Health Care
|
Health Care
|
|
|
|
Infectious disease physicians sound alarm on Kenya plan |
Several prominent infectious disease physicians wrote an open letter to Congress raising concerns about the Trump administration’s plan to send Americans with potential Ebola exposure to a facility in Kenya instead of the U.S.
|
Leaders of the effort include the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s former chief medical officer Debra Houry, its former principal deputy director Anne Schuchat, as well as a pair of physicians with experience treating Ebola patients.
“Americans who volunteer to serve on the frontlines of outbreaks should not have to wonder whether they will be able to return home if they become ill,” the letter stated.
The Trump administration has been reluctant to bring back any American citizen who was infected or exposed to Ebola.
The authors noted that following the 2014–2016 West Africa Ebola epidemic, “substantial taxpayer investments were made to establish and sustain a world-class network of biocontainment and high-consequence infectious disease treatment centers."
Those facilities were specifically designed for situations like an Ebola outbreak and include highly trained teams, specialized transport systems, advanced laboratory capabilities, and critical care expertise.
“These capabilities cannot be recreated in a matter of days or weeks through the rapid establishment of an overseas facility,” the authors wrote.
The plans to open a 50-bed facility on a Kenya Air Force base were temporarily interrupted when a Kenyan high court on May 29 blocked further construction and barred medical operations at the facility while a lawsuit objecting to the plan is pending.
The high court on Tuesday extended the pause.
The U.S. Embassy in Kenya said in a statement Tuesday it was "actively working with the Kenyan government to resolve any objections and communicate our shared objectives to the Kenyan people.”
The U.S. had a long-standing partnership with Kenya on health matters, and the joint response to the current Ebola outbreak “is a natural extension of our longstanding cooperation,” the embassy said.
U.S. officials said the goal is to stop the outbreak at its source and prevent Ebola from reaching Kenya or the United States.
|
Welcome to The Hill’s Health Care newsletter, we’re Nathaniel Weixel and Joseph Choi — every week we follow the latest moves on how Washington impacts your health.
|
|
|
|
The Hill Insider is coming
|
A new all-access digital subscription from The Hill — launching July 2026. Join the waitlist to be among the first inside
|
|
|
|
How policy will be impacting the health care sector this week and beyond:
|
|
|
|
An influential conservative think tank contends that a quarter of all ObamaCare exchange enrollments were improper, adding more fuel to claims from the Trump administration and GOP lawmakers that the exchanges are rife with fraud. The Paragon Health Institute’s report found more than 6 million people were improperly enrolled in the health law’s exchanges …
|
|
|
|
|
A new rule explaining how states need to implement Medicaid work requirements may make it much harder for low-income sick people to maintain health coverage next year. The long-anticipated rule issued Monday is meant to guide 42 states and the District of Columbia in carrying out the work rules implemented by the One Big Beautiful Bill Act. GOP lawmakers and administration officials have described …
|
|
|
|
|
The United States may resume funding for a global humanitarian vaccine alliance, reversing a decision by Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. to hold up the money because of vaccine concerns, Secretary of State Marco Rubio indicated Tuesday. Rubio told members of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee that the State Department was wresting back control of the U.S. relationship with Gavi, an organization that distributes …
|
|
|
|
|
Tell Congress to Protect Affordable Health Care. |
Congress is trying to permanently “defund” Planned Parenthood and block patients from using Medicaid for cancer screenings, wellness exams and more. Tell Congress to protect affordable care! Learn more
|
|
|
Branch out with a different read from The Hill:
|
Half a dozen states concluded voting on Tuesday in primary races that could determine control of Congress this fall, with the marquee primaries for California governor and Los Angeles mayor still up in the air ...
|
|
|
|
Local and state headlines on health care:
|
- Michigan found a way to reduce school vaccine waivers. Until it backfired (KFF Health News)
- As Trump admin sues states over federal agent mask bans, Northwest remains on sidelines (Oregon Capital Chronicle)
- VA clinical trial on psychedelic-assisted therapy gives Missouri lawmakers hope (Missouri Independent)
|
|
|
|
Health news we’ve flagged from other outlets:
|
- NIH cuts weakened network primed to respond to outbreaks like Ebola (Stat)
- The autism-therapy business is booming—and so is the billing abuse (Wall Street Journal)
- A small group of ‘superdodgers’ insist they’ve never had COVID. Here’s why they may be wrong (Boston Globe)
|
|
|
|
Opinions related to health submitted to The Hill:
|
|
|
|
|
You’re all caught up. See you tomorrow!
|
400 N Capitol Street NW Suite 650, Washington, DC 20001
|
Copyright © 1998 - 2026 Nexstar Media Inc. | All Rights Reserved.
|
|
|
|
|
If you believe this has been sent to you in error, please safely unsubscribe.
No comments:
Post a Comment