Jessica Pickett
@pickettjessica.bsky.social
Pittsburgh-based health economist in the vaccine industry. Interested in everything; knowledgeable about demand for medical care & politics of service delivery.
Reposted by Jessica Pickett
🔔 When Trump posted a video of budget director Russell Vought as the grim reaper, public health workers recognized a kernel of truth.
My latest piece @kffhealthnews.org couldn't be more important. Art by the incredible @oonazenda.bsky.social
🧵
kffhealthnews.org/news/article...
My latest piece @kffhealthnews.org couldn't be more important. Art by the incredible @oonazenda.bsky.social
🧵
kffhealthnews.org/news/article...
Wielding Obscure Budget Tools, Trump’s ‘Reaper’ Vought Sows Turmoil in Public Health - KFF Health News
Through shrouded bureaucratic maneuvers, White House budget director Russell Vought and DOGE have quietly upended outbreak response, HIV treatment, and dementia care in communities across America.
kffhealthnews.org
November 7, 2025 at 1:37 PM
🔔 When Trump posted a video of budget director Russell Vought as the grim reaper, public health workers recognized a kernel of truth.
My latest piece @kffhealthnews.org couldn't be more important. Art by the incredible @oonazenda.bsky.social
🧵
kffhealthnews.org/news/article...
My latest piece @kffhealthnews.org couldn't be more important. Art by the incredible @oonazenda.bsky.social
🧵
kffhealthnews.org/news/article...
Reposted by Jessica Pickett
NEW: The entire staff supporting ACIP was laid off, and most working groups haven't met in months.
That means the US may not make routine vaccine recommendations for more than half of children in 2026, and it could halt new vaccines in the pipeline. My latest:
www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025...
That means the US may not make routine vaccine recommendations for more than half of children in 2026, and it could halt new vaccines in the pipeline. My latest:
www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025...
Threat to US vaccines as CDC staff supporting key advisory panel laid off
Critics say scientists ‘held hostage’ by RFK Jr as changes mean vaccine development and guidance in peril
www.theguardian.com
October 27, 2025 at 2:20 PM
NEW: The entire staff supporting ACIP was laid off, and most working groups haven't met in months.
That means the US may not make routine vaccine recommendations for more than half of children in 2026, and it could halt new vaccines in the pipeline. My latest:
www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025...
That means the US may not make routine vaccine recommendations for more than half of children in 2026, and it could halt new vaccines in the pipeline. My latest:
www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025...
October 27, 2025 at 1:19 AM
Reposted by Jessica Pickett
"Until we go bankrupt or are fully devoured by one of the three beasts, things are going to be business as usual here. That means doing the job of two and a half employees without complaining."
Don’t Let the Beasts from Revelation Distract You from Your Expense Reports
Thanks for coming in. Have a seat. I realize there’s a lot going on right now between work and the seven-headed dragon that is here to brutally mur...
buff.ly
October 16, 2025 at 6:29 PM
"Until we go bankrupt or are fully devoured by one of the three beasts, things are going to be business as usual here. That means doing the job of two and a half employees without complaining."
Reposted by Jessica Pickett
Reshma Ramachandran “said the sequence of events is the antithesis of how the FDA is supposed to function.
“What we’re seeing here is, ‘We believe this and we’re going to find the evidence to support that’ …That’s just inherently wrong in terms of how a scientific agency like the FDA operates.”
“What we’re seeing here is, ‘We believe this and we’re going to find the evidence to support that’ …That’s just inherently wrong in terms of how a scientific agency like the FDA operates.”
Inside FDA, career staffers describe how political pressure is influencing their work
Current and former FDA staff said the level of involvement of political officials in nitty-gritty regulatory matters is unprecedented.
www.statnews.com
October 14, 2025 at 12:00 PM
Reshma Ramachandran “said the sequence of events is the antithesis of how the FDA is supposed to function.
“What we’re seeing here is, ‘We believe this and we’re going to find the evidence to support that’ …That’s just inherently wrong in terms of how a scientific agency like the FDA operates.”
“What we’re seeing here is, ‘We believe this and we’re going to find the evidence to support that’ …That’s just inherently wrong in terms of how a scientific agency like the FDA operates.”
Reposted by Jessica Pickett
Japan tried this. They suspended MMR in 1993 and used monovalent vaccines.
Result: coverage plummeted, measles and rubella cases shot up, they had multiple measles outbreaks (one with >100k cases), and they then switched back to MMR.
Result: coverage plummeted, measles and rubella cases shot up, they had multiple measles outbreaks (one with >100k cases), and they then switched back to MMR.
