RFK Jr.'s Panel Gives Update on Reviewing Childhood Vaccine Schedule
Newsweek AI is in beta. Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content.
A newly restructured panel of vaccine advisers to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) plans to launch new work groups tasked with evaluating the effects of the childhood and adolescent immunization schedules, the first hepatitis B dose administered at birth, and the combined measles, mumps, rubella, and varicella (MMRV) vaccine.
The newly appointed chair of the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP), Dr. Martin Kulldorff, made the announcement during Wednesday's meeting in Atlanta, according to CNN.
This marked the first gathering of the revised ACIP since U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. dismissed the previous 17-member panel earlier this month, citing alleged conflicts of interest. He swiftly replaced them with eight new members, though one later withdrew during a financial disclosure review, according to the Associated Press, leaving seven individuals now responsible for advising the nation on vaccine recommendations.
The American Academy of Pediatrics announced at the meeting that it will continue publishing its own vaccine schedule for children but now will do so independently of the ACIP, calling it "no longer a credible process."
This is a breaking news story. Updates to follow.
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Newsweek
4 minutes ago
- Newsweek
Just 9 Minutes of Exercise Before Taking Tests Boosts Kids' Scores
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The Hill
an hour ago
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Kennedy is gutting health advisory panels to weaken the Affordable Care Act
The famous thumbs-down by Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) in 2017 resulted in the notorious failure to repeal and replace the Affordable Care Act. Subsequent legislative attempts also crashed and burned, teaching Republicans the importance of discretion in their efforts to sabotage that law. Consequently, both congressional Republicans and Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. have instead turned to subtler tactics to undermine the Affordable Care Act's impact. Mark Twain once quipped that history does not repeat itself, but it often rhymes. The U.S. once again finds itself in a period of health insurance rescission amid unified Republican control of government, though there are key differences from 2017. The Affordable Care Act now enjoys not only record enrollment of 24.3 million people in marketplace plans, but also record high approval of 66 percent, according to the June Kaiser Family Foundation tracking poll. In light of this popularity, as well as political scientist David Mayhew's characterization of members of Congress as ' single-minded seekers of reelection,' it is hardly surprising that congressional Republicans' preferred strategy has transitioned to subverting the act's progress. They have done so by undercutting enhanced subsidies and dismantling the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices and the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force. Under the Affordable Care Act, the recommendations of both of these committees are required to be covered by private health insurance, as well as, in some cases, Medicaid and Medicare. As such, they are critical in safeguarding the nation's health. These are but two of the many ways that the second Trump administration is defined by full-frontal assaults on the American public health infrastructure. The Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices is a federal advisory committee composed of medical and public health experts who formulate recommendations on vaccine availability and eligibility. Its recommendations carry a great deal of weight, guiding the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's adult and childhood vaccination schedule, and ensuring that vaccines are available to children who are underinsured or uninsured through the Vaccines for Children Program. Vaccine For Children's origins in the 1993 measles epidemic, and the role of the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices in recommending vaccines to be covered by the program, bring into sharp relief why it is so critical in mitigating the damage of America's ongoing spread of measles cases. The prior outbreak resulted in 55,000 cases, more than 11,000 hospitalizations and 166 deaths. The culprit? Undervaccination, in no small part due the cost of vaccination. Today, the Affordable Care Act stipulates that insurers shall cover without cost-sharing all vaccines recommended by the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices, and so must Vaccines for Children. Nonetheless, online misinformation has initiated a precipitous decline in vaccine coverage, which may have contributed to the U.S. surpassing the most measles cases since the disease was declared to be eliminated in 2000. Kennedy is undermining the advisory committee's work by installing anti-vaccine members who were not properly vetted. His actions are a viable path toward eliminating insurance coverage for lifesaving vaccines such as measles, mumps and rubella, which costs around $200 without insurance. This, in turn, will result in more infectious disease outbreaks. The U.S. Preventive Services Task Force, a national panel of volunteer independent experts, examines which preventive services and medications insurers must cover under the Affordable Care Act with a broader lens. Their task includes the thorough assessment of preventive strategies ranging from cancer screenings to medications that prevent HIV transmission. The Affordable Care Act's preventive services mandate recently came under scrutiny in Kennedy v. Braidwood Management. In June, the Affordable Care Act emerged unscathed again in a 6-3 holding that it could constitutionally compel private insurers and Medicaid expansion programs to cover the preventive services recommended by the Preventive Services Task Force. Unfortunately, the decision also gave Kennedy complete control over the makeup of the task force, leading to his plans to dismiss all of the current serving members. These no-cost preventive services identified by the Preventive Services Task Force panel are accessed by approximately 100 million people each year. But according to Kennedy, their recommendations are too ' woke,' and warrant termination of all members. Kennedy provided no scientific, policy or economic justification for this action, nor did he bother to define the meaning of too woke, leaving us to guess what might be problematic for him. Perhaps he objects to Preventive Services Task Force-guided insurance coverage for such critical services as screening for anxiety disorders in adults, including those who are pregnant and postpartum. Or perhaps it's biennial mammography for women between the ages of 40 and 74, screening for HIV in adolescents and adults between the ages of 15 and 65 or screening for prediabetes and type 2 diabetes in adults between the ages of 35 and 70 who are overweight or obese. Preventive Services Task Force recommendations span a broad range of common health conditions with significant health and financial burden for the United States and beyond. They also help to reduce evidence gaps and promote the delivery of accessible, evidence-based medicine. For all the administration's expressed concerns about the cost of medical care, they may not have heard the adage that an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure. And while Preventive Services Task Force recommendations have the added bonus of promoting health equity due to the lack of patient financial responsibility for the identified health services, its approach is rooted in science, not ideological agendas. The Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices and U.S. Preventive Services Task Force are critical in ensuring equitable access to care for preventive services for both infectious and chronic disease management. But despite their immense impact, they operate less in the public eye and elicit fewer protests and phone calls from Americans who benefit from their guidance than did explicit repeal efforts. Given Republicans' repeated failures to undermine the Affordable Care Act through legislative action or litigation, these stealth attempts constitute an effective, though dangerous pathway for Republicans to evade substantial scrutiny when undercutting critical access to affordable medical care for large swaths of the population. Not all Americans will understand why they can no longer access live-saving healthcare, but they will know they are not being made healthy again. Miranda Yaver is a political scientist and an assistant professor of Health Policy and Management at the University of Pittsburgh. Elizabeth Jacobs is an epidemiologist and professor emerita at the University of Arizona, and a founding member of the advocacy group Defend Public Health.
