Health News that Trump Doesn't Want You To Know

[KaraBulut]

U.S. Measles Cases in 2025 as of 3-Dec-2025

Total cases: 1,828 up from 1,798

Age

• Under 5 years: 480 (26%)
• 5-19 years: 735 (40%)
• 20+ years: 601 (33%)
• Age unknown: 12 (1%)

Vaccination Status

• Unvaccinated or Unknown: 92%
• One MMR dose: 4%
• Two MMR doses: 4%

U.S. Hospitalizations in 2025: 12% of cases hospitalized (214 of 1,828) - up from 212 last week


Percent of Age Group Hospitalized

• Under 5 years: 21% (101 of 480)
• 5-19 years: 6% (46 of 735)
• 20+ years: 11% (67 of 601)
• Age unknown: 0% (0 of 12)

U.S. Deaths in 2025: 3

 

[rareboy]

Once again, hold our Molsons Canadian.

Thanks to the antivax nonsense and remote populations in Comnservative provinces...we have about 5000 cases now.

Measles and Rubella Weekly Monitoring Report — Canada.ca

Weekly surveillance reports and monitoring maps for measles and rubella. Data are updated every Monday.

health-infobase.canada.ca

 

[KaraBulut]

It's not often that Congress does something helpful for healthcare, especially without Nancy Pelosi in charge.

The House passed H.R.4313 - Hospital Inpatient Services Modernization Act.

During the pandemic, hospitals were overwhelmed with really sick patients. Then staff started getting sick and there weren't enough workers to deal with patients. To get around this, Congress passed emergency legislation to allow Medicare to pay for inpatient services to patients who were at home on monitoring equipment. This allowed quicker discharges of patients who had COVID-19 but weren't sick enough to be admitted. It also protected "well" patients from getting COVID-19 while in the hospital by providing acute-level services at the patient's or caregiver's home.

It's worked out very well for a narrow group of patients who aren't sick enough to be in a hospital room but still need closer monitoring that a home health company can provide.

Unfortunately, the Big Beautiful Bastard Bill accidentally canceled the previous legislation, which left hundreds of home patients without Medicare coverage. The HISMA restores hospital-at-home reimbursement.

It passed the House in a nearly unanimous bipartisan vote.

https://www.congress.gov/bill/119th-congress/house-bill/4313/text

 

[KaraBulut]

I started to put this in the deplorables thread but it's such an inside-baseball story that it probably is better in the health thread.

The MAGA Attorney General of Texas filed an incredibly stupid lawsuit today, even by Texas standards.

There's a very large electronic health record (EHR) vendor called Epic Systems. It's based out of Madison, Wisconsin and it's owned by a rather liberal woman who started the company in her garage in 1979. She's grown the company into the largest EHR vendor in the world and she's now one of the wealthiest women in the world. But it's a company that sells software to hospitals. It doesn't actually manage the health records, it's customers manage the records.

Of note- most of the State of Texas owned hospitals and clinics use Epic. Almost every county hospital and clinic system in Texas use Epic.

Ken Paxton feels Epic is too woke and is breaking Texas law by allowing children older than 12 years old to prevent their parents from seeing certain sensitive test results, like a pregnancy test or an STD test. Again, Epic doesn't actually manage the software, they just write the software. It's like if the State of Texas sued Microsoft because someone created a Powerpoint presentation that had a picture of a trans person in the wrong bathroom.

There's some of the crazy shit in this lawsuit:

https://www.wpr.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/12/Texas-Epic-suit.pdf

It's filed in a Texas State Court. The first thing that Epic will likely do it is either get it dismissed or have it moved to a Wisconsin Court or to Federal Court.

Texas sues Wisconsin-based Epic Systems, accusing it of running a monopoly

The state of Texas in a new lawsuit claims Verona-based Epic Systems is running an illegal monopoly and restricting parents’ access to their children’s medical records.

www.wpr.org

“We will not allow woke corporations to undermine the sacred rights of parents to protect and oversee their kids’ medical well-being,” Paxton said in a statement announcing the Epic litigation. “This lawsuit aims to ensure that Texans can readily obtain access to these records and benefit from the lower costs and innovation that come from a truly competitive electronic health records market.”

Before MAGA and Trump, we would have never seen a statement coming from a State Attorney General. Of course, we would have also never seen a criminal philandering crook like Ken Paxton in an Attorney General's office... or running to be the US Senator from Texas.

