Maya Goldman

What's at stake from GOP megabill's coverage losses The changes in the Senate bill could erase most of the gains from the Affordable Care Act.

The cuts to Medicaid inside the Big Bill don't just damage that program -- they'll be a blow to the whole healthcare system, @maya-goldman.bsky.social reports

"This is taking us catastrophically backward.." one source tells her. www.axios.com/2025/07/01/r...

Breaking: The Trevor Project received a stop-work order last night on its contract with the national 988 suicide prevention hotline. The Trump administration is eliminating the option for LGBTQ callers to the hotline to press 3 and connect with someone who specializes in LGBTQ mental health.

Judge orders Trump admin. to restore hundreds of terminated NIH grants "I've never seen government racial discrimination like this," the judge said.

Judge orders NIH grants terminated on gender, DEI grounds be restored. www.axios.com/local/boston...

The MAHA Report Cites Studies That Don’t Exist The Trump administration’s “Make America Healthy Again” report misinterprets some studies and cites others that don’t exist, according to the listed authors.

Seven of the sources cited in MAHA commission's report do not exist:

“The paper cited is not a real paper that I or my colleagues were involved with," says one researcher.

www.notus.org/health-scien...

He Became the Face of Georgia’s Medicaid Work Requirement. Now He’s Fed Up With It. A 54-year-old mechanic called Pathways to Coverage a “great program” at the governor’s press conference. But after getting kicked off the health insurance program for low-income Georgians twice,…

Car mechanic Luke Seaborn was the de facto face of Georgia Pathways to Coverage, the governor’s health insurance program for impoverished residents.

Then technical glitches and red tape caused him to lose his coverage — twice.

Hi Jake! I'm a health reporter for Axios and I'm working on an article about this potential change. I'd love to chat about how Grad PLUS loans have been helpful to you throughout medical school if you have a moment today. My email is maya.goldman@axios.com. Thanks so much.

100 days of health care upheaval Trump may have downplayed health care during his campaign, but it became a flashpoint after he appointed Robert F. Kennedy Jr.

HHS is on track to have 20,000 fewer employees than it had 100 days ago, when President Trump's term began.

Here's an attempt to capture what that means, and what else the last 100 days have brought for public health and health care: www.axios.com/2025/04/29/t...

Labor Department Official Warns That Staff Who Speak With Journalists Face “Serious Legal Consequences” Secretary of Labor Lori Chavez-DeRemer’s chief of staff issued the warning as department employees have spoken to the news media about harms they see resulting from the dismantling of their agency, wh...

A top official in the Department of Labor this week informed all staff members that they could face criminal charges if they speak to journalists, former employees or others about agency business. Speaking to reporters is not a crime!

NIH Director Dr. Jay Bhattacharya told the Council of Councils advisory group today that the Trump admin proposal to reorganize NIH's 27 centers into 8 "was the beginning of a negotiation," and that he has "no specific plans for reorganization at the moment."

Trying to obtain video replay to post

HHS begins laying off 10,000 employees HHS began laying off 10,000 employees this morning, intensifying fears of lost expertise and political influence in health policy.

The impact of HHS layoffs is starting to take shape. Jennifer Hoenig, who until today ran the National Survey on Drug Use and Health, said her whole team has been cut, leaving the survey's status unclear.

"Without knowing who needs it, we can't help people," she said. www.axios.com/2025/04/01/h...

📣 If you work at HHS and/or have information about the details and impact of the agency reorganization announced today, I'd love to talk to you for an Axios article. I can be reached on Signal at mayagold.57.

Happy to keep you anonymous. Thank you!

HHS drops surgeon general's advisory on gun violence HHS said it took down the information to comply with Trump's executive order on protecting Second Amendment rights.

HHS took down the Biden administration's advisory on gun violence as a public health crisis: www.axios.com/2025/03/18/h...

Trump admin said to be ready to drop Idaho emergency abortion case This would mark a reversal from Biden administration efforts to clarify that federal directives on emergency health care take precedence over state abortion bans.

Trump administration is said to be ready to drop Idaho emergency abortion case. www.axios.com/2025/03/04/t...

