{"id":448,"date":"2025-06-12T19:15:00","date_gmt":"2025-06-12T19:15:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/commandcancel.com\/?p=448"},"modified":"2025-06-13T06:46:46","modified_gmt":"2025-06-13T06:46:46","slug":"kff-health-news-what-the-health-rfk-jr-upends-vaccine-policy-after-promising-he-wouldnt","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/commandcancel.com\/index.php\/2025\/06\/12\/kff-health-news-what-the-health-rfk-jr-upends-vaccine-policy-after-promising-he-wouldnt\/","title":{"rendered":"KFF Health News&#8217; &#8216;What the Health?&#8217;: RFK Jr. Upends Vaccine Policy, After Promising He Wouldn\u2019t"},"content":{"rendered":"<h3>\n\t\tThe Host\t<\/h3>\n<p>\t\t\t<img class=\"lazyload\"><\/p>\n<p>\tJulie Rovner<br \/>\n\tKFF Health News<\/p>\n<p>\t\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/jrovner\"><br \/>\n\t\t\t\t@jrovner\t\t\t<\/a><\/p>\n<p>\t\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/bsky.app\/profile\/julierovner.bsky.social\"><br \/>\n\t\t\t\t@julierovner.bsky.social\t\t\t<\/a><\/p>\n<p>\t\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/kffhealthnews.org\/news\/author\/julie-rovner\/\"><br \/>\n\t\t\t\tRead Julie&#8217;s stories.\t\t\t<\/a><\/p>\n<p>\t\t\tJulie Rovner is chief Washington correspondent and host of KFF Health News\u2019 weekly health policy news podcast, \u201cWhat the Health?\u201d A noted expert on health policy issues, Julie is the author of the critically praised reference book \u201cHealth Care Politics and Policy A to Z,\u201d now in its third edition.\t\t<\/p>\n<p>After explicitly promising senators during his confirmation hearing that he would not interfere in scientific policy over which Americans should receive which vaccines, Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. this week fired every member of the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices, the group of experts who help the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention make those evidence-based judgments. Kennedy then appointed new members, including vaccine skeptics, prompting alarm from the broader medical community.<\/p>\n<p>Meanwhile, over at the National Institutes of Health, some 300 employees \u2014 many using their full names \u2014 sent a letter of dissent to the agency\u2019s director, Jay Bhattacharya, saying the administration\u2019s policies \u201cundermine the NIH mission, waste our public resources, and harm the health of Americans and people across the globe.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>This week\u2019s panelists are Julie Rovner of KFF Health News, Anna Edney of Bloomberg News, Sarah Karlin-Smith of the Pink Sheet, and Joanne Kenen of the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health and Politico Magazine.<\/p>\n<h3>\n\t\tPanelists\t<\/h3>\n<p>\t\t\t<img class=\"lazyload\"><\/p>\n<p>\tAnna Edney<br \/>\n\tBloomberg News<\/p>\n<p>\t\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/annaedney\"><br \/>\n\t\t\t\t@annaedney\t\t\t<\/a><\/p>\n<p>\t\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/bsky.app\/profile\/annaedney.bsky.social\"><br \/>\n\t\t\t\t@annaedney.bsky.social\t\t\t<\/a><\/p>\n<p>\t\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/www.bloomberg.com\/authors\/AP519FMOg7w\/anna-edney\"><br \/>\n\t\t\t\tRead Anna&#8217;s stories.\t\t\t<\/a><\/p>\n<p>\t\t\t<img class=\"lazyload\"><\/p>\n<p>\tSarah Karlin-Smith<br \/>\n\tPink Sheet<\/p>\n<p>\t\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/SarahKarlin\"><br \/>\n\t\t\t\t@SarahKarlin\t\t\t<\/a><\/p>\n<p>\t\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/bsky.app\/profile\/sarahkarlin-smith.bsky.social\"><br \/>\n\t\t\t\t@sarahkarlin-smith.bsky.social\t\t\t<\/a><\/p>\n<p>\t\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/pink.pharmaintelligence.informa.com\/authors\/sarah-karlin\"><br \/>\n\t\t\t\tRead Sarah&#8217;s stories.\t\t\t<\/a><\/p>\n<p>\t\t\t<img class=\"lazyload\"><\/p>\n<p>\tJoanne Kenen<br \/>\n\tJohns Hopkins University and Politico<\/p>\n<p>\t\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/JoanneKenen\"><br \/>\n\t\t\t\t@JoanneKenen\t\t\t<\/a><\/p>\n<p>\t\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/bsky.app\/profile\/joannekenen.bsky.social\"><br \/>\n\t\t\t\t@joannekenen.bsky.social\t\t\t<\/a><\/p>\n<p>\t\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/hbhi.jhu.edu\/expert\/joanne-kenen\"><br \/>\n\t\t\t\tRead Joanne&#8217;s bio.\t\t\t<\/a><\/p>\n<p>Among the takeaways from this week\u2019s episode:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>After removing all 17 members of the vaccine advisory committee, Kennedy on Wednesday announced eight picks to replace them \u2014 several of whom lack the expertise to vet vaccine research and at least a couple who have spoken out against vaccines. Meanwhile, Sen. Bill Cassidy of Louisiana, the Republican head of the chamber\u2019s health committee, has said little, despite the fact that Kennedy\u2019s actions violate a promise he made to Cassidy during his confirmation hearing not to touch the vaccine panel.<\/li>\n<li>In other vaccine news, the Department of Health and Human Services has canceled private-sector contracts exploring the use of mRNA technology in developing vaccines for bird flu and HIV. The move raises concerns about the nation\u2019s readiness against developing and potentially devastating health threats.<\/li>\n<li>Hundreds of NIH employees took the striking step of signing a letter known as the \u201cBethesda Declaration,\u201d protesting Trump administration policies that they say undermine the agency\u2019s resources and mission. It is rare for federal workers to use their own names to voice public objections to an administration, let alone President Donald Trump\u2019s, signaling the seriousness of their concerns.