Jill Burcum
@jburcum.bsky.social
Minnesota Star Tribune opinion writer on health care. Applying Minnesota mom sensibilities to coverage: don't fib, don't be mean & you better have done your homework. StarTribune.com
It’s unacceptable to expect women in labor to drive farther and farther to deliver. If MN’s nonprofit health systems can’t make maternity care math work without closures and consolidation, #MNleg should step in. GIFT LINK: www.startribune.com/burcum-a-cit...
Burcum: A city of 24,000 but nowhere to deliver a baby
As Faribault joins the list of cities without a birth center, it may be time for the Legislature to get involved, Jill Burcum writes.
www.startribune.com
December 7, 2025 at 3:23 PM
It’s unacceptable to expect women in labor to drive farther and farther to deliver. If MN’s nonprofit health systems can’t make maternity care math work without closures and consolidation, #MNleg should step in. GIFT LINK: www.startribune.com/burcum-a-cit...
Bravo to Minnesota State Sen. Jim Abeler. This letter expresses sentiments that needed to be said by a MN Republican. Water needed to be thrown on the anti-Somali fire before someone gets hurt. We can fight fraud without condemning an entire community. #mnleg
December 6, 2025 at 7:37 PM
Bravo to Minnesota State Sen. Jim Abeler. This letter expresses sentiments that needed to be said by a MN Republican. Water needed to be thrown on the anti-Somali fire before someone gets hurt. We can fight fraud without condemning an entire community. #mnleg
Reposted by Jill Burcum
Starting Jan. 1, traditional Medicare recipients in Washington state will face a new hurdle to get certain procedures covered — private AI companies that get paid based on how many claims they deny.
www.kuow.org/stories/thou...
www.kuow.org/stories/thou...
Thousands of Washington state Medicare users could soon have claims denied by AI
Starting Jan. 1, traditional Medicare recipients in Washington state will face a new hurdle to get certain procedures covered — private AI companies that get paid based on how many claims they deny.
www.kuow.org
December 6, 2025 at 2:59 PM
Starting Jan. 1, traditional Medicare recipients in Washington state will face a new hurdle to get certain procedures covered — private AI companies that get paid based on how many claims they deny.
www.kuow.org/stories/thou...
www.kuow.org/stories/thou...
Reposted by Jill Burcum
Judge to DOJ later this week:
December 6, 2025 at 1:41 PM
Judge to DOJ later this week:
Reposted by Jill Burcum
CDC advisers drop decades-old universal #hepatitis B birth dose recommendation, suggest blood testing after 1 dose
The measures, which passed despite protests from several members, drew swift rebuke from the medical community.
www.cidrap.umn.edu/a...
Photo: James Gathany / CDC
The measures, which passed despite protests from several members, drew swift rebuke from the medical community.
www.cidrap.umn.edu/a...
Photo: James Gathany / CDC
December 5, 2025 at 9:33 PM
CDC advisers drop decades-old universal #hepatitis B birth dose recommendation, suggest blood testing after 1 dose
The measures, which passed despite protests from several members, drew swift rebuke from the medical community.
www.cidrap.umn.edu/a...
Photo: James Gathany / CDC
The measures, which passed despite protests from several members, drew swift rebuke from the medical community.
www.cidrap.umn.edu/a...
Photo: James Gathany / CDC
Reposted by Jill Burcum
Bad framing: ACIP voted to scrap the universal hepatitis B vaccine recommendation for newborns.
Accurate framing: Anti-vax conspiracy theorists appointed to ACIP by Robert Kennedy Jr., who made a fortune as an anti-vax profiteer, voted to expose babies to a preventable, incurable, deadly illness.
Accurate framing: Anti-vax conspiracy theorists appointed to ACIP by Robert Kennedy Jr., who made a fortune as an anti-vax profiteer, voted to expose babies to a preventable, incurable, deadly illness.
December 5, 2025 at 4:12 PM
Bad framing: ACIP voted to scrap the universal hepatitis B vaccine recommendation for newborns.
Accurate framing: Anti-vax conspiracy theorists appointed to ACIP by Robert Kennedy Jr., who made a fortune as an anti-vax profiteer, voted to expose babies to a preventable, incurable, deadly illness.
