First Edition: Thursday, July 31, 2025

KFF HEALTH NEWS ORIGINAL STORIES

KFF Health News: A Tourist Ended Up With A Wild Bat In Her Mouth — And Nearly $21,000 In Medical Bills
In retrospect, Erica Kahn realizes she made two big mistakes. The first was choosing to temporarily forgo health insurance when she was laid off from her job. The second was screaming when a wild bat later landed on her face. (Leys, 7/31)

KFF Health News: Chronically Ill? In Kennedy’s View, It Might Be Your Own Fault
On a recent weekday evening, Ashly Richards helped her 13-year-old son, Case, with homework. He did math problems and some reading, underscoring how much he’s accomplished at his school for children with autism. Richards has heard Trump administration officials suggest that food dyes and pediatric vaccines cause autism and ADHD. That stance, she said, unfairly blames parents. (Armour, 7/31)

KFF Health News: KFF Health News’ ‘Letters To The Editor’: Readers Weigh In On Making American Health Care Affordable Again
KFF Health News gives readers a chance to comment on a recent batch of stories. ... Sounding the Alarm for Ambulances. Thank you for shedding much-needed light on the exorbitant costs and lack of reimbursement that have become a harsh reality for many ambulance services across Colorado and the nation (“Insurers Fight State Laws Restricting Surprise Ambulance Bills,” July 9). While it’s vital to protect patients from “surprise” bills — something your coverage highlights — it’s equally important to acknowledge the other side of the equation. (7/31)

HEALTH CARE RECORDS

The New York Times: Trump Announces Health Care Records System For Consumers 
President Trump on Wednesday announced the development of a health care records system that he said would allow Americans to more easily and broadly share their personal health information with health care providers. The administration is working with some of the largest American companies on the record-keeping system, including Google, Amazon, Apple and OpenAI. The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services will oversee the effort. Many health care providers already allow patients to upload their medical information and schedule appointments through phone apps and online portals. (Kanno-Youngs and Abelson, 7/30)

TRUMP ADMINISTRATION PERSONNEL

Stat: George Tidmarsh Named Acting Head Of FDA's CBER 
George Tidmarsh, the Food and Drug Administration’s top drug regulator, will take on additional responsibilities on a temporary basis after the sudden departure of top official Vinay Prasad on Tuesday. (Lawrence, 7/30)

Politico: Trump Drove Firing Of FDA Official
President Donald Trump overruled his health secretary and FDA chief on Tuesday, and ordered the removal of the government’s top vaccine regulator, four people with knowledge of the decision told POLITICO. The four, granted anonymity to speak about the details of Trump’s decision, said Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and FDA Commissioner Marty Makary opposed dismissing Vinay Prasad, who had been on the job three months and had recently come under attack by right-wing provocateur Laura Loomer. (Lim and Gardner, 7/30)

Stat: White House Pandemic Office Left Leaderless After Parker Exit
When reports circulated in February that the White House had selected biosecurity expert Gerald Parker as the head of its Office of Pandemic Preparedness and Response Policy, there was palpable relief among infectious disease experts. (Eban, 7/30)

Stat: Trump HHS Nominee Sought Methadone Treatment Ban In West Virginia 
President Trump’s nominee to serve as the top lawyer for the Department of Health and Human Services previously attempted to ban methadone treatment while serving as a West Virginia state senator. (Facher, 7/30)

The New York Times: Susan Monarez Faces Daunting Challenges As C.D.C. Director 
The agency’s new leader must contend with reduced budgets, mass layoffs, political tumult and a boss determined to reshape public health. Many current and former C.D.C. employees said on Wednesday that they were relieved to have a permanent director who could steer the agency and promote its priorities in the administration, but worried that Dr. Monarez might become a figurehead. “It’s probably better than not that there’s an acting director, but I’m not super optimistic that she’s going to be a strong advocate for the agency, given this political climate,” said Dr. Fiona Havers, who resigned from the C.D.C. last month.(Mandavilli, 7/30)

VACCINE POLICY AND COVID

AP: Ousted CDC Vaccine Committee Members Criticize Meeting Held By Their Successors
The 17 experts who were ousted from a government vaccine committee last month say they have little faith in what the panel has become, and have outlined possible alternative ways to make U.S. vaccine policy. U.S. Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. abruptly fired the entire Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices, accusing them of being too closely aligned with manufacturers and of rubber-stamping vaccines. He handpicked replacements that include several vaccine skeptics. (Stobbe, 7/31)

