Firings at Federal Health Agencies Decimate Offices That Release Public Records
By Rachana Pradhan and Brett Kelman
The Department of Health and Human Services’ mass firings included people who fulfill Freedom of Information Act requests for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Institutes of Health, and FDA, which result in the release of records about government handling of infectious diseases, medical products, and safety problems in health facilities.
Daily Edition for Monday, April 7, 2025
Newsom Decries ‘Irrational And Malicious’ USDA Funding Cuts: Gov. Gavin Newsom sent an urgent appeal to the U.S. Department of Agriculture on Saturday, imploring the department to reverse the abrupt cancellation of a Biden-era program that feeds millions of California families. The cuts "will not only hurt our farmers, but also the families who need food banks,” Newsom said in a release announcing the appeal. Read more from the Los Angeles Times.
Blockbuster Deal Will Wipe Out $30 Billion in Medical Debt. Even Backers Say It’s Not Enough.
By Noam N. Levey
Undue Medical Debt is retiring unpaid medical bills for 20 million people. The debt trading company that owned them is leaving the market.
This Bill Aims To Help Firefighters With Cancer. Getting It Passed Is Just the Beginning.
By Mark Kreidler
Amid the Los Angeles wildfires, California’s U.S. senators co-sponsored legislation that would provide support to first responders who develop or die from service-related cancers. But those involved with similar efforts say the road to implementation is rough and paved with long waits, restrictive eligibility requirements, and funding issues.
The House Speaker’s Eyeing Big Cuts to Medicaid. In His Louisiana District, It’s a Lifeline.
By Phil Galewitz
The GOP-controlled Congress is weighing cuts to Medicaid, the government health program that covers millions of Americans — including nearly 40% of Louisianans represented in the House by Speaker Mike Johnson.
Un acuerdo exitoso eliminará $30 mil millones de deuda médica. ¿Es suficiente?
By Noam N. Levey
Solo el año pasado, los estadounidenses pidieron prestado aproximadamente $74 mil millones para pagar la atención médica, según una encuesta nacional de West Health-Gallup.
Daily Edition for Friday, April 4, 2025
Fullerton Making Switch To In-House Ambulance Service: Fullerton is expected to roll out its own ambulances next April after city officials voted to transition to an in-house program they say will save the city hundreds of thousands of dollars annually. The city will spend about $2 million on ambulances and equipment. Read more from Voice of OC.
Immigration Crackdowns Disrupt the Caregiving Industry. Families Pay the Price.
By Vanessa G. Sánchez and Daniel Chang
Families, nursing facilities, and home health agencies rely on foreign-born workers to fill health care jobs that are demanding and do not attract enough American citizens. The Trump administration’s anti-immigration policies threaten to cut a key source of labor for the industry, which was already predicting a surge in demand.
Redadas contra inmigrantes afectan a la industria del cuidado. Las familias pagan el precio.
By Vanessa G. Sánchez and Daniel Chang
Los estadounidenses dependen de muchos trabajadores nacidos en el extranjero para cuidar a sus familiares mayores, lesionados o discapacitados que no pueden valerse por sí mismos.
KFF Health News' 'What the Health?': American Health Gets a Pink Slip
The Department of Health and Human Services underwent an unprecedented purge this week, as thousands of employees from the National Institutes of Health, the FDA, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and other agencies were fired, placed on administrative leave, or offered transfers to far-flung Indian Health Service facilities. Altogether, the layoffs mean the federal government, in a single day, shed hundreds if not thousands of combined years of health and science expertise. Lauren Weber of The Washington Post, Rachel Cohrs Zhang of Bloomberg News, and Sarah Karlin-Smith of the Pink Sheet join KFF Health News’ Julie Rovner to discuss this enormous breaking story and more. Also this week, Rovner interviews KFF Health News’ Julie Appleby, who reported and wrote the latest “Bill of the Month” feature about a short-term health plan and a very expensive colonoscopy.
