of law and medicine at McGill University who specializes in intellectual property issues. (Silverman, 3/4)

One month ago, President Trump agreed to delay tariffs on Canada and Mexico after the two countries agreed to help stem the flow of fentanyl into the United States. On Tuesday, the Trump administration imposed the tariffs anyway, saying that the countries had failed to do enough — and claiming that tariffs would be lifted only when drug deaths fall. But the administration has seemingly established an impossible standard. Real-time, national data on fentanyl overdose deaths does not exist, so there is no way to know whether Canada and Mexico were able to “adequately address the situation” since February, as the White House demanded. (Katz and Sanger-Katz, 3/4)

Private credit lenders are in talks to provide about $4.5 billion of debt to fund Sycamore Partners’ potential buyout of Walgreens Boots Alliance Inc. as part of a plan to split up the pharmacy retailer into separate businesses, according to a person with knowledge of the matter. HPS Investment Partners and Ares Management Corp. are among lenders vying to finance what would be one of the largest leveraged buyout debt deals to hit the market in more than a decade, said the person, who asked not to be identified discussing confidential information. (Schneider and Scigliuzzo, 3/4)

Every month, roughly 100,000 people buy Zepbound directly from Eli Lilly through its website. "It's about the size of a small city," says David Ricks, Eli Lilly's CEO. That's about 10% of the 1 million people who use the blockbuster obesity drug every month, though the numbers can vary, he says. (Lupkin, 3/5)

The Food and Drug Administration scolded a company for a promotional display that falsely claimed its brand-name medicine was more effective than generic versions, which is apparently the first time the agency office responsible for monitoring advertising has cited such an issue. (Silverman, 3/4)

Glenmark Pharma, an India-based drug manufacturer that has been the focal point of a spate of recalls in recent years, has issued another. This time, the product pull covers about 1.48 million bottles of the generic attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) drug atomoxetine. (Keenan, 3/4)

The Trump administration is dropping a yearslong legal battle with Idaho over the right to an abortion in a medical emergency one day ahead of a major hearing — reversing its stance in one of the highest-profile cases it inherited from the Biden administration. The Boise hospital network St. Luke’s said in a court filing Tuesday that the Justice Department informed the network that it is moving to dismiss the case. (Ollstein, 3/4)

Protesters gathered outside the South Carolina State House on Tuesday during a House hearing on a bill that would prohibit all abortions in the state, with no exceptions for rape, incest, or fetal anomalies. The House is considering a bill that would enact a total abortion ban, making it illegal for doctors to perform abortions except under a very limited set of circumstances. (Carter, 3/4)

The Trump administration has filed paperwork asking the US supreme court to let it join the upcoming oral arguments in a case over South Carolina’s attempt to eradicate Medicaid funding for medical services offered by Planned Parenthood. Although it is already illegal to use federal dollars to pay for abortions, South Carolina’s Republican governor, Henry McMaster, ordered the state department of health to block Planned Parenthood from Medicaid because, McMaster said, “payment of taxpayer funds to abortion clinics, for any purpose, results in the subsidy of abortion and the denial of the right to life”. (Sherman, 3/4)

A bellwether test of states’ ability to prosecute people over abortions that take place across state lines will hold a critical hearing on Wednesday, when Alabama abortion rights supporters will square off against the state attorney general over his threats to prosecute groups that help women travel for the procedure. (Sherman, 3/5)

The Wyoming House of Representatives voted Tuesday to override Gov. Mark Gordon’s veto of a bill to require patients to undergo a transvaginal ultrasound and a 48-hour waiting period before taking abortion medication. (Mullen, 3/5)

In an unprecedented move to funnel more public tax dollars toward groups that oppose abortion, Republican lawmakers in Missouri are advancing a plan to allow residents to donate to pregnancy resource centers instead of paying any state income taxes. The proposal would establish a 100% tax credit, up from 70%, and a $50,000 annual cap per taxpayer. The result: Nearly all Missouri households — except those with the highest incomes — could fully satisfy their state tax bill by redirecting their payment from the state to pregnancy centers. (Kohler, 3/5)

