Here in the U.S., post-pandemic fatigue, political distrust, and institutional missteps have led to serious conversations about defunding, restructuring, or outright eliminating key health organizations like the CDC, the NIH, and even our global health partnerships through the WHO. But here’s the problem: you don’t tear down a clinic before the hospital’s been built—and you certainly don’t pull the plug on global aid while communities across the world still rely on that lifeline.

From rural Alabama to remote Uganda, the ripple effects of U.S. health decisions are already being felt.

In today’s episode, we’ll unpack the real-world consequences of these policy shifts, highlight the sharp funding cuts impacting HIV, TB, and maternal health programs worldwide, and offer a few hard questions worth asking before we hit the proverbial kill switch on systems that—though imperfect—have saved millions of lives.

Because healthcare isn’t just politics. It’s personal. It’s global. And it’s about more than slogans.

So stick with me—because today on The Hicks Files, we’re pulling back the curtain on what happens when the safety net starts to fray… and what we can do to fix it before it’s gone.