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The federal agency that provides health care to Native Americans and Alaska Natives has announced it will phase out the use of dental fillings containing mercury. The Indian Health Service has used fillings, known as dental amalgams, that contain elemental mercury to treat decayed and otherwise damaged teeth for decades. Native American rights and industry advocates have called for an end to the practice, arguing it exposes patients who may not have access to private dentistry to a harmful neurotoxin. The use of mercury-containing amalgams, also known as “silver fillings” due to their appearance, has declined sharply since 2009 when the U.S. Food and Drug Administration reclassified the devices from low to moderate risk. (Lee Brewer and Peters, 2/15)

The Department of Veterans Affairs is looking to overhaul how dental care is delivered to eligible veterans through the community care program. The VA posted a request for proposals Feb. 10 for a new dental care administrator to build and manage a nationwide network of community dental providers. The contract, once awarded, is intended to expand access to general and specialty dental care, preventive services and pharmacy support for the roughly 2.3 million veterans who currently qualify for VA dental benefits. (Wile, 2/16)

More health news about the Trump administration —

Staff members at the US National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) have been told to delete the words “biodefense” and “pandemic preparedness” from the institute’s website, a move that experts say will hobble the United States’ ability to respond to future infectious disease threats, Nature reported late last week. The journal said the directives were outlined in emails it obtained, but it didn’t name the person who sent them. It said four NIAID staffers spoke to Nature on the condition of anonymity because the institute didn’t authorize them to speak to media. (Van Beusekom, 2/16)

The National Institutes of Health has, in large part, managed to withstand the Trump administration’s attempts to slash its budget and upend how it distributes grants, thanks to decisions from the courts and Congress. But the agency now faces a growing vacuum in leadership in its top ranks — one that offers the administration a highly unusual opportunity to reshape NIH to its vision. Of the 27 institutes and centers that make up NIH, 16 were missing permanent directors as of Friday, when staff received news of the latest departure. (Bendix, 2/15)

Chad Schmucker, 71, lives in Port Sheldon Township on the East shore of Lake Michigan, an area where dunes meet forest and water draws boaters in summer. It would be his dream retirement spot except that it’s just south of the J.H. Campbell coal plant, which spews pollutants and makes so much noise that at times his wife can’t sleep. Summer brings the sound of tractors pushing coal, the mechanical churn carrying across the shoreline. Then there’s the grit. (Kaufman, Roston and Green, 2/14)

�������ýҕ�l Health News: Trump Required Hospitals To Post Their Prices For Patients. Mostly It’s The Industry Using The Data
Republicans think patients should be shopping for better health care prices. The party has long pushed to give patients money and let consumers do the work of reducing costs. After some GOP lawmakers closed out 2025 advocating to fund health savings accounts, President Donald Trump introduced his Great Healthcare Plan, which calls for, among other policies, requiring providers and insurers to post their prices “in their place of business.” (Tahir, 2/17)

On the partial shutdown of the federal government —

The latest shutdown is unlikely to be lifted soon – US lawmakers have left Washington DC for a 10-day break. However, Republican leaders in Congress have said that negotiations would continue, and that members should be ready to return to Washington subject to an agreement. (Helmore, 2/14)

As Congress spent months arguing over COVID-19-era enhanced premium tax credits that many people on the Affordable Care Act used to subsidize their health insurance, a relatively narrow debate over a single policy grew into a much broader and more complicated discussion about how to lower health care costs. Concerns about those costs are a top issue for voters ahead of this year’s midterms. But whether Congress can meaningfully address the issue and how candidates communicate that idea to voters depends on the type of cost increases and what is driving them. (Raman and DeGroot, 2/13) 

In related news about civil rights and equity in America —

The Rev. Jesse Jackson's death was confirmed by his family in a statement, which said that Mr. Jackson “died peacefully,” but did not give a cause. Mr. Jackson was hospitalized in November for treatment of a rare and particularly severe neurodegenerative condition, progressive supranuclear palsy (PSP), according to the advocacy organization he founded, the Rainbow PUSH Coalition. In 2017, he announced that he had Parkinson’s disease, which in its early stages can produce similar effects on bodily movements and speech. (Applebome, 2/17)