As of 8 a.m. Monday morning, abortions were once again available in Columbia. The procedure has been inaccessible to those living in mid-Missouri since the last abortion was performed at the Columbia Planned Parenthood clinic in 2018.But following the passage of Amendment 3 in November, and many of Missouri’s targeted regulations, or TRAP laws, being knocked down by a Jackson County circuit judge in February — the procedure can now be restarted without fear of legal repercussions. (Smith, 3/4)

The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services rescinded waivers for programs that fund housing, nutrition and other social services for high-risk Medicaid and Children's Health Insurance Program enrollees. The agency rolled back guidance linked to health-related social needs programs under Section 1115 Medicaid demonstration waivers. States use these programs to pay for wraparound services such as temporary housing and meals for children and adults who may become homeless, struggle with mental illness and transition from institutional care, among other risk factors. (Kacik, 3/4)

Democratic lawmakers protested President Donald Trump with multiple signs during a speech to the Joint Session of Congress that quickly turned into a partisan rhetorical brawl. Representatives were seen holding up black signs with white letters saying: "Save Medicaid," "Musk Steals" and "Protect Veterans," with "False" written on the back. (Powel and Beggin, 3/4)

Al Green, a U.S. representative from Texas’ 9th congressional district, was removed from President Trump’s Tuesday night joint session of Congress after repeatedly interrupting the president’s speech. Only a few minutes into President Trump’s address, Green stood up from his seat and shouted, “You have no mandate to cut Medicaid,” inciting boos from the Republican side of Congressional Hall. Republicans then began chanting, “USA, USA, USA,” as Green shouted again at President Trump, “You have no right to cut Medicaid.” (Dunn, 3/4)

Democrats are scrambling to rethink their strategy of using Republican town halls to oppose GOP-led plans to slash spending on Medicaid and other government services. Left-leaning organization Indivisible, which had been spearheading the efforts to disrupt constituent town halls, is calling on Democratic lawmakers to host their own town halls during the March recess or the group will do it for them, according to an email obtained by POLITICO. (Long and Schneider, 3/4)

If Congress cuts Medicaid funding to states to help extend tax cuts, dental care for adults could be one of the first casualties as legislators and governors re-sort priorities and try to make do with less. (Goldman, 3/5)

In December 2023, North Carolina became the 40th state to expand eligibility for Medicaid, opening up the government-funded health insurance program to low-income adults who previously made too much money to qualify. Nearly 630,000 people have gained coverage since expansion took effect, surpassing state health officials’ initial two-year enrollment projection months ahead of schedule. The measure has been particularly popular in rural areas, where residents are less likely to have health insurance and access to care is often limited. (Baxley, 3/5)

�鶹Ů�� Health News: Listen To The Latest '�鶹Ů�� Health News Minute' 

Katheryn Houghton reads this week’s news: Republicans in Congress are considering cuts to Medicaid, and the dietary supplement industry is hoping to cash in on RFK Jr.’s new role as head of the Department of Health and Human Services. Jackie Fortiér reads this week’s news: Some states are turning to laundromats to reach people who could qualify for programs including Medicaid and food assistance, and cross-border telehealth is helping Spanish-speaking farmworkers get care. (3/4)

�鶹Ů�� Health News: Years Later, Centene Settlements With States Still Unfinished

More than three years ago, health insurance giant Centene Corp. settled allegations that it overcharged Medicaid programs in Ohio and Mississippi related to prescription drug billing. Now at least 20 states have settled with Centene over its pharmacy benefit manager operation that coordinated the medications for Medicaid patients. Arizona was among the most recent to join the ranks, settling for an undisclosed payout, Richie Taylor, a spokesperson for the state’s attorney general, told �鶹Ů�� Health News in December. (Miller, 3/5)