 

[rareboy]

We also have EPIC and I supect that while Texas may be able to force some changes in the system, EPIC is now too big to take down or compete with.

On the other hand, this is the state with the detached electrical system....

 

[KaraBulut]

We also have EPIC and I supect that while Texas may be able to force some changes in the system, EPIC is now too big to take down or compete with.

On the other hand, this is the state with the detached electrical system....

Epic is litigious.

They won a billion dollar judgment against a consulting company that shared copies of their customer documentation.

They fought one of their employees who wanted to be paid for his overtime and got a SCOTUS decision that killed everyone's ability to negotiate as a class action in forced arbitration.

Epic also loves to get venue changes so that they get a liberal jury in Dane County, Wisconsin, home of the University of Wisconsin and home to most of Epic's 13,000 employees.

I read through the filing last night. A lot of what Texas has in the filing is an indictment of Epic's business practices. But honestly, it's the stuff that Biden's FTC should have gone after Epic about. It makes no sense that business-friendly Texas would go after a software vendor for non-compete agreements and arbitration requirements. And stuck in the middle of all of the business practices arcane detail is the stuff about parental rights? There's another agenda behind all of this and I don't think we know what it is quite yet.

Paxton has a bunch of evangelical volcels who graduated from Liberty University School of Law. A lot of the good attorneys were either run off by Paxton or they bailed after their boss' messy love life and public corruption was aired out in the impeachment trial in the Texas Legislature. Epic will happily spend millions to win and to make Texas look like dumbfucks.

 

[KaraBulut]

U.S. Measles Cases in 2025 as of 9-Dec-2025

Total cases: 1,912 (up from 1,828 last week)

Age

• Under 5 years: 500 (26%)
• 5-19 years: 786 (41%)
• 20+ years: 613 (32%)
• Age unknown: 13 (1%)

Vaccination Status

• Unvaccinated or Unknown: 92%
• One MMR dose: 3%
• Two MMR doses: 4%

U.S. Hospitalizations in 2025: 11% of cases hospitalized (218 of 1,912) - up from 214 last week

Percent of Age Group Hospitalized

• Under 5 years: 21% (103 of 500)
• 5-19 years: 6% (47 of 786)
• 20+ years: 11% (68 of 613)
• Age unknown: 0% (0 of 13)

U.S. Deaths in 2025: 3

Twenty-five years ago, the US considered measles to be eradicated. Because of the high vaccination rates at the beginning of the 21 century, the US had over 12 months without a measles outbreak, which is the criteria that public health experts consider the criteria for eradication.

Thanks to anti-vaxxers like RFK Jr, fundamentalists (including ultra-orthodox Jews) and Donald Trump, the US now has to worry about childhood diseases that a prior generation of Americans did not have to worry about. This is not making America Great.

https://thehill.com/policy/healthcare/5647002-measles-status-outbreaks-kennedy/

Measles outbreaks are spreading across the U.S., and the nation is likely to lose its status as a country where the disease is eliminated, something that infectious disease specialists say is directly related to President Trump’s appointment of Robert F. Kennedy Jr. as secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS).

South Carolina this week quarantined at least 254 people after confirming more than two dozen measles cases in the state. It’s the latest in what has been the worst year for measles in the U.S. in recent history.

 

[KaraBulut]

We are being held hostage by an anti-science group of extremists.

https://www.cnn.com/2025/12/12/health/fda-black-box-warning-covid-vaccine

The US Food and Drug Administration intends to put a “black box” warning on Covid-19 vaccines, according to two people familiar with the agency’s plans, the latest move by President Donald Trump’s health officials to undermine a vaccine that was a standout victory of his first term. The plan shocked outside experts, who said there was no basis for the warning...

The plan to install the warnings for Covid-19 vaccines is being orchestrated by Dr. Vinay Prasad, the FDA’s chief medical and scientific officer and director of the agency’s Center for Biologics Evaluation and Research, according to one person, who declined to be named because they weren’t authorized to share the information publicly.

Until the anti-vaxxers took over our Federal health system, the COVID vaccines and Project Warp Speed were something that Trump used to brag about. Now, Trump is silent while these anti-vax extremists tamper with our healthcare.

https://www.pulmonologyadvisor.com/news/fda-looks-into-reports-of-deaths-after-covid-19-vaccination/

 

[KaraBulut]

A discharge petition passed the US House that requires a vote on extending Obamacare subsidies that would help lower monthly insurance premium payments for millions of Americans.

