Category: Health Policy
Stark Divide: Americans More Confident in Career Scientists at U.S. Health Agencies Than Leaders
People have greater trust in major health and science associations outside government – such as the American Heart Association, American Academy of Pediatrics, American Medical Association, and National Academy of Sciences – than in U.S. health agencies.
Chlorine Dioxide, Raw Camel Milk: The FDA No Longer Warns Against These and Other Ineffective Autism Treatments
The FDA has taken down a webpage warning about therapies and products making “false claims” of treating autism. It’s part of a series of actions the agency has taken under Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. to discredit long-established science.
How a Croatian Lab Spawned a Buzzy Peptide Now Popular With MAHA
BPC-157 is a kind of chemical called a peptide, and the U.S. Food and Drug Administration treats it and some other peptides as unapproved drugs — going so far in 2023 as to explicitly prohibit compounding pharmacies from supplying BPC-157 to patients. Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has more recently signaled a desire to loosen restrictions on experimental medical treatments, including unapproved peptides like BPC-157.
Prioritising protein? What the new US dietary guidelines get right – and wrong – according to 2 nutrition experts
Under the slogan “eat real food”, the new guidelines recommend people “prioritise protein at every meal”, eat full-fat dairy and plenty of whole grains, and limit ultra-processed foods. A new food pyramid has also been redesigned and flipped on its head. But are the guidelines based in good science? And how much has actually changed?
States go their own way as RFK Jr. shifts federal vaccine policy
Many states are setting up their own advisory committees or task forces to make vaccine recommendations. In many states, the guidelines are tied to school vaccination requirements, insurance coverage of vaccinations and rules allowing pharmacists to give vaccinations.
The United States CDC has abandoned science in its new advice about vaccines and autism
The CDC once stood as a global benchmark of scientific integrity. Sadly, it now risks becoming a megaphone for misinformation and a tool for those whose goal is to undermine science.
The U.S. wants healthier children. So why is it scaling back its nutrition programs?
Some of the very programs the Make America Healthy Again movement has said were the key to improving children’s health are now facing cuts by the Trump administration.
Racial health disparities could widen as states grapple with Trump cuts, experts warn
As part of its federal restructuring and crackdown on diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) programs, the Trump administration has been shuttering federal offices and rescinding grants dedicated to addressing worse health care access and outcomes for racial minorities.
An AI Assistant Can Interpret Those Lab Results for You
Many patients are using large language models, or LLMs, like OpenAI’s ChatGPT, Anthropic’s Claude, and Google’s Gemini, to interpret their records. That help comes with some risk, though.
What does Florida’s decision to end vaccine mandates mean for the US and other countries?
And the damage won’t be limited to Florida. Mobile Americans will spread disease to other states and other countries. Even a visit to Disney World will come with increased risks.
Washington State DOH order allows most residents to get COVID vaccine without prescription
The vaccine remains covered by most private insurers, Apple Health, and Washington’s Adult Vaccine and Childhood Vaccine Programs, removing barriers and helping people stay healthy.
How RFK Jr.’s misguided science on mRNA vaccines is shaping policy − a UW vaccine expert examines the false claims
As a vaccinologist who has studied and developed vaccines for over 35 years, I see that the science behind mRNA vaccine technology is being widely misstated. This incorrect information is shaping long-term health policy in the U.S. – which makes it urgent to correct the record. – Deborah Fuller, University of Washington
As Florida plans to end all vaccine mandates, Western states form vaccine alliance
The contrasting moves come amid turmoil at the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, where several top leaders resigned last week to protest efforts by Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., a vaccine skeptic, to dismiss CDC Director Susan Monarez for pushing back against Kennedy’s vaccine policies.
At CDC, Worries Mount That Agency Has Taken Anti-Science Turn
HHS Director Robert F. Kennedy, Jrs’ move to put his stamp on the CDC means states that have long relied on the agency’s expertise and help in crises such as disease outbreaks will largely be left to fend for themselves
How stripping diversity, equity and inclusion from health care may make Americans sicker
The Trump administration’s funding cuts will most directly affect the health of members of marginalized groups, including, but not limited to, people of color, women and people who identify as lesbian, gay, bisexual, intersex and transgender.