Texas will see the biggest economic hit if ACA premium tax credits expire at the end of 2025, according to a March 3 brief from the Commonwealth Fund. The ACA provides low- and middle-income individuals with premium tax credits to purchase health coverage on the exchange. Originally authorized by the American Rescue Plan Act in 2021, enhanced PTCs were later extended by the Inflation Reduction Act. Without another congressional extension, the PTCs will expire at the end of 2025. (Emerson, 3/4)

Measles outbreaks across North America are threatening the region's status of having officially eliminated the virus, officials from the Pan-American Health Organization warned, potentially undoing a hard-fought victory to wipe out community transmission. The U.N. agency pointed to a 4.5-times increase in reported measles cases this year across North and South America, compared to the same period last year. More than 97% of cases across the region so far this year have been in the U.S. or Canada. (Tin, 3/4)

One of the most contagious viruses in the world is spreading around the United States. So far in 2025 there have been three distinct measles outbreaks and at least 164 cases reported to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention coming from nine states. The largest of the outbreaks is in West Texas, where the total number of people diagnosed with measles grew to 146 on Friday. An unvaccinated child in the region died last week. It was the first measles death in the U.S. since 2015. (Martichoux, 3/4)

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is on the ground in Texas to aid the state in tamping down a measles outbreak, the agency said Tuesday. The agency in a statement on the social platform X said it has sent some of its Epidemic Intelligence Service (EIS) “disease detectives” to the West Texas region, the same day the state reported an additional 13 cases, bringing the total to 159. (Weixel, 3/4)

The number of measles cases associated with an outbreak in Texas has grown to 159 -- an increase of 13 cases in the past five days, authorities said on Tuesday. The Texas Department of State Health Services updated its website with the new numbers Tuesday afternoon and said the majority of the cases are in unvaccinated individuals or those whose vaccination status is unknown, with 80 unvaccinated and 74 of unknown status. At least 22 people have been hospitalized, two more than the last update on Friday, according to the DSHS. (Hutchinson, 3/4)

As a measles outbreak expands in West Texas, Robert F. Kennedy Jr., the health and human services secretary, on Tuesday cheered several unconventional treatments, including cod liver oil, but again did not urge Americans to get vaccinated. In a prerecorded interview that aired on Fox News, Mr. Kennedy said that the federal government was shipping doses of vitamin A to Gaines County, the epicenter of the outbreak, and helping to arrange ambulance rides. (Rosenbluth, 3/4)

Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s focus on vitamin A use to combat a growing measles outbreak in Texas is raising concerns among public health experts, who fear he is sending the wrong message about preventing the highly contagious disease and distracting from the critical importance of vaccination. (Sun and Nirappil, 3/4)

People who have higher levels of strong, agile sperm may live nearly three years longer than those with poor swimmers incapable of making it to their destination, according to new research. The large-scale study followed more than 78,000 men for 50 years. (LaMotte, 3/4)

While most people know women infected with human papillomavirus (HPV) can develop cervical cancer, far fewer are aware the virus poses significant cancer risks to men, as well, and that men are more likely than women to have HPV. And a second study spotlights the rising incidence of cervical cancer rates in rural US counties. (Soucheray, 3/4)

Menopause is something every woman goes through, but doctors — even OB-GYNs — aren't required to learn much about it. Millions of women don't get the care they need — and some are getting misinformation at the doctor's office. (May, 3/3)

At high levels of brain amyloid-beta, women had more aggressive tau accumulation than men, a meta-analysis of longitudinal PET data showed. In cognitively normal people with high baseline amyloid, female sex was associated with faster tau buildup over an average of 2.8 years in three brain areas. (George, 3/3)

Intrigued by all the headlines about the mental health benefits of psychedelics and thinking of giving them a try? You may want to think twice, according to a new study that found a link between bad psychedelic trips and a more than twofold increased risk of death within five years. (LaMotte, 3/3)

