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USA Today
29-03-2025
- Health
- USA Today
'There will be slowdowns': How RFK's health department cuts will affect you
'There will be slowdowns': How RFK's health department cuts will affect you Show Caption Hide Caption 'We're going to consolidate:' JFK on HHS layoffs 10,000 job cuts expected at HHS as part of major restructuring. Fox - 5 NY Federal agencies that influence or fund how Americans get health care face widespread changes under plans by Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. to eliminate 10,000 jobs from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. When combined with earlier buyouts and voluntary departures, the overhaul will eliminate about 1 in 4 federal health agency jobs and save $1.8 billion each year, HHS said. These targeted federal agencies oversee how the nation pays for health care for older Americans and the poor. They also research infectious diseases and public health threats. The overhaul also will bring changes to the agency that scrutinizes the safety of prescription drugs, food and medical devices. Here is how the agencies targeted for cuts impact the health care Americans receive: What do RFK Jr's HHS cuts mean for the FDA? The Food and Drug Administration oversees prescription drug approvals and medical devices in the United States. HHS announced the restructuring will terminate 3,500 full-time FDA employees. The announcement comes one day after the Senate confirmed Johns Hopkins physician Marty Makary as commissioner of the FDA, so it will be Makary's job to maintain agency operations with a leaner staff. HHS said in a news release that the reductions won't affect drug or medical device approvals. Drug companies, medical device makers and other industry organizations pay "user fees" that help the FDA complete timely reviews of new drugs and devices. But impacts on the timing of drug and device approvals may be unavoidable, said JP Leider, director for the Center for Public Health Systems at the University of Minnesota. A federal worker who is technically categorized as clerical or administrative could also be integral to delivering these services, he said. Cutting workers like that could indirectly impact drugs, medical devices and food. Other workers may also have to double their workloads to compensate for cuts, which could slow down overall productivity. 'Getting everybody into the same system means there will be slowdowns,' Leider said. 'That's just part of these changes.' Health news for your family: Sign up for USA TODAY's Keeping it Together newsletter. How will this affect food? The job cuts might hamper the FDA's ability to tackle cutting-edge issues such as the use of artificial intelligence or making the nation's food supply safer and more nutritious, said Peter Pitts, a former FDA associate commissioner. "The announcement sounds more like a ready, fire, aim proposition," said Pitts, co-founder of the Center for Medicine in the Public Interest, a nonprofit research and educational organization. Kennedy has said he wants to focus on the nation's food supply to use nutrition as a way to improve human health, but such an ambitious goal "doesn't require fewer people, it requires more people," Pitts said. HHS officials did not immediately say how the changes will allow Kennedy to carry out goals of making the nation's food supply healthier. Earlier this month, Kennedy launched a database on the FDA's website that allows people to search for chemicals in foods. The agency said it will combine five existing HHS divisions that focus on job safety, preventive medicine, substance abuse, toxic substances and overall health. The new entity, which will be named the Administration for a Healthy America, will coordinate chronic care, disease prevention and health resources for low-income Americans. Divisions will focus on primary care, maternal and child health, mental health, environmental health, HIV/AIDS and workforce. I'm on Medicare or Medicaid. Should I be worried? The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services oversees federal health programs for adults 65 and older, low-income families, people with disabilities and children. The agency will cut about 300 employees, but HHS said the reorganization "will not impact Medicare and Medicaid services." However, Congress plans additional cuts that advocates say could eliminate coverage for some low-income Americans. In February, the House passed a budget resolution that called for $880 billion in savings and spending reductions from programs under the Congressional committee overseeing Medicaid. The Senate has proposed less expensive cuts, but advocates worry about significant changes to Medicaid, the federal-state health insurance program that covers nearly 1 in 5 Americans. Will this jeopardize CDC, NIH research? The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention will cut 2,400 positions. In addition, the Administration for Strategic Preparedness and Response, which currently operates in the U.S. Public Health Service, will move to the CDC. The National Institutes of Health, which funds biomedical research through grants and programs, will eliminate 1,200 jobs. HHS said the cuts will be achieved by streamlining procurement, human resources and communications across its 27 institutes and centers. Leider worries about how these cuts will affect the next generation of scientists. NIH is 'hugely impactful' for research and innovation in both the private and public sector, and without the agency's funding, young people may not be motivated or able to find entry level jobs that could kick off their scientific career, Leider said. 'There's this idea that for decades we have been a world leader in science and without the NIH to keep that pipeline going, it will be really hard for young scientists with bright minds to do that work in the U.S.,' Leider said.
USA Today
07-03-2025
- Health
- USA Today
This college freshman never thought the flu could kill her. Then, she went into sepsis.
