Trump Administration Archives - Page 6 of 60

Culture Wars Take Center Stage

Episode 429

Jan. 15, 2026

With lawmakers still mired over renewing enhanced tax credits for Affordable Care Act plans, much of Washington has turned to culture war issues. Meanwhile, “confusion” remains the watchword at HHS as personnel and funding decisions continue to be made and unmade with little notice. Anna Edney of Bloomberg News, Joanne Kenen of the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health and Politico Magazine, and Alice Miranda Ollstein of Politico join �鶹Ů�� Health News’ Julie Rovner to discuss those stories and more. Also this week, Rovner interviews �鶹Ů�� Health News’ Elisabeth Rosenthal, who wrote the latest “Bill of the Month” report.

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Kaiser Permanente To Pay $556 Million in Record Medicare Advantage Fraud Settlement

Kaiser Permanente agrees to pay $556 million to settle allegations of billing the government for conditions patients didn’t have.

By Fred Schulte

Jan. 15, 2026

A photo of Martha Santana-Chin smiling in front of a wall painted blue. The wall appears decorated for Thanksgiving: a string of pennants spells out "Give Thanks." Images of employees' heads are superimposed on turkeys.

GOP Cuts Will Cripple Medicaid Enrollment, Warns CEO of Largest Public Health Plan

Martha Santana-Chin, a daughter of Mexican immigrants, last year took the helm of L.A. Care, the nation’s largest publicly operated health plan. She warns that looming federal cuts will push up to 650,000 people off L.A. Care’s Medicaid rolls by the end of 2028.

By Bernard J. Wolfson

Jan. 15, 2026

A photo of an emergency room sign for Bellville Medical Center. The American flag and the Texas flag are seen on poles next to it.

Rural Health Payout

States Race To Launch Rural Health Transformation Plans

Every state will receive at least $100 million annually from the federal Rural Health Transformation fund, but some scored millions more based on how the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services judged the “quality” of their plans and willingness to pass policies embracing "Make America Healthy Again" initiatives.

By Sarah Jane Tribble, Arielle Zionts, and Maia Rosenfeld

Jan. 14, 2026

A photo zoomed in close-up on an ingredients list. The focus is on a list of food dyes.

RFK Jr.’s MAHA Movement Has Picked Up Steam in Statehouses. Here’s What To Expect in 2026.

“Make America Healthy Again” policies driven by HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. have made major strides in state legislatures, with food additives among the most common targets. The trend is expected to continue this year.

By Alan Greenblatt

Jan. 13, 2026

Two 5 mg Zepbound injection pens sit in a case

California Ends Medicaid Coverage of Weight Loss Drugs Despite TrumpRx Plan

Low-income Californians who use Wegovy and similar medications for weight loss lost their coverage at the start of the new year, with officials advising diet and exercise instead. California and other states say the drugs are too costly, even as the Trump administration announces plans to lower prices.

By Don Thompson

Jan. 9, 2026

What the Health? From �鶹Ů�� Health News

New Year, Same Health Fight

Episode 428

Jan. 8, 2026

Congress returned from its break facing a familiar question: whether to extend the expanded subsidies for Affordable Care Act health plans that expired at the end of 2025. Meanwhile, HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. broke a promise to Bill Cassidy, the chairman of Senate health committee, by overhauling the federal government’s childhood vaccine schedule to reduce the number of diseases for which vaccines will be recommended. Sarah Karlin-Smith of Pink Sheet, Alice Miranda Ollstein of Politico, and Lauren Weber of The Washington Post join �鶹Ů�� Health News’ Julie Rovner to discuss those stories and more.

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A woman holds a young child, who is wearing a tie-dye shirt and a bandage, on her hip

The CDC Just Sidelined These Childhood Vaccines. Here’s What They Prevent.

The CDC is recommending fewer childhood vaccines, although the ones it has jettisoned from the recommended schedule have successfully battled serious illness for years. Experts warn that if vaccine uptake falls, millions could be hospitalized — or worse — as a result of preventable diseases.

By Arthur Allen and Jackie Fortiér

Jan. 6, 2026

A mother holds her 3-year-old daughter in her arms on their porch. The daughter is wearing a big smile.

It’s the ‘Gold Standard’ in Autism Care. Why Are States Reining It In?

