Jen Kates
Senior VP/Director, Global & Public Health Policy,
@kff.org. Health policy, epidemics, data, & parenting. NYC born & raised, DC is now home.
- "Trump administration to block foreign aid from those promoting abortion, DEI and gender identity" apnews.com/article/trum...
- NEW: Our latest count of the # of states that have decoupled their childhood vaccine recommendations form the federal government: it's now up to 28. A big increase from just a few months ago. www.kff.org/state-health...
- Here's our KFF tracker of the USG's global health MOUs. Will be updated as more information is made publicly available. www.kff.org/global-healt...
- NEW: Our take on HHS' changes to the federal vaccine schedule that reduce the number of routinely recommended vaccines for kids, and now make the U.S. an outlier in recommending so few. w/ @joshmich.bsky.social www.kff.org/other-health...
- Whatever one thinks about changes to the pediatric vaccine schedule, it will play out as a natural experiment on the nation’s kids. HHS says the changes will reduce distrust and increase vax rates. But they could do the opposite. We may not know until disease data are out.
- This is going to kill our children. Simple as that. apnews.com/article/chil...
- ICYMI: The proposed DHS public charge rule acknowledges that the rule may lead to worse health outcomes, higher prevalence of communicable diseases, and affect state and local economies. 30 day comment period is open. www.federalregister.gov/documents/20...
- UPDATE: The CDC's ACIP meeting (that was postponed) has been re-scheduled for December 4-5. Vaccine safety, and the pediatric vaccine schedule, are on the agenda. Hep-B vaccine will be a big focus. public-inspection.federalregister.gov/2025-19872.p...
- 10 year old: "you can't understand my social dynamics because you are from the 20th century” 🤦👀
- NEW: We analyzed recent state actions on vaccine policy, given narrowing federal guidelines. Overall, 26 states have taken some action; of these, 23 have Democratic governors, signaling a growing red/blue divide in vaccine access. @kff.org Key findings in next post ⬇️ www.kff.org/covid-19/tra...
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- With federal changes to vaccine policy & recommendations underway, here's our overview of insurance coverage requirements for vaccines by payer, as linked to ACIP/CDC. As we show, federal changes mean consumers could lose access to free vaccines. www.kff.org/other/issue-...
- Based on our analysis of the current status of PEPFAR programming, it's hard to see how the 85% could be reached. www.kff.org/global-healt...
- From 6/10 @StateDept press briefing on the PEPFAR 85%: it's an estimated 85% of beneficiaries who 𝘤𝘰𝘶𝘭𝘥 be receiving lifesaving treatment & PMTC services based on 𝘧𝘶𝘭𝘭 𝘰𝘱𝘦𝘳𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯𝘢𝘭 𝘤𝘢𝘱𝘢𝘤𝘪𝘵𝘺 of 𝘢𝘭𝘭 operational active awards. www.state.gov/briefings/de...
- From 6/10 @StateDept press briefing on the PEPFAR 85%: it's an estimated 85% of beneficiaries who 𝘤𝘰𝘶𝘭𝘥 be receiving lifesaving treatment & PMTC services based on 𝘧𝘶𝘭𝘭 𝘰𝘱𝘦𝘳𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯𝘢𝘭 𝘤𝘢𝘱𝘢𝘤𝘪𝘵𝘺 of 𝘢𝘭𝘭 operational active awards. www.state.gov/briefings/de...
- Re the ACIP "purge" to "restore public trust". As many have noted, ACIP members are independent, vetted, & follow strict COI rules. Those dismissed? Almost all are MDs & specialists in pediatrics, infectious diseases, epi, and others head primary care centers.
- The Trump administration released its FY 2026 budget request on May 30. Here's our read-out on how global health programs fare. From what is known thus far, there's a more than $6 billion proposed cut (plus more in the rescission package) www.kff.org/global-healt...
- With changes in vaccine policy underway, @joshmich.bsky.social and I just published a brief on the key independent vaccine advisory bodies that, in the past, were typically consulted before most federal vaccine decisions: VRBPAC, ACIP, NVAC, and ACCV. www.kff.org/other/issue-...
