Health and Human Services

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Judge Orders CDC, FDA to Restore Scrubbed Web Pages

Official calls situation 'a double waste' due to time spent needlessly

(Newser) - Part of the Trump administration's purge of the federal government included the removal of thousands of web pages . Now, some of them might be coming back. A federal judge on Tuesday ordered the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the Food and Drug Administration to put some websites...

White House Readies Order Firing Health Agency Workers

Plan calls for action to be taken after buyouts are final

(Newser) - The next section of the federal workforce to face mass firings by the Trump administration could be health workers. White House aides are preparing an executive order to fire thousands of employees in the Department of Health and Human Services, the Wall Street Journal reports. Other agencies involved in health,...

Senate Panel Backs RFK Jr. for Health Secretary

His nomination now goes to the full Senate

(Newser) - A Senate panel advanced the nomination of Robert F. Kennedy Jr. to become the next health secretary on Tuesday morning, reports the New York Times . In the closely watched vote by the Senate Finance Committee, Kennedy prevailed in a 14-13 result along party lines, per the Hill . The pivotal vote...

Kennedy's Fate May Rest With One Senator on Tuesday

Both he and Tulsi Gabbard face committee votes on their Trump nominations

(Newser) - It's a do-or-die day for Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and Tulsi Gabbard on their Cabinet nominations. The Senate Finance Committee will vote Tuesday morning on whether to advance Kennedy as health secretary, and the intelligence committee will vote in the afternoon on whether Gabbard should oversee the nation's...

Kennedy Faces Senators for a Second Day
Two GOP Doctors Clash
During Kennedy Hearing
UPDATED
Jan 30, 2025 4:25 PM CST

Two GOP Doctors Clash During Kennedy Hearing

Bill Cassidy fact-checks Rand Paul on vaccines

(Newser) - Robert F. Kennedy returned to the Capitol on Thursday for Round 2 of his confirmation hearings, and the hearing before the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee was as testy as Wednesday's before the Senate Finance Committee. Some key moments from the hearing:
  • "What will you do
...

Sanders to RFK Jr.: 'Do You Support These Onesies?

Key lines from the RFK Jr. hearing

(Newser) - Robert F. Kennedy Jr. was grilled by members of the Senate Finance Committee on Wednesday in the first of two confirmation hearings. President Trump's nominee to lead Health and Human Services faced questions about his stance on issues including vaccines, abortion—and onesies.
  • "Do you support these onesies?"
...

Trump: Maybe RFK Jr. Could Look Into Vaccine-Autism Link

Both have a history of promoting the long-debunked claim

(Newser) - Assuming Robert F. Kennedy Jr. is confirmed as President-elect Trump's Health and Human Services secretary, it appears he may be utilizing that role to delve into the idea—long-debunked—of a connection between vaccines and autism. Kennedy has long pushed the theory, and Trump has done the same since...

Biden Backs Medicare, Medicaid 'Game Changer' for Obese

Proposal to add coverage of weight-loss drugs like Ozempic for those with BMI of 30+

(Newser) - Millions of Americans with obesity would be eligible to have popular weight-loss drugs like Wegovy or Ozempic covered by Medicare or Medicaid under a new rule the Biden administration proposed Tuesday morning, per the AP . The costly proposal from the US Department of Health and Human Services sets the stage...

RFK Jr. Pick Wipes Billions Off the Value of Vaccine Firms

Companies including Pfizer, Moderna dropped sharply after Trump announcement

(Newser) - Thursday was a good day for Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and a bad day for companies that make vaccines. As President-elect Trump announced that Kennedy will be his nominee to lead the Department of Health and Human Services, stocks in top vaccine makers dropped sharply, wiping billions of dollars off...

HHS to Hospitals: Stop Pelvic Exams Without Patient Consent

Agency letter warns hospitals could lose Medicare funding if they don't comply

(Newser) - The Department of Health and Human Services has come out firing against a practice it says violates the privacy and dignity of patients in health care settings across America. The New York Times reports that on Monday, the federal agency sent out a letter to the nation's med schools...