Did they vote on it? Of course not. Speaker Mike Johnson scheduled the vote for after Congress' holiday break, so it will not get a vote until after the increases go into effect on 1-Jan-2026.

The House did pass another bill, though.

https://www.cnn.com/2025/12/17/politics/house-bill-criminalizing-gender-affirming-care-minors

House passes bill criminalizing gender-affirming care for minors

The House on Wednesday voted to pass a bill that could imprison health care providers for providing gender-affirming care for minors.

The bill — titled the “Protect Children’s Innocence Act” and sponsored by Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene of Georgia — would make it a class C felony to treat minors with gender-affirming care like surgeries and puberty blockers. If enacted, the bill could imprison doctors who provide such care for up to ten years...

The House vote was 216-211. Three Democrats supported the measure, while four Republicans were opposed.

A second bill, sponsored by GOP Rep. Dan Crenshaw of Texas, prohibits federal Medicaid funding for “gender transition procedures for minors.” The House is expected to vote on that bill on Thursday.

The bill passed because three Democrats voted for it. The three Democrats that voted "Yea" are:

Henry Cuellar [D-TX]

Don Davis [D-NC]

Vicente Gonzalez [D-TX]

 

[Araucaria]

A discharge petition passed the US House that requires a vote on extending Obamacare subsidies that would help lower monthly insurance premium payments for millions of Americans.

Did they vote on it? Of course not. Speaker Mike Johnson scheduled the vote for after Congress' holiday break, so it will not get a vote until after the increases go into effect on 1-Jan-2026.

The House did pass another bill, though.

https://www.cnn.com/2025/12/17/politics/house-bill-criminalizing-gender-affirming-care-minors

The bill passed because three Democrats voted for it. The three Democrats that voted "Yea" are:

Henry Cuellar [R-TX]

Don Davis [R-NC]

Vicente Gonzalez [R-TX]

This post might cause some confusion. You say that these are the three Democrats who voted for it, and then you have R's by their names in their pictures.

 

[rareboy]

 

[KaraBulut]

This post might cause some confusion. You say that these are the three Democrats who voted for it, and then you have R's by their names in their pictures.

Thanks for catching that. It's probably a Freudian slip- they might as well be Republicans- but more than anything, I shouldn't compose complicated posts before I've had my morning coffee.

 

[KaraBulut]

It's so unreal that the guy who talked about felching a young female reporter who was not his [third] wife gets to arbitrarily decide who gets grants based upon whether he likes their speech or not.

When are they going to impeach and remove this brainworm-addled excuse for a politician?

HHS cuts millions in grants to the American Academy of Pediatrics

The move is an escalation in the agency’s clash with the medical group, which is suing Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. over vaccine policy.

www.nbcnews.com

 

[Norri]

Thanks for catching that. It's probably a Freudian slip- they might as well be Republicans- but more than anything, I shouldn't compose complicated posts before I've had my morning coffee.

You think voting for that bill means those representatives are no longer democrats?
I like politicians who don’t march in lockstep, which is why I dislike most republicans, and if blindly following party leaders is the job of a rep then what exactly is the value of people voting when the only votes that matter are in districts where leadership is on the ballot.
Democrats like to talk about the danger to democracy from Trump and his party and they are not wrong but once you get to congress you should forget those who voted for you ( in this case because of their gender views don’t coincide with the views of the Democratic Party) and fall in line.

I prefer the republican reps who now have twice have stood up to Speaker Johnson and made Him fall in line, those are real reps who are doing their job for their constituents and not worrying about moving up the leadership ladder.

 

[KaraBulut]

You think voting for that bill means those representatives are no longer democrats?

There's always a paper trail...

Henry Cuellar faces scant opposition in Democratic primary

Days out from the filing deadline, Cuellar has yet to draw a serious primary challenger — a sign that many in his party view the anti-abortion congressman as their best bet to stave off the GOP in November.

www.texastribune.org

In 2022, U.S. Rep. Henry Cuellar narrowly defeated a progressive challenger after the FBI raided his home and office weeks before the primary election. Nearly four years later, things are looking up for the Laredo Democrat in Texas’ 28th Congressional District.

Ahead of his bid for a 12th term, Cuellar has no strong primary challengers, and his trial was pushed until after the primary. Then in a shocking move Wednesday, President Donald Trump pardoned Cuellar, marking an end to the congressman’s legal battle....

