Unprecedented Layoffs in the US Healthcare System: A Double-Edged Sword
On April 1, 2025, April Fool's Day, a chill with the smell of rust lingered in the morning fog of Washington. In front of the glass curtain wall of the US Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), thousands of employees lined up in a long queue, each holding a cardboard box. The dismissal notice emails shone with a blinding light, slicing open the first wound in the global public health system like a sharp blade.