Following President Trump’s busy first few weeks in office, this week’s graphic takes stock of the president’s health policy actions to date. Some of President Trump’s many health-related executive orders have faced legal challenges; there is almost certainly more action to come that would impact providers. So far, Trump has paused all outstanding rulemaking, begun the process of withdrawing the US from the World Health Organization, implemented a thorough external communications pause for health agencies, and withdrawn several Biden-era executive orders related to healthcare. Other attempts to transform the care delivery landscape have met resistance. In some instances, hospitals find themselves in the difficult position of deciding between conflicting federal and state guidelines, risking millions of dollars in research funding or violating state nondiscrimination protections. However, there are multiple healthcare priorities and actions that are still taking shape. Republicans will ultimately need to make significant cuts if they hope to extend the tax cuts from Trump’s first term, making cuts to federal healthcare programs appear imminent. Secretary Kennedy might use his platform to spread vaccine safety skepticism and refocus the department on chronic diseases. On a positive note, the agenda of the new Chairman of the Federal Trade Commission is still developing, but free speech issues appear to be a more important priority than M&A activity at this time. Overall, the current health policy picture presents a combination of threats and opportunities for providers and in most of these cases, patience will be essential.
