First Edition: Tuesday, Feb. 4, 2025

KFF Health News: Indiana Governor Appoints Business Leader To Shake Up Health Care
Gloria Sachdev has spent years challenging the health care industry, trying to bring down the high cost of care. It’s working, even in an unlikely place: Indiana, which has had some of the nation’s highest hospital prices. Over the past few years, Indiana lawmakers have passed bills pushed by Sachdev that target complex and sometimes wonky health policy issues. (Liss, 2/4)

KFF Health News: For California Farmworkers, Telehealth Visits With Mexican Doctors Fill A Gap
This coastal valley made famous by the novelist John Steinbeck is sometimes known affectionately as “America’s salad bowl,” though the planting and harvesting is done mostly by immigrants from Mexico. For Taylor Farms, a major global purveyor of packaged salads and cut vegetables, that’s made it a logical place to pioneer a novel type of health care for its workforce, one that could have broad utility in the smartphone era: cross-border medical consultations through an app. (Clayton, 2/4)

CNN: Rubio Says He’s Acting Director Of USAID As Humanitarian Agency Is Taken Over By The State Department
Secretary of State Marco Rubio announced Monday that he is acting administrator of the US Agency for International Development, confirming the de-facto takeover of the humanitarian agency by the State Department. Rubio said in a letter to lawmakers Monday he had delegated the authority of acting administrator to Pete Marocco, a Trump appointee who served at USAID in the president’s first term and has been accused by aid groups and officials of intentionally dismantling the organization. (Hansler, Kent, Marquardt and Liptak, 2/3)

The Hill: Democrats Blocked From Entering USAID Headquarters
A group of Senate and House Democrats were blocked from entering the headquarters of the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) on Monday. The Democratic lawmakers, who are opposed to President Trump’s efforts to shut down the agency, left without incident after a brief exchange with security officials. The group, led by Sen. Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.), were told the front office of the administrator of USAID was not available to meet. (Kelly, 2/3)

Fierce Healthcare: Democrats, Public Health Leaders Decry Takeover Of USAID
"The impending shutdown of USAID is unconstitutional and reveals complete ignorance or indifference to how vital its work -- in global health, conflicts, disasters and beyond -- is to Americans and humanity," Atul Gawande, M.D., who served as assistant administrator for global health at USAID during the Biden administration, posted on X on Monday. (Landi, 2/3)

The Wall Street Journal: Democratic Senator Says He Will Stall Trump Nominees Until USAID Is Back
Sen. Brian Schatz (D., Hawaii) said he would place a “blanket hold” on all of President Trump’s State Department nominees until the administration’s attack on the leading U.S. foreign-assistance agency ends, a move that threatens to stall Trump’s ability to get his foreign-policy team in place. The Senate typically speeds up the confirmation of many nominees through “unanimous consent,” a process that bypasses a formal vote if no senator objects. By objecting, Schatz’s hold would halt the Senate’s ability to move nominees quickly, requiring Senate Majority Leader John Thune to use precious floor time to advance the president’s picks through the confirmation process. (Ward, 2/3)

MedPage Today: HHS Employees Sort Out Return-To-Office Mandate
The in-office order comes as the General Services Administration announced plans to significantly reduce the federal government's real estate footprint. "One of the things that our government has become is more efficient with respect to cost, in terms of its physical footprint, as a result of increased use of telework and remote work," said Stier. "So those things do run in conflict with each other, and certainly it's so important to understand the transition needs of any organization." (Frieden, 2/3)

Stat: Microbiology Society Removes DEI Content, Following Trump Order 
The professional society for microbiologists began stripping content about Black, female, and LGBTQ+ scientists from its website in the last few days, angering its members and highlighting the reach of President Trump’s directives to federal agencies to halt activities that promote diversity and inclusion. (McFarling, 2/3)

Bloomberg: US Health Experts Flying ‘Absolutely Blind’ As Federal Data Vanishes
President Donald Trump’s end of diversity, equity and inclusion language in federal agencies has caused US health data to be removed or not be updated. Medical experts warn that the losses, even in areas like flu and Covid tracking where DEI isn’t central, make it harder to manage outbreaks and fix health disparities. “When they take that data away, we’re absolutely blind,” said Georges Benjamin, executive director of the American Public Health Association. “The true impact is more people get sick and more people die.” (Smith, Meghjani and Nix, 2/3)

The Washington Post: Trump Halts Tariffs On Canada And Mexico As Both Offer New Border Security Plans
President Donald Trump agreed Monday to grant Mexico and Canada a 30-day reprieve on the U.S. tariffs that were scheduled to take effect Tuesday, after both countries pledged to intensify their efforts to prevent illicit drugs and migrants from crossing into the United States. ... Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum was the first to secure a tariffs extension, when she promised to rush 10,000 national guard troops to the border to block the flow of fentanyl and other drugs into the United States. Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau needed two calls with Trump before securing a delay in return for implementing a border security package, including the appointment of a fentanyl czar and several previously announced initiatives. (Lynch and Sheridan, 2/4)

