September 4, 2025 – The Week in Health Care News
Your digest on the happenings in health care this week | September 4, 2025
The Committee in the News
Committee Executive Director Dr. Rob Davidson joined V Spehar at Under the Desk News to talk about RFK Jr and the chaos at the CDC (read more about that below.)
Dr. Rob also joined The Jim Acosta Show to discuss the health concerns swirling around Trump (more on that below), SiriusXM Progress’ Tell Me Everything with John Fugelsang, SiriusXM POTUS’ The Briefing with Steve Scully, and Stand Up! With Pete Dominick.
North Carolina physicians and Committee Members Drs. Karl Fields and Laura Helfman spoke at town halls on the impact of the Trump budget in Greensboro on 8/27 and Asheville on 8/28.
On August 28, Committee Advocates Drs. David Mitchell and Bickley Craven spoke alongside Rep. Jennifer McClellan (VA-4) at a press conference in Tazewell, VA to highlight the devastating impact Trump’s budget bill will have on rural hospitals. The event received coverage by WVNS 59 News, Blue Virginia, and others.
Committee Advocate Dr. Darcy Wooten spoke at an August 28 town hall in Union, MO to hold Rep. Ann Wagner (MO-2), Sen. Josh Hawley, and Sen. Eric Schmitt accountable for voting to cut Medicaid.
New Jersey Committee Advocate Dr. Victor Sloan had an op-ed published in the Hunterdon Review titled, “Tom Kean Jr.’s silence and lies will kill people and jobs”.
Trump Administration News
Last week, CDC Director Susan Monarez was ousted by the Trump administration and was escorted out of the building by security.
In response to the firing of Monarez, four senior CDC officials announced their resignations. They were escorted out of the building amid the applause and cheers of CDC employees who staged a rally to honor their decision.
One of the four, Demetre Daskalakis, who led the National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases, pulled back the curtain on the anti-vaxx direction of the agency.
As a result of the turmoil, Sen. Bill Cassidy (R-LA) is calling for oversight of the CDC by the HELP Committee and urged ACIP to postpone its September meeting due to “the meeting agenda, membership, and lack of scientific process being followed.” Sen. Patty Murray (D-WA) is calling for RFK Jr. to resign. She is joined by more than 1,000 current and former HHS employees.
Monarez was replaced by Jim O’Neill, a former biotechnology executive and the deputy to Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. O’Neill who has no medical or scientific training.
Amid the chaos created by his administration, Trump posted that the CDC is being “ripped apart” and demanded that “the Drug Companies justify the success of their various Covid Drugs.” This is despite the fact that approval of vaccines requires enormous amounts of evidence proving their efficacy which is made public. In his statement, Trump appears to want credit and accolades for the very mRNA vaccines that RFK Jr. maligns on a regular basis.
Also last week, the FDA approved 2025-2026 COVID vaccines from Pfizer, Moderna, and Novavax. However, the agency has approved them only for adults 65 and older and younger people with certain medical conditions that put them at a higher risk. They also removed one of the vaccines available for the youngest kids. Altogether, the new approvals will make it difficult for millions of Americans to access the shots. This comes as COVID-19 cases are on the rise across the country.
CNN: These are the conditions that make you eligible for an updated Covid-19 vaccine
You can watch Committee Executive Direction Rob Davidson’s response to the limiting of vaccine access HERE.
In related news, POLITICO reports that getting a vaccination is likely to get much harder going forward.
Some national pharmacy chains are already limiting access to the vaccines. “CVS and Walgreens are now requiring a prescription or are not offering COVID-19 vaccines in some states as the companies attempt to follow state guidelines that require approvals from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention,” CBS News reports.
In a scathing op-ed in The New York Times, nine former directors of the CDC say RFK Jr. is “endangering every American’s health.”
A federal judge has paused Trump administration plans to make it more difficult to get health insurance on the ACA exchanges. The administration's plans were expected to throw nearly 2 million people off their health insurance.
HEALTH CARE un-covered details which groups will be hurt the most if Congress fails to renew federal subsidies to help cover the cost of coverage.
The New York Times reports that, based on where pharmaceuticals are manufactured, Trump’s tariffs are likely to cause a big spike in prices for the most common and well-known prescription drugs.
HHS has announced the creation of the so-called “MAHA in Action” tracker to track the actions taken by RFK Jr. At first glance, it could be mistaken for an online shrine to Kennedy himself.
ProPublica has a new blockbuster report showing that cuts to the HHS workforce were far deeper than were first announced.
Reporting by NBC News shows that the CDC quietly scaled back a surveillance program for foodborne illnesses, some of which can be severe or life-threatening.
Meanwhile, the CDC has discontinued a provably successful advertising campaign to help people stop smoking. As Debra Houry, the CDC’s chief science and medical officer and one of the four who resigned following the firing of Director Susan Monarez, points out in an op-ed in The Washington Post, “every $1 invested in CDC tobacco prevention efforts has returned more than $55 in health care savings over a decade.” It also halted its drowning prevention program and cut back its foodborne illness surveillance program.
Reproductive Rights/Attacks on Medication Abortion
Jessica Valenti and Kylie Cheung at ABORTION, EVERY DAY highlight a nefarious element of the zombie bill HB7 that’s working its way through the Texas state legislature.
Responding to the Austin City Council’s approval of $400,000 in support for abortion-related costs last year, Texas Republicans passed Senate Bill 33 which prohibits taxpayer funding for abortion-related travel. Texas Gov. Greg Abbott signed the bill into law and it went into effect on Monday.
Roll Call reports that a federal judge has denied a request by a Maine family planning provider to block a provision on Trump’s budget bill that prevents such providers from receiving Medicaid reimbursements for a year if they also offer abortions.
Other Health Care News
Florida surgeon general Joe Ladapo has issued a guidance warning people about the use of amalgam, used for dental fillings since the 1800s. “The guidance comes despite the Food and Drug Administration, American Dental Association and other organizations asserting the compound is safe except for certain high-risk groups,” writes WUSF, an NPR affiliate in Florida.
The annual number of hospitals going bankrupt has increased over the past couple of years. More alarming, however, is the size of the hospitals going out of business. “S&P Global Market Intelligence found that three health care companies with assets of more than $1 billion have filed for Chapter 11 protection this year,” reports Newsweek.
Thank You to America's Healthcare Professionals! We support you as you fight for all of us.