A surge of recent measles cases approaching half of the 30-year high recorded in 2025 is stoking more criticism of the Trump administration's lukewarm endorsement of vaccines.

Why it matters: There have already been more than 1,100 measles cases this year, overwhelmingly in unvaccinated people, putting the U.S. at risk of losing its measles elimination status.

• While top officials have stressed that the MMR vaccine is the most effective protection, they've repeatedly portrayed vaccination as a personal choice and ruled out new mandates.

Driving the news: Senate health committee Chair Bill Cassidy (R-La.) repeatedly pressed President Trump's surgeon general nominee, Casey Means, at a hearing last week on whether she would encourage vaccination against measles in response to outbreaks.

• Means said she supports the shots but added that everyone should talk to their doctor "before putting a medication in their body."
• Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has a long history of vaccine criticism that has fueled mounting criticism that he could be doing more to fight the outbreaks.
• "RFK isn't 100% to blame — but he helped fuel the [vaccine] hesitancy we're dealing with," Jerome Adams, President Trump's first surgeon general, wrote on X on Sunday. "Now HE is in charge of the (clearly failing) response."

What they're saying: "Typically, for something like this, you would see the secretary of health or the head of CDC ... at a community clinic where people are getting vaccines, and congratulating them, giving them a sticker saying, 'I vaccinated,'" said Richard Besser, a former acting head of the CDC.

• "Promoting vaccination, not this sense of 'Well, you know, it's just a matter of choice,'" said Besser, now CEO of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation.

The CDC remains in upheaval and hasn't had a full-time political leader since Susan Monarez was fired amid a dispute over changing vaccine recommendations.

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The administration is redoubling threats to crack down on fraud in state Medicaid programs, even as it faces a new lawsuit from Minnesota over its decision to freeze hundreds of millions of dollars owed to the state.

The big picture: CMS administrator Mehmet Oz said at an event yesterday that the agency is "getting strict" on fraud in both Medicaid and Medicare and hinted that the agency could expand efforts to other states.

• Oz and Vice President JD Vance last week announced plans to halt $259 million in Medicaid funding for the state until it took steps to reduce fraud — a move some policy experts said is illegal.
• "What happened in Minnesota — we're seeing in California, we're seeing it in Maine ... New York and we've seen problems in Florida as well," Oz said.

State of play: Minnesota filed a lawsuit in federal court Monday claiming that the Trump administration's decision violates both administrative procedure and congressional spending authority.

• Oz, on the sidelines of a Tuesday event on value-based care, told Axios "I'm interested to see what specifics they have."
• "It's a difficult challenge when a state doesn't seem to have taken fraud seriously, and we have tons of evidence that that's the case, including whistleblowers on the ground," he said.

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A dozen scientists and public health figures are mobilizing to counter a Kennedy-appointed committee that advises the government on autism policy and includes well-known vaccine critics.

Why it matters: The Independent Autism Coordinating Committee includes two former directors of the National Institute of Mental Health and is due to hold its first meeting on March 19 — the same day as the federal committee.

Driving the news: The group said it aims to create a research agenda for autism and said it will respond quickly to any recommendations from the federal panel that are not supported by science.

• It noted that members of the federal committee have promoted the widely debunked narrative that childhood vaccines cause autism or advocated for alternate treatments for the condition.

Context: It's not the first instance in which members of the scientific establishment has formed ad hoc panels to push back against Trump health agencies.

• A group of public health experts and scientists launched a vaccine initiative last April backed by Walmart heiress Christy Walton aimed at making independent product evaluations and clinical guidelines.

The FDA yesterday sent 30 warning letters to telehealth companies for making false or misleading claims about compounded versions of blockbuster weight-loss drugs sold on their websites.

Why it matters: It's the second batch of warnings the agency has issued to telehealth companies to remove messages since officials in September announced a crackdown on misleading direct-to-consumer drug advertisements.

Driving the news: Officials said the latest violations primarily focused on claims the compounded products are the same as FDA-approved drugs and the way the telehealth firms branded products with their names or trademarks, implying they were the compounder.

• The cheaper copycat versions aren't evaluated for safety and efficacy but exploded in use when brand-name anti-obesity treatments went into shortage.
• "Compounded drugs can be important for overcoming shortages or meeting unique patient needs — but compounders should not try to compound drugs in a way that circumvents FDA's approval process," commissioner Marty Makary said.

Hims & Hers backed off plans to sell a cheaper Wegovy pill last month after HHS asked for an investigation of whether the telehealth brand violated federal law.

🏥 The VA didn't hire replacements for roughly 14,400 unfilled medical vacancies at its health care division after a wave of resignations and retirements last year. (NYT)

🦷 Medicaid is paying for more dental care but GOP cuts threaten to reverse the trend. (KFF Health News)

💵 Moderna is paying up to $2.25 billion to settle claims that it infringed on Roivant's patents in its COVID-19 shot. (Stat)