Health secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. fired the starting gun in a challenge to the food industry on Sunday, announcing on CBS’ “60 Minutes” that he plans to act on a plan outlined by former Food and Drug Administration chief David Kessler to overhaul ultra-processed foods. (Todd, 2/15)

Robert F. Kennedy Jr. spent the spring of 2025 repeating the campaign message he’d delivered over and over in 2024, before he dropped out of the presidential race and joined forces with Donald Trump: Kids were sicker than ever and ultraprocessed, sugar-laden foods cooked up in labs or grown with dangerous chemicals were responsible. Upon being sworn in as Trump’s health secretary, Kennedy launched a Make America Healthy Again Commission to explore the poor state of American children’s health and ways to improve it. (Paun, Yarrow, Gardner, Gardner and Röhn, 2/15)

Republicans are using the farm bill to take another swing at passing legislation to protect pesticides, something sure to anger their allies in the “Make America Healthy Again” (MAHA) movement. A House Republican iteration of the farm bill released on Friday includes a provision that prevents states and courts from penalizing pesticide makers for failing to include warnings on their label about health effects that go beyond those formally recognized by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). (Frazin, 2/13)

When Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. summoned infant-formula executives to Washington last spring, he arrived with a list of questions about seed oils, heavy metals and how U.S. formula stacks up against Europe’s. Kennedy’s concerns echoed those of parents aligned with the “Make America Healthy Again” movement as he prepared to launch “Operation Stork Speed,” the Trump administration’s sweeping review of U.S. formula ingredients. (Siddiqui, 2/16)

Also —

Five months after Republican Sen. Bill Cassidy invited Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. to appear before the powerful health committee he chairs, the hearing has not happened, and the senator continues to say there is no date set for it to take place. Cassidy, a Louisiana doctor who is supportive of vaccines, publicly requested Kennedy testify before the Senate Health Committee on Sept. 18 for an oversight hearing to “share his side of the story” after Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Director Susan Monarez was abruptly ousted from her job. Monarez’s lawyers said at the time that she was fired for refusing to “rubber-stamp unscientific, reckless directives and fire dedicated health experts.” (Leach, Thorp V and Nobles, 2/13)

On autism —

Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s first year in office has upended decades of public health norms. He’s touted his overhauls as major wins for his “Make America Healthy Again” (MAHA) agenda, but critics call his actions “chaos” while his supporters are hoping he’ll deliver more. Following a testy confirmation process marked by cracks in the GOP over Kennedy’s views, the Senate confirmed him as HHS secretary on Feb. 13, 2025. (Choi, 2/13)

As the definition of autism has widened, there’s been a growing push to create a new diagnosis, called profound autism, for those who need constant and lifelong care.The reason? To ensure that they get the support and services they need. Judith Ursitti, president of the Profound Autism Alliance, said people in this category now lack appropriate treatments, support and enough providers trained to handle their level of care. And the vast majority of clinical research doesn’t include them. “If you don’t have research, you won’t have treatments. You won’t have achievable services and supports,” said Ursitti, whose adult son has profound autism. (Ungar, 2/15)

“They’re going to need 24-7 care for the rest of their lives,” their father said. “Life will be a challenge for them, and we have to prepare them as best we can.” Autism rates have been rising for decades, and two of the main reasons for the increase have, in a strange twist, taken some of the focus off helping people with round-the-clock needs. The diagnosis of autism spectrum disorder, adopted in 2013, is now very broad, including many people with low support needs. Also, better awareness of the condition has helped many more children get diagnosed than in the past — and most of those cases are relatively mild. (Ungar, 2/15)