When Lauren Brenc was in her 20s and living in New York City, a night out with friends meant drinking. “I was so programmed to have fun with alcohol, everything became centered around it,” said Brenc, who worked in bars and clubs at the time. “It was damaging my body, how I looked, my emotional well-being. Everything was suffering.” (O'Brien, 3/3)

The Supreme Court has declined to hear a case on whether a Federally Qualified Health Center is immune from liability over a former patient’s stolen personally identifying information (PII). The class-action lawsuit stemmed from a patient who received care and provided that information to Sandhills Medical Foundation, an FQHC, in 2018. (Muoio, 3/5)

�鶹Ů�� Health News: UnitedHealth Wins Ruling Over $2B In Alleged Medicare Advantage Overpayments

The Justice Department’s years-long court battle to force UnitedHealth Group to return billions of dollars in alleged Medicare Advantage overpayments hit a major setback Monday when a special master ruled the government had failed to prove its case. In finding for UnitedHealth, Special Master Suzanne Segal found that the DOJ had not presented evidence to support its claim that the giant health insurer exaggerated how sick patients were to illegally pocket more than $2 billion in overpayments. (Schulte, 3/4)

CVS Health has dealt its Medicare Shared Savings Program accountable care organization business to Wellvana, the companies announced Tuesday. As part of the all-stock transaction, CVS Health took a minority stake in Wellvana, a privately held physician-enablement vendor. The companies did not disclose the terms of the deal and did not immediately respond to interview requests. (Tepper, 3/4)

Value-based care provider Monogram Health is teaming with Memorial Hermann Health Plan to provide in-home services to chronically ill patients covered under the insurer’s commercial and Medicare Advantage plans. Under the joint-venture agreement, Monogram Health will provide home-based care to patients in the Houston area with complex conditions, including kidney disease, diabetes, high blood pressure and metabolic disorders, the two organizations said Tuesday in a news release. (Eastabrook, 3/4)

The Ensign Group acquired the real estate and operations of five skilled nursing facilities across four states, the company announced Monday. The San Juan Capistrano, California-based company expanded its footprint in Washington and entered Alaska and Oregon with three acquisitions: South Hill Rehabilitation and Care Center in Spokane, Washington, Mt. Angel Health and Rehabilitation in Mt. Angel, Oregon, and Polaris Extended Care and Polaris Transitional Care in Anchorage, Alaska, according to a news release. (Eastabrook, 3/4)

Operators of a program designed to keep older adults out of nursing homes are looking to attract enrollees by integrating with senior housing communities. Programs of All-Inclusive Care for the Elderly in Massachusetts, New York, Michigan and California are locating PACE centers within or adjacent to senior housing facilities. These locations make it easier for participants to access PACE services, help operators recruit new members and help older adults remain in senior housing and their communities longer. (Eastabrook, 3/4)

Companies in every industry strive for excellence. There are certain perks when you're a notch above the rest: A prestigious name attracts talented employees, a trusted brand draws a loyal customer base. But greatness often comes at a price for consumers. As the adage goes, "You get what you pay for." While many of us forego the daily luxuries for our wallets' sake, there are a few areas where no one can afford to skimp. Health care is one of them. When you or a loved one are sick, you want the utmost confidence in the care that they're receiving. But what should you look for in a hospital, and what separates the good from the great? Newsweek connected with some of the nation's top health system leaders to learn what sets their organizations apart. It turns out that they all follow similar playbooks—starting with the patient experience. (Kayser, 3/5)

Uncertainty about the federal government is adding to the challenges facing providers, payers and other third-party organizations striving for health data interoperability. Attendees at the Healthcare Information and Management Systems Society’s annual conference in Las Vegas on Monday had few answers on how President Donald Trump’s administration could affect the future of healthcare interoperability. (Turner, 3/4)

Epic is continuing its push to develop products outside of the electronic health record. At the Healthcare Information and Management Systems Society conference on Tuesday, the company said it was creating tools to help health systems manage a variety of functions related to staffing, procurement and accounts payable. The company also introduced at the conference a patient-facing artificial intelligence tool that will embed in its EHR. (Turner, 3/4)

