Latest Morning Briefing Stories
In RFK Jr.鈥檚 Upside-Down World of Vaccines, Panel Votes To End Hepatitis B Shot at Birth
A session of a vaccine panel dominated by skeptics was chaotically at odds with past practices of the CDC, which HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has described as a 鈥渃esspool of corruption.鈥 His crew voted to end a 34-year recommendation to vaccinate newborns against hepatitis B.
Health Savings Accounts, Backed by GOP, Cover Fancy Saunas but Not Insurance Premiums
Health savings accounts can be used to cover medical expenses, tax-free. But while wealthier Americans are using them to pay for gym equipment, cedar ice baths, and hemlock saunas, poorer Americans can鈥檛 use them to pay their skyrocketing health insurance premiums.
What the Health? From 麻豆女优 Health News: The GOP Still Can’t Agree on a Health Plan
Senate Democrats were promised a vote by mid-December on extending enhanced Affordable Care Act subsidies, but Republicans still can鈥檛 decide whether they want to put forward their own alternative or what that might include. Meanwhile, the CDC and FDA are roiled by debates over vaccines. Alice Miranda Ollstein of Politico, Joanne Kenen of the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health and Politico Magazine, and Paige Winfield Cunningham of The Washington Post join 麻豆女优 Health News鈥 Julie Rovner to discuss those stories and more. Also, Rovner interviews 麻豆女优 Health News鈥 Aneri Pattani about her project tracking opioid settlement payments.
Under Kennedy, America鈥檚 Health Department Is in the Business of Promoting Kennedy
Under Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., the Department of Health and Human Services increasingly uses its social media channels to promote Kennedy himself and his agenda. Interviews with over 20 former and current employees provide a look inside an agency where personality and politics steer communications with the public.
Autoridades quieren retrasar la vacuna contra la hepatitis B. Lo que los padres deben saber
Desde 1991, una dosis de la vacuna al nacer es hasta 90% efectiva para prevenir la infecci贸n transmitida por la madre si se administra en las primeras 24 horas de vida.
They Need a Ventilator To Stay Alive. Getting One Can Be a Nightmare.
Few nursing homes are set up to care for people needing help breathing with a ventilator because of ALS or other infirmities. Insurers often resist paying for ventilators at home, and innovative programs are now endangered by Medicaid cuts.
RFK Jr. Wants To Delay the Hepatitis B Vaccine. Here鈥檚 What Parents Need To Know.
A CDC panel is reconsidering the birth dose of the hepatitis B vaccine. Renewed doubt could lead to fewer kids getting vaccinated, leaving them vulnerable to an incurable, preventable virus that can be acquired by indirect contact with infected blood.
Este cambio, seg煤n cient铆ficos y defensores de pacientes, afectar谩 negativamente la salud de la poblaci贸n transg茅nero, una de las m谩s marginadas del pa铆s.
Las quejas sobre deficiencias en Medicare Advantage son comunes, pero la supervisi贸n federal es rara
Documentos gubernamentales obtenidos por 麻豆女优 Health News muestran que la agencia que supervisa Medicare Advantage no se esfuerza por hacer cumplir normas vigentes.
After Series of Denials, His Insurer Approved Doctor-Recommended Cancer Care. It Was Too Late.
Eric Tennant鈥檚 doctors recommended histotripsy, which would target, and potentially destroy, a cancerous tumor in his liver. But by the time his insurer approved the treatment, Tennant was no longer considered a good candidate. He died in September.
US Cancer Registries, Constrained by Trump Policies, To Recognize Only 鈥楳ale鈥 or 鈥楩emale鈥 Patients
Under Trump policies, cancer registries in 2026 will have to classify sex data strictly as male, female, or unknown, a change scientists and advocates say will harm the health of one of the nation鈥檚 most marginalized populations.
Complaints About Gaps in Medicare Advantage Networks Are Common. Federal Enforcement Is Rare.
Health systems drop out of Medicare Advantage plans all the time. Yet government documents obtained by 麻豆女优 Health News show that federal regulators rarely warn plans that their networks of health providers are so skimpy they violate legal requirements.
A Small Texas Think Tank Cultivated Covid Dissidents. Now They鈥檙e Running US Health Policy.
Fueled by covid backlash, a libertarian author created the Brownstone Institute in 2021. In recent months, people with ties to the group have catapulted to the highest levels of U.S. government, exercising significant authority over access to vaccines and scientific research.
El ICE puede estar en el hospital con un paciente bajo custodia. Pero los detenidos tienen derechos
Expertos legales explican que los agentes del ICE pueden estar en 谩reas p煤blicas de un hospital y pueden acompa帽ar a pacientes que ya est谩n detenidos mientras reciben atenci贸n m茅dica, lo que refleja el alcance de la autoridad federal.
Once a Patient鈥檚 in Custody, ICE Can Be at Hospital Bedsides 鈥 But Detainees Have Rights
Federal law allows Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents to guard detainees at health care facilities, but patients can ask to speak privately with medical providers and lawyers.
FDA鈥檚 Plan To Boost Biosimilar Drugs Could Stall at the Patent Office
Drug industry officials and analysts praised the FDA鈥檚 plans to streamline regulation of 鈥渂iosimilars,鈥 which are cheaper alternatives to biologic drugs. But patents that block such drugs from the U.S. market are getting harder to fight.
Conflicting Advice on Covid Shots Likely To Ding Already Low Vaccine Rates, Experts Warn
About 1 in 4 American adults got a covid vaccine shot during the 2024-25 virus season, a fraction health care experts warn could be smaller this year as millions wrestle with conflicting advice from the government and trusted medical organizations about the value of a shot.
What the Health? From 麻豆女优 Health News: The Government Is Open
The record-long federal shutdown is over after a small group of Democrats agreed to a deal with most Republicans that funds the government through January 鈥 but, notably, does not extend more generous Affordable Care Act tax credits. Plus, new details are emerging about how the Trump administration is using the Medicaid program to advance its policy goals. Anna Edney of Bloomberg News, Shefali Luthra of The 19th, and Sandhya Raman of CQ Roll Call join 麻豆女优 Health News鈥 Emmarie Huetteman to discuss these stories and more. Also this week, 麻豆女优 Health News鈥 Julie Rovner interviews 麻豆女优 Health News鈥 Julie Appleby, who wrote the latest 鈥淏ill of the Month鈥 feature.
As Health Companies Get Bigger, So Do the Bills. It鈥檚 Unclear if Trump鈥檚 Team Will Intervene.
As health systems, doctor groups, and insurers merge into ever-bigger giants, patient care gets more expensive. Yet the Trump administration has sent mixed signals about its willingness to intervene 鈥 and shown some disdain for Biden officials鈥 more aggressive approach.
Narcan, Drones, and Concerts: How Governments Spent Opioid Settlement Windfalls
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