After a federal judge blocked the Trump administration’s efforts to pare down childhood vaccine recommendations, plenty of questions remain — like how annual vaccines for the flu will get approved. @julierovner.bsky.social spoke about the confusion with @wamu.org 🎧 ⤵️

new #WTHealth podcast up! @alicemiranda.bsky.social, @sandhyawrites.bsky.social, and @jessiehellmann.bsky.social on R's pondering more health program cuts, SCOTUS on conversion therapy, and the politics of MAHA... kffhealthnews.org/news/podcast...

ICE detained and deported a man with severe mental disabilities, apparently gaining his "consent" for removal without notifying his caretakers. A judge has barred ICE from redetaining him when he returns from Mexico today. storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.us...

If you weren't able to make it to @wbur.org for our live show, you can watch my interview with Sally Kornbluth here: www.youtube.com/watch?v=N6ET...

same, but 6 am.

welcome back, I think?

New #WTHealth podcast up! @shefali.bsky.social, @lizzylawrence.bsky.social, and @rachelcohrs.bsky.social on the latest from HHS, threats to the health/science workforce, and a new anti-abortion bill dividing Republicans. Plus Katie Keith on the ACA at 16. kffhealthnews.org/news/podcast...

As a reminder: Flynn pleaded guilty in the first Trump term; was pardoned by Trump; he sued for politically motivated prosecution; and now Trump II admin settled and agreed to pay him an undisclosed sum of taxpayer $$$

Excited to see this piece with @michaelannica.bsky.social and @rachelsachs.bsky.social out We looked at the Rural Health Transformation Program: Its funding formula had a clear small-state bias; we ask whether its scoring methodology also perhaps favored red states academic.oup.com/healthaffair...

On this week's #WTHealth pod: @laurenweberhp.bsky.social, @alicemiranda.bsky.social, and @sangerkatz.bsky.social on vaccine policy, ACA, and more. Plus @drewaltman.bsky.social helps kick off our new series: "How Would You Fix It?" kffhealthnews.org/news/podcast...

Today's #SCOTUS ruling is the 15th merits decision of the term, and the 11th of the 15 that was unanimous. For those wondering why the messy cases (in which we expect strong dissents and lengthy separate opinions) are taking so long, it's for the non-conspiratorial reason that they ... take longer.

Trump found a new way to raise prices. For no apparently reason we're losing 200,000 commercial truck drivers in one fell swoop, thanks to rule barring immigrants who are asylum seekers, refugees or recipients of Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals, or DACA, from obtaining commercial licenses

This very good boi turns 29 today and is still in full work! Love you Hopper horse!

Spotted today at the Crufts Dog Show (in England)

This month is 40 years since @julierovner.bsky.social began reporting on health policy in Washington. To mark the anniversary, Rovner speaks with two longtime sources to discuss what has — and has not — changed since 1986.

Spending the week at the Crufts Dog Show. 18k plus dogs doing every sport you can imagine. Heaven.

Gas at my local station jumped 14 cents per gallon between yesterday and today...

Better news from today: Aspen earned her Fetch Novice title!

This is an enraging, heartbreaking story.

After urging Republicans to make health care a central issue in midterm campaigns, Pres. Trump gave the issue only passing mention in his record-long State of the Union speech. “Trump doesn’t really care that much about health care. He finds it complicated," says @sherylnyt.bsky.social🎧⤵️

Amitabh is a coauthor on arguably the best paper on high-deductible health insurance that we have (link to thread from a few months ago to follow)

Ars Technica issues an apology for publishing an article "containing fabricated quotations generated by an AI tool and attributed to a source who did not say them."

If you are wondering what words the all-male Congress found so "blasphemous" that they felt compelled to literally scrape them off the monument, they were: ''Woman, first denied a soul, then called mindless, now arisen, declared herself an entity to be reckoned.''

The way the Olympics works is exactly like this: one of the worst days of one kid’s life is one of the best days of somebody else’s.

WOW. Incredible. This is the case in which DHS claimed that ICE officers had been attacked with a shovel and fired back in self-defense. Evidence since suggests an ICE officer fired through a closed door and struck someone on the other side. Will DHS retract the prior claims?

Because Congress won't act on it, the administration seems keen to use these catastrophic plans — which offer a fair bit of regulatory flexibility — to shoehorn in various policies that are loosely/symbolically aligned with Trump's "Great Healthcare Plan"

on this week's #WTHealth podcast: @alicemiranda.bsky.social, @lizzylawrence.bsky.social, and @jackie-fortier.bsky.social on the controversies at FDA, new bill from Sens. Warren and Hawley (!) and more on immigration and health. kffhealthnews.org/news/podcast...