Georgia recently relaunched its maternal mortality review committee after dismissing all 32 of its members last year. But state officials won’t say who the current members are. The dismissals were in response to ProPublica obtaining internal reports in which the committee detailed the “preventable” deaths of two women who were unable to obtain legal abortions or timely care after Georgia banned abortion. (Yurkanin, 3/4)

Georgia House members voted 159-13 on Tuesday for a school safety bill that supporters say is aimed at preventing a school shooting like the one in September that killed two teachers and two students at Apalachee High School. But some lawmakers remain uneasy about its proposed creation of a statewide student database of disciplinary, mental health and law enforcement information to evaluate students who might commit violence. (Amy, 3/5)

Dysentery cases are on the rise in the Portland area. In January, health officials reported 40 cases of the highly contagious bacterial infection in Multnomah County, where Portland is located — up from 17 in January 2024, according to the Multnomah County Health Department. Health officials have linked the rise in dysentery cases to the number of people experiencing homelessness in the county. (Raji, 3/4)

When late last year the largest provider of healthcare to inmates in jails and prisons in the US found itself facing an avalanche of medical malpractice lawsuits, its path forward was seemingly obvious. By filing for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in Texas’s increasingly popular bankruptcy courts, Wellpath Holdings could restructure itself, in the process staying the 1,500 lawsuits it had been facing and limiting its exposure to more than $100m in potential liabilities. (Gray Desai, 3/4)

The demise of San Francisco’s only parking site for homeless people living in vehicles could be used as a case study on how difficult it is for one of the nation’s wealthiest cities to solve its intractable homelessness crisis. Over the past three years, San Francisco has poured more than $18 million into establishing and operating the site in an underused parking lot at Candlestick Point — likely the most expensive per capita intervention ever tried by the city. But despite city efforts to get the residents into housing or shelter, when officials shut down the site late Monday night, nearly all of the site’s 35 or so residents were back to where they started — on the streets. (Angst, 3/4)

A new vending machine at the Community College of Philadelphia aims to keep college students safe and healthy thanks to a new program. Research shows condoms can dramatically reduce the spread of sexually transmitted diseases, along with preventing pregnancy. Doctors say they're more likely to be used when they're free and easily accessible. (Stahl, 3/4)

News that federal health officials canceled meetings required to prepare for next year’s influenza vaccine, and also nixed a public information campaign about the importance of getting the flu shot, grabbed my attention. (Kimberly Atkins Stohr, 3/5)

A study published last month in Nature underscores the potential for a new personalized pancreatic cancer vaccine to keep the disease from coming back. The trial was tiny, just 16 patients, but it’s eliciting a sentiment not normally associated with this brutal disease: hope. (Lisa Jarvis, 3/4)

If Robert F. Kennedy Jr. doesn’t quickly show more leadership, a deadly measles epidemic could be the Trump administration’s first major domestic failure. (Donald G. McNeil Jr., 3/4)

The National Institutes of Health is a beacon of scientific and medical progress, having nurtured nearly every US Nobel laureate in medicine and enabled critical breakthroughs, from basic science-driven therapies to the Framingham Heart Study that transformed cardiovascular care. NIH also built the biomedical workforce that underpins academic research and the nation’s world-leading biotech startups and pharmaceutical giants. (Jeffery S. Flier and Pierre Azoulay, 3/4)

The National Institutes of Health is the United States’ primary medical research agency. It is renowned worldwide for funding and leading science that has transformed the understanding of disease and spurred lifesaving medical treatments. It has historically been overseen by medical scientists and clinicians. (Anupam B. Jena, 3/5)

The United States faces an urgent mental health crisis that includes many individuals living on our streets and filling up emergency rooms. Decades after the deinstitutionalization movement began, America continues to struggle with the consequences of dismantling a system that, while imperfect, provided structure and support for individuals with severe mental illness (SMI). (Alan M. Langlieb, 3/4)