Moderna Inc. lashed out at the US Food and Drug Administration for making it harder for companies to create new medicines, escalating a dispute between the vaccine maker and the regulator. In a call with analysts on Friday, Chief Executive Officer Stephane Bancel said the agency had become unpredictable. If the FDA keeps it up, it “threatens US leadership in innovative medicines.” (Smith, 2/13)

In Massachusetts, Moderna is pulling back on vaccine studies. In Texas, a small company canceled plans to build a factory that would have created new jobs manufacturing a technology used in vaccines. In San Diego, another manufacturing company laid off workers. When Robert F. Kennedy Jr. was picked in November 2024 to become the next health secretary, public health experts worried that the longtime vaccine skeptic would wreak havoc on the fragile business of vaccine development. (Robbins, 2/16)

Longtime allies of Robert F. Kennedy Jr., the nation’s health secretary, have launched a new effort to repeal laws that for decades have required children to be vaccinated against measles, polio and other diseases before they enter day care or kindergarten. A newly formed coalition of vaccine activists is targeting laws that are considered the linchpin of protection from deadly diseases. States have long mandated childhood immunizations before children can start day care or school, though some exemptions are available. (Jewett, 2/13)

Doctors who give health advice to their patients or community that runs counter to the medical establishment face a rare but very real risk of state sanctions, including losing their license to practice. That could soon change if anti-vaccine activists succeed in getting the Supreme Court to weigh in on how broadly the First Amendment protects doctors’ rights to free speech — an issue that is central to Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s Make America Healthy Again movement. (Gardner, 2/15)

Also —

The World Health Organization (WHO) issued a statement Friday criticizing a Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)-funded study of the hepatitis B vaccine in Guinea-Bissau. CIDRAP News broke the news of the study in December, shortly after the single-blinded clinical trial was announced in the Federal Register. Since then, the trial has been widely criticized for proposing to provide a life-saving birth dose of the hepatitis B vaccine—as endorsed by the WHO— to only half of the 14,000 babies to be studied, while allowing the other half to be vaccinated at six weeks of age, the current policy in Guinea-Bissau. (Szabo, 2/16)

The Health Resources and Services Administration is restarting its work on a controversial 340B Drug Pricing Program pilot program. In a Friday request for information, HRSA asked providers, drugmakers and other interested parties for feedback on whether it should implement a pilot program that would require hospitals, community health centers and other 340B program participants to pay full price for covered medications up front, then receive a rebate from manufacturers later. The solicitation represents HRSA’s second attempt to roll out a 340B rebate pilot, after the first stalled in court. (Early, 2/13)

More health industry developments —

Nearly every major Medicare insurer got rid of enrollees — except Humana. (Herman, 2/16)

Humana completed its acquisition of the primary care clinic operator MaxHealth from private equity firm Arsenal Capital Partners. The deal adds 54 primary care clinics, four specialty sites and 24 affiliated facilities to Humana’s CenterWell healthcare services arm. The companies did not disclose financial details of the acquisition, and Humana declined to comment. (Tepper, 2/13)

Health systems are investing billions of dollars into inpatient facilities, driven by an aging population and increasing demand for specialized care. In recent years, providers have largely focused their investing on extensive outpatient projects. They also face ongoing cost pressures and regulatory uncertainty. Still, several are looking to add to their inpatient footprint. (Hudson, 2/13)

The rapid growth of ambulatory surgical centers by health systems and physician groups has captured the attention of medical device makers, which see an opportunity to grow their own businesses. Companies are developing products specifically for the facilities or adapting existing ones to fit within the spaces, budgets and training constraints. It’s not much of a gamble, as hospitals move procedures to the lower-cost settings and the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services approves reimbursement for procedures within the facilities. (Dubinsky, 2/13)

�������ýҕ�l Health News: Listen: Why Do I Need Prior Authorization?
Listen in as “Life Kit” host Marielle Segarra and health reporter Sarah Boden untangle the red tape that can make the prior authorization process frustrating. When the doctor says you need a prescription or treatment, sometimes you need approval from your health insurance first. That’s called prior authorization. Without that sign-off, insurance won’t pay. What triggers the need for prior authorization is not fully clear. It’s another “black box” part of the health care system. (Boden, 2/17)

