This Week in Policy – Wrap up for the week of June 2, 2025

Kennedy’s COVID Vaccine Rollback Sparks Confusion Among Doctors, Raises Risks for Pregnant Patients

Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s abrupt change to COVID vaccine recommendations announced via social media has drawn backlash from physicians and public health leaders, who warn it will erode vaccine uptake among vulnerable groups. The CDC’s revised guidance now says healthy children “may” receive the shot after consulting a doctor and does not recommend it for pregnant people at all, a move experts say will make access harder and communication with patients more fraught.

Key takeaways: Healthcare providers should prepare for increased vaccine hesitancy and logistical hurdles in stocking or administering COVID shots, especially for pediatric and OB-GYN practices. With no CDC recommendation, pharmacists may refuse to vaccinate pregnant patients, complicating access and raising insurance coverage questions. Expect further polarization as Kennedy’s changes inject political overtones into what was previously a scientific and consensus-driven process.

 

Experts Warn CDC Overhaul Could Gut Chronic Disease Prevention Network

The proposed elimination of the CDC’s National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion, as outlined in HHS’s 2026 budget, is sparking alarm among public health leaders. The center’s responsibilities, including school-based prevention, smoking cessation, chronic disease surveillance, and funding to local health departments, would be absorbed into the new “Administration for a Healthy America” (AHA). Officials say the move will improve coordination, but experts argue it disbands essential infrastructure before a replacement is built.

Key takeaways: Health leaders fear the loss of core prevention funding and a rollback in programs addressing heart disease, diabetes, and cancer. The reorganization could disrupt federal-to-local data pipelines, undermine surveillance, and limit workforce capacity in already stretched public health departments. The elimination of the CDC’s smoking cessation efforts, called “insane” by one expert, signals a worrying shift away from evidence-based prevention just as the MAHA agenda seeks to reshape chronic disease priorities.

 

Trump Administration Revokes Emergency Abortion Protections, Alarming Providers

The Trump administration has rescinded a Biden-era policy that directed hospitals to provide emergency abortions when necessary to stabilize a woman’s condition, citing a need to clarify federal law. The 2022 guidance, grounded in the Emergency Medical Treatment and Active Labor Act, required all Medicare-funded hospitals to offer abortion care in urgent medical cases, even in states with bans. Providers and reproductive rights advocates warn the rollback will sow further confusion and delay care in life-threatening situations.

Key takeaways: Hospitals in states with strict bans may now hesitate or refuse to provide emergency abortions, risking patient safety. The move sets up further legal ambiguity, as the Supreme Court has yet to clarify if emergency abortions are federally protected. CMS has pledged to enforce emergency care laws but appears to be narrowing their interpretation, raising concerns among providers, especially in politically fraught states like Idaho.

 

GOP Seeks Major ACA Rollbacks Without Calling It Repeal


Congressional Republicans are advancing a bill that would slash Affordable Care Act coverage by over 10 million people without formally repealing the law. The proposal reduces Medicaid and marketplace enrollment by tightening eligibility checks, shortening open enrollment, and imposing work requirements, moves critics call a “backdoor repeal.” 

Key takeaways: The bill is part of a budget effort to fund Trump-era tax breaks and would reverse years of ACA-driven coverage gains. Supporters argue the bill targets waste and abuse, but experts say it primarily affects eligible enrollees who may fail new administrative hurdles. Though pitched as reform, the bill could be the largest rollback of coverage since the 2017 repeal effort failed.

 

On the Horizon

House to Hold Hearing on Strengthening U.S. Health Care Supply Chain June 11 – The House Energy & Commerce Health Subcommittee will convene a hearing titled Made in America: Strengthening Domestic Manufacturing and Our Health Care Supply Chain, focusing on efforts to onshore pharmaceutical production and reduce dependence on foreign sources. 

Why it matters for hospitals: A more resilient domestic supply chain could improve access to essential medications, reduce backorders and shortages, and protect against future disruptions. The hearing may shape future incentives and regulatory changes that impact hospital procurement, pharmacy operations, and strategic sourcing.