Senate Democrats on Tuesday will introduce a resolution condemning anti-vaccine policies Republicans are pursuing at the national and state level, Axios has learned.
Why it matters: Democrats are putting pressure on Republican lawmakers to either support or rebuff the Florida officials' groundbreaking move to end all vaccine mandates — as well as the anti-vaccine policies Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. is implementing.
Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. on Monday added five members to serve on his handpicked vaccine advisory panel just days ahead of a key meeting where the group will make recommendations for who should get COVID shots.
Why it matters: Some of the new members were critical of the pandemic response or faced charges of spreading misinformation.
A string of recent rural health clinic closures is threatening to further reduce access to care in outlying areas as health systems brace for cuts in the in the Republican budget law and grapple with inflation and workforce issues.
The big picture:Rural health cutbacks already are a fact of life. But some of the latest closures are in anticipation of the nearly $1 trillion reduction in federal Medicaid spending that will in large part hit starting in 2027.
People with mental health conditions are twice as likely to report difficulties getting needed medical care as those without, according to a new survey of U.S. adults with workplace coverage shared first with Axios.
Why it matters: The findings from the Employee Benefit Research Institute provide more evidence that having health insurance doesn't automatically translate to having access, especially for people with mental health needs.