The U.S. added 130,000 jobs in January, according to federal data released this week. But a closer look shows that the lion's share of this growth came from one specific task: caring for older Americans. Grouped under the formal categories of "social assistance" and "healthcare," at-home care services, hospitals and long-term care facilities added 124,000 positions. Much of this expansion was among the tens of thousands of aides and assistants who help elderly and disabled people bathe, dress, eat and manage their daily lives. Their work is essential — and booming — but it is also physically demanding and often modestly paid. (Canal, 2/13)

Dr. Marc Rothman visits a lot of patients with dementia and their families. He is a geriatrician who makes house calls in New York City and its suburbs. "Families are often slowly tiptoeing into crisis," he says, gradually engulfed by the demands of caregiving and the vagaries of the health care system. (Milne-Tyte, 2/17)

A Georgia Tech researcher is turning flickering light and sound into a new tool in the fight against Alzheimer’s, using rhythmic sensory stimulation to “tune” brain waves, boost memory, and potentially slow the disease’s progression. Her hope is that this non-invasive therapy can become more mainstream. (Drash, 2/16)

More health and wellness news —

The rejection of Disc Medicine Inc.’s experimental compound for a rare and devastating disorder by the US Food and Drug Administration, just months after it received a voucher intended to speed US reviews for breakthrough treatments, is the latest example of the growing uncertainty at the nation’s top drug regulator. On Friday, the development-stage drugmaker said the FDA rejected its application for bitopertin, a treatment for the rare genetic disorder erythropoietic protoporphyria, which causes severe sensitivity to light. It’s the latest medical product that’s been delayed or rejected by the agency based on questions about development plans that were allowed by previous administrations. (Langreth, 2/13)

The owner of the peanut allergy treatment Palforzia will abandon it less than three years after buying it from Nestlé, underscoring the disappointment of a product once billed as a potential blockbuster. Commercialization will end on July 31, with production winding down in phases, closely held Stallergenes Greer said on the Palforzia website. The plan is voluntary and unrelated to safety or efficacy, the company said. It did not immediately return an email and a call seeking comment. (Pham and Kinzelmann, 2/16)

Employers who are wary of paying for workers' pricey weight-loss drugs are discovering a workaround: Offer coverage through a telehealth vendor and split the cost. (Goldman, 2/17)

�������ýҕ�l Health News: �������ýҕ�l Health News’ ‘On Air’: Journalists Unpack Impact Of ICE Arrests On Families And Caffeine's Effect On Dementia Risk
�������ýҕ�l Health News Southern California correspondent Claudia Boyd-Barrett discussed how families of detainees by the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency are struggling to find those who have been hospitalized on KQED’s The California Report on Feb. 10. Céline Gounder, �������ýҕ�l Health News’ editor-at-large for public health, discussed a new study linking daily coffee or caffeinated tea intake to lower dementia risk on CBS News’ CBS Mornings on Feb. 10. (2/14)

Medicaid benefits that pay for people with disabilities to go on community outings and cover household cleaning, cooking and laundry are the latest services facing cuts as Colorado deals with a major budget shortage. (Brown, 2/16)

A Denver judge late Friday sided against several families of transgender kids in a lawsuit challenging the decision by Children’s Hospital Colorado to suspend gender-affirming care for youth in the face of federal threats. (Ingold, 2/13)

More health news from across the U.S. —

The Los Angeles County Department of Public Health announced it will be closing seven clinics due to significant cuts in funding. The department said it has faced more than $50 million in federal, state and local funding cuts. A statement from the department said the cuts, along with the increase in operational costs, have led to the consolidation and reduction of services. "While public health clinics offer important services and the closures are deeply upsetting, underscoring the real consequences of disinvestment in public health, clinic patients will be connected to appropriate services that meet their needs," said Dr. Barbara Ferrer, Director of the LA County Department of Public Health. (Hylton, 2/13)

