KFF Health News' 'What the Health?' The Dismantling of HHS
Apr 10, 2025
Alice Miranda Ollstein, a health reporter at Politico, Stephen Vladeck, a Georgetown Law Professor and Supreme Court expert, and Sandhya Raman from CQ Roll Call tackle major cuts at the Department of Health and Human Services. They discuss the unsettling implications for agencies like the FDA and CDC, and how these changes could affect public health enforcement. The conversation also dives into the evolving landscape of abortion laws and the impact of misinformation on vaccinations, highlighting the challenges faced by healthcare providers.
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HHS Divisions Eliminated, Data Lost
- Entire divisions at HHS agencies like CDC and NIH were eliminated, halting ongoing research and surveillance.
- Fired workers report no handoff plans, risking loss of critical public health data and functions.
FDA Cuts Threaten Drug Approvals
- Cuts at FDA threaten timely drug evaluations funded by pharmaceutical fees.
- Delays could harm drug approval processes crucial for patient access to new treatments.
Communication Breakdown at HHS
- States lack answers on continuing data collection due to staff cuts and halted communications at HHS.
- Critical email inquiries to eliminated teams go unanswered, increasing confusion and uncertainty.