The Senate voted down competing health care proposals on Thursday, likely guaranteeing that the enhanced Affordable Care Act tax credits will expireat the end of the year.
Why it matters: The failed votes on Democratic and Republican plans highlight the deadlock in Congress over how to respond to steep increases in out-of-pocket premium costs for millions of ACA enrollees.
Last season's COVID-19 vaccine significantly reduced kids' emergency room and urgent care visits, newly released Centers for Disease Control and Prevention data shows.
Why it matters: The data released on Thursday comes amid intensifying calls from anti-vaccine groups to pull immunizations off the market.
The FDA's top vaccine regulator recently linked COVID-19 vaccines to the deaths of at least 10 children without presenting new evidence.
By the numbers: The 2024-2025 COVID shots reduced emergency department and urgent care visits linked to the virus 76% for kids ages 9 months to four years within six months, per CDC's Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report.
The vaccines lowered visits by 56% in children 5 to 17 years old.
The conclusions are consistent with CDC data from the 2023-2024 season.
The data was collected from a collaborative vaccine effectiveness network that pulls data from providers in nine states.
What they're saying: HHS does not believe there's any conflict between the new data and recent comments from agency officials, department spokesperson Andrew Nixon told Axios.
"CDC's analysis and FDA's safety oversight serve different purposes and attempts to frame them as contradictory misunderstand how these agencies operate. FDA leadership is focused on righting the wrongs of the Biden Administration and evaluating all emerging safety data,"
Zoom in: CDC's summary of Thursday's report says that the study shows "that updated vaccines provided added protection for those who received them."
Parents "should discuss the benefits of COVID-19 vaccination with a health care provider. Health care providers should discuss the benefits of COVID-19 vaccination with parents," it adds.
CDC this year dropped a broad COVID vaccine recommendation and instead accepted revised guidance from Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.'s vaccine advisors that all people age six months and older get a COVID-19 shot based on "individual decision-making." Parents should consult with their child's doctor about the vaccine, per CDC.
The winter 2025 COVID season was generally considered mild compared to previous years.
"I don't think this is anything new — we know that the COVID vaccine does have protective efficacy against emergency department visits," said Amesh Adalja, a senior scholar at the Johns Hopkins Center for Heath Security.
Between the lines: HHS laid off many staff who produce the Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report during the government shutdown earlier this year, before rescinding the firings.
Three of the nation's biggest health insurers have provided an incomplete picture of their negotiated prices in transparency data that's required by federal rules, according to a new analysis.
Why it matters: The partial disclosures by UnitedHealthcare, Aetna and Cigna could leave employers in the dark when shopping for workplace coverage, per the analysis in the American Journal of Managed Care.
There's likely to be one more round of health care votes in the House next week after the Senate votes down two rival Affordable Care Act subsidy proposals Thursday — but they won't get any closer to extending the enhanced subsidies.
Why it matters: Those subsidies now appear certain to expire at the end of the year, short of a last-minute breakthrough — andout-of-pocket premium costs will more than double on average for roughly 20 million ACA enrollees.
Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. may have said he won't take vaccines away from anyone, but that's exactly what the anti-vaccine organization he founded asked the Food and Drug Administration to do in a petition this week.
Why it matters: The formal document — which the agency is required to respond to — is part of a growing call to pull the shots from the market. And it comes during a week when the agency said it's expanding an investigation of deaths potentially related to the shots, this time in adults.
Half of Republicans and 60% of voters overall said they supported extending the Affordable Care Act tax credits that expire in a few weeks — but many can be persuaded, according to new GOP polling.
Why it matters: A clear majority likes the subsidies, but there's significant support for the GOP's desired changes, including work requirements and redirecting the funding straight to individual health spending accounts.
The House passed a sweeping defense policy bill Wednesday evening that authorizes a record $901 billion in annual military spending.
Why it matters: The National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) is a traditionally bipartisan bill, but the 2026 legislation contains some pushback against the agenda of the Trump administration, which had earlier called for the measure to pass.
House Republicans are moving forward with health care votes next week, but an extension of enhanced Affordable Care Act subsidies is not part of their plan.
Why it matters: The strategy further heightens the likelihood that the subsidies will expire at the end of the year — but it will give House Republicans some alternatives they can point to to try to blunt Democrats' criticism.
Six more states agreed Wednesday to ban the use of Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits for junk food under new deals with the Trump administration.
Why it matters: The move expands the Trump administration's use of the federal safety net to expand its Make America Healthy Again agenda. More SNAP recipients will be restricted from buying certain sugary drinks and food.
Rep. Haley Stevens (D-Mich.) on Wednesday filed articles of impeachment against Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.
Why it matters: The thrum of impeachment is growing among House Democrats, with lawmakers also targeting Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and President Trump himself.
Hospitals are closing unprofitable pediatric units and eliminating some surgical services for kids as they grapple with lower Medicaid reimbursements, staffing issues and more complicated cases, a 20-year review in the journal Pediatrics found.
Why it matters: The cuts can create more barriers to getting care in already underserved communities and require families to travel longer distances to regional or urban health centers.
Lab testing companies including giants Quest Diagnostics and LabCorp are pressing Congress to stop hundreds of millions of dollars of Medicare cuts for diagnostic tests that are due to take effect at the end of January.
Why it matters: Their push could add to the health care issues piling up on lawmakers' plates as the calendar flips over.
Instacart orders for cold and flu medicine, cough suppressants and other sick-day essentials tend to spike around Christmas, per new data the company shared with Axios.
Why it matters: It's a way of seeing how our shopping patterns are affected by outside factors — in this case, cold and flu season.
What they found: Orders for cold and flu medicine and cough suppressants both peaked on Dec. 26 last winter, per Instacart.
Facial tissues peaked on Dec. 27, while "immune support" products peaked on Dec. 28.
How it works: That's based on each category's daily order share between July 1, 2024, and June 30, 2025.
Between the lines: Some relevant items had definite wintertime spikes, but others — like hand sanitizer and wipes — saw steadier demand over the covered period.
What's next: Experts are warning of a new flu outbreak tied to an emerging version of strain H3N2, Axios' Herb Scribner reports.
