Agency Watch Archives

Next on Kennedy’s List? Preventive Care and Vaccine Harm

Episode 408

July 31, 2025

Robert F. Kennedy Jr., the secretary of Health and Human Services, is eyeing an overhaul of two more key entities as part of his ongoing effort to reshape health policy. And President Donald Trump signed an executive order last week that would enable localities to force some homeless people into residential treatment. Anna Edney of Bloomberg News, Joanne Kenen of the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health and Politico Magazine, and Shefali Luthra of The 19th join �鶹Ů�� Health News’ Julie Rovner to discuss these stories and more. Also, Rovner interviews Sara Rosenbaum, one of the nation’s leading experts on Medicaid, to mark Medicaid’s 60th anniversary this week.

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The emblem of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security is painted on a wall.

Immigrant Kids Detained in ‘Unsafe and Unsanitary’ Sites as Trump Team Seeks To End Protections

President Donald Trump’s Justice Department seeks to terminate the Flores Settlement Agreement, which since 1997 has required U.S. immigration officials to hold migrant children in facilities that are safe and sanitary, among other protections. Even with the consent decree in place, court records show unsafe conditions for immigrant kids.

By Sandy West

July 30, 2025

A husband and wife stand outside their home, surrounded by lush green plants and tall purple flowers.

Amid PFAS Fallout, a Maine Doctor Navigates Medical Risks With Her Patients

A doctor doing environmental health research in rural Maine is working to establish the best practices to treat patients exposed to “forever chemicals,” potentially leading the way for practitioners across the nation.

By Marina Schauffler

July 22, 2025

A photo of VA Secretary Doug Collins testifying at a House Appropriations Subcommittee hearing.

A Million Veterans Gave DNA To Aid Health Research. Scientists Worry the Data Will Be Wasted.

Retired service members donated genetic material to help answer health questions for not only others in the military but all Americans, creating one of the largest repositories of health data in the world. The Trump administration is dragging its heels on agreements to analyze it with supercomputers.

By Darius Tahir

July 16, 2025

Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. speaking in a House of Representatives hearing room. He is also seen on a screen behind him broadcasting the hearing.

Vested Interests. Influence Muscle. At RFK Jr.’s HHS, It’s Not Pharma. It’s Wellness.

Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. lambasted federal agencies he accused of being overly influenced by the pharmaceutical industry. But he and other “Make America Healthy Again” notables have their own financial ties to the vast and largely unregulated $6.3 trillion global wellness industry that ethicists say raise red flags.

By Stephanie Armour

July 14, 2025

In Rush To Satisfy Trump, GOP Delivers Blow to Health Industry

The health industry couldn’t persuade GOP lawmakers to oppose big Medicaid cuts in President Donald Trump’s tax and spending bill for many reasons. A big one: Congressional Republicans were more worried about angering Trump than a backlash from hospitals and low-income constituents back home.

By Phil Galewitz and Stephanie Armour

July 14, 2025

A photo of a die-in staged at a statehouse.

Payback: Tracking Opioid Cash

Who’s Policing Opioid Settlement Spending? A Crowdsourced Database Might Help

Billions in opioid settlement money was meant to be spent on treating and preventing addiction — but what happens if it’s misspent? Some advocates say attorneys general need to pay closer attention. If they don’t, a new tool might empower the public.

By Aneri Pattani

July 11, 2025

Demonstrators march in a street holding signs, including one that says "Freeze cancer, not funding"

World’s Premier Cancer Institute Faces Crippling Cuts and Chaos

After spearheading a 34% cut in cancer mortality, the National Cancer Institute at the NIH is bleeding resources and staff and could see its budget cut by nearly 40%.

By Rachana Pradhan and Arthur Allen

July 9, 2025

A man stands before a room of seated construction workers wearing high-vis clothing and hard hats.

Workplace Mental Health at Risk as Key Federal Agency Faces Cuts

Efforts to decrease alarmingly high rates of suicide among construction workers and prevent burnout in health care workers are in jeopardy after the firing of hundreds of employees at the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health.

