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GOP embraces RFK Jr.’s MAHA at House hearing, with some dissents

May 14, 2025
Secretary of Health and Human Services Robert F. Kennedy Jr. appears during a House Appropriations Committee hearing on Wednesday in Washington.
John McDonnell/AP

STAT+ | GOP embraces RFK Jr.'s MAHA at House hearing, but raises dissents from dental health to food dye reform

GOP lawmakers tested the limits of how far they could push Kennedy without appearing to undermine him or his MAHA movement.

By Lev Facher and Daniel Payne


STAT+ | Projected number of uninsured from GOP's bill is nearing levels not seen since ACA repeal effort

If that many lost coverage, that would push the total number of uninsured in the U.S. close to pre-Affordable Care Act levels, says KFF's Larry Levitt. 

By John Wilkerson


Drug overdose deaths fell sharply in 2024, as fentanyl cases dropped but meth spiked

U.S. drug overdose deaths fell 27% in 2024, the lowest since 2019, with fentanyl cases down but methamphetamine sharply up, the CDC reports.

By Lev Facher



Robert Califf, on screen, tells STAT's Matthew Herper at Breakthrough Summit West in San Francisco Wednesday,
Sarah Gonzales for STAT

Former FDA head Robert Califf says RFK Jr.'s vaccine rhetoric is 'doing harm' to Americans

Ex-FDA chief Robert Califf says HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.'s vaccine stance is harming public health, warns of HHS chaos, politicization, staff exodus.

By Lizzy Lawrence


WHO trims top management ranks amid financial crunch

The agency faces a salary gap of more than $500 million over the next two years, and will have to cut salary expenditures by 25%.

By Helen Branswell


Prenatal genetic therapy for SMA shows promise in a mouse study

The study is a proof of concept. More work would need to be done before such an approach could be tested in human fetuses

By Megan Molteni


Adobe

STAT+ | Eli Lilly and AstraZeneca top a consultancy's ranking of drug company R&D

IDEA Pharma ranks firms on invention of new drugs and innovation, the ability to get those new drugs to market. Eli Lilly, AstraZeneca top 2025 lists.

By Matthew Herper


STAT+ | Opinion: How Medicaid can innovate in the DOGE era

AI, innovative programs, and the integration of social and medical needs can let Medicaid better serve patients while remaining fiscally responsible.

By Nate Favini, Andrey Ostrovsky, and Neil Batlivala


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