The New York Times: China Strikes Back After Trump Imposes 10% Tariff On Goods 
Beijing responded swiftly on Tuesday to the tariffs President Trump had promised, announcing a fusillade of countermeasures targeting American companies and imports of critical products. Mr. Trump’s 10 percent tariff on all Chinese products went into effect at 12:01 a.m. Tuesday, the result of an executive order issued over the weekend aimed at pressuring Beijing to crack down on fentanyl shipments into the United States. (Swanson and Buckley, 2/4)

Fierce Healthcare: Trump Tariffs Will Escalate Costs For Hospitals, Patients: Poll
Double-digit tariffs, if they take effect as proposed, threaten to escalate healthcare costs, disrupt supply chains and create affordability challenges for patients, healthcare executives say. President Donald Trump on Saturday signed executive orders intending to impose sweeping tariffs on the country’s three largest trading partners. (Landi, 2/3)

Stat: Trump CMS Nominee Dr. Oz: From Top Surgeon To Major Health Role 
Mehmet Oz, seated in a cushioned chair before a studio audience, directed his two guests to a giant screen behind them. It showed a ghastly scene: rubber-gloved hands holding two live rats with tumors bigger than their heads protruding from their sides and bellies. They’d been fed genetically modified food as part of a study. It’s hardly the standard backdrop for someone now poised to lead a $1.5 trillion federal agency that oversees crucial health care programs for older adults, low-income Americans, and people with disabilities. But little about this famous surgeon-turned-TV host adheres to tradition. (Bannow, 2/4)

The New York Times: RFK Jr.’s Nomination Faces Critical Vote By Senate Finance Committee
President Trump’s choice of Robert F. Kennedy Jr. to be the nation’s next health secretary will face a critical test in the Senate on Tuesday, when members of the Finance Committee — including a Republican doctor uneasy about Mr. Kennedy’s views on vaccines — will vote on whether to reject the nomination or forward it to the Senate floor. The Finance Committee has 14 Republicans and 13 Democrats. If every Democrat votes against Mr. Kennedy, a no vote by Mr. Cassidy would deprive Mr. Kennedy of a favorable recommendation to the full Senate. But it would not necessarily doom his nomination; it is possible that Republicans could use procedural tactics to force the full Senate to vote. (Stolberg and Jewett, 2/4)

The Washington Post: RFK Jr. Vote Poses Key Test For Bill Cassidy, Endangered Louisiana Senator 
Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s bid to serve as America’s top health official could come down to a Louisiana Republican who’s openly wrestling with his training as a physician and his instincts as a politician. Sen. Bill Cassidy (R-Louisiana), who has begged Kennedy to stop invoking the debunked link between vaccines and autism, is seen as one of several swing votes on Kennedy’s nomination to lead the Department of Health and Human Services. (Diamond and Roubein, 2/3)

Bloomberg: US Lawmakers Ask RFK Jr. To Stay Away From Vaccine Decisions
Democratic lawmakers in the US are asking Robert F. Kennedy Jr. to stay away from all vaccine-related decisions if confirmed as Secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services because his family could benefit from anti-vaccine litigation. “These conflicts, combined with your decades-long career casting doubt about the safety and efficacy of life-saving vaccines, give us grave concern about your fitness to serve as Secretary,” Senators Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts and Ron Wyden of Oregon wrote in a letter to Kennedy dated Feb. 2. (Muller, 2/3)

Roll Call: Key Physician Groups Stay Silent On Kennedy Nomination  
The nomination of Robert F. Kennedy Jr. to lead the Department of Health and Human Services has concerned doctors and public health experts across the world who are alarmed by Kennedy’s decades-long mission to sow distrust in vaccines. But key groups representing physicians in Washington have stayed silent in the face of what their members call a threat to public health. (Hellmann, 2/3)

North Carolina Health News: Health Care Providers Say Insurers Too Often Deny Care For Profit
Amanda Watson was diagnosed with breast cancer three weeks after having an emergency cesarean section to deliver her second son. Her test results showed she had one of the most aggressive forms of breast cancer, with a high recurrence rate and low survival rate. The following six months of chemotherapy treatments included five hospitalizations, the loss of her hair, and the inability to care for herself or her children. To make a gut-wrenching situation worse, her insurance company denied coverage for treatment multiple times, leading to delays in her care. (Vitaglione, 2/4)