Health Dept. on Marijuana: It Shouldn't Be a Schedule I Drug

Recommendation has been passed to the Drug Enforcement Administration

(Newser) - The US Department of Health and Human Services has delivered a recommendation to the Drug Enforcement Administration on marijuana policy, and Senate leaders hailed it Wednesday as a first step toward easing federal restrictions on the drug. HHS Secretary Xavier Becerra said Wednesday on X that the agency has responded...

Texas Takes Administration to Court Over Abortion Rule
Texas Sues US
Over Abortion Rule
Jul 14, 2022 4:20 PM CDT

Texas Sues US Over Abortion Rule

Lawsuit would block requirement that doctors provide access in emergencies

(Newser) - Three days after the federal government told doctors and hospitals they're still required to provide abortions when a patient's health is at risk—regardless of state laws or US Supreme Court rulings—Texas has sued the administration. Health and Human Services Secretary Xavier Becerra told health care providers...

$50 Hearing Aids Without a Prescription? That's the Goal
FDA Making a Big Shift
on Hearing Aids
in case you missed it
Oct 23, 2021 4:55 PM CDT

FDA Making a Big Shift on Hearing Aids

Plan would make them available over the counter at a cheaper price

(Newser) - Nearly five years after it was urged to make affordable hearing aids available over the counter, the FDA is taking a big step toward that goal. In a plan released Tuesday , the agency says it will create a new category of hearing aids that will be made available online and...

Feds Make Arrests in COVID Medicare Scams

Fraudsters exploited virus fears to bill tens of millions in bogus claims

(Newser) - The Justice Department announced charges Wednesday against more than a dozen people from Florida to California in a series of Medicare scams that exploited coronavirus fears to bill tens of millions of dollars in bogus claims. A common hook involved a pandemic variant of identity theft: Fraudsters allegedly offered COVID-19...

Biden's Pick for Big HHS Role a Historic First

Rachel Levine may be first openly transgender federal official to get confirmed by Senate

(Newser) - Xavier Becerra has a new No. 2 at Health and Human Services. The AP reports that President-elect Joe Biden has picked Dr. Rachel Levine, Pennsylvania's current health secretary, to serve as his assistant health secretary under Becerra, who has been nominated by Biden to be the nation's top...

HHS Secretary Notes Capitol Riot in Resignation Letter

A not-unusual stepping down as new administration enters, but his letter had some harsh words

(Newser) - As the US presidency changes hands on Wednesday, one of the Trump administration's remaining Cabinet members will officially remove his own name from the payroll. CNN reports that on Tuesday, Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar submitted his letter of resignation to President Trump, and while he listed...

More People Are Now Eligible for Vaccination
Feds Shift Strategy on Vaccine
Jan 12, 2021 9:08 AM CST

Feds Shift Strategy on Vaccine

Plan to speed up distribution includes getting vaccines into pharmacies

(Newser) - The Trump administration is asking states to speed delivery of COVID-19 vaccines to people 65 and older and to others at high risk by no longer holding back the second dose of the two-dose shots, officials said Tuesday, per the AP . Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar said that...

Biden Makes Surprise Pick for HHS
Biden's HHS Pick
Is a Surprise
Dec 7, 2020 3:30 AM CST

Biden's HHS Pick Is a Surprise

And not necessarily a pleasant one for some public health experts

(Newser) - Joe Biden's pick for Health and Human Services secretary was a bit of a surprise: The president-elect is reportedly going with Xavier Becerra, currently California's attorney general. The New York Times notes Becerra was long seen as a contender for the same job at the federal level, but...

Rule Change Gives New Hope to People Waiting for an Organ

Feds says 'broken' system is being improved

(Newser) - The Trump administration's legacy will include a more efficient organ donation system that could save thousands of lives, under a new rule issued by the Centers for Medicaid and Medicaid services . The rule changes the way organ procurement organizations—federally funded nonprofit groups that collect organs from donors and...

Top HHS Aide Takes Leave After Facebook Rant

Caputo 'has decided to take a leave of absence to focus on his health'

(Newser) - A top Department of Health and Human Services aide who aired numerous conspiracy theories in a Facebook Live rant will be on leave for the next 60 days, the department says. Michael Caputo, a former Trump campaign official appointed as chief HHS spokesperson in April, "has decided to take...

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