1) On Fox News, Marc Siegel says RFK Jr claims he never met Tom Corry, who was serving as HHS assistant secretary for public affairs and just resigned..

Americans with disabilities warn protections are vanishing in Trump's DEI rollback "Disability is a natural part of the human experience," said Katy Neas, chief executive officer of The Arc.

People with disabilities say President Trump's DEI purge is eroding health care, education and legal protections they've only won in recent decades.

What's happening and why it matters: www.axios.com/2025/02/23/t...

Just in: HHS Inspector General Christi Grimm, who was fired along with 7 other IGs by Trump last month, said she found out she was fired while driving. She's been aggressively auditing Medicare Advantage. More than 2,000 investigations now in purgatory. www.documentcloud.org/documents/25...

Thousands of federal health jobs to be cut: reports The Department of Health and Human Services plans to begin shedding thousands of jobs.

If you have any insight into what's unfolding at HHS, now or any time in the future, you can reach me on Signal any time at mayagold.57 or 646-820-5874

www.axios.com/2025/02/14/f...

The Trump administration has cut funding for community-based navigators who help people sign up for the ACA from $98 million to $10 million.

The first Trump administration also cut navigators, with funding restored by the Biden administration.

www.cms.gov/newsroom/pre...

Some of the Trump administration’s dramatic funding and policy shifts are facing major pushback— not from Congress, but from the courts.

@julierovner.bsky.social is joined by @shefali.bsky.social, @jessiehellmann.bsky.social, and @maya-goldman.bsky.social on "What the Health?": bit.ly/41d7eGQ

A federal judge ordered the Trump admin to restore all of the health information it purged over the last couple weeks by midnight last night.
www.politico.com/news/2025/02...

A lot is still missing, like all civil rights violations HHS has investigated and corrected.
www.hhs.gov/civil-rights...

Axios Vitals

Axios Vitals is experiencing some technical difficulties hitting inboxes this morning, but you can read the full newsletter here: axios.com/newsletters/...

And here's my story from this morning on why NYU Langone's Super Bowl ad raised eyebrows 👀: www.axios.com/2025/02/11/h...

Axios Newsletters Sign up for Axios newsletters featuring news, scoops & expert analysis by award-winning journalists like Mike Allen, Dan Primack and Ina Fried.

📭 Our newsletters are stuck in some traffic this morning, but for now you can read them on our site, across national, local and Pro: www.axios.com/newsletters

🧐 Do you peer review submissions for medical journals? I want to hear if/how you're changing your approach to papers that use federal health data following the last two weeks. Send me a message at maya.goldman@axios.com if you have thoughts! #medsky

Hospitals' trans care pause draws backlash, legal threats The fallout shows how the fight over transgender rights is factoring into providers' decisions beyond states that have restrictions on gender-affirming care.

Trump's EO on gender-affirming care doesn't require hospitals to take any immediate action, lawyers say. Still, hospitals are caught between the threat of a federal funding cutoff and possible lawsuits and backlash from patients' families:

www.axios.com/2025/02/04/t...

figure this is as good a time as any to say: I write investigations and deep dives focused on businesses in the digital health sector. please send tips to erinbecca@proton.me or send me a direct message and I'll give you my Signal number. both platforms are encrypted for privacy purposes.

The between-the-lines here: Events like last night feel so extraordinary because they are.

RFK Jr. earned millions from law work, book deals The disclosure offers a picture into his financial holdings and how he might resolve potential conflicts.

RFK Jr. earned millions from law work, book deals, disclosures show. www.axios.com/2025/01/22/r...

👋Hi! As the new admin kicks off, thought I'd reintroduce myself. I'm a health reporter for @axios.com. Always looking to talk:

- Health policy, esp #Medicare, #Medicaid, #ACA, #MAHA
- The business of health
- How people experience the health system

Email: maya.goldman@axios.com. DM for my Signal!

Axios Vitals - 1 big thing: States face hard choices on Medicaid

As Congress debates cuts to Medicaid funding, states are likely to make their own budgetary adjustments this year:
www.axios.com/newsletters/...

these are so good omg