Modern Healthcare: Molina Healthcare Acquires ConnectiCare
Molina Healthcare said Monday it closed its purchase of ConnectiCare. The deal adds 140,000 Medicare, exchange and commercial enrollees to Molina’s portfolio, Molina said in a news release. It also allows the insurer to expand into Connecticut. (Tepper, 2/3)

Bloomberg: US Investigates Four Medical Schools For Alleged Antisemitism
The US Department of Health and Human Services is investigating four unnamed medical schools over alleged antisemitism that took place during graduation ceremonies last year. “The review will specifically examine whether the institutions acted with deliberate indifference regarding events that may have impacted Jewish students’ rights to access educational opportunities and benefits,” HHS’ Office for Civil Rights said in a statement Monday. (Muller, 2/4)

Modern Healthcare: CMS' TEAM Relies On Hospital, Post-Acute Partnerships For Success
A year ahead of the implementation of a mandatory Medicare payment demonstration, hospitals are on the lookout for post-acute care providers that can help them prevent lost reimbursements. The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services finalized the Transforming Episode Accountability Model, or TEAM, in August. It takes effect in 2026 and runs for five years. TEAM sets payments for 30-day episodes of care for lower-extremity joint replacements, femur fracture surgeries, spinal fusions, coronary artery bypass grafts and major bowel procedures. (Early, 2/3)

The New York Times: N.Y. Attorney General Warns Hospitals Against Canceling Transgender Care 
The New York attorney general, Letitia James, has warned New York hospitals that complying with the White House’s executive order that seeks to end gender-affirming medical care for transgender young people could well violate state law. The warning, in a letter the attorney general’s office sent Monday morning to health care providers and other organizations, puts hospitals at the center of a conflict between the federal government and state authorities. (Goldstein, 2/3)

St. Louis Post-Dispatch: Missouri Republicans Push To Make Ban On Transgender Care For Minors Permanent
A Missouri House committee will consider four bills Monday that would continue limits on gender-affirming care for minors beyond a 2027 expiration date. The current law, which prevents minors from receiving puberty blockers and cross-sex hormones, is set to expire in August 2027. The Republican bills would get rid of the expiration date. (Bitterman, 2/3)

The New York Times: N.Y. Moves To Shield Doctors Who Send Abortion Pills To States With Bans 
Gov. Kathy Hochul of New York signed a bill on Monday intended to give the state’s health care providers an extra layer of protection to shield them from prosecution in states that ban abortion. The newly signed law comes days after a New York doctor was indicted in Louisiana for prescribing and sending abortion pills to someone in the state. The charges represented an escalation in the fractious battle between mostly Republican-led states that ban abortion and Democratic-led states seeking to protect or expand abortion access. (Oreskes, 2/3)

KHOL/Jackson Hole Community Radio: Abortion Bills Requiring Transvaginal Ultrasounds And Restricting Clinics Head To Wyoming Senate 
Two bills aimed at restricting abortions passed the Wyoming House of Representatives last week. One bill, HB 64, requires women to undergo a transvaginal ultrasound no more than 48 hours before taking abortion medication. It includes a requirement for the ultrasound provider to tell a woman the age, length and head diameter of the embryo or fetus and give the woman the "opportunity" to view or hear the heartbeat. Another, HB 42, is the return of a bill Gov. Mark Gordon vetoed last year. It aims to up requirements of facilities performing in-clinic abortions, of which Wyoming has only one, in Casper. (Boyd-Fliegel, 2/3)

MedPage Today: States With More Maternal-Fetal Specialists Had Lower Rates Of Maternal Death
States with more maternal-fetal medicine physicians had lower rates of maternal mortality, according to a cross-sectional analysis of nearly 15 million births. States with a low density of these specialists had an adjusted maternal mortality rate of 24.25 per 100,000 live births compared with 16.96 per 100,000 live births for states with a high density (incidence rate ratio 0.70, 95% CI 0.58-0.85), reported Tetsuya Kawakita, MD, MS, of Eastern Virginia Medical School in Norfolk, during a presentation at the Society for Maternal-Fetal Medicine annual meeting. (Robertson, 2/3)

CBS News: State, Local Officials Call For Federal Action To Protect Families From Pollutants After Deadly Wildfires
Following the deadly wildfires that ravaged communities in Los Angeles and left behind acres of destruction, several local and state officials are calling for federal action to protect families against dangerous pollutants. At a news conference Monday morning, U.S. Representatives Judy Chu, Laura Friedman, Brad Sherman, Pasadena Vice Mayor Jess Rivas and Pasadena Public Health Director Manuel Carmona asked for the creation of a U.S. Environmental Protection Agency task force to regularly monitor air quality in the LA area. (Hylton, 2/3)