CIDRAP: Study Finds No Safety Issues With Most Recent MRNA COVID Vaccines
At a time when federal officials are calling into question the safety and necessity of COVID-19 vaccines, the mRNA COVID vaccine version used this past season showed no elevated risk of any of the 29 serious adverse events that researchers in Denmark assessed. (Wappes, 7/30)

MedPage Today: Novel Drug May Help Speed Kids' GI Recovery In Severe Post-COVID Syndrome
Adding a novel oral drug originally designed to treat celiac disease to standard treatment for post-COVID multisystem inflammatory syndrome in children (MIS-C) appeared safe and effective in a small, phase IIa randomized, double-blind trial. (Rudd, 7/30)

ON CAPITOL HILL

Modern Healthcare: On Medicare Anniversary, Dems Introduce Bill To Reverse Health Cuts
Democrats are ramping up efforts against the $1.1 trillion in healthcare cuts President Donald Trump enacted this month. On Wednesday, the 60th anniversary of Medicare and Medicaid, Senate Democrats staged a pair of news conferences to highlight the impacts of the “One Big Beautiful Bill” and to unveil legislation that would repeal its $964 billion in Medicaid cuts over 10 years and the $$124 billion it slashed from the health insurance exchanges. (McAuliff, 7/30)

The Hill: Alsobrooks, Lummis Back Bill Funding Study Of Uterine Fibroids
Sens. Angela Alsobrooks (D-Md.) and Cynthia Lummis (R-Wyo.) will introduce a bill to award federal grants to study uterine fibroids as one of several competing bipartisan measures to support study of the noncancerous growths common in women of childbearing age. The bill would establish a new grant program of unspecified amount and duration to support research on early detection of and intervention for uterine fibroids, including screening procedures. (Waldvogel, 7/30)

HEALTH CARE COSTS

Becker's Hospital Review: Pharmaceutical Costs Expected To Rise 3.35% In 2026
Pharmaceutical prices are expected to rise by 3.35% in 2026, according to Vizient’s latest Pharmacy Market Outlet report, released in July. The report found that price pressures are easing in certain areas due to biosimilar competition, especially with respect to drugs such as Humira and Stelara. High-use inpatient medications are also expected to see price declines. Pediatric drugs are expected to have the highest inflation rate, at 3.93%, while prices in the self-administered medication segment dropped from 4.53% to 3.3%. (Murphy, 7/30)

The Washington Post: Trump Savings Accounts A ‘Back Door For Privatizing Social Security,’ Bessent Says 
The newborn savings accounts created as part of President Donald Trump’s massive new tax and immigration law are a “back door for privatizing Social Security,” Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said Wednesday. The “Trump accounts” enacted as part of the One Big Beautiful Bill give newborns a $1,000 savings account that can be invested with tax-deferred treatment. Families or their employers can make $5,000 contributions to the accounts each year until the beneficiary turns 18. (Bogage, 7/30)

HEALTH INDUSTRY AND PHARMACEUTICALS

The Wall Street Journal: Hospital Failures Following Private-Equity Payouts Leave Patients, Taxpayers In Lurch
The recent collapses of Steward Health Care System and Prospect Medical Holdings, the two biggest hospital bankruptcies in decades, are forcing communities to pay up to fill gaps in patient care and budgets left by the failed chains. State and local governments and community nonprofits have poured in tens of millions of dollars to bail out the bankrupt companies’ hospitals, according to public officials and court records. Steward and Prospect are also delinquent on property taxes and other levies, forcing some communities to hike property taxes. (Biswas, 7/30)

St. Louis Post-Dispatch: BJC, Cigna Reach Deal To Extend Coverage
BJC HealthCare, the region's largest health care provider, will stay in-network for patients who have insurance through Cigna Healthcare, both sides announced Wednesday. (Suntrup, 7/30)

Modern Healthcare: GRAD Plus Program Cuts In Tax Law May Worsen Labor Shortage
The healthcare sector faces steeper labor expenses and possibly higher borrowing costs because of measures in President Donald Trump’s tax-cut bill that curb federal spending on education. The “One Big Beautiful Bill’s” $1.1 trillion in Medicaid and health insurance exchanges cuts attracted the most attention from healthcare interests, but the law also includes more than $300 billion in cuts to student loan programs. Among other things, it eliminates the Grad PLUS program, which has been the main way advanced health professionals have financed their educations since 2007. (McAuliff, 7/30)

Chicago Tribune: Northwest Health Surgeons Tout Benefits Of Robotic Surgeries
With estimates that roughly 15% of all surgeries use robots, an open house Tuesday afternoon at Northwest Health Porter in Valparaiso was a timely opportunity for the public to try out the technology for themselves. The three-part DaVinci 5 Robotic System has been in use at the hospital for the past month. Bryttney VanGoethem of LaPorte rearranged her schedule so she could see it in person. “My grandma is getting surgery done,” she said. “We found out she has colon cancer.” (Jones, 7/30)

