Reporter for The Wall Street Journal, covering the intersection of health + D.C. | Signal = JournoLiz.80 | Email = liz.whyte@wsj.com
This week on #WTHealth podcast: @sangerkatz.bsky.social, @alicemiranda.bsky.social, and @lizessleywhyte.bsky.social on new Medicaid work rules, politics and grant funds, and fixing the surprise bill mess. Also, the latest #BOTM. kffhealthnews.org/podcast/what...
Medicaid Work Rules Surprise States - KFF Health NewsAdult Medicaid enrollees with serious health conditions may not be automatically exempt from new work rules, according to a new regulation from the Trump administration. Meanwhile, the administration ...kffhealthnews.org
From court losses to SNL mockery, the Make America Healthy Again movement is having a rough go of it. foodfix.co/a-rough-patc...
A rough patch for MAHA ahead of midterm seasonFrom court losses to SNL mockery, the Make America Healthy Again movement is having a rough go of it.foodfix.co
What happened after the weird Sept 2025 White House press conference on autism? 📉 Tylenol use in the ED dropped >10% among pregnant patients 📈 leucovorin rx jumped 93% among kids 5-17 immediately afterwards new @thelancet.com today with @jeremyfaust.bsky.social www.thelancet.com/journals/lan...
Changes in paracetamol and leucovorin use after a White House briefingChanges in federal prescribing recommendations follow deliberate and transparent processes
involving US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) scientists, which normally include
input from stakeholders an...www.thelancet.com
“It is unclear who Trump will tap to lead the agency on a permanent basis—Dr. Heidi Overton, who helps lead his Domestic Policy Council, already turned down the job, according to people familiar with the matter.”
Liz Essley WhyteInside the turmoil and leadership vacuum at the CDC The Trump administration intends to nominate a permanent director soon One person already turned the job down NEW [gift link] www.wsj.com/health/healt...
via @lizessleywhyte.bsky.social Kennedy successfully petitioned a federal court in 2020 to force the FCC to review its wireless-radiation rules. RFK has also represented plaintiffs who have sued telecom comps, alleging cellphones caused their brain tumors. #Medsky #publichealth
Exclusive | RFK Jr.’s Health Department Quietly Removes Webpages Saying Cellphones Aren’t DangerousThe Department of Health and Human Services undertakes a study on the health effects of cellphones.www.wsj.com
NEW: ProPublica Publishes Unreleased Data on the Origins of Generic Prescription Drugs, by @bxroberts.org
ProPublica Publishes Unreleased Data on the Origins of Generic Prescription DrugsThe dataset powers our Rx Inspector tool, which lets you find the factories that made your generic drugs and their FDA inspection track records.www.propublica.org
RFK Jr persuaded medical associations to back the new dietary guidelines by compromising on saturated fat - a compromise that leaves a big contradiction in the government's advice Illuminating work from @lizessleywhyte.bsky.social
How RFK Jr. Won Over His Skeptics and Overhauled Federal Food GuidelinesMajor medical associations backed his food guidelines, giving him a victory even as some doctors remain critical.www.wsj.com
[I missed this at the time. Ck it out if you want to get caught up quickly.] Video from Sept. 19th after the CDC's vaccine panel met and voted on new guidance for immunization. @lizessleywhyte.bsky.social does a great job summarizing events. And interviews @drdebhoury.bsky.social. 4 minutes long.
Former CDC Leader Says Vaccine Panel’s Decisions Are ‘Concerning’The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s vaccine panel voted on new guidance for immunizations. Debra Houry, the agency’s former chief medical officer, explains her concerns for public health ...www.wsj.com
excellently reported — and deeply revealing — piece by @lizessleywhyte.bsky.social www.wsj.com/health/healt...
RFK Jr.’s Team Wanted to Tout an Autism Therapy. He Went After Tylenol Instead.The heads of key health agencies advocated for putting the emphasis on leucovorin, but Kennedy became convinced that he had a moral duty to get the word out about the risk of acetaminophen.www.wsj.comGift link! RFK Jr., HHS to Link Autism to Tylenol Use in Pregnancy and Folate Deficiencies "Kennedy has promised to reveal the cause of autism. 'By September we will know what has caused the autism epidemic.'" "Critics panned the promise as an impossible timeline" for a valid scientific inquiry.
Exclusive | RFK Jr., HHS to Link Autism to Tylenol Use in Pregnancy and Folate DeficienciesKennedy’s autism report, touted by Trump, will suggest that using the pain reliever during pregnancy may be linked to the developmental disorder.www.wsj.comLiz Essley WhyteNews 🚨: The much-anticipated autism report from RFK Jr.'s HHS will point to Tylenol during pregnancy, folate deficiency, among other possible causes of autism. With @nidhisubs.bsky.social Link👇 www.wsj.com/health/healt...
The Trump administration is blocking funding for a swath of public health programs run by the CDC, the latest flashpoint in a push by the White House to withhold money already approved by Congress www.wsj.com/politics/pol... w @lizessleywhyte.bsky.social
Exclusive | Trump Administration Blocks Funding for CDC Health ProgramsThe White House budget office recently reversed a decision to freeze about $15 billion in research funding for the NIH.www.wsj.com
The Trump administration is blocking funding for public health programs run by the CDC, the latest push by the White House to withhold money already approved by Congress @nidhisubs.bsky.social and @lizessleywhyte.bsky.social report for @wsj.com www.wsj.com/politics/pol...
Exclusive | Trump Administration Blocks Funding for CDC Health ProgramsThe White House budget office recently reversed a decision to freeze about $15 billion in research funding for the NIH.www.wsj.comThe White House has put new limits on NIH awards to scientists, potentially restricting billions in grants www.wsj.com/politics/pol... New with @lizessleywhyte.bsky.social and Ken Thomas
Trump Administration Puts New Chokehold on Billions in Health-Research FundingThe National Institutes of Health can’t award grants to outside researchers under a new White House restriction.www.wsj.comRFK Jr.’s Vaccine Panel Has a New Approach: Question Everything www.wsj.com/health/healt... @lizessleywhyte.bsky.social reports from Atlanta
RFK Jr.’s Vaccine Panel Has a New Approach: Question EverythingImmunizations “are not all good or bad,” says the chair of the overhauled panel.www.wsj.comTrump Administration Weighs Eliminating Funds for Hospitals Offering Gender Care to Minors www.wsj.com/health/healt... @lizessleywhyte.bsky.social reports
Exclusive | Trump Administration Weighs Eliminating Funds for Hospitals Offering Gender Care to MinorsDr. Mehmet Oz, a top federal health official, leads the administration’s efforts to crack down on the treatments for young people.www.wsj.comRobert F. Kennedy Jr.’s new picks for a key vaccine panel include vocal skeptics of immunizations www.wsj.com/health/healt... @lizessleywhyte.bsky.social and Dominique Mosbergen report
RFK Jr. Names Eight Vaccine Panel Replacements, Including Covid-Shot SkepticsThe new composition of the influential advisory committee comes days after the health secretary dismissed the panel’s 17 previous members,www.wsj.com