September 26, 2025 at 11:48 PM
Japan tried this. They suspended MMR in 1993 and used monovalent vaccines.
Result: coverage plummeted, measles and rubella cases shot up, they had multiple measles outbreaks (one with >100k cases), and they then switched back to MMR.
Result: coverage plummeted, measles and rubella cases shot up, they had multiple measles outbreaks (one with >100k cases), and they then switched back to MMR.
Reposted by Jessica Pickett
This is EXCELLENT.
1) this is spot-on analysis of the problem & a great immediate 1st thing a city can do to improve outcome.
2) as a 2 min clip? He's giving history, hope & change. Speaking to women, to Jewish & Black NYers, saying "abortion." & also naming eugenics in feminism. 100/10 no notes.
1) this is spot-on analysis of the problem & a great immediate 1st thing a city can do to improve outcome.
2) as a 2 min clip? He's giving history, hope & change. Speaking to women, to Jewish & Black NYers, saying "abortion." & also naming eugenics in feminism. 100/10 no notes.
September 26, 2025 at 2:34 PM
This is EXCELLENT.
1) this is spot-on analysis of the problem & a great immediate 1st thing a city can do to improve outcome.
2) as a 2 min clip? He's giving history, hope & change. Speaking to women, to Jewish & Black NYers, saying "abortion." & also naming eugenics in feminism. 100/10 no notes.
1) this is spot-on analysis of the problem & a great immediate 1st thing a city can do to improve outcome.
2) as a 2 min clip? He's giving history, hope & change. Speaking to women, to Jewish & Black NYers, saying "abortion." & also naming eugenics in feminism. 100/10 no notes.
Reposted by Jessica Pickett
KFF: Tracking State Actions on Vaccine Policy and Access
by Jennifer Kates, Clea Bell, Josh Michaud, Elizabeth Williams, and Jennifer Tolbert
bit.ly/4myqENC
by Jennifer Kates, Clea Bell, Josh Michaud, Elizabeth Williams, and Jennifer Tolbert
bit.ly/4myqENC
Tracking State Actions on Vaccine Policy and Access | KFF
With recent federal actions to curtail vaccine access, many states have announced actions intended to maintain broader access. This issue brief provides a snapshot of this rapidly changing landscape, ...
bit.ly
September 25, 2025 at 3:23 PM
KFF: Tracking State Actions on Vaccine Policy and Access
by Jennifer Kates, Clea Bell, Josh Michaud, Elizabeth Williams, and Jennifer Tolbert
bit.ly/4myqENC
by Jennifer Kates, Clea Bell, Josh Michaud, Elizabeth Williams, and Jennifer Tolbert
bit.ly/4myqENC
Reposted by Jessica Pickett
NEW: Approval of an old generic to treat autism symptoms upended the FDA's usual process. Some experts worry that the limits of the drug will get lost in the hype.
www.nytimes.com/2025/09/23/h...
www.nytimes.com/2025/09/23/h...
F.D.A.’s Approval of Drug for Autism Upends Review Process
www.nytimes.com
September 23, 2025 at 8:51 PM
NEW: Approval of an old generic to treat autism symptoms upended the FDA's usual process. Some experts worry that the limits of the drug will get lost in the hype.
www.nytimes.com/2025/09/23/h...
www.nytimes.com/2025/09/23/h...
Reposted by Jessica Pickett
I'm having this surreal realization that standing up for evidence and data has become a politically polarizing position, and I don't know what to do about that.
September 23, 2025 at 9:15 PM
I'm having this surreal realization that standing up for evidence and data has become a politically polarizing position, and I don't know what to do about that.
Reposted by Jessica Pickett
“What has to be said is that given this performance, given the unhinged behavior of Kennedy, given the president’s total lack of knowledge about health and science, & given the sycophantic behavior of his top medical and science officials, one thing is clear: Americans cannot trust their government”
The U.S. government has jumped the public health shark
“The Trump regime sees science as an enemy and public health as only fit for personal anecdotes and conspiracy,” writes Arthur Caplan.
www.statnews.com
September 23, 2025 at 8:21 PM
“What has to be said is that given this performance, given the unhinged behavior of Kennedy, given the president’s total lack of knowledge about health and science, & given the sycophantic behavior of his top medical and science officials, one thing is clear: Americans cannot trust their government”
Reposted by Jessica Pickett
The astronomical new Skill Penalty on US work visas will hobble a core driver of productivity growth in the US economy.