Sen. Gallego: Trump is suing your agency for $10 billion. Where would that $10 billion come from? Bessent: The general fund Sen. Gallego: So, taxpayers. Bessent: Yes

On this week's #WTHealth podcast: HHS gets funded, but will RFK Jr. follow Congress's priorities or his own? Plus ACA negotiations break down, again. With @annaedney.bsky.social, @sandhyawrites.bsky.social, and @joannekenen.bsky.social. kffhealthnews.org/news/podcast...

Whatever you think of the Washington Post at this moment, here's a chance to support the dedicated, hard-working journalists who were just laid off. If you have the means, your donation is most welcome. If you don't, a kind thought and maybe spreading the word to others is support enough 💙

Lawmakers in Florida (a non-expansion state) are apparently considering a Medicaid work requirements bill. Except Florida's income eligibility thresholds are so low that forcing people to meet an 80-hour/month requirement would force them off of the program. floridaphoenix.com/2026/02/03/m...

Awful day for journalism. And ominous day for democracy.

Republicans: We believe in free market capitalism The Market: Cool. We can make money selling gender affirming shapewear. Republicans: NO. NOT LIKE THAT!

Super proud of this run even though Aspen knocked a bar and didn’t qualify. Also super happy to get out of the house after a week frozen in.

LISTEN: The actions of federal ICE agents are having ramifications far beyond immigration. In Washington, the backlash from a second fatal shooting by agents in Minnesota has stalled action on an eleventh-hour suite of spending bills. @julierovner.bsky.social 🎙️ kffhealthnews.org/news/podcast...

On this week's #WTHealth podcast: How ICE is impacting health care (literally and politically) and why anti-abortion groups are unhappy with the Trump admin. With @rachelroubein.bsky.social, @alicemiranda.bsky.social, and Maya Goldman. kffhealthnews.org/news/podcast...

It’s so frozen the corgis don’t break through the snow!

Mandatory corgi romping on the snow video:

With abortions still on the rise nationwide, curtailing mifepristone is a top priority for abortion opponents — and they’re frustrated that the Trump administration isn’t doing more to limit its use. @julierovner.bsky.social reports ⤵️ kffhealthnews.org/news/article...

New #WTHealth podcast up: HHS spending bill; Trump's health plan; and still more vaccine news from HHS and the states. With @sherylnyt.bsky.social, @paigecunningham.bsky.social, and @sandhyawrites.bsky.social. Also @zekeemanuel.bsky.social on his new wellness book. kffhealthnews.org/news/podcast...

BREAKING: Immigration officers are asserting sweeping power to enter homes without a judge’s warrant, a memo obtained by AP says.

Super illuminating conversation with the great @stevevladeck.bsky.social about what's holding Trump back from invoking the Insurrection Act and what happens if he pulls the trigger: slate.com/news-and-pol...

TONS of health news this week. Catch up with this week's #WTHealth podcast, w/ @alicemiranda.bsky.social, @annaedney.bsky.social, and @joannekenen.bsky.social kffhealthnews.org/news/podcast...

Also spotted: Funding cost-sharing reductions and ending so-called "silver loading," which will reduce overall federal spending but increase many Marketplace enrollees' after-subsidy premiums.

A mother describes the pain of losing her son to a disease that's now preventable by vaccines -- but which the CDC no longer universally recommends. A heartbreaking story by a talented writer and strong woman. substack.com/inbox/post/1...

A few months ago, ICE hired me I didn't sign and submit any paperwork. I almost certainly failed the drug test. I'm real outspoken about my opposition to the Trump administration, and I am extremely googlable And yet, there it was, in plain English. "Welcome to ICE!" My latest for Slate

New in the Federal Register, CMS has taken the next regulatory step toward withholding federal Medicaid dollars from Minnesota, following its January 6 letter to Walz public-inspection.federalregister.gov/2026-00512.p...

News: The 5 blue states targeted by the Trump administration for a childcare funding freeze (NY, CA, CO, IL, MN) have sued to block it and are requesting a TRO

17 Republicans voting with Democrats to cleanly extend the ACA enhanced subsidies is nearly double the number who signed the discharge petition along with Democrats to force the vote (9) (Note that the bill the Senate is considering is not a clean extension.)

our first #WTHealth podcast of 2026 now up! @alicemiranda.bsky.social, @laurenweberhp.bsky.social and @sarahkarlin-smith.bsky.social join me to break down the latest on the ACA fight, changes to the vaccine schedule and food pyramid, and more. kffhealthnews.org/news/podcast...