This college freshman never thought the flu could kill her. Then, she went into sepsis. Show Caption Hide Caption National flu deaths outpace covid deaths More people are dying from the flu than COVID-19 this year, with seasonal influenza reaching its highest levels in more than 15 years. Fox - Seattle Kaitlyn Covert's cousin died from the flu at age 4 — a few years before Covert was born. Growing up, her family adamantly warned others about the dangers of the flu. Covert, 19, never thought she could face the same fate. She got her flu shot yearly without question. But last October, she postponed. Having moved from Philadelphia to Gainesville, Florida, summer weather extended into early flu season. She was still settling into her freshman year at the University of Florida, and while she always intended to get vaccinated, it "didn't feel urgent." Young people have always been encouraged to protect themselves and their communities from the flu by getting vaccinated, but many don't think they are at risk of severe illness, according to Covert. When she started feeling ill, Covert chalked it up to the 'frat flu,' a term used by college students to describe the common cold that spreads throughout dorms and parties. She was otherwise healthy and had no underlying conditions. 'That's kind of normal in my experience at college,' she says. '(Among) most of my friends, it's very rare for all of us, or any of us, to feel 100%.' But as her symptoms progressed and she navigated her first 'real' sickness away from home, her mom encouraged her to go to urgent care. At the time, Hurricane Milton had just hit Florida's Gulf Coast, leaving the eerily empty campus feeling like a 'ghost town.' Covert tested positive for both strains A and B of the flu, which is rare. She was suffering from the worst headache she'd experienced 'in her life,' her blood pressure was concernedly low, and her heart rate had skyrocketed into the 200s (the average heart rate for ages 18 to 20 is 81.6 bpm). She went into sepsis, a life-threatening condition that occurs when the body's infection-fighting processes turn on itself, causing the organs to work poorly. Her lungs, kidneys, liver and other organs were at risk of damage, and she was sent to the emergency room for immediate treatment. More health & wellness news: Sign up for USA TODAY's Keeping it Together newsletter. Young people are more at risk of dire complications than they may presume. Every major hospital sees healthy children, adolescents and young adults "miserably sick" in the emergency room each year, according to William Schaffner, professor of infectious diseases at the Vanderbilt University Medical Center. "We can't predict if you get sick and you're young and healthy, who's going to be able to endure a relatively mild illness of a few days duration, from someone who that evening or the next day will have to go to the emergency room," he says. "But the virus can do that." The U.S. is facing its worst flu season in over a decade. For the first time since the COVID-19 pandemic began five years ago, flu-related deaths topped COVID-related deaths this winter. Yet, flu vaccination rates among the general population are at their lowest level in three years, according to CDC data. Among children, they're at a six-year low. Covert's near-fatal experience is a reminder of the dangers of the flu, and she hopes her story will encourage others to get their flu shots annually and early. But Robert F. Kennedy Jr.'s recent confirmation as the Secretary of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services has prompted widespread conversations around vaccine safety, and some scientists are concerned for the future of vaccine accessibility. On Feb. 27, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) canceled the meeting of its vaccine advisory committee to select strains for next flu season's vaccine. The cancellation sparked concern among some public health experts. "Canceling a critically important Food and Drug Administration meeting that is vital to the development of effective vaccines for the next flu season is irresponsible, ignores science and shows a lack of concern for the protection of the public from this potentially severe disease," Dr. Tina Tan, president of the Infectious Diseases Society of America, said in a statement. The flu and mental health Before getting the flu, Covert was having a great freshman year experience. She made new friends, attended football games and parties and enjoyed her classes. But everything changed when she got sick, and her mental health rapidly declined. Her GPA dropped for the semester after she performed poorly on an important exam while recovering, but her social life took the biggest hit. "I was randomly crying throughout the day for no reason. I did not want to go out. I did not want to be with anyone," she says. "I was so upset all the time. I just wanted to go home." Research shows that viral infections are increasingly recognized as triggers for depressive disorders. After meeting with a therapist, Covert was told about post-viral depression. "The influenza virus stimulates this inflammatory response, and it can actually get into your brain, influence your hormonal function also and result in periods of fatigue, lack of motivation, mood swings, diminished appetite, difficulty concentrating," Schaffner says. Will RFK Jr.'s appointment impact next season's flu shot? The cancelation of the FDA's vaccine advisory committee meeting is the second disruption to vaccine-related advisory panels since RFK Jr. took the helm at the Department of Health and Human Services earlier this month. The health department postponed a meeting of advisers to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on vaccines last week to allow for more public comment. Schaffner says that while the scientific community is disturbed by this period of uncertainty, FDA staff have reassured scientists and physicians via phone calls and emails that they expect the influenza vaccine to be available this fall at the usual time. An FDA spokesperson said the agency would make its recommendations to manufacturers public in time for updated vaccines to be available for the 2025-26 influenza season. No reason was given for the cancellation. Is it too late to get this season's flu shot? Experts say it's never too late to get your flu shot. 'Any family physician would tell you it is not too late to get your flu shot or your COVID booster this year,' Jen Brull, president of the American Academy of Family Physicians, told USA TODAY in February. 'Flu and COVID exist all year round.' The CDC recommends that everyone ages 6 months and older get a flu vaccine, ideally by the end of October. Appointments for the flu vaccine are still being offered at walk-in clinics like CVS Pharmacy, and peak flu season typically lasts through March but can go as late as May. Once you get your flu shot, it can take up to two weeks to build immunity. You can still get the flu even if you are vaccinated, but Schaffner says the goal is to turn "wild into mild." Flu vaccines protect best against severe illness and hospitalization. Children and young adults, Schaffner adds, have a stronger immune response to the vaccine, making them even more effective in those populations. The 2024-2025 flu shot has an estimated efficiency rate of 32%-60% against influenza and 63-78% against influenza-associated hospitalization among children and adolescents, according to data released by the CDC on Feb. 27. These estimates drop to 36-54% and 41-55%, respectively, among adults ages 18 and older. "It's something that I take more seriously now. I hope that by sharing my story, other people will too," Covert says. "I would never want anyone to feel the way that I felt. I would never want anyone's family to go through what my family went through. It's not worth it when it's so easy to get the shot and it's so effective." Contributing: Mariam Sunny and Michael Erman, Reuters, Karissa Waddick