“H-1B visas cause innovation, they cause entrepreneurship, they cause more R&D investment,” I told the @wsj.com
Very nice and balanced piece by @jdlahart.bsky.social —>
“H-1B visas cause innovation, they cause entrepreneurship, they cause more R&D investment,” I told the @wsj.com
Very nice and balanced piece by @jdlahart.bsky.social —>
Will the $100,000 Visa Fee Help U.S. Workers? Economists Aren’t So Sure
Changes to the H-1B system could benefit some U.S. workers. But economists say losing foreign talent could weaken the overall job market—and shift production overseas.
www.wsj.com
September 22, 2025 at 10:29 AM
The astronomical new Skill Penalty on US work visas will hobble a core driver of productivity growth in the US economy.
“H-1B visas cause innovation, they cause entrepreneurship, they cause more R&D investment,” I told the @wsj.com
Very nice and balanced piece by @jdlahart.bsky.social —>
“H-1B visas cause innovation, they cause entrepreneurship, they cause more R&D investment,” I told the @wsj.com
Very nice and balanced piece by @jdlahart.bsky.social —>
Reposted by Jessica Pickett
I sincerely believe the end of Google Reader was when the Internet started to get worse instead of better
i don't want to hear your most boomer complaint. what's your most millennial complaint?
September 20, 2025 at 5:27 AM
I sincerely believe the end of Google Reader was when the Internet started to get worse instead of better
Has anyone in the medical humanities written about the rhetoric of "gold standard" science as an epistemological signifier of mistrust in academic research?
(See also: the original macroeconomic meaning and corresponding opposition to the Federal Reserve.)
(See also: the original macroeconomic meaning and corresponding opposition to the Federal Reserve.)
September 19, 2025 at 1:51 PM
Has anyone in the medical humanities written about the rhetoric of "gold standard" science as an epistemological signifier of mistrust in academic research?
(See also: the original macroeconomic meaning and corresponding opposition to the Federal Reserve.)
(See also: the original macroeconomic meaning and corresponding opposition to the Federal Reserve.)
Reposted by Jessica Pickett
Kennedy & co “are testing the waters, but they’re also accustoming the public both to the idea of fewer vaccines and to the routine of doubting vetted immunizations…Whether vaccine infrastructure disappears by erosion or rapid demolition, the end result will be the same: a nation far less protected”
"[ACIP] made its choice about MMRV at breakneck speed. In advance of meetings, ACIP...work groups...would evaluate the evidence on vaccines... Major decisions would not be made without an assessment of the benefits & risks... All of that has gone out the window."
www.theatlantic.com/health/2025/...
www.theatlantic.com/health/2025/...
Kennedy’s Anti-Vaccine Council Is Going After the Easy Targets
Its members voted to stop recommending a combination vaccine for measles, mumps, rubella, and varicella.
www.theatlantic.com
September 19, 2025 at 2:12 AM
Kennedy & co “are testing the waters, but they’re also accustoming the public both to the idea of fewer vaccines and to the routine of doubting vetted immunizations…Whether vaccine infrastructure disappears by erosion or rapid demolition, the end result will be the same: a nation far less protected”
Reposted by Jessica Pickett
The head of ACIP, the CDC vaccine advisory panel, comes out swinging, in a big way.
Via @matthewherper.bsky.social @chelseacirruzzo.bsky.social
www.statnews.com/2025/09/18/c...
Via @matthewherper.bsky.social @chelseacirruzzo.bsky.social
www.statnews.com/2025/09/18/c...
Federal vaccine adviser says former CDC officials can’t be trusted unless they agree to ‘public debate’
The chair of a key vaccine committee that advises the CDC will strike a confrontational tone at meeting of the panel, according to a copy of his prepared remarks.
www.statnews.com
September 18, 2025 at 1:54 PM
The head of ACIP, the CDC vaccine advisory panel, comes out swinging, in a big way.
Via @matthewherper.bsky.social @chelseacirruzzo.bsky.social
www.statnews.com/2025/09/18/c...
Via @matthewherper.bsky.social @chelseacirruzzo.bsky.social
www.statnews.com/2025/09/18/c...
Reposted by Jessica Pickett
None of the ACIP understand that they just voted to maintain VFC coverage for the MMRV vaccine for kids under 4 (50% of US kids) through one vote—a good thing!—while removing the overall recommendation for any kid to get it (and thus ending ACA coverage requirement for kids with private insurance).
September 18, 2025 at 9:42 PM
None of the ACIP understand that they just voted to maintain VFC coverage for the MMRV vaccine for kids under 4 (50% of US kids) through one vote—a good thing!—while removing the overall recommendation for any kid to get it (and thus ending ACA coverage requirement for kids with private insurance).
