After the U.S. operation to capture Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro, tensions between President Trump and Colombian President Gustavo Petro are boiling over.
Why it matters: What Trump has called a "successful" attack on Venezuela could embolden his administration to pursue a military actios in Colombia against the country's alleged drug facilities — or its leadership.
The Trump administration on Monday dramatically overhauled the federal childhood vaccination schedule, cutting the number of recommended shots to 11to align with what it called "consensus among peer nations."
Why it matters: It's a major public health gamble that assumes children's health won't be endangered by slashing the number of shots the government recommends for all kids by more than a third since before President Trump re-entered office.
Biologic drugs consist of some of the most advanced, lifesaving treatments in modern medicine. In the next decade more than 100 of these biologics will lose patent protection. But only 10% have biosimilar versions — lower-cost and clinically highly similar drugs — in development.
An example: Humira is a biologic injection treating autoimmune conditions like arthritis, while Cyltezo is one of several biosimilar counterparts, highly similar, but at a lower-cost.
This shortfall creates a "biosimilar void" that negatively impacts patients, the healthcare system, and innovation.
States will no longer be required to report how many children and pregnant women covered by Medicaid are immunized, the Trump administration wrote in a letter to state officials.
Why it matters: The move could significantly decrease visibility into nationwide vaccination rates, since Medicaid and the related Children's Health Insurance Program cover almost half of U.S. kids and 41% of births.
If 2025 delivered shock waves to public health and federal health programs, this year promises more chaos as providers, payers, consumers and policymakers deal with the repercussions.
Why it matters: The sweeping changes to Medicaid and the Affordable Care Act, the upending of the vaccine system, and new ways people purchase drugs foreshadow the most significant changes to health markets since the passage of Obamacare.