Cuellar and his wife were set to stand trial for a dozen charges of bribery, money laundering and conspiracy. Despite the legal cloud and Cuellar’s frequent defections from his party, many Democrats saw the durable congressman as the only candidate who could withstand a Republican challenger in his district, which President Donald Trump won by 7 percentage points in 2024.

I'm just waiting for Cuellar to show up in the Epstein files or get busted for having sex with a minor.

 

[Norri]

There's always a paper trail...

Henry Cuellar faces scant opposition in Democratic primary

Days out from the filing deadline, Cuellar has yet to draw a serious primary challenger — a sign that many in his party view the anti-abortion congressman as their best bet to stave off the GOP in November.

www.texastribune.org

I'm just waiting for Cuellar to show up in the Epstein files or get busted for having sex with a minor.

According to the article you linked he has party support because the party believes he is the only democrat who can keep the seat out of republican hands so do you want to kick him out of the party or do you want him to keep his seat away from the republicans?

Ideological purity is bad politics and Cuellar was the low hanging fruit of those four who voted with the republicans as I assume the other three managed to stay on the right side of the law.

A very good question is why did Trump, who demands gerrymandering from republican state legislatures to maintain his very narrow majority, pardon a democrat who is the only candidate who can keep the seat out of republican hands?

 

[KaraBulut]

According to the article you linked he has party support because the party believes he is the only democrat who can keep the seat out of republican hands so do you want to kick him out of the party or do you want him to keep his seat away from the republicans?

Read the article again. He's playing the Joe Manchin game- threatening to switch parties. He also plays the Manchin game of horse-trading for his district- he voted for the ACA and he voted for the infrastructure bill but he got money for some pork project in his district.

He's 70. They're just waiting for mother nature at this point. He can't get a pardon from the grim reaper.

I have no horse in the Democrat vs Republican horse race when it comes to corruption. If they are criminals, they need to get out of politics and possibly, end up in prison.

 

[rareboy]

According to the article you linked he has party support because the party believes he is the only democrat who can keep the seat out of republican hands so do you want to kick him out of the party or do you want him to keep his seat away from the republicans?

Ideological purity is bad politics and Cuellar was the low hanging fruit of those four who voted with the republicans as I assume the other three managed to stay on the right side of the law.

A very good question is why did Trump, who demands gerrymandering from republican state legislatures to maintain his very narrow majority, pardon a democrat who is the only candidate who can keep the seat out of republican hands?

But isn't this the problem with the Dems though. Over and over again. In order to keep one seat at any cost, they will allow this Manchin/Sinema DINO nonsense with the end result that they have renegade grifters willing to sell out Dem voters all across the country in order to vote the way their owners tell them to.

The moment that Cuellar threatens to cross the aisle, the better move would have been to call him out on it and tell him to go be the Republican he wants to be.

That likely would have been the end of his career.

 

[Norri]

But isn't this the problem with the Dems though. Over and over again. In order to keep one seat at any cost, they will allow this Manchin/Sinema DINO nonsense with the end result that they have renegade grifters willing to sell out Dem voters all across the country in order to vote the way their owners tell them to.

The moment that Cuellar threatens to cross the aisle, the better move would have been to call him out on it and tell him to go be the Republican he wants to be.

That likely would have been the end of his career.

We live in a time of narrow House majorities and when every seat counts you have to swallow more crap than when you have larger majorities a fact the last two republican speakers will attest to. Let’s remember the job of the Democratic Party is to establish majorities for its members it is not their job to play ideological police as this is not a parliamentary body. If you want to be in the majority and pursue some, if not all, the issues you hold dear then you put up with it simple as that because the alternative is to be in the minority and get nothing done.

And on your point of “renegade grifters willing to sell out Dem voters all across the country in order to vote the way their owners tell them to” their obligation is to the democratic voters who put them in office not to democratic voters countrywide and if those are the ‘owners’ you are referring to what’s wrong with that it is the American political system. I doubt there is anyone currently serving in congress who would put the parties interest over the interests of their constituents and no party would ever ask them to because they get it winning beats losing and you have to be in the majority to win.

 

[KaraBulut]

We live in a time of narrow House majorities and when every seat counts you have to swallow more crap than when you have larger majorities a fact the last two republican speakers will attest to.

Or you can just run better candidates.