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Health Policy 101 is a comprehensive guide covering fundamental aspects of U.S. health policy and programs, including Medicare, Medicaid, the Affordable Care Act, employer-sponsored insurance, the uninsured population, health care costs and affordability, women's health issues, and health care politics. The Public Health chapter examines how public health is governed and delivered in the United States. It includes explanations of key public health frameworks, services, capabilities and characteristics, how the public health system works in state, local and territorial governments, and public health funding, workforce, and communication challenges in an era of declining trust.
A growing number of states, reaching 30 as of March, have announced that they are no longer following CDC recommendations as their benchmark for some or all childhood vaccines... The court’s stay does not change these states’ decisions and in some ways may allow them to avoid a potential ‘ping pong’ of federal vaccine policy that could result from future legal rulings or actions by the administration.
The EPA launched the next step of its fluoride safety review, as more states move to ban community water fluoridation and senior officials amplify concerns about fluoride beyond what current evidence supports. The Monitor also explores AI policy and content moderation, including the practice of GEO to influence what AI chatbots say.
A comprehensive timeline of public health policy actions by the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) under the Trump administration from 2025-2026, with key dates, descriptions, and impacts.
KFF experts shared insights on what the shifting policy for childhood and adult vaccination schedules means for state governments, the U.S. public health system, and Americans.
KFF’s latest Health Information and Trust Tracking Poll shows trust in the CDC for vaccine information is at its lowest point since the pandemic began. Findings are available on KFF’s new polling dashboard. New evidence also finds no link between prenatal acetaminophen use and autism, though confusion may persist as officials question the drug’s safety.
In the weeks after the Trump administration reduced the number of recommended childhood vaccines for routine use, the public’s trust in the CDC remains at its lowest point. Among those who have heard about the recent changes to the recommended childhood vaccine schedule, more say they expect the changes to have a negative impact than a positive one on children’s health.
Weeks after the Trump administration reduced the number of childhood vaccine recommended for routine use, public trust in the CDC is at its lowest since the COVID-19 pandemic, and less than half are confident in federal agencies' ability to make such recommendations. Among those who have heard about the revised recommendations, more say they expect the changes to have a negative impact than a positive one on children’s health.
Starting in May of last year, HHS Secretary Kennedy and the CDC/ACIP began to make changes to the federal vaccine schedule for children, culminating in an announcement on January 5 of this year with the most wide-ranging changes to date. This policy brief tracks the number of states that have announced they are no longer following federal government recommendations for childhood vaccines as of January 20, 2026.
A new features from AI companies, like ChatGPT Health and Claude for Healthcare, aim to provide personalized health guidance, but may still provide wrong or dangerous health advice. And, as the U.S. experiences a severe flu season, a vaccine-strain mismatch may be contributing to misconceptions that flu vaccines are ineffective.
This brief looks at newly announced changes by HHS to the pediatric vaccination schedule, which reduce the number of vaccines recommended for all children. Implications of these changes for childhood vaccination rates and trust in public health are discussed.
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