Hello from the Common Health Coalition! The 2-4-2 Digest is a weekly snapshot for health leaders that highlights four key things to know and can be read in less than two minutes or with two swipes on your phone.

Webinar today: Measles Communication Strategies: How to Prepare Your Jurisdiction to Respond 2PM ET. Register here!  

Weekly Health Insights

Medicaid:

The GOP-led megabill that passed the House on May 22 is now under Senate review. Some Republicans are seeking deeper spending reductions, while others have raised concerns about proposed Medicaid cuts and new work requirements that could impact coverage for vulnerable populations.

MAHA Report:

Last week, the Make America Health Again (MAHA) Commission released its first report on childhood chronic disease. The report calls for stricter oversight of food additives, environmental exposures, childhood medication use, and vaccine safety. The MAHA report focuses more on individual choices than systemic factors, such as socioeconomic status and access to care.

Drug Pricing:

Piggybacking on the President’s May 12th executive order directing HHS to implement “most-favored-nation” pricing, on May 20th, HHS tied drug pricing targets to the lowest price available in any wealthy peer country.

Vaccine Guidance:

An FDA advisory panel has recommended that updated COVID vaccines for the 2025–26 season target JN.1-related variants, aligning with WHO guidance. The recommendation follows the recent federal policy shift requiring full clinical trials for use in healthy individuals under 65.

Colleague Corner

A recent analysis from Truveta, a health care and analytics company, shows that the percentage of 6-month-old babies in Texas getting their measles vaccination in April increased by more than 30 times the prior year’s average - a finding that resonates with Dr. Katherine Wells, Director of Public Health for Lubbock’s Health Department.

“People are more and more nervous. We’ve vaccinated multiple kids that have never been vaccinated before, some from families that didn’t believe in vaccines.” 

– Dr. Katherine Wells, Director of Lubbock Public Health

Join Dr. Wells and Dr. Olusimbo Ige, Dr. Katelyn Jetelina, Dr. Jesse Hackell, and Dr. Todd Wolynn for a webinar on measles communication strategies TODAY (Tuesday May 27th) at 2PM ET. Register here!  

Datawatch

Medicare At-Risk Populations by Geography

HHS’s emPOWER Map shows Medicare beneficiaries who rely on electricity-dependent medical equipment or in-home health services–critical during outages and disasters. Users can view local data, overlay hazard risks, and download results to support emergency planning.

Explore the emPOWER Map

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Measles reports: To continue following Measles updates, visit our Resources page for the latest from Yale School of Public Health (under Situational Awareness Briefs). 

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