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health and human services

Seattle Children's Hospital sign

RFK Jr.'s HHS investigates Seattle Children's Hospital over youth gender-affirming care

If the department concludes the hospital violated RFK Jr.'s illegal policy, it could lose its Medicaid and Medicare funding.

Oregon Attorney General Dan Rayfield and HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.

Democratic officials sue RFK Jr. over attempt to limit gender-affirming care for trans youth

The coalition bringing the suit, led by Oregon Attorney General Dan Rayfield, includes 198 AGs and one governor.

Sad young girl in foster care

Massachusetts removes rule requiring foster parents to support LGBTQ+ youth

Massachusetts has removed state rules requiring that foster parents not discriminate against LGBTQ+ youth.

Robert F. Kennedy Jr

Health policy expert to RFK Jr.: You can't ban trans youth care this way

“They are trying to do something that CMS simply isn’t empowered to do,” a former senior Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services official from the Biden administration told The Advocate.

An ACT UP protest in New York City

AIDS activist group ACT UP changed the world. Here's why its work still matters today

The direct action group ACT UP was key to the fight against AIDS at the epidemic's height, and its legacy informs present-day activism.

Former head of the CDC Demetre Daskalakis

What public health experts want you to know about the severe mpox strain appearing in the U.S.

Unlike the version of the virus that spread around the world in 2022, this one has had more severe outcomes.

Robert F Kennedy Jr and his wife Cheryl Hines

Is Cheryl Hines being publicly forced to curb her enthusiasm for RFK Jr.?

Opinion: She needs to ditch her brain-wormed husband, take the money, her integrity, and a one-way flight to a country with functioning health care, writes John Casey.

US Sens Tammy Baldwin Wisconsin Lisa Murkowski Alaska

Tammy Baldwin and Lisa Murkowski file bill to establish LGBTQ+ youth crisis line in law

Their legislation would revive the crisis line the Trump administration shut down.

HHS officials celebrate CDC’s Demetre Daskalakis for standing up for science in blistering resignation

Health officials and experts praise CDC’s Demetre Daskalakis for standing up in blistering resignation

One HHS official called him a "public health martial artist."

RFK Jr

RFK Jr. mulls firing ‘critical’ panel that determines no-cost preventive care services insurers must cover

It comes weeks after the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that the U.S. Preventive Service Task Force, which requires coverage for diabetes, cancer, and mental health screenings as well as access to HIV prevention, or PrEP, was properly appointed.

queer parent and child talking with nurse at homeless shelter

Court blocks Trump admin's anti-LGBTQ+ restrictions on grants for domestic violence and homeless shelters

The order comes in a lawsuit brought by a nationwide coalition of groups serving survivors of domestic and sexual violence, LGBTQ+ youth, and people experiencing homelessness.

coca cola bottles original taste label alongside mcdonalds quarter pounder with cheese on top of fast food box

Coke caves to Donald the Dextrose Dictator. Is McDonald’s next?

Opinion: His latest demand, cane sugar in Coke, may seem petty, but it’s a symptom of something much worse, writes John Casey.

donald trump RFK JR press conference and contraceptives including condoms birth control pills IUD

Health experts warn Trump’s new policies for HHS teen pregnancy program could reverse decades of progress

“What young people want is to talk about decision-making and relationships. They want to know how to take care of themselves,” one expert said. “We can trust young people with information. But only if we treat them with respect.”