<\/li>\n<li>Lawmakers have been considering adding Medicare changes to the tax-and-spend budget reconciliation legislation now before the Senate \u2014 specifically, targeting the use of what\u2019s known as \u201cupcoding.\u201d Curtailing the practice, through which medical providers effectively inflate diagnoses and procedures to charge more, has bipartisan support and could increase the savings by reducing the amount the government pays for care.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Also this week, Rovner interviews Douglas Holtz-Eakin, president of the American Action Forum and former director of the Congressional Budget Office, to discuss how the CBO works and why it\u2019s so controversial.<\/p>\n<p \/>\n<p>Plus, for \u201cextra credit,\u201d the panelists suggest health policy stories they read this week that they think you should read, too:\u00a0<\/p>\n<p><strong>Julie Rovner:<\/strong> Stat\u2019s \u201c<a href=\"https:\/\/www.statnews.com\/2025\/06\/05\/trump-budget-bill-doctor-lobbyists-getting-lobbied-by-lawmakers-from-both-sides-medicaid-cuts\/?utm_source=linkedin&amp;utm_campaign=linkedin_organic&amp;utm_medium=social\">Lawmakers Lobby Doctors To Keep Quiet \u2014 or Speak Up \u2014 on Medicaid Cuts in Trump\u2019s Tax Bill<\/a>,\u201d by Daniel Payne.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n<p><strong>Anna Edney:<\/strong> KFF Health News\u2019 \u201c<a href=\"https:\/\/kffhealthnews.org\/news\/article\/chemotherapy-drug-f5u-capecitabine-toxicity-test-death-prevention\/\">Two Patients Faced Chemo. The One Who Survived Demanded a Test To See if It Was Safe<\/a>,\u201d by Arthur Allen.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n<p><strong>Sarah Karlin-Smith:<\/strong> Wired\u2019s \u201c<a href=\"https:\/\/www.wired.com\/story\/chlorine-dioxide-bleach-mms-autism-rfk-fda-warning\/\">The Bleach Community Is Ready for RFK Jr. To Make Their Dreams Come True<\/a>,\u201d by David Gilbert.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n<p><strong>Joanne Kenen:<\/strong> ProPublica\u2019s \u201c<a href=\"https:\/\/www.propublica.org\/article\/trump-doge-veterans-affairs-ai-contracts-health-care\">DOGE Developed Error-Prone AI Tool To \u2018Munch\u2019 Veterans Affairs Contracts<\/a>,\u201d by Brandon Roberts, Vernal Coleman, and Eric Umansky.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Also mentioned in this week\u2019s podcast:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>The Hill\u2019s \u201c<a href=\"https:\/\/thehill.com\/policy\/healthcare\/5345378-kennedy-cassidy-vaccine-policy\/\">Cassidy in a Bind as RFK Jr. Blows Up Vaccine Policy<\/a>,\u201d by Nathaniel Weixel.<\/li>\n<li>JAMA Pediatrics\u2019 \u201c<a href=\"https:\/\/jamanetwork.com\/journals\/jamapediatrics\/article-abstract\/2834530\">Firearm Laws and Pediatric Mortality in the US<\/a>,\u201d by Jeremy Samuel Faust, Ji Chen, and Shriya Bhat.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h3>\n\t\tCredits\t<\/h3>\n<p>\tFrancis Ying<br \/>\n\tAudio producer<\/p>\n<p>\tEmmarie Huetteman<br \/>\n\tEditor <\/p>\n<p><em>To hear all our podcasts,\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/kffhealthnews.org\/news\/tag\/podcast\/\">click here<\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n<p><em>And subscribe to KFF Health News\u2019 \u201cWhat the Health?\u201d on\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/open.spotify.com\/show\/32EdsB662C3oyIrqLMmBXI?si=TQhRjzzLTgWtK3crfbOFtA\">Spotify<\/a>,\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/podcasts.apple.com\/us\/podcast\/what-the-health\/id1253607372?mt=2\">Apple Podcasts<\/a>,\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/play.pocketcasts.com\/web\/podcasts\/a379e280-3f57-0135-9028-63f4b61a9224\">Pocket Casts<\/a>, or wherever you listen to podcasts.<\/em><\/p>\n<p \/>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/kffhealthnews.org\/about-us\">KFF Health News<\/a> is a national newsroom that produces in-depth journalism about health issues and is one of the core operating programs at KFF\u2014an independent source of health policy research, polling, and journalism. Learn more about <a href=\"https:\/\/www.kff.org\/about-us\/\">KFF<\/a>.<\/p>\n<h3>USE OUR CONTENT<\/h3>\n<p>This story can be republished for free (<a href=\"https:\/\/kffhealthnews.org\/news\/podcast\/what-the-health-401-rfk-kennedy-vaccines-hhs-nih-june-12-2025\/view\/republish\/\">details<\/a>).<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The Host Julie Rovner KFF Health News @jrovner @julierovner.bsky.social Read Julie&#8217;s stories. Julie Rovner is&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":281,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[15],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/commandcancel.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/448"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/commandcancel.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/commandcancel.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/commandcancel.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/commandcancel.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=448"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/commandcancel.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/448\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":449,"href":"https:\/\/commandcancel.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/448\/revisions\/449"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/commandcancel.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/281"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/commandcancel.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=448"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/commandcancel.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=448"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/commandcancel.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=448"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}