Healthcare Headlines

On Friday, nine more pharmaceutical companies joined the White House’s Most-Favored-Nation program, voluntarily lowering prices on Americans and promising to invest in U.S. manufacturing in exchange for avoiding President Trump’s planned pharmaceutical-specific tariffs.

The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) is also making healthcare headlines.

Late Thursday, HHS announced a crackdown on transgender medical treatments for minors (puberty blockers, sex-transition surgery), barring any hospital providing the “sex-rejecting procedures” from Medicare or Medicaid programs. The American Academy of Pediatrics said “restrictions to gender-affirming care” are “not grounded in science.”

Meanwhile, HHS Secretary RFK Jr. is expected to announce an overhaul to the childhood vaccine schedule using Denmark as a model. The Danes recommend 11 vaccine doses targeting 10 diseases, while Uncle Sam currently recommends 72 doses targeting 18 diseases; U.S. medical groups have concerns.

Verse to consider whether you’re discussing healthcare or how to best cook a Christmas ham… “Let your speech always be gracious, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how you should answer each person.”
Colossians 4:6 (CSB) (read full passage)