Bloomberg: AbbVie In Talks To Acquire Gilgamesh In $1 Billion Deal
AbbVie Inc. is in talks to acquire mental health therapeutics company Gilgamesh Pharmaceuticals in a deal highlighting growing takeover interest in the sector, according to people familiar with the matter. A potential deal could value privately held Gilgamesh at about $1 billion, the people said, asking not to be identified because the information is private. An announcement could be made in the coming weeks, the people said. (Henning, Muller, and Baker, 7/30)

STATE WATCH

AP: California Governor Signs Men's Mental Health Executive Order
California Gov. Gavin Newsom signed an executive order Wednesday aimed at supporting men and boys and improving their mental health outcomes, in an effort to lower suicide rates among young men and help them feel less isolated. The order directs the state Health and Human Services Agency to recommend ways to address suicide rates among young men and help them seek services to improve their mental health and well-being. It also requires the state to connect them with education and career opportunities. (Austin, 7/31)

Concord Monitor: State Budget Mandates Sale Of Mental Health Housing In Concord By 2027 
In another perceived setback to New Hampshire’s mental health system, the state budget calls for the sale of the Philbrook Adult Transitional Housing Facility in Concord within two years. The 16-bed step-down residence located less than half a mile from New Hampshire Hospital, the state’s inpatient psychiatric facility, plays a crucial role in helping individuals reintegrate into the community after an involuntary emergency admission due to a mental health crisis. (Gopalakrishnan, 7/30)

The Texas Tribune: Texas Senate Advances Bill To Ban THC 
The Texas Senate on Wednesday preliminarily approved its second attempt to ban hemp-derived THC, setting up a showdown with the House, where hemp industry members say they’ll be getting more support. (Simpson, 7/30)

ProPublica: Trump DOJ Halted Major Civil Rights Lawsuits In Louisiana, South Carolina
The Trump administration has halted litigation aimed at stopping civil rights abuses of prisoners in Louisiana and mentally ill people living in South Carolina group homes. The Biden administration filed lawsuits against the two states in December after Department of Justice investigations concluded that they had failed to fix violations despite years of warnings. (Johnson, 7/31)

WBEZ Chicago: Chicago Hospitals Are Scaling Back Trans Care For Youth. A Rapid Response Team Is Stepping In. 
As more hospitals in Chicago cut back care for trans youth, advocates have launched a rapid response team to connect families with other doctors and cover the cost of everything from appointments to medication. The response team has built a network of at least 30 doctors and nurse practitioners in private practice throughout Illinois who provide hormone therapy or blockers to delay puberty. It also includes roughly 10 physicians who will perform surgeries, said Asher McMaher, executive director of Trans Up Front Illinois, an advocacy organization that put out the call to providers for help. (Schorsch, 7/29)

North Carolina Health News: Federal Funding Cuts, Delays Undermine NC's HIV Response 
The first domino fell when the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention didn’t renew North Carolina’s $13.8 million HIV Prevention and Surveillance grant before it ran out on May 31. The second blow came when the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services passed that nonrenewal along to 13 nonprofits across the state that had been using the money for HIV and syphilis testing. (Fernandez, 7/31)

AP: Cool Ranch Doritos And Foods With Synthetic Dyes Are Off West Virginia School Menus
When school starts in West Virginia next month, 240,000 students in districts large and small will notice something missing from their cafeteria trays. Gone will be red Jell-O fruit cups, yogurt topped with brightly hued sprinkles and Cool Ranch Doritos — all foods made with synthetic dyes. In their place will be foods that contain colors made only from natural sources — such as vegetables, spices and seeds — after West Virginia Gov. Patrick Morrisey signed a sweeping new law in March banning seven artificial dyes from school meals. (Aleccia, 7/30)

GUN VIOLENCE AND MENTAL HEALTH

The New York Times: Park Avenue Killer Bought Rifle For $1,400 From His Casino Boss 
The gunman who killed a police officer and three other people at a Midtown Manhattan office building on Monday bought his AR-15-style rifle for $1,400 from the man who supervised him at his job at the Horseshoe Casino in Las Vegas, New York police officials said on Wednesday. The police did not say during their briefing whether the sale of the weapon to the gunman, Shane Devon Tamura, 27, was illegal, but said the seller had been cooperating with investigators and was not being charged in New York. (Cramer and Marcius, 7/30)