- The CDC vaccine schedule is now updated; COVID-19 vaccine is no longer recommended for healthy pregnant woman. This means there will no longer be mandated insurance coverage, even if a decision were to be made by a pregnant woman and her doctor that getting vaccinated was important.
- If you're interested in the status of U.S. global health programs, given the foreign aid review and funding cuts, here are our resources. www.kff.org/tag/global-h...
- Have to admit, shuttering MCC wasn't (yet) on my bingo card. MCC has been the one U.S. development agency many pointed to as having the approach and accountability mechanisms the rest of the U.S. development enterprise should emulate. www.politico.com/news/2025/04...
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- Interested in knowing how the Trump administration's #foreignaid review is affecting PEPFAR and other U.S. global health programs? We have a series of new program impact fact sheets (more to come). www.kff.org/global-healt...
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- ICYMI: Due to the Trump administration's cuts to PEPFAR, leading to ARV shortages and stock-outs, the @who.int had to issue guidance on how to handle HIV treatment interruptions. www.who.int/news-room/qu...
- Global health funding would be cut by 55%. This cut is twice as steep as the first budget request from Trump in 2017. Back then, Congress rejected his proposed cuts....
- "Children Seeking Cholera Care Die After U.S. Cuts Aid, Charity Says" www.nytimes.com/2025/04/11/w...
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- NEW: "The USAID List of Terminated Global Health Awards – What Does it Tell Us?" www.kff.org/policy-watch...
- "Rollout of ‘miracle’ HIV prevention drug is threatened by Trump cuts to global AIDS relief program" www.statnews.com/pharmalot/20...
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- One of my mantras for 2025 is UNSUBSCRIBE....
- U.S. measles cases in all of 2024: 285 U.S. measles cases in Q1 of 2025: 483
- PEPFAR's short-term, one-year reauthorization expires today. Here's why this isn't the biggest threat it's facing (and why the program continues).
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- A @CDCgov ACIP meeting has just been noticed in the federal register, for April 15-16. public-inspection.federalregister.gov/2025-04914.pdf
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- "Kenya to run out of HIV supplies from May" www.the-star.co.ke/health/2025-...
- OMG. Just learned that my sister uses a different starter word for @nytimes.com #wordle everyday which is somehow worse than those couples who switch sides of the bed each night.
- Here is (was) the scope of USAID's role in global health. www.kff.org/policy-watch...
- The latest in the saga to dissolve USAID. A federal judge has just issued a preliminary injunction against Musk and Doge, barring them from their attempts to shut the agency down. storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.us...
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- The latest in the saga to dissolve USAID. A federal judge has just issued a preliminary injunction against Musk and Doge, barring them from their attempts to shut the agency down. storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.us...
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- Here are the global health funding levels, signed into law in the FY 2025 CR (matching FY 24). While these are in the law, the administration could still try to make changes. www.kff.org/global-healt...
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- This is a victory for the plaintiffs and for foreign aid overall, albeit a temporary one. The government will likely appeal the lower court's decision (assuming the court moves forward with a preliminary injunction) and it will ultimately land back at SCOTUS.
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- NEW: @kff.org poll on the Trump administration's dismantling of USAID and cutting foreign aid. Majority say it will lead to more humanitarian and health crises (less than half say it will alleviate domestic fiscal issues).
- Thanks to colleagues @kffhealthnews.org for including "A Dose Of Upbeat And Inspiring News", amidst all their other (excellent but depressing) news stories... kffhealthnews.org/morning-brea...
- Reposted by Jen KatesSCOOP: The world is likely to see millions more malaria infections and 200,000 cases of paralytic polio each year, according to a whistle-blower from USAID. www.nytimes.com/2025/03/02/h...
- Me: to answer your question about current politics, here is what is happening…. 10 yr old: thank you for this Ted talk
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- TFW outlook goes down and you can’t reach the IT team because outlook is down.
- My take on the current moment for the U.S. global health response. Bottom line, whatever can be maintained or perhaps reinforced, it is unlikely that the full extent of the damage already done to vulnerable people around the world is easily repairable.