Accurate framing: Anti-vax conspiracy theorists appointed to ACIP by Robert Kennedy Jr., who made a fortune as an anti-vax profiteer, voted to expose babies to a preventable, incurable, deadly illness.
Reposted by Jill Burcum
Today is a dark day for American science and biomedicine. My comments in @nytimes.com
www.nytimes.com/2025/12/05/h...
www.nytimes.com/2025/12/05/h...
December 5, 2025 at 4:53 PM
Today is a dark day for American science and biomedicine. My comments in @nytimes.com
www.nytimes.com/2025/12/05/h...
www.nytimes.com/2025/12/05/h...
Reposted by Jill Burcum
Sneak peak at a fun (if ambitious) project I'm working on:
There are 38 GOP House members who won by less than 15 points *and* whose districts Trump either lost or won by less than 15 points.
I'm plugging in net #ACA premium hikes for enrollees living in all 38 of their home towns.
There are 38 GOP House members who won by less than 15 points *and* whose districts Trump either lost or won by less than 15 points.
I'm plugging in net #ACA premium hikes for enrollees living in all 38 of their home towns.
December 4, 2025 at 2:57 PM
Sneak peak at a fun (if ambitious) project I'm working on:
There are 38 GOP House members who won by less than 15 points *and* whose districts Trump either lost or won by less than 15 points.
I'm plugging in net #ACA premium hikes for enrollees living in all 38 of their home towns.
There are 38 GOP House members who won by less than 15 points *and* whose districts Trump either lost or won by less than 15 points.
I'm plugging in net #ACA premium hikes for enrollees living in all 38 of their home towns.
American Medical Association weighs in on vote to weaken Hep B vaccination recommendation:
December 5, 2025 at 4:37 PM
American Medical Association weighs in on vote to weaken Hep B vaccination recommendation:
The RFK Jr ACIP is doing real harm and they don’t care. Anti-vax ideology is all that matters.
December 5, 2025 at 3:33 PM
The RFK Jr ACIP is doing real harm and they don’t care. Anti-vax ideology is all that matters.
Reposted by Jill Burcum
🦠What happens when you say you will only protect babies of infected moms, but you are bad at detecting infected moms❓
🚫You miss a lot of babies who needed protection.
This is exactly why in 1991 we went from only vaccinating babies of Hepatitis B positive moms to vaccinating all babies.
🚫You miss a lot of babies who needed protection.
This is exactly why in 1991 we went from only vaccinating babies of Hepatitis B positive moms to vaccinating all babies.
December 4, 2025 at 11:54 PM
🦠What happens when you say you will only protect babies of infected moms, but you are bad at detecting infected moms❓
🚫You miss a lot of babies who needed protection.
This is exactly why in 1991 we went from only vaccinating babies of Hepatitis B positive moms to vaccinating all babies.
🚫You miss a lot of babies who needed protection.
This is exactly why in 1991 we went from only vaccinating babies of Hepatitis B positive moms to vaccinating all babies.
Reposted by Jill Burcum
The impact of the destruction of USAID is so wide-ranging. We got a field report from one of the poorest states in India, where foreign aid funded "TB champions" who educate and assist tuberculosis patients. Without their help, advocates expect a 36% increase in cases & 68% rise in deaths from TB.
Losing India’s Guardian Angels - The American Prospect
USAID funding supported efforts to eradicate tuberculosis in India, one of the country’s deadliest diseases. Now, that money and support is gone.
prospect.org
December 4, 2025 at 1:40 PM
The impact of the destruction of USAID is so wide-ranging. We got a field report from one of the poorest states in India, where foreign aid funded "TB champions" who educate and assist tuberculosis patients. Without their help, advocates expect a 36% increase in cases & 68% rise in deaths from TB.
Reposted by Jill Burcum
Alright, pals: ACIP meeting is beginning.
Here is the link to the livestream:
www.youtube.com/live/LpthhPB...
The updated agenda:
www.cdc.gov/acip/downloa...
And the prebunk from TEC/Your Local Epidemiologist:
open.substack.com/pub/yourloca...
Anticipated votes:
www.cdc.gov/acip/meeting...