PUBLIC HEALTH

ABC News: 1 Dead And At Least 22 Sick From Legionnaires' Disease Cluster In New York City
One person is dead and at least 22 people have become sick from a Legionnaires’ disease cluster in New York City since last Friday, health officials said. The New York City Health Department provided an update on Thursday into its investigation of a community cluster of Legionnaires’ disease in the Harlem neighborhood of New York City and the surrounding communities. (Haworth, 7/31)

San Francisco Chronicle: This Deadly Flu Complication Has Surged In Children, Study Reports
A study published Wednesday provides one of the most comprehensive descriptions to date about a rare, but potentially deadly, flu complication that has devastating consequences for children. The report describes a surge in the number of cases of the condition in the past two flu seasons. The potential fatal complication — influenza-associated acute necrotizing encephalopathy — is associated with brain swelling and a runaway immune response. Severe health problems like these are a big reason that medical experts strongly recommend flu vaccines, especially for young children and older adults. (Lee, 7/30)

Newsweek: Respiratory Viruses Risk Waking Dormant Cancer
Respiratory infections like COVID-19 and the flu may increase the risk of dormant breast cancer cells reactivating and spreading in those with a history of the disease. This is the conclusion of a study based on experiments with mice and observational human health data by researchers at the University of Colorado, the Montefiore Einstein Comprehensive Cancer Center (MECCC) in New York and Utrecht University. (Millington, 7/30)

NBC News: A Type Of HPV Has Been Found To Cause Skin Cancer, According To A New Report
Doctors at the National Institutes of Health have discovered a new cause of skin cancer, according to a case report published Wednesday in the New England Journal of Medicine. The culprit is a type of human papillomavirus (HPV) that’s regularly found on the skin. It’s long been thought to play a role in the development of skin cancer, but wasn’t believed to be a direct cause. Skin cancer is caused by DNA damage in skin cells. (Sullivan, 7/30)

The New York Times: A New Study Links SNAP Participation To Slower Cognitive Decline
Adults who participated in the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or SNAP, experienced slightly slower cognitive decline over the course of a decade than those who were eligible for the program but did not enroll in it. That’s according to new research presented Wednesday at the Alzheimer’s Association International Conference. Diet and brain health are closely connected, and not having enough food is associated with poorer cognitive function and higher incidences of dementia in older adults. (Smith, 7/30)

The Washington Post: Hotter Summers Could Be Making Us Sicker In Unexpected Ways
As the earth experiences hotter and hotter summers, new research using data from California emergency departments shows that the heat may be making us sicker than we know, and in ways we may not anticipate. A study published Wednesday in the journal Science Advances tracked emergency department visits and fatalities in the state over the course of 11 years and found that while deaths increased both in cold and hot temperatures, especially among older adults, emergency room visits steadily increased as temperatures did — particularly among young children. (Mellen, 7/30)

The Hill: Humans Inhaling 100x More Microplastics Than Expected
Humans are likely inhaling far greater amounts of lung-penetrating microplastics than previously assumed, scientists are warning. People may be breathing in about 100 times more of these tiny fragments than past estimates indicated — from sources based both outside and indoors, including in homes and cars, researchers revealed in a new study, published on Wednesday in PLOS One. (Udasin, 7/30)

Stat: In Long Quest For HIV Vaccine, Two Studies Offer Possible New Path 
The decades-long push to develop an HIV vaccine has been riddled with setbacks. But researchers reported on Wednesday that they have managed to circumvent one of the longstanding challenges to developing protective shots against this complex and crafty virus. (Wosen, 7/30)

RECALLS

CBS News: Frozen Ground Beef That May Be Contaminated With Metal Recalled In Several States
Ada Valley Meat Company is recalling more than 1,000 pounds of fully cooked frozen ground beef that may be contaminated with metal, according to federal health officials. In an alert posted Tuesday, the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Food Safety and Inspection Service said the frozen ready-to-eat item was packed in 20-pound cardboard box cases and shipped to establishments and distributors in California, Delaware, Illinois, Michigan and Pennsylvania. (Moniuszko, 7/30)

The Washington Post: High Noon Recalls Vodka Seltzers Mislabeled As Celsius Energy Drinks 
Popular alcohol brand High Noon issued a voluntary recall of a batch of its variety 12-packs after discovering that some of them contained vodka seltzer mislabeled as Celsius energy drinks. The Food and Drug Administration issued a recall notice Wednesday, warning that the sparkling blue razz flavor of the Astro Vibe energy drink may contain vodka and cause “unintentional alcohol ingestion.” No illnesses or deaths have resulted so far from the mishap, it said. (Moon, 7/31)