Maya Goldman

@maya-goldman.bsky.social

Axios health care reporter maya.goldman@axios.com Signal: mayagold.57 or 646-820-5874

haven't posted on here much but in case anyone's out there still, here's some #news: CDC is issuing a sole-source contract to Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute to study associations between vaccines and autism. Other large studies have already shown no association. www.axios.com/2025/09/12/c...

RFK Jr.'s CDC and RPI to study already disproven link between autism and vaccines

Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has continued to promote the possibility of a link between autism and vaccinations.

axios.com

States are increasingly forging their own paths on public health, especially on vaccines. My colleague Katelyn and I keep asking NY's Health Department about their plans. (e.g., Will they ease access to the latest Covid shot?) We can't get a concrete answer, let alone an interview.

BildBild

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.

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.

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,…

propublica.org

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

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...

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.

axios.com

📣 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!

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...

CMS Announcement on Federal Navigator Program Funding | CMS

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) today announced a reduction in funding for the Affordable Care Act (ACA) Navigator program to $10 million. The savings from this reduction will allow...

cms.gov

🧐 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

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...

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.

axios.com

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.