Here is the link to the livestream:
www.youtube.com/live/LpthhPB...
The updated agenda:
www.cdc.gov/acip/downloa...
And the prebunk from TEC/Your Local Epidemiologist:
open.substack.com/pub/yourloca...
Anticipated votes:
www.cdc.gov/acip/meeting...
Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) - December 4, 2025 - Day 1 of 2
YouTube video by Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)
www.youtube.com
December 4, 2025 at 1:00 PM
Alright, pals: ACIP meeting is beginning.
Here is the link to the livestream:
www.youtube.com/live/LpthhPB...
The updated agenda:
www.cdc.gov/acip/downloa...
And the prebunk from TEC/Your Local Epidemiologist:
open.substack.com/pub/yourloca...
Anticipated votes:
www.cdc.gov/acip/meeting...
Here is the link to the livestream:
www.youtube.com/live/LpthhPB...
The updated agenda:
www.cdc.gov/acip/downloa...
And the prebunk from TEC/Your Local Epidemiologist:
open.substack.com/pub/yourloca...
Anticipated votes:
www.cdc.gov/acip/meeting...
Reposted by Jill Burcum
To be very clear, Kennedy's team is messing with a vaccine which has led to a 99 percent drop in the incidence of hepatitis B, which kills, early and painfully, 25 percent of the people who get it as children. lnk.thebulwark.com/3Xt957M
RFK’s Anti-Vax Team Readies Its Next Moves
“Their game is, let’s really destabilize trust in the vaccine, and make people really anxious about it.”
lnk.thebulwark.com
December 4, 2025 at 3:00 AM
To be very clear, Kennedy's team is messing with a vaccine which has led to a 99 percent drop in the incidence of hepatitis B, which kills, early and painfully, 25 percent of the people who get it as children. lnk.thebulwark.com/3Xt957M
Reposted by Jill Burcum
December 4, 2025 at 9:11 AM
Reposted by Jill Burcum
Breaking news: A dozen former leaders of the FDA warned that plans for a stricter approach to vaccine approvals risks undermining the nation’s ability to fight infectious diseases and could threaten the health of vulnerable Americans.
A dozen former FDA commissioners condemn plan to tighten vaccine approvals
In a New England Journal of Medicine article, the former FDA commissioners wrote they were “deeply concerned” by the top vaccine regulator’s approach to raising the bar for approvals.
wapo.st
December 3, 2025 at 10:06 PM
Breaking news: A dozen former leaders of the FDA warned that plans for a stricter approach to vaccine approvals risks undermining the nation’s ability to fight infectious diseases and could threaten the health of vulnerable Americans.
Reposted by Jill Burcum
I just want to note how deeply scary it is that we're learning about murdered survivors only because of a Washington Post article. Congress has been asleep at the wheel.
December 3, 2025 at 10:10 PM
I just want to note how deeply scary it is that we're learning about murdered survivors only because of a Washington Post article. Congress has been asleep at the wheel.
Reposted by Jill Burcum
There’s a certain cutthroat elegance in finding and posting Hegseth saying exactly the same thing he’s attacking you for.
Pete Hegseth says he’s going to court-martial me for saying the same exact thing he said 9 years ago. What changed for Pete? Well to start, he spends all day thinking about how he can suck up to Trump. When Trump says jump, he says how high.
December 3, 2025 at 4:51 AM
There’s a certain cutthroat elegance in finding and posting Hegseth saying exactly the same thing he’s attacking you for.
Reposted by Jill Burcum
WAPO EDITORIAL BOARD: “.. This suit confirms that American businesses pay American tariffs. .. And Costco’s suit is one of many that will be filed as the .. businesses robbed by the president seek their just recompense.”
@postopinions.bsky.social $COST
www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/202...
@postopinions.bsky.social $COST
www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/202...
December 2, 2025 at 11:56 PM
WAPO EDITORIAL BOARD: “.. This suit confirms that American businesses pay American tariffs. .. And Costco’s suit is one of many that will be filed as the .. businesses robbed by the president seek their just recompense.”
@postopinions.bsky.social $COST
www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/202...
@postopinions.bsky.social $COST
www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/202...