Politico: A New California Bill Takes On Chatbot Addiction
A new California bill aims to tackle chatbot addiction. A Democratic California lawmaker wants to protect kids from developing addictions to artificial intelligence chatbots amid growing nationwide concern that the technology may be detrimental to youth mental health, POLITICO’s Tyler Katzenberger reports. The bill, introduced late last week by California state Sen. Steve Padilla, would mandate that AI platforms limit kids’ exposure to algorithms that reward users at random intervals to keep them engaged in conversation with chatbots. (Paun, Reader and Schumaker,2/3)

Politico: City Hall Reveals Data On Involuntary Hospitalizations
It’s been over two years since Mayor Eric Adams rolled out a controversial policy expanding involuntary hospitalization to get more people with serious mental illnesses off the streets and the subway, but his administration has released little information on its impact to date. ... The data shows that law enforcement personnel, mental health clinicians and homeless outreach teams conducted at least 7,700 involuntary “removals” under Adams’ policy last year — meaning individuals were transported against their will to a hospital for a psychiatric evaluation. (Kaufman and Cordero, 2/3)

Modern Healthcare: The Ensign Group Acquires 5 Nursing Homes In Texas
The Ensign Group has completed the acquisition of five nursing home properties in Texas, the company announced Monday. The San Juan Capistrano, California-based company said in a news release it completed the acquisitions for undisclosed sums in two separate deals. (Eastabrook, 2/3)

The Colorado Sun: Colorado Poised To Raise The Minimum Age To Buy Ammunition To 21
Colorado is poised to raise the minimum age to buy firearm ammunition to 21 and require that retailers keep bullets in an enclosed display or behind a counter where customers could not access them without assistance. (Paul, 2/4)

The Washington Post: FDA Approves Pig Organ Transplant Trials For Patients With Kidney Failure 
The Food and Drug Administration has given two biotechnology companies approval for clinical trials that will transplant organs from genetically modified pigs into patients with kidney failure, an experimental but potentially groundbreaking innovation for thousands of Americans on the waiting list for organ transplants. (Pannett, 2/4)

CBS News: Children's Hospital Of Philadelphia Doctor Excited After World's Smallest Heart Pump FDA-Approved For Kids
A new high-tech help for young heart patients has been approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. Doctors say this will allow them to save more lives, an important milestone as we kick off American Heart Month. It's a little device with a big job. "It does all the work for your heart," Katrina Penney, 21, said. "It did save my life, 100%." It is the Impella 5.5 – the world's smallest heart pump that helps blood circulate. (Stahl and Kuhn, 2/3)

CNN: Human Brain Samples Contain An Entire Spoon’s Worth Of Nanoplastics, Study Says 
Cognitively normal human brain samples collected at autopsy in early 2024 contained more tiny shards of plastic than samples collected eight years prior, according to a new study. Overall, cadaver brain samples contained seven to 30 times more tiny shards of plastic than their kidneys and liver, said co-lead study author Matthew Campen, Regents’ Professor and professor of pharmaceutical sciences at the University of New Mexico in Albuquerque. (LaMotte, 2/3)

Newsweek: Severe Headaches Linked To Increased Suicide Risk
People diagnosed with severe headaches may be at an increased risk of suicide. This is the warning from a team of researchers from the U.S. and Denmark who studied the suicide risk of nearly 120,000 people with a headache disorder, in comparison with their counterparts with no such diagnosis. (Randall, 2/3)

The Guardian: Lung Cancer Diagnoses On The Rise Among Never-Smokers Worldwide
The proportion of people being diagnosed with lung cancer who have never smoked is increasing, with air pollution an “important factor”, the World Health Organization’s cancer agency has said. Lung cancer in people who have never smoked cigarettes or tobacco is now estimated to be the fifth highest cause of cancer deaths worldwide, according to the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC). (Gregory, 2/3)

ABC News: Long COVID Impacting More Than 1 Million Children: CDC Study Suggests
More than 1 million children may have been affected by long COVID in 2023, new federal data published Monday suggests. Long COVID, a condition that occurs when patients still have symptoms at least three months after clearing infection, has been well-documented in adults, but its impact on children has been less clear. (Kekatos and Wachuku, 2/3)

The New York Times: The U.S. Is Having Its Mildest Covid Winter Yet
This winter’s Covid wave in the United States has been the gentlest to date, in a welcome reprieve. According to wastewater data aggregated by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, not only was there less Covid circulating over the holidays than in previous years, but there was also less virus in the wastewater than in all the summer waves the program has tracked. (Paris, 2/4)

The New York Times: Could The Bird Flu Become Airborne? 
Scientists were slow to recognize that Covid spreads through the air. Some are now trying to get ahead of the bird flu. (Zimmer, 2/3)