Welcome to Thursday! Today's newsletter is 965 words, a 3.5-minute read.

Situational awareness: Medicare is putting some doctor payments on hold indefinitely as the government shutdown drags on, citing the need to renew certain telehealth policies.

• Have a news tip? Reach us on Signal at MayaGold.57, TinaReed.202 or Petersu.98.

Americans who say the U.S. is less healthy under the leadership of President Trump and Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. now outnumber believers 2-to-1, per the latest Axios-Ipsos American Health Index.

The big picture: Skepticism over child vaccine requirements has ticked up since Trump took office in January, while Americans' trust in the CDC, NIH and FDA is declining.

Driving the news: Confusion, suspicion and partisan cues are creating a deep divide between the public and the medical establishment, driven by the Trump administration's proposed changes to childhood vaccination schedules and promotion of an unproven link between Tylenol and autism.

• "It should be easier to make sense of how we live healthy lives — there's agreement across the board on that," said Mallory Newall, Ipsos vice president for U.S. public affairs.
• "There certainly is an erosion of trust, primarily driven by Democrats, but Republicans are not immune."

The intrigue: The Oct. 10-13 survey of 1,125 adults finds about 1 in 5 Americans buy Trump's recent claim about Tylenol and autism, but it also hasn't landed with his base.

• About 1 in 3 Republicans say they believe there's a connection between Tylenol use during pregnancy and autism, while 44% say they aren't sure and 21% say there's no link.
• Survey respondents also expressed initial skepticism about the administration's soon-to-be-launched TrumpRx website, with just 22% saying they'd likely buy prescription drugs that way.

What we're watching: Is this data a blip, or a sign the "Make America Healthy Again" movement may peak or splinter?

By the numbers: Party identification is a huge driver of responses, and there was ambivalence or uncertainty across several measures.

• 19% of respondents said Trump's and Kennedy's policies have made America healthier, down 8 percentage points from our survey in late February.

Keep reading

Americans are comfortable with the use of AI in health care settings — as long as it doesn't replace doctors, per the latest Axios-Ipsos American Health Index.

The big picture: The public acceptance comes as a physician shortage and upheaval in the health system is leading more providers to use AI chatbots and apps to query patients, handle scheduling and even triage cases.

• Despite the increased deployment, public opinion hasn't shifted much since we started asking about the subject early in 2024.

By the numbers: 75% of the public is very or somewhat comfortable with AI scheduling appointments. Smaller majorities also are fine with the bots delivering test results (57%) or doing triage and asking basic health status questions (53%).

• But the public is evenly divided on AI assisting a doctor in making a diagnosis. And just 18% are comfortable with AI making a diagnosis on its own, while more than 8 in 10 aren't.

The public is split on health providers using AI to recommend a treatment plan, with 52% saying they're very or somewhat comfortable and 47% saying they're not.

The Trump administration yesterday continued to call back federal health workers it fired last week, including those behind a national survey that tracks obesity, chronic health ailments and environmental exposures.

Why it matters: Firing those employees could have undercut Kennedy's efforts to overhaul the food supply and address chronic disease prevalence, former staff told Axios before the layoffs were rescinded.

Context: The National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, administered by CDC's National Center for Health Statistics, measures rates of obesity, environmental exposures and other health concerns that the Trump administration has said it wants to prioritize.

• Its data has informed dietary guideline updates and the push to get lead out of paint and gasoline, according to past staff.

HHS confirmed to Axios yesterday that the staffers were told they wouldn't be terminated, but didn't elaborate.

• HHS sent out about 1,760 layoff notices last week when it only intended to fire 982 employees, according to a court filing from the administration.

More here

Tell Congress: Protect Access to 24/7 Care — because when the doors close, it is too late.

More than 300 hospitals are now at risk of closure, threatening access to critical care. We’re here to heal, but we need your help to stay here.

Help protect hospitals.

Fifteen Democratic governors yesterday formed an alliance aimed at providing a counterweight to the Trump administration on public health guidance.

Why it matters: It's the latest move by blue states to respond to deep cuts in public health infrastructure and what those states' leaders see as the politicization of vaccine policy.

• The Governors Public Health Alliance will serve as a "coordinating hub" to address health threats across state lines including disease detection, emergency preparedness and response, and the deployment of experts.

State of play: The alliance covers California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Hawaii, Illinois, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, Oregon, Rhode Island and Washington state, as well as Guam.

• It's the latest move to provide an alternative to agencies like the CDC.
• Last month, some of the same Northeast states formed a compact to address vaccine guidelines. California, Oregon and Washington formed their own agreement.
• The University of Minnesota-led Vaccine Integrity Project has also launched an effort to fill the role previously led by the CDC's Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices.

The Trump administration blamed some of the governors for eroding trust in public health during the pandemic.