Reposted by Jill Burcum
Minneapolis Police Chief Brian O'Hara: "The Minneapolis Police Department does not work with federal law enforcement for the purpose of conducting immigration enforcement."
December 2, 2025 at 7:37 PM
Minneapolis Police Chief Brian O'Hara: "The Minneapolis Police Department does not work with federal law enforcement for the purpose of conducting immigration enforcement."
Reposted by Jill Burcum
This will lead to more kids dying of preventable diseases. The only way to justify this is by acknowledging that you don’t mind more kids dying 🤷🏻♂️🤦🏻♂️
Breaking news: Federal vaccine advisers selected by Health Secretary RFK Jr. are planning to vote on ending the practice of vaccinating all newborns for hepatitis B and to examine whether shots are behind the rise of allergies and autoimmune disorders.
RFK Jr.'s vaccine advisers plan biggest change yet to childhood schedule
The new chair of the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices said the panel plans to vote to end universal hepatitis B vaccination at birth and to scrutinize if childhood shots cause allergies.
www.washingtonpost.com
December 2, 2025 at 4:16 PM
This will lead to more kids dying of preventable diseases. The only way to justify this is by acknowledging that you don’t mind more kids dying 🤷🏻♂️🤦🏻♂️
It is the year 2025. Why do people not understand that saying STOP in "reply all" mode to a junk mail sent to thousands, maybe hundreds of thousands, of email addresses makes YOU part of the problem?? Currently ensnared in this particular modern form of stupidity.
December 2, 2025 at 3:37 PM
It is the year 2025. Why do people not understand that saying STOP in "reply all" mode to a junk mail sent to thousands, maybe hundreds of thousands, of email addresses makes YOU part of the problem?? Currently ensnared in this particular modern form of stupidity.
Reposted by Jill Burcum
New review finds no evidence to support delaying universal hepatitis B birth-dose vaccination
Analysis of over 400 studies ahead of ACIP mtg reveals no evidence that delaying the universal hepatitis B vaccine birth dose improves safety or effectiveness
www.cidrap.umn.edu/c...
Analysis of over 400 studies ahead of ACIP mtg reveals no evidence that delaying the universal hepatitis B vaccine birth dose improves safety or effectiveness
www.cidrap.umn.edu/c...
December 2, 2025 at 11:27 AM
New review finds no evidence to support delaying universal hepatitis B birth-dose vaccination
Analysis of over 400 studies ahead of ACIP mtg reveals no evidence that delaying the universal hepatitis B vaccine birth dose improves safety or effectiveness
www.cidrap.umn.edu/c...
Analysis of over 400 studies ahead of ACIP mtg reveals no evidence that delaying the universal hepatitis B vaccine birth dose improves safety or effectiveness
www.cidrap.umn.edu/c...
Reposted by Jill Burcum
A disaster for the U.S. and the world that will have long term ramifications
An important write up from the NYT on the funding changes at the NIH.
www.nytimes.com/interactive/...
www.nytimes.com/interactive/...
The U.S. Is Funding Fewer Grants in Every Area of Science and Medicine (Gift Article)
A quiet policy change means the government is making fewer bets on long-term science.
www.nytimes.com
December 2, 2025 at 11:58 AM
A disaster for the U.S. and the world that will have long term ramifications
Reposted by Jill Burcum
If you don’t remember who the “Front Line COVID Critical Care Alliance” is, they did not work on the front lines but sold millions of dollars of hydroxychloroquine and ivermectin - and merch - at flea markets and online and both of the founding members had their medical board certifications revoked.
This is important! IMA (formerly FLCCC) is now running ACIP. Members of key COVID-disinformation groups are leading multiple branches of the government and advisory bodies. Health disinformation has become the law of the land.
Martin Kulldorff, the chair of ACIP, was just appointed chief science officer for the Office of the Assistant Secretary for Planning and Evaluation (ASPE).
Kirk Milhoan is the new chair of ACIP.
Kirk Milhoan is the new chair of ACIP.
December 1, 2025 at 6:37 PM
If you don’t remember who the “Front Line COVID Critical Care Alliance” is, they did not work on the front lines but sold millions of dollars of hydroxychloroquine and ivermectin - and merch - at flea markets and online and both of the founding members had their medical board certifications revoked.