Sen. Angela Alsobrooks questioned [Kennedy] about earlier statements he has made suggesting that Black people should not adhere to the same vaccine schedule as White people because “their immune system is better than ours.” … Race is a poor proxy for genetic ancestry and large genetic studies have demonstrated more variation within defined racial groups (intra-racially) than there are between different racial groups (inter-racially). … more

President Trump has made a slew of immigration policy changes focused on restricting entry at the border and increasing interior enforcement efforts to support mass deportation…Previous KFF research provides a window into the likely health-related impacts of these actions. During the first Trump administration, restrictive immigration policies and increased enforcement activity led to increased fears among immigrant families across immigration statuses that had negative effects on health . … more

As expected, President Trump signed an executive order announcing his intention to withdraw the U.S. from the World Health Organization. For the U.S., the implications [aren’t] clear and immediate but could also be significant. By not being at the table, the U.S. will cede this role to others—China in particular—and take itself out of influencing international negotiations. … more

Semaglutide…has been selected for the second round of Medicare drug price negotiation…Many people are familiar with Ozempic and other drugs like it, use of these drugs has expanded rapidly in recent years, and the list price is high. All of that could focus more attention on this year’s drug price negotiation process…. … more

The Trump Administration could go in one of three directions with the Medicare negotiations program: stay the course, water it down or repeal it all together. There are potential tradeoffs with each, but the first would be most popular. … more

If the Court rules in favor of Braidwood, private health insurers would no longer be required to cover, without cost sharing, certain preventive services recommended by USPTF after 2010 when the ACA was enacted. … more