Axios

HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. took the unusual step of publicly contradicting one of his own agencies' autism studies on Tuesday, suggesting at a press conference that "environmental factors" including drugs, not improved screening, were causing a spike in confirmed cases.

Why it matters: Kennedy's assertion that researchers and the media are engaging in what he called "epidemic denial" around the condition could further stoke vaccine skepticism and broader public trust in science, experts say.

President Trump's wide-ranging executive order aimed at lowering pharmaceutical costs revives policies from his first term and alters programs started during the Biden administration — including making a drug industry-backed change to Medicare drug price negotiations.

The big picture: The order that Trump signed on Tuesday may be sweeping, but consists largely of ideas that have already been floated or even tried before.

President Trump signed a wide-ranging executive order Tuesday addressing drug costs that endorses a pharmaceutical industry-backed change to Medicare drug price negotiations.

Why it matters: Lowering drug prices — which are significantly higher for U.S. patients than in other countries — was a prominent goal of the first Trump administration, and Trump promised to make the issue a priority during his campaign last year.

The looming prospect of American tariffs on pharmaceuticals would likely hit generic drugmakers the hardest, Johnson & Johnson's CFO told Bloomberg on Tuesday.

Why it matters: 90% of prescriptions are generic drugs or biosimilars, according to the Association for Accessible Medicines, which represents generic drugmakers.

The number of clinician-provided abortions in Florida declined last year more than in any other state, according to a new analysis.

Why it matters: The data shows just how much the six-week ban that went into effect last year limited abortion access for Floridians and residents of Southern states who once relied on the Sunshine State as a haven for access.

One in 31 U.S. children age 8 or younger are now diagnosed with autism, according to a study the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention released on Tuesday.

The big picture: Autism diagnoses are on the rise, according to the study. In 2000, the CDC said 1 in 150 children had been diagnosed with autism. The figure was 1 in 54 in 2016, per the agency.

Medical credit cards that are increasingly touted as a solution to health care debt are far likelier to be accepted by dentists than other practitioners, according to a new study published in JAMA Health Forum.

Why it matters: The cards guarantee providers payment in full. But patients aren't always aware of the strings attached, like an average annual interest rate of nearly 27%.

The Trump administration is seeking to limit coverage of gender-affirming care for adults and minors in Affordable Care Act marketplace health insurance plans beginning next year.

Why it matters: The rule, if finalized, would not ban marketplace plans from covering gender-affirming care services. But it could raise out-of-pocket costs for patients, add administrative burdens for insurance companies and inject confusion into state operations, health policy experts say.