THE TRUMP ADMINISTRATION: Bloomberg: CMS Head Oz Vows Continued Vaccine Coverage, Urges Measles Shots ++++++++

THE TRUMP ADMINISTRATION Bloomberg: CMS Head Oz Vows Continued Vaccine Coverage, Urges Measles Shots https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2026-02-17/cms-head-oz-vows-continued-vaccine-coverage-urges-measles-shots?utm_campaign=KHN%3A%20First%20Edition&utm_medium=email&_hsenc=p2ANqtz-_6OMrCdN8TWCLplhzEtQsBaFijaEo6eZBJV1erAtFhC_3N3DhP8tcZBs16C2z_tjp7M4fvsuuBX7q1EfQQ6EqxLYQ3JA&_hsmi=404283782&utm_content=404283782&utm_source=hs_email Mehmet Oz, head of the US Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, pledged continued insurance coverage for all recommended vaccinations in the country and urged people to get the measles shot as infections skyrocket. His comments come as the Trump administration remakes the nation’s approach to immunizations by promoting personal choice and backing away from once-universal endorsements of shots that have controlled deadly disease outbreaks. Changes to the vaccine schedule have added to mounting confusion over which vaccines will be covered by government programs that often pay for childhood shots. (Nix and Muller, 2/17) Stat: PhRMA Forum Shows Industry Divide Between Dr. Oz, Marty Makary https://www.statnews.com/2026/02/17/pharma-forum-highlights-industry-divide-oz-makary/?utm_campaign=KHN%3A%20First%20Edition&utm_medium=email&_hsenc=p2ANqtz--jNM1tJHERuGZWTgtBtGlI3xSOLPQtEiuO47Tv60V73XsIP-O9e5Z7HnurK2bn81sphQEVtbi0cBk7S10uMF1L3h7YdQ&_hsmi=404283782&utm_content=404283782&utm_source=hs_email Two of health secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s top lieutenants struck decidedly different tones at a forum held Tuesday by the pharmaceutical industry group PhRMA. (Lawrence and Payne, 2/17) Politico: Judges Decry Treatment Of Nursing And Pregnant Detainees In ICE Custody https://www.politico.com/news/2026/02/18/pregnant-nursing-ice-detainees-00784683?nid=0000014f-1646-d88f-a1cf-5f46b7bd0000&nname=playbook&nrid=dce3ff34-c71f-442e-88e6-704b5639b9f8 A Myanmar refugee, with a nursing five-month-old at home, whisked abruptly to Texas by Immigration and Customs Enforcement. A Massachusetts woman in her third trimester, held under ICE’s guard at a hospital after experiencing medical distress in ICE detention. An Indian national who is three months pregnant and whose weight dropped to 90 pounds while in an ICE facility. Federal judges are sounding alarms about the Trump administration’s treatment of pregnant and nursing detainees in ICE custody — and the administration has given the courts conflicting, unclear answers about whether it is following its own policies that sharply restrict those detentions. (Cheney, 2/18) ProPublica: RFK Jr.’s FDA No Longer Warns Against Ineffective, Potentially Dangerous Autism Treatments https://www.propublica.org/article/rfk-jr-fda-removes-autism-treatments-warning?utm_campaign=KHN%3A%20First%20Edition&utm_medium=email&_hsenc=p2ANqtz-8SsDGS6S-q8xNIxQm9FFlbUPLEg5yvhiZXlBywU_JZPBL0r8K9htjRlF8Xjd5Zcf4i3VU13dPDkbNl5IvqJJKvtIXaZg&_hsmi=404283782&utm_content=404283782&utm_source=hs_email The warning on the government website was stark. Some products and remedies claiming to treat or cure autism are being marketed deceptively and can be harmful. Among them: chelating agents, hyperbaric oxygen therapies, chlorine dioxide and raw camel milk. Now that advisory is gone. (O’Matz, 2/18) The Hill: Trump Administration To Improve Food Quality Of Military Meals https://thehill.com/policy/healthcare/5741493-trump-administration-improves-military-food/?utm_campaign=KHN%3A%20First%20Edition&utm_medium=email&_hsenc=p2ANqtz-_P0AcYnyI9a-SjphAgWcxSLZDVw0YZclDRe37Mb0fn8NjUVoksWBSXNfJqGD4KjFKrRPsKQ01XZdLT4nN9Q6gyLzoCaw&_hsmi=404283782&utm_content=404283782&utm_source=hs_email The Trump administration is reportedly launching a new push to improve the quality of food at U.S. military bases after a study found that meals contained poor nutrients and harmful contaminants. The study, commissioned by Moms Across America in partnership with the Children’s Health Defense Military Chapter and Centner Academy, detected pesticides in 100 percent of sampled military meals, including Meals, Ready-to-Eat (MREs), rations and other cafeteria items. (Brams, 2/17) The New York Times: Documenting A ‘Drastically Changing’ Scientific Landscape https://www.nytimes.com/2026/02/17/insider/lost-science-research-cuts.html?utm_campaign=KHN%3A%20First%20Edition&utm_medium=email&_hsenc=p2ANqtz-_5I6zDHtMxZXMhTlwHfntWcS7JxQclHEjQVw0uPgAyKi9EZZBakC-KFFZ3njR8Nl-43FftYptCEbV7qldfGwkn6jLQhQ&_hsmi=404283782&utm_content=404283782&utm_source=hs_email Since the Trump administration unfurled some of the deepest cuts to U.S. science funding in decades, thousands of jobs have been terminated or frozen at federal agencies including the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the National Park Service and the Environmental Protection Agency. Proposed budgets for this year include major cuts to organizations like NASA and the National Science Foundation. These cuts, some of them seemingly indiscriminate, have led to chaos and demoralization across the scientific community. (Otis, 2/17) Modern Healthcare: How The Rural Health Transformation Program Could Boost PACE https://www.modernhealthcare.com/post-acute-care/mh-rural-health-transformation-program-pace/?utm_campaign=KHN%3A%20First%20Edition&utm_medium=email&_hsenc=p2ANqtz-8n6uF0iVxPFUPAjSY3SOHLVNx3YemxXQZMRIL44UgqH42xxmGxDJ-b58zWSqpbDD83aRdChX0P3YQabAXAPsasJjfMag&_hsmi=404283782&utm_content=404283782&utm_source=hs_email The $50 billion Rural Healthcare Transformation program could be a boon to a Medicare-Medicaid program designed to keep older adults out of nursing homes, if regulations and low reimbursement rates don’t get in the way. Three states — Connecticut, West Virginia and Montana — plan to tap some of the federal funds they are receiving to launch Programs of All-Inclusive Care for the Elderly. Another six states that already operate PACE — Rhode Island, Michigan, Pennsylvania, Kansas, Oklahoma and Louisiana — plan to use some of their funds to expand those efforts. (Eastabrook, 2/17)