KFF Health News' 'What the Health?': The Ax Falls at HHS
Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has announced a proposed reorganization for the department — which, counting those who already have left the agency, amounts to about a 25% cut in its workforce. And its planned “Administration for a Healthy America” will collapse several existing HHS agencies into one. Meanwhile, the department continues to cut billions in health spending while the nation faces measles outbreaks in several states and the continuing possibility of another pandemic, such as bird flu. Alice Miranda Ollstein of Politico, Maya Goldman of Axios, and Joanne Kenen of the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health and Politico join KFF Health News’ Julie Rovner to discuss the news.
Daily Edition for Thursday, March 27, 2025
LA County Sheriff To Retest Thousands Of DNA Samples: The L.A. County Sheriff's Department used DNA testing kits for months without realizing they were faulty. An internal investigation has been launched. “This failure will undoubtedly delay criminal cases,” said Brooke Longuevan, president of the public defenders union. Read more from the Los Angeles Times and ABC News.
With Few Dentists and Fluoride Under Siege, Rural America Risks New Surge of Tooth Decay
By Brett Kelman
The anti-fluoride movement has more momentum than ever. In rural counties with few dentists, tooth decay could surge to levels that have not been seen in decades, experts warn.
Trump Turns Homelessness Response Away From Housing, Toward Forced Treatment
By Angela Hart
The Trump administration is moving to end the “Housing First” approach despite warnings from providers and homelessness experts that the shift won’t work. But with homelessness rising, President Donald Trump could find allies in blue cities and states as the public clamors for streets to be cleaned up.
Plan de Trump para las personas sin hogar: internar a la fuerza y menos fondos para viviendas
By Angela Hart
Es un cambio agresivo en la principal política nacional contra el desamparo, que durante décadas ha dado prioridad al acceso a una vivienda como la forma más eficaz de combatir esta crisis.
Con pocos dentistas y el flúor en el banquillo, zonas rurales corren el riesgo de una nueva oleada de caries
By Brett Kelman
Decenas de comunidades han decidido dejar de fluorar su agua en los últimos meses. Eso, sumado a la escasez de dentistas, puede crear una tormenta perfecta para las caries, dicen expertos.
Daily Edition for Wednesday, March 26, 2025
Street Crisis Teams Restructured: San Francisco Mayor Daniel Lurie announced that his administration is consolidating city-funded teams that try to help with people who are unhoused or struggling with addiction or mental illness. Five “tightly knit, neighborhood-based units,” plus a sixth roving citywide team, will streamline the work of nine teams. Read more from the San Francisco Chronicle.
‘I Am Going Through Hell’: Job Loss, Mental Health, and the Fate of Federal Workers
By Rachana Pradhan and Aneri Pattani
Illustration by Oona Zenda
Since the Trump administration began firing federal workers, they say they feel overwhelmed, have obtained or considered seeking psychiatric care and medication, and are anxious about paying their bills. And soon, their health insurance will run out.
Daily Edition for Tuesday, March 25, 2025
Medical Workers Begin 3-Day Strike In Santa Clara County: After months of contract negotiations, a group of clinical lab scientists, microbiologists, and medical lab techs started picketing outside Valley Medical Center in San José on Monday. Read more from KQED.
Many People With Disabilities Risk Losing Their Medicaid if They Work Too Much
By Tony Leys
As politicians demand that more Medicaid recipients work, many people with disabilities say their state programs’ income and asset caps force them to limit their work hours or turn down promotions.
