Click in for more news from The Hill{beacon} Health Care Health Care   The Big Story Texas measles outbreak reaches 400 casesThe measles outbreak in Texas has surged to 400 cases, the state announced Friday, an increase of more than 20 percent since the last update on March 25.  © APNearly all the cases are in unvaccinated individuals or in individuals whose vaccination status is unknown, according to the Texas Department of State Health Services. At least 41 people have been hospitalized so far.    An unvaccinated, but otherwise healthy child, died of measles in February, becoming the first measles fatality in the U.S. in a decade. Just two cases have occurred in people fully vaccinated, according to the data.    Friday’s updates come after the Trump administration abruptly canceled more than $11 billion in COVID-era public health grants, a move that state and local health departments said could harm Texas's measles response.   Departments are already operating on thin margins and need to balance sometimes competing public health priorities. Due to the loss, some health departments are already starting to cancel contracts and lay off workers.   Grants were used for information modernization, as well as to hire people to help with vaccinations, testing and disease tracking. But that work had to stop immediately.    Philip Huang, director of Dallas County Health and Human Services, said grant money was going to be used to help equip a new lab that is being built. The new equipment would have expanded the lab’s testing capacity for COVID-19, as well as other pathogens, like measles.    “This is going to stop work in its tracks that was really important for their communities,” said Adriane Casalotti, chief of government and public affairs at the National Association of County and City Health Officials.    “Work to prevent the spread of infectious diseases in nursing homes, for example, or to be able to track measles cases … the work has to stop, and yet the needs in the community remain,” Casalotti said.     Welcome to The Hill’s Health Care newsletter, we’re Nathaniel Weixel, Joseph Choi and Alejandra O'Connell-Domenech — every week we follow the latest moves on how Washington impacts your health.   Did someone forward you this newsletter? Subscribe here.  Essential Reads How policy will be impacting the health care sector this week and beyond:  Utah becomes first state to ban fluoride in public water supplyUtah has become the first state in the nation to ban the addition of fluoride to public drinking water.  Gov. Spencer Cox (R) signed the legislation with little fanfare Thursday, and it will take effect May 7. The push to ban fluoride comes as Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has expressed skepticism and sometimes outright hostility about water fluoridation, which is considered one of the great …  Full Story   RFK Jr. defends HHS job cuts: ‘We’re not cutting front-line workers’Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. defended the administration’s decision to cut 10,000 jobs at the department on Thursday, confirming that essential employees would remain part of the staff. “We’re not cutting front-line workers, we’re cutting administrators, and we’re consolidating the agency to make it more efficient,” Kennedy said Thursday on NewsNation’s “Cuomo.” In …  Full Story   Trump administration ‘proposing a silly new bureaucracy’: Former HHS secretaryFormer Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Donna Shalala criticized the Trump administration’s efforts to cut back the department she once led, calling it an insult that puts Americans’ health at risk. In an op-ed for Stat News published Thursday, Shalala said the administration was “insulting a generation of patriotic federal workers, proposing a silly new bureaucracy, and appointing …  Full Story   In Other News Branch out with a different read: Vought: 10K HHS layoffs ‘fantastic’Office of Budget Management (OMB) Director Russell Vought shared his support for workforce reductions at the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) while applauding Robert F. Kennedy Jr. for his leadership of the agency. “No, it’s fantastic,” Vought said late Thursday when asked about the layoffs on Fox Business’s “Kudlow.” “I talked with Secretary Kennedy about an hour ago, and he is really excited … Full Story   Around the Nation Local and state headlines on health care:Trump administration slashes New York public health funding (The City)  Lawyers for Houston-area midwife accused of illegal abortions condemn state’s investigation (The Texas Tribune)  Trump clawed back billions in federal health grants. Here’s how much California is losing (Cal Matters)  What We're Reading Health news we've flagged from other outlets: Remedy suggested by Kennedy leaves some measles patients more ill (The New York Times)  HHS emergency response unit given two days to figure out its fate (Stat)  CDC buried a measles forecast that stressed the need for vaccinations (ProPublica)  What Others are Reading  Most read stories on The Hill right now:Vance in Greenland: ‘We do not think military force is ever going to be necessary’ Vice President Vance in a speech from a U.S. base in Greenland said Friday the U.S. is not likely to use military force in President Trump’s pursuit … Read more Trump gets $100M deal with Skadden law firm amid pressure campaign President Trump on Friday announced a deal with the law firm Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom to provide at least $100 million in pro bono … Read more What People Think Opinion related to health submitted to The Hill: MAHA will make groceries unaffordable for many  You're all caught up. See you next week!  Close Thank you for signing up! Subscribe to more newsletters here The latest in politics and policy. Direct to your inbox. Sign up for the Health Care newsletter Subscribe ...read more read less