What We're Reading

Health Policy Journal Club, April 2025

The health policy journal club is an interdisciplinary, inter-professional group convened monthly by the Farley Health Policy Center to discuss timely topics in health policy. A curated selection of high-yield articles provides the basis for discussion. Past topics have included income inequality and health, professionalism in medicine, patients as consumers, and adjusting payment for measures of social risk. This page presents the reading list from the most recent journal club. 

This month's health policy journal club will continue our analysis of the evolving healthcare landscape under the Trump Administration. We examined potential Medicaid changes affecting access and coverage, shifts in public health initiatives relevant to clinical practice, the ongoing restructuring of the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), medical research funding mechanisms, and policies impacting the health of global and immigrant communities. 

Updates on potential Medicaid cuts and public health 

Senate advances budget blueprint as healthcare braces for Medicaid cuts. Healthcare Dive. April 7, 2025. 

RFK Jr. will tell CDC to stop recommending fluoride in drinking water. PBS News. April 8, 2025. 

Brumfiel G. Health secretary RFK Jr. endorses the MMR vaccine — stoking fury among his supporters. NPR. April 7, 2025. 

Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) restructuring 

HHS Announces Transformation to Make America Healthy Again Press Release and Fact Sheet. March 27, 2025. 

Stein R, Noguchi Y, Lupkin S, Eisner C, Simmons-Duffin S, Wroth C. 'Your RIF notice is not cancelled.' Inside a chaotic week of massive layoffs at HHS. Shots - Health News from NPR. April 5, 2025. Template for ‘What We’re Reading’ Posts

E&C Democrats Call on Guthrie to Haul in Kennedy for a Hearing on Illegal Layoffs and Reorganization. Press release. April 2, 2025. 

Research funding 

Stein MD. Ungoverning and the future of health services research. Milbank Quarterly Opinion. March 20, 2025. 

Kaiser J. NIH under orders to cancel $2.6 billion in contracts. Science. April 3, 2025. 

Montague Z. Judge Permanently Bars N.I.H. From Limiting Medical Research Funding. New York Times. April 4, 2025. 

Global and immigrant health 

Schreiber M. Rubio announces that 83% of USAID contracts will be canceled. NPR. March 10, 2025. 

Trump has blown a massive hole in global health funding—and no one can fill it. Science. April 8, 2025. 

“They Don’t Care About Civil Rights”: Trump’s Shuttering of DHS Oversight Arm Freezes 600 Cases, Imperils Human Rights. ProPublica. April 8, 2025.