First Edition: Thursday, Sept. 25, 2025

KFF HEALTH NEWS ORIGINAL STORIES

KFF Health News: AI Will Soon Have A Say In Approving Or Denying Medicare Treatments
Taking a page from the private insurance industry’s playbook, the Trump administration will launch a program next year to find out how much money an artificial intelligence algorithm could save the federal government by denying care to Medicare patients. The pilot program, designed to weed out wasteful, “low-value” services, amounts to a federal expansion of an unpopular process called prior authorization, which requires patients or someone on their medical team to seek insurance approval before proceeding with certain procedures, tests, and prescriptions. (Sausser and Tahir, 9/25)

KFF Health News: Big Loopholes In Hospital Charity Care Programs Mean Patients Still Get Stuck With The Tab
Quinn Cochran-Zipp went to the emergency room three times with severe abdominal pain before doctors figured out she had early-stage cancer in the germ cells of her right ovary. After emergency surgery four years ago, the Greeley, Colorado, lab technician is cancer-free. The two hospitals that treated Cochran-Zipp at the time determined that she qualified for 100% financial assistance, since her income as a college student was extremely low. Not having to worry about the roughly $100,000 in bills she racked up for her care was an enormous relief, she said. (Andrews, 9/25)

KFF Health News: As Trump Punts On Medical Debt, Battle Over Patient Protections Moves To States
With the Trump administration scaling back federal efforts to protect Americans from medical bills they can’t pay, advocates for patients and consumers have shifted their work to contain the nation’s medical debt problem to state Capitols. Despite progress in some mostly blue states this year, however, recent setbacks in more conservative legislatures underscore the persistent challenges in strengthening patient protections. (Levey and Houghton and Zionts, 9/25)

AUTISM

The Hill: Dr. Mehmet Oz Softens Trump's Tylenol Warning For Pregnant Women
Dr. Mehmet Oz on Tuesday softened President Trump’s warnings that pregnant women should not take Tylenol due to a largely unproven link to autism. In an interview with TMZ, Oz, who leads the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, said pregnant women should consult with a physician and use the medication if they have a high fever. (Weixel, 9/24)

NBC News: Vance Says Pregnant Women Should 'Follow Your Doctor' When It Comes To Tylenol
Vice President JD Vance said Wednesday that pregnant women should follow their physicians’ advice in deciding whether or not to take Tylenol, striking a different tone after President Donald Trump strongly discouraged its use. “What I took from the president’s announcement and also the CDC’s recommendations here is we just have to be careful," Vance said in a NewsNation interview. "We know that some of these medications have side effects. We know that even despite those side effects, sometimes they’re necessary. So my guidance to pregnant women would be very simple, which is: Follow your doctor." (Richards, 9/24)

Politico: Thune Breaks With Trump Admin Over Tylenol, Government Role In Free Speech
Senate Majority Leader John Thune broke slightly with the Trump administration Wednesday, splitting from the GOP on government regulation of free speech and recent warnings linking Tylenol to autism. In an interview with CNN’s “Inside Politics,” Thune condemned the “coercive use of government” in regulating TV programming and said such decisions “ought to be made by the companies” after ABC temporarily pulled “Jimmy Kimmel Live!” from the airwaves last week. (Wardwell, 9/24)

Bloomberg: HHS Reposts Old Tylenol Tweet Warning On Use During Pregnancy
US Health and Human Services resurfaced an old social media post from an account that appeared to be Tylenol’s that cautioned against its use by pregnant women after the Trump administration linked the over-the-counter medication to autism. “We actually don’t recommend using any of our products while pregnant,” said the 2017 post from what appeared to be Tylenol’s account on the site then called Twitter. This post looked to be in response to a consumer question. (Nix and Brown, 9/24)

AP: Trump Leucovorin-For-Autism Announcement Surprises Doctor Who Proposed It
When President Donald Trump’s administration announced it would repurpose an old, generic drug as a new treatment for autism, it came as a surprise to many experts — including the physician who suggested the idea to the nation’s top health officials. Dr. Richard Frye told The Associated Press that he’d been talking with federal regulators about developing his own customized version of the drug for children with autism, assuming more research would be required. (Perrone, 9/24)

Politico: ‘Violence Against The Truth’: Obama Denounces Trump's Tylenol Claims 
Barack Obama has accused President Donald Trump of “violence against the truth” for linking autism to the use of Tylenol by pregnant women. The former president made a direct attack on his successor that was as rare for its forcefulness as for its setting — an arena stage on foreign soil in London on Wednesday — as he warned that the Trump administration’s claims undermine public health. (Bloom, 9/24)

CNN: Many In The Autism Community Say They Need Support, Not A ‘Cure’
At a very young age, Maxwell Huffman knew that he absorbed the world around him differently than most of his classmates. He was diagnosed with autism as a teenager, and nearly 20 years later, Huffman is an executive at Aspiritech, a Chicago-based nonprofit that works to find meaningful employment for people who have autism or are neurodiverse. (Musa, Hautau, Jaramillo-Plata and Ebanks, 9/24)

IMMIGRATION CRISIS

The New York Times: Dallas ICE Facility Shooting Leaves One Detainee Dead And Two Injured 
A sniper perched on a nearby rooftop fired at a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement field office in Dallas on Wednesday morning, killing one detainee and critically injuring two others, the Department of Homeland Security said. It was the latest act of violence to raise fears that politically motivated attacks are increasing in the United States. The authorities said that the gunman killed himself, and that no law enforcement officers were injured in the attack. (Goodman, Aleaziz and Levenson, 9/24)

ABC News 4: Court Ruling May Open Doors For Health Inspections At Tacoma's ICE Detention Center
The immigrant detention center in Tacoma has fought for years to keep health inspectors out of the facility, but a recent court ruling may finally clear the way. Over the past several years, the Washington State Department of Health (DOH) has received nearly 2,700 complaints about conditions inside the Northwest ICE Processing Center. However, it has been severely limited in its ability to follow up. Among the thousands of complaints received are issues regarding disease outbreaks involving tuberculosis, as well as access to medication, sanitation, and overcrowding. (Moreno, 9/24)

MORE ON THE TRUMP ADMINISTRATION

Bloomberg: Trump Taps Ben Carson To Help Push MAHA Nutrition Agenda At USDA
Former Republican presidential candidate and retired neurosurgeon Ben Carson will take on a temporary role as a senior nutrition and housing adviser at the US Agriculture Department. Beginning Wednesday, Carson will serve as a point person at USDA to help advance Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s agenda to “Make America Healthy Again,” an agency spokesperson said. USDA manages many key federal nutrition programs including SNAP benefits for low-income families and the national school meals program. (Peterson, 9/24)

Politico: White House To Agencies: Prepare Mass Firing Plans For A Potential Shutdown 
The White House budget office is instructing federal agencies to prepare reduction-in-force plans for mass firings during a possible government shutdown, specifically targeting employees who