ACOG, AMA Back Legal Challenge To COVID Vaccine Policy Changes

Medical organizations including the American College of Obstetricians & Gynecologists (ACOG) have filed an amicus brief supporting a lawsuit over HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s changes to COVID-19 policy, arguing the changes are “causing harm to vulnerable individuals, the public at large, and medical professionals.”

Tags: 
vaccine
health-equity
NIH
abortion
Site Name: 
InsideHealthPolicy.com
FDA Issue: 
FDA Week - 10/17/2025
FDA Volume: 
Vol. 31, No. 42
Author: 
Jessica Karins

Latest Trump EO Puts Political Appointees In Charge Of HHS Hiring

President Donald Trump issued an executive order Wednesday (Oct. 15) that puts senior political appointees in charge of hiring, tightening political control over the federal workforce at HHS and other agencies.

Tags: 
approps
personnel
shutdown
Site Name: 
InsideHealthPolicy.com
Author: 
Jessica Karins

NIH Scientists Report Self-Censorship As Trump Conditions Funding

As several additional universities prepare to respond to the Trump administration’s demands linking federal research funding to political terms, National Institutes of Health scientists tell Inside Health Policy similar top-down pressure is spreading within the agency, prompting researchers to self-censor and alter their research focuses to avoid running afoul of the administration.

Tags: 
NIH
innovation
science
trump
Site Name: 
InsideHealthPolicy.com
Author: 
Maaisha Osman

CMS Extends Claims Hold As Lobbyists Seek At Least Temporary Telehealth Extension

CMS Wednesday (Oct. 15) agreed to continue holding, instead of denying, claims for telehealth services provided after Medicare flexibilities expired Oct. 1 in anticipation Congress will eventually act, and again urged providers to alert beneficiaries that claims currently aren’t covered.

Tags: 
telehealth
shutdown
Site Name: 
InsideHealthPolicy.com
Author: 
Cara Smith

Kelly Supports Retroactively Restoring Telehealth Flexibilities

Rep. Robin Kelly (D-IL) wants Congress to retroactively instate Medicare telehealth flexibilities that expired Oct. 1, even though lawmakers have not had substantive talks on the issue amid the broader government shutdown debate.

Site Name: 
InsideHealthPolicy.com
Author: 
Christian Robles

Rounds: Shutdown Likely To Extend Into Next Week; APTC Issue ‘Complicated’ Due To Hyde Amendment

The government shutdown is likely to extend into next week, and Republicans are hopeful to have bipartisan discussions at that point on extending enhanced Affordable Care Act premium subsidies, one GOP senator told reporters Tuesday (Oct. 14).

Tags: 
ACA
shutdown
Site Name: 
InsideHealthPolicy.com
CMS Issue: 
Inside CMS - 10/16/2025
CMS Volume: 
Vol. 28, No. 42
Author: 
Sigi Ris

SAMHSA Staff Cut Additional 30% In Shutdown RIFs

The Trump administration has cut personnel by about 30%, or up to 140 staff, across various offices and centers within the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration due to the government shutdown, a source familiar with the matter told Inside Health Policy -- while disability rights advocates say the entire staff servicing SAMHSA’s Protection & Advocacy for Individuals with Mental Illness (PAIMI) program is gone.

Tags: 
mental-health
shutdown
Site Name: 
InsideHealthPolicy.com
CMS Issue: 
Inside CMS - 10/16/2025
CMS Volume: 
Vol. 28, No. 42
Author: 
Dorothy Mills-Gregg

Families’ APTC Sign-On Letter Urges Congress To Maintain $0 Premiums

Consumer advocacy group Families USA is circulating a sign-on letter urging congressional leaders to permanently extend the enhanced Affordable Care Act tax credits immediately and without changes that could make coverage unaffordable for some of the lowest-income Americans.

Tags: 
ACA
shutdown
Site Name: 
InsideHealthPolicy.com
CMS Issue: 
Inside CMS - 10/16/2025
CMS Volume: 
Vol. 28, No. 42
Author: 
Amy Lotven

Details Emerge On CDC RIF, Trump Again Vows To Cut ‘Democrat Programs’

With details still emerging on staff cuts made over the weekend to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and other HHS agencies, President Donald Trump said Tuesday (Oct. 14) he will announce a list of “Democrat programs” to be terminated on Friday (Oct. 17) if the government shutdown continues.

Tags: 
approps
shutdown
personnel
emergency-response
Site Name: 
InsideHealthPolicy.com
FDA Issue: 
FDA Week - 10/17/2025
FDA Volume: 
Vol. 31, No. 42
Author: 
Jessica Karins

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