It's only 30 minutes into the ACIP meeting and I already want to smash something
September 18, 2025 at 2:31 PM
It's only 30 minutes into the ACIP meeting and I already want to smash something
Reposted by Jessica Pickett
"Health plans will continue to cover all ACIP-recommended immunizations that were recommended as of September 1, 2025, including updated formulations of the COVID-19 and influenza vaccines, with no cost-sharing for patients through the end of 2026."
September 17, 2025 at 3:10 AM
"Health plans will continue to cover all ACIP-recommended immunizations that were recommended as of September 1, 2025, including updated formulations of the COVID-19 and influenza vaccines, with no cost-sharing for patients through the end of 2026."
Reposted by Jessica Pickett
RFK Jr. has the federal vaccine court in his sights. Attacking it could threaten vaccine production in the U.S.
The Vaccine Injury Compensation Program created a special court for vaccine-related injuries. Kennedy has called it “broken” and vows to “fix it.”
www.nbcnews.com/health/healt...
The Vaccine Injury Compensation Program created a special court for vaccine-related injuries. Kennedy has called it “broken” and vows to “fix it.”
www.nbcnews.com/health/healt...
RFK Jr. has the federal vaccine court in his sights. Attacking it could threaten vaccine production in the U.S.
The Vaccine Injury Compensation Program created a special court for vaccine-related injuries. Kennedy has called it “broken” and vows to “fix it.”
www.nbcnews.com
September 15, 2025 at 7:52 PM
RFK Jr. has the federal vaccine court in his sights. Attacking it could threaten vaccine production in the U.S.
The Vaccine Injury Compensation Program created a special court for vaccine-related injuries. Kennedy has called it “broken” and vows to “fix it.”
www.nbcnews.com/health/healt...
The Vaccine Injury Compensation Program created a special court for vaccine-related injuries. Kennedy has called it “broken” and vows to “fix it.”
www.nbcnews.com/health/healt...
Reposted by Jessica Pickett
‘Can we talk about RFK Jr.?’ Inside the chill sweeping vaccine makers wapo.st/3JVbyEz
‘Can we talk about RFK Jr.?’ Inside the chill sweeping vaccine makers
The ascendance of vaccine critic Robert F. Kennedy Jr. as the top health official is creating an environment where promising vaccines are harder to develop, scientists and investors say.
wapo.st
September 14, 2025 at 2:25 PM
‘Can we talk about RFK Jr.?’ Inside the chill sweeping vaccine makers wapo.st/3JVbyEz
Reposted by Jessica Pickett
We work hard at @kff.org to be experts who are communicators, too. It’s why I say “communications is everyone’s job” here.
A great example today in JAMA from @larrylevitt.bsky.social Levitt — storylines for The Pitt.
A great example today in JAMA from @larrylevitt.bsky.social Levitt — storylines for The Pitt.
Potential Storylines From Trump-Era Health Care Cuts
This JAMA Forum discusses the ramifications of the Republican tax and spending law and presents storylines that may be used in the next season of the television show The Pitt to illustrate these healt...
jamanetwork.com
September 11, 2025 at 4:33 PM
We work hard at @kff.org to be experts who are communicators, too. It’s why I say “communications is everyone’s job” here.
A great example today in JAMA from @larrylevitt.bsky.social Levitt — storylines for The Pitt.
A great example today in JAMA from @larrylevitt.bsky.social Levitt — storylines for The Pitt.
Reposted by Jessica Pickett
This is the official spokesperson for the White House, stating that the President hopes to deploy the United States military to occupy every city controlled by the political party that opposes him. Explicitly.
Leavitt: "These are the bad guys that we are picking up in Washington DC every day. The president would love to do this in every Democrat-run city across the country."
September 9, 2025 at 6:16 PM
This is the official spokesperson for the White House, stating that the President hopes to deploy the United States military to occupy every city controlled by the political party that opposes him. Explicitly.
Reposted by Jessica Pickett
Trump seems to distance himself from RFK Jr on vaccines
September 5, 2025 at 9:41 PM
Trump seems to distance himself from RFK Jr on vaccines
Reposted by Jessica Pickett
There are two big legal issues when states try to fill gaps in fed health insurance regulations: (1) the insurance issue is more likely to require new state legislation than the pharmacy issue & (2) states can’t touch two of the biggest types of insurance - “self-insured” employer plans & Medicare
September 5, 2025 at 2:39 PM
There are two big legal issues when states try to fill gaps in fed health insurance regulations: (1) the insurance issue is more likely to require new state legislation than the pharmacy issue & (2) states can’t touch two of the biggest types of insurance - “self-insured” employer plans & Medicare