Newsweek
an hour ago
- Newsweek
RFK Jr. Reveals 'Wholesome Meal' Plan for $4 Cheaper Than Big Mac
Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources. Newsweek AI is in beta. Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content. The Trump administration is in talks to boost the rollout of a "very wholesome meal for under $5" to underserved areas, Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. said. Newsweek reached out to the Department of Health & Human Services via email for comment. Why It Matters During his time in the Trump administration, Kennedy has made combating ultra-processed foods a centerpiece of his public health agenda. Labeling these foods as "poison," Kennedy has repeatedly emphasized their central role in America's chronic disease epidemic, especially among vulnerable populations. Access to affordable, healthy food remains a critical challenge in many underserved communities, often called "food deserts." These areas face higher rates of diet-related illnesses like diabetes, putting strain on individuals and public health systems. Kennedy has said healthier U.S. diets are key to his vision to "Make America Healthy Again." What To Know Kennedy outlined a new public health initiative on Monday, promising a shift away from corporate profit motives toward genuine health improvements, especially in underserved communities. "We're going to launch a new rubric where we, the public health agencies, actually do public health rather than promoting the profit taking by private corporations. And there's some parts though in some underserved communities, there are food deserts where people don't have access to some of these foods. And if they do, sometimes it's too expensive," Kennedy told Scripps News. Addressing concerns about reaching lower socioeconomic areas, Kennedy acknowledged the difficulties but emphasized that "cheap food is an illusion. If you say this food is cheap and you get diabetes from it, is it really cheap? We're working all over the country in food deserts." "We're working with private corporations that are providing good meals. We looked at one company that we met with recently that can provide a very, very wholesome meal for under $5. A Big Mac costs, I think, $9 now," he said. "You can get high-quality food as we change these rules to incentivize people to buy better food. You're going to see the markets respond, and you're going to see better food going into these food deserts," he added. Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. attends a news conference in Anchorage, Alaska, on August 5, 2025. Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. attends a news conference in Anchorage, Alaska, on August 5, 2025. Mark Thiessen/AP The average price of a Big Mac meal in the United States in 2024 was around $9.29, while a Big Mac alone costs $5.29, according to McDonald's. However, prices can vary by location. Some locations, like those in New York, might charge upward of $8.69 for a Big Mac, according to Tasting Table, while others could be lower. Kennedy did not reveal any details about the meals or which companies would manufacture them. Earlier this month, he lauded Mom's Meals, a company providing $7-a-portion dishes directly to Medicaid and Medicare recipients. He specifically praised the firm for providing "without additives" meals, funded by taxpayers, to sick and elderly Americans. The menu includes dishes like chicken bacon ranch pasta for dinner, as well as options such as French toast sticks with fruit or ham patties. However, an Associated Press review of Mom's Meals menus, including ingredient lists and nutrition labels, found the products to be heat-and-eat, ultraprocessed foods of the kind Kennedy frequently blames for making people ill. Marion Nestle, a nutritionist and food policy expert at New York University who examined the menu for the AP, said the meals contain chemical additives that would be impossible to replicate in a home kitchen. She noted that many items are high in sodium, and some also contain elevated levels of sugar or saturated fat. Mom's Meals stated that its food products "do not include ingredients that are commonly found in ultra-processed foods." Teresa Roof, a company spokeswoman, added that the company does not use synthetic food dyes, high fructose corn syrup, certain sweeteners, or synthetic preservatives that are banned in Europe. Under Kennedy's leadership, the "Make America Healthy Again" (MAHA) Commission has spotlighted that nearly 70 percent of U.S. children's calories come from ultra-processed foods. In a recent social media post where he criticized the vast amount of ultraprocessed foods in American diets, Kennedy urged Americans to make healthier choices. "This country has lost the most basic of all freedoms, the freedom that comes from being healthy," Kennedy said. He reiterated his stance in his interview with Scripps News, pointing to sugar and ultra-processed foods as critical public health threats, linking them to rising diabetes rates. "We are giving the poorest members of our society diabetes when they're young, and then we're paying for it later with Medicaid," he said. A study published in the April 2025 issue of the Metabolism journal showed that individuals with the highest intake of ultra-processed foods had a 24 percent greater risk of developing diabetes compared to those with the lowest consumption. What Happens Next Kennedy did not provide details about the contents of the meals or where or when they will be introduced.