States facing yawning budget shortfalls have begun cutting Medicaid reimbursements for a wide variety of services. In some states, dramatic cuts are targeting therapies that many families of autistic people say are essential to caring for their loved ones.

By Bram Sable-Smith and Andrew Jones

Dec. 23, 2025

A photo of two women in cold weather wear. The woman on the left has a laptop and keyboard in front of her. The woman on the right is speaking to her. Paperwork and pamphlets are on the table in front of them.

Postcard From Orange County, California

Medicaid Health Plans Step Up Outreach Efforts Ahead of GOP Changes

Even as President Donald Trump and GOP lawmakers say the One Big Beautiful Bill Act targets waste, fraud, and abuse, Medicaid health plans are hosting events across the U.S. to prevent low-income families from losing health insurance and food benefits next year.

By Claudia Boyd-Barrett

Dec. 22, 2025

A portrait of a woman wearing a shirt that has a picture of her family at a reunion celebration.

Criminally Ill: Systemic Failures Turn State Mental Hospitals Into Prisons

There has been a steep rise in the share of people with severe mental illnesses being sent to state psychiatric hospitals on court orders after being accused of serious crimes. The shift has all but halted patients’ ability to get care before they have a catastrophic crisis.

By Sarah Jane Tribble and Doug Livingston, The Marshall Project - Cleveland

Dec. 22, 2025

A photo of a man in a bright orange hoodie standing outside.

Guns, Race, and Profit

Baltimore Drove Down Gun Deaths. Now Trump Has Slashed Funding for That Work.

A spike in shootings during the covid pandemic propelled community violence intervention, a field that aims to stop gun deaths at the root. Baltimore used federal funds to launch a violence prevention office. But President Donald Trump has throttled such funds and instead is sending troops into cities.

By Renuka Rayasam

Dec. 22, 2025

A vector illustration of a hand holding a phone with a credit score on the screen. A white outline of the the United States on a gray background is behind the hand and phone.

States Advance Medical Debt Protections as Federal Support Turns to Opposition

Federal officials reversed their stance on medical debt credit reporting, then came a lawsuit in Colorado. As lawmakers in other states forge ahead with attempts to protect consumers from medical debt, some are reconsidering how they go about it.

By Rae Ellen Bichell

Dec. 19, 2025

A photo of a Black man in winter clothes outside in D.C.

Washington’s Homeless Hide in Plain Sight, Growing Sicker and Costing Taxpayers More

The White House says encampment sweeps have enhanced the capital, but city leaders estimate nearly 700 homeless people roam by day and bed down outdoors by night. Some have scattered to the suburbs while others avoid detection, making it hard for medical providers to care for them.

By Angela Hart

Dec. 18, 2025

The view from a nearby hill of a city at the edge of a river and a bridge spanning that river.

Oregon Hospital Races To Build a Tsunami Shelter as FEMA Fights To Cut Its Funding

Columbia Memorial Hospital near Oregon’s coastline planned to add a tsunami shelter, counting on a FEMA grant. After the Trump administration cut the funding, hospital officials are building anyway, saying waiting is too risky. A judge ruled Dec. 11 that the administration unlawfully ended the program without congressional approval.

By Hannah Norman and Daniel Chang

Dec. 17, 2025

One Big Beautiful Bill Act Complicates State Health Care Affordability Efforts

The federal budget bill President Donald Trump signed into law in July is creating uncertainty for states trying to rein in health care spending. In California, a lawsuit by the hospital industry challenging state spending caps cites the law, which will slash Medicaid spending, as one of many financial pressures.

By Bernard J. Wolfson

Dec. 16, 2025

Letters to the Editor

Readers Make Their Wish Lists, Checking Up on Health Care

�鶹Ů�� Health News gives readers a chance to comment on a recent batch of stories.

Dec. 16, 2025

A young child in a wheelchair plays in a sidewalk with his mother to his left and his father to his right.

Disability Rights Lawyers Threatened With Budget Cuts, Reassignments

The Trump administration wants deep funding cuts for state-based legal services for disabled people, as rights advocates say the Justice Department pushed out many of its lawyers who worked on such issues.

By Tony Leys

Dec. 16, 2025

�鶹Ů�� Health News On Air

Journalists Talk Increasing Insurance Costs, From Marketplace Plans to Employer Coverage

�鶹Ů�� Health News journalists made the rounds on national and local media recently to discuss topical stories. Here’s a collection of their appearances.

Dec. 13, 2025