Legislation that would have allowed two taxpayer-funded hospital systems in Broward County to collaborate more freely and bypass certain antitrust laws was “temporarily postponed” in a key Florida Senate committee. (Goodman, 2/17)

Several bills moved through the State House last week that addressed abortion access and legal protection, as lawmakers again considered a repeal of patient buffer zones outside of abortion facilities, and whether to protect New Hampshire abortion providers from out-of-state legal action. New Hampshire is the only state in New England that lacks such shield laws. (Richardson, 2/15)

The shooter was also dead, apparently by a self-inflicted gunshot wound, the authorities said. The shooting, which the police described as a “targeted event,” happened at the Dennis M. Lynch Arena in Pawtucket. (Vigdor and Gibbons-Neff, 2/16)

A former New York operations manager has been sentenced for conspiring to offer and pay kickbacks to physicians in exchange for ordering medically unnecessary brain scans, prosecutors said. Timothy Doyle, 45, of Selden, New York, was sentenced to 14 months in prison, to be followed by one year of supervised release, according to a Feb. 13 news release from the U.S. Attorney’s Office. Doyle was also ordered to pay $27,225,434 in restitution and $1,102,725 in forfeiture, prosecutors said. (Goeke, 2/16)

Medical research includes a lot of testing on tissues and cells, so a professor at Missouri University of Science and Technology in Rolla is developing a way to do that cheaper and easier by making a better “organ on a chip.” It’s a device about the size of a playing card that lets researchers test how human tissues and cells respond to new medicines or treatments without testing on animals or people. (Ahl, 2/16)

On the spread of measles —

The University of Wisconsin-Madison announced Thursday it is requiring its students to disclose their vaccination status for certain diseases after a measles case was discovered on campus last month amid a spike nationally. The new policy states students must tell the university their vaccination status for measles, mumps, rubella (MMR); tetanus, diphtheria, pertussis (Tdap); chicken pox; meningococcal; and hepatitis B, though they aren’t required to be vaccinated against the diseases. (Cochran, 2/13)

Riverside County health officials have reported the second and third measles cases of the year, which they say could be connected to the county's first case that was reported last week. In a news release, the Riverside University Health System said that an adult and a child both tested positive, marking a "localized outbreak of three total confirmed cases." They said that the adult provided a verbal report of previous measles vaccination, but said that the child was not vaccinated against the virus. (Fioresi, 2/14)

The Philadelphia Department of Public Health is warning of a potential measles exposure at Philadelphia International Airport. Health officials say a person infected with measles traveled through Terminal E on Feb. 12 between 1:35 p.m. and 4:30 p.m. The traveler was passing through Philadelphia at the time. Anyone who was in Terminal E during that time may have been exposed, officials said. The health department is urging those individuals to check their vaccination status and monitor for symptoms, especially if they are not fully vaccinated against measles. (Cole, 2/16)

On Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, and other social media platforms, highly respected doctors are endorsing a wide variety of medical products — and racking up millions of views in the process. (John Whyte, 2/17)

A new study seems almost too good to be true: Drinking coffee may help prevent dementia. (Leana S. Wen, 2/17)

Data suggest that over a third of Americans use large language models for health advice. (Adam Rodman, 2/17)

Last May, the White House released a budget request for FY2026 that proposed eliminating the CDC’s National Center for Injury Prevention and Control. Nine months later, President Trump signed into law an appropriations bill that fully funds it for the rest of the fiscal year. What happened in between is a roadmap for public health as it navigates an administration that continues to target its mission, work, and personnel. (Sharon Gilmartin, 2/16)

When there is not enough pain medicine to go around, who gets it? The teenager in agony after a crushed leg, or the 80 year old down the hall dying an excruciating death from cancer? Medication shortages are now a routine feature of American health care. (Parker Crutchfield, Casey Chmura and Abram Brummett, 2/17)