By Aneri Pattani

July 8, 2025

A man with grey hair, glasses, a red tie and a dark suit stands behind a podium

GOP Governors Mum as Congress Moves To Slash Medicaid Spending for Their States

In 2017, when President Donald Trump tried to repeal Obamacare and roll back Medicaid coverage, Republican governors helped turn Congress against it. Now, as Trump tries again to scale back Medicaid, Republican governors — whose constituents stand to lose federal funding and health coverage — have gone quiet on the health consequences.

By Phil Galewitz

July 3, 2025

A photo of a White House event with three people sitting at the end of the table: Brooke Rollins, Donald Trump, and Robert F. Kennedy Jr.

‘MAHA Report’ Calls for Fighting Chronic Disease, but Trump and Kennedy Have Yanked Funding

Scientists and public health advocates see disconnects between what the Trump administration says about health — notably, in its “MAHA Report” — and what it’s actually doing.

By David Hilzenrath

July 2, 2025

A photo of an ambulance driving by in Washington, D.C. The rotunda of the U.S. Capitol is prominent in the background.

Republican Megabill Will Mean Higher Health Costs for Many Americans

Spending cuts hitting medical providers, Medicaid and Affordable Care Act enrollees, and lawfully present immigrants are just some of the biggest changes the GOP has in store for health care — with ramifications that could touch all Americans.

By Phil Galewitz, Julie Appleby, Renuka Rayasam, and Bernard J. Wolfson

July 2, 2025

A family portrait taken indoors. From left to right, the adolescent son, mother, father, and young daughter. They are wearing matching T-shirts.

HHS Eliminates CDC Staff Who Made Sure Birth Control Is Safe for Women at Risk

The Trump administration eliminated the CDC team that developed national guidelines for prescribing contraception safely for millions of women with underlying medical conditions.

By Rachana Pradhan

July 1, 2025

An older man in a suit and tie with glasses is seated while a sign that reads "CDC" is in the distance behind him

Kennedy’s Vaccine Advisers Sow Doubts as Scientists Protest US Pivot on Shots

A new vaccine advisory panel appointed by the HHS secretary, a longtime anti-vaccine activist, reflected his unsupported claims about the safety of childhood inoculations.

By Arthur Allen and Sam Whitehead

June 27, 2025

A senior man sits in a chair. A nurse stands beside him with her hand on his back, like good friends. They are both smiling in the direction of the camera.

Dual Threats From Trump and GOP Imperil Nursing Homes and Their Foreign-Born Workers

Understaffed nursing homes face a workforce crisis if President Donald Trump and Republicans further curtail immigration and cut Medicaid.

By Jordan Rau

June 26, 2025

What RFK Jr. Isn’t Talking About: How To Make Vaccines Safer

Vaccines are under fire from the top of the Trump administration. Federal programs to monitor them and make them safer have always been underfunded.

By Arthur Allen

June 25, 2025

A photo of Mehmet Oz speaking at a podium. Robert F. Kennedy Jr. stands behind him.

Deadly Denials

5 Takeaways From Health Insurers’ New Pledge To Improve Prior Authorization

Dozens of health insurance companies pledged on Monday to improve prior authorization, a process often used to deny care. The announcement comes months after the killing of UnitedHealthcare executive Brian Thompson, whose death in December sparked widespread criticism about insurance denials.

By Lauren Sausser and Phil Galewitz

June 24, 2025

A man sits at an office desk that shows lots of signs of activity; stacks of paper, an open computer, and a name plate.

‘We Need To Keep Fighting’: HIV Activists Organize To Save Lives as Trump Guts Funding

While Congress fails to stave off cuts to HIV care, community leaders in Mississippi and beyond race to limit the damage.

By Amy Maxmen

June 24, 2025

A photo of an older man having his arm bandaged after getting a vaccine.

The New Old Age

Many Older People Embrace Vaccines. Research Is Proving Them Right.

Newer formulations are even more effective at preventing illnesses that commonly afflict seniors — perhaps even dementia.

By Paula Span

June 23, 2025

A photo of the US Capitol building at sunrise.

Federal Proposals Threaten Provider Taxes, Key Source of Medicaid Funding for States

Republican proposals to tighten the use of special taxes to fund Medicaid programs could deprive states of billions of dollars for safety net health care. In California, any such limit would come on top of Medicaid cuts proposed by California Democrats in response to a $12 billion state deficit.

By Bernard J. Wolfson

June 23, 2025

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