NEWS & VIEWS

June 19, 2025

ACIP Members Dismissed

On Monday, June 9th, the Health and Human Services Department (HHS) Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. dismissed the 17 members of the committee that advises the U.S. government on vaccine safety and policy. The group, known as the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices, or ACIP, reviews the latest data and makes recommendations to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, which typically implements them. The group’s recommendations are influential and determine whether insurers cover vaccines and immunization shots, among other things. Last month, Kennedy unilaterally changed the federal recommendations for Covid vaccines to say the shots would no longer be recommended for healthy children and pregnant women.  

Medicaid Provisions in Senate Reconciliation Text

The U.S. Senate Finance Committee has released their version of the reconciliation bill. This bill does many of the same things the House's One Big Beautiful Bill Act does, with some noted differences. One, the Senate bill only exempts parents with children under 14 from work requirements, where the House exempts parents of dependent children up to age 19. Two, the Senate version limits federal matching payments for Emergency Medicaid for individuals who would otherwise be eligible except for their immigration status. Three, premium tax credits in the Affordable Care Act require pre-enrollment verification of eligibility. See KFF Health's clear, concise tracking chart for all the changes in Medicaid, Medicare, and the Affordable Care Act.

2025 ISHN Conference Highlights

Over 550 school and community health professionals came together last week at the 2025 ISHN Conference. Attendees from across Indiana had access to 32 sessions, 61 exhibitors, and 8 digital posters. The conference kicked off with the Indiana State Health Commissioner, Dr. Lindsay Weaver providing key updates on several statewide initiatives designed to support student health and well-being. Sessions included topics on Medicaid, mental health, trauma-informed schools, policy, and much more. Presentations can be found on the conference webpage.

Check out all of the great photos from the conference here!

Self- Attestation

During the pandemic, some rules and procedures of the Family and Social Services Administration (FSSA) were relaxed. As part of the return to normal operations (unwinding) and SB2 legislation, the rules around self-attestation of eligibility criteria are returning to pre-pandemic levels.  Self-attestation should be submitted only as a last resort when requested documentation is not available. The efforts made to obtain the information must be well documented and provided to the State. Statements should be dated and signed by the person or authorized representative. Seeking documents from an unresponsive former employer is a common issue for navigators and Medicaid members.

Current policies may be updated in response to SEA 2 legislation. Follow this newsletter for updates and see reference 2025.10.05 of the Medicaid Policy Manual found here.

Trans Health

A new national survey focusing on the health of transgender Americans finds a striking health gap. 87% of respondents had health insurance which is 5% lower than the 92% coverage rate for the general population. The survey respondents also had a higher percentage of Medicaid coverage (25% compared to 19% of the general population) reflecting the respondent’s greater poverty level than the general population. Also, 26% reported negative experiences with their health insurance. Respondents with Medicaid had the highest prevalence of hormone therapy denials compared to other insurance types but the denial rate was greatly improved over 2015 (14% in 2022 vs. 29% in 2015).

In current news, the Supreme Court ruled this week to uphold Tennessee's law banning gender-affirming care for minors.

Heart to Heart Conference

Indiana Family to Family offers a free virtual conference for families and professionals to learn and connect in support of children and youth who have various health and mental health needs and disabilities. Learn more about the Heart to Heart conference on September 25^th and register here.

Marketplace Training

The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) announced new microlearning modules are now available. These modules focus on the core components  of the process as well as changes to the online application. 

LGBTQ 101

Cook County Illinois Department of Public Health is offering a free LGBTQ 101 Understanding & Advocacy webinar on June 26, 2025 at 12 noon EST/11 am CST. Topics include:

• Sexual orientation and gender identity
• Understanding pronouns
• Addressing homophobia and transphobia
• Reducing misinformation & Stigma

What Federal Health Agency Cuts Mean for

Tobacco Control

On April 1, 2025, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) budget cuts eliminated the CDC’s Office on Smoking and Health and greatly reduced staffing at the FDA’s Center for Tobacco Products, significantly weakening federal tobacco prevention, cessation, research, and regulatory efforts. As a result, vital public education campaigns like Tips from Former Smokers and The Real Cost face disruption, many state quitline programs have lost funding (e.g., New York laid off 13 workers, North Carolina furloughed nine staff), and data-gathering tools such as the National Youth Tobacco Survey are at risk.

FDA cuts also include leadership layoffs (including CTP Director Brian King), pausing enforcement actions like underage sales checks, and halting reviews of new tobacco products—moves that threaten to allow more untaxed, unregulated tobacco on the market. In response, 20 state attorneys general have sued to restore these agencies, arguing that dismantling public health efforts undermines core federal responsibilities and could reverse decades of tobacco-control progress.

Connect with CKF

Tobacco Prevention & Cessation program on social media!

Calls to Expand the Scope of the CMS TMaH Model to Include Child Health

In a recent Milbank Quarterly, an article explains that the CMS Transforming Maternal Health (TMaH) model is an important first step towards improving maternal and infant mortality but the current scope and funding levels are insufficient. To make a lasting difference, the TMaH model must evolve to support not just maternal health, but also child health, particularly in the critical first two years of life. 

A mother’s health is deeply intertwined with her child’s well-being and addressing one without the other misses a critical opportunity for impact. Expanding the model to include coordinated support for mother-child pairs would align the program with the science of brain development. During this sensitive period, the brain undergoes rapid growth, forming more than a million new neural connections per second, setting a foundation for a child’s future physical, social, cognitive, and emotional development. This approach also would bridge the gap to later programs like universal pre-Kindergarten, which have long been advocated to foster early child development.

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