Trump Policies Linked to Increased Lung Disease Rates, Study Finds

Policies enacted during Donald Trump’s second term are likely to drive soaring rates of lung disease and premature death, according to a new study by pulmonary specialists and public health experts. The analysis, published in the American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine, examines policies across ten areas, including healthcare access, environmental regulation, workplace protections, and vaccine uptake.

Healthcare Access and Funding Cuts

One of the most significant concerns highlighted in the report centers on healthcare cuts included in Trump’s second-term tax and spending package, known as the One Big Attractive Bill Act (OBBBA). This act slashed over $1 trillion from health programs, representing the largest federal healthcare rollbacks in American history. These cuts could jeopardize access to care for millions who rely on Medicaid, potentially lowering vaccination rates for respiratory illnesses, diminishing emergency treatments, and decreasing access to essential medications.

Adam Gaffney, a pulmonary physician and professor at Harvard Medical School who led the report, explained the potential consequences: “Let’s say you have a patient with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease who loses coverage, stops going to their primary care physician, stops seeing a pulmonologist, no longer has someone to prescribe their inhalers. The simple fact is that modern medicine saves lives, and when you take it away, it does harm.”

White House spokesperson Kush Desai stated that the Trump administration is not jeopardizing healthcare access for anyone, and that the OBBBA included “commonsense work requirements, eligibility verification, and other reforms to slash waste, fraud, and abuse in Medicaid, which will strengthen the program for the Americans who rely on this vital lifeline.”

Environmental Rollbacks and Air Pollution

The study also points to the rollback of dozens of air pollution standards during the Trump administration, including those limiting soot, airborne mercury, and tailpipe emissions. These actions, while potentially benefiting some companies, are predicted to lead to new asthma cases and more hospitalizations for respiratory illness, threatening the lung health of hundreds of thousands.

Mary B Rice, director of the Center for Climate, Health and the Global Environment at Harvard and a study co-author, wrote, “At every turn, this administration is putting the potential economic gains of polluters ahead of clean air and the respiratory health of Americans.”

the administration delayed clean energy projects, extended the operation of fossil fuel power plants beyond their planned retirement dates, and sought to remove California’s authority to mandate electric vehicle sales – all actions expected to worsen air pollution and have potentially “irreversible” effects on lung health.

Other Contributing Factors

The report highlights additional risks, including delayed workplace protections for coal miners exposed to silica dust, cuts to public health funding at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and Food and Drug Administration, and declining vaccine uptake under health secretary Robert F Kennedy Jr. These risks are expected to compound, particularly for individuals facing multiple vulnerabilities.

For example, a patient with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease may experience increased soot exposure due to weakened emissions standards while simultaneously losing healthcare coverage. If they smoke, they may also lose access to tobacco cessation programs due to slashed CDC funding. Combined with potential misinformation, they may also forgo vaccines for Covid and influenza, increasing their vulnerability.

Disproportionate Impact on Vulnerable Populations

While lung disease affects people across all socioeconomic levels, certain populations are expected to suffer disproportionately due to specific policy choices. Occupational health rollbacks will likely impact coal miners in red states most severely, while other effects may disproportionately affect Black communities, who experience higher rates of asthma.

“We have a very unequal society in many respects, and we realize lung disease hurts working class people and poor people the most of all races,” Gaffney said.

Call for Action

Liz Scott, a senior director at the American Lung Association, emphasized that “Recent federal actions will cost Americans dearly. The study highlights the stark impacts these federal actions will have on the health of all Americans, especially children and others most vulnerable in our communities.”

Gaffney advocates for broader systemic change, stating, “The array of harmful policies we are seeing is unprecedented. We need to do more than turn them back. We need to actually pursue positive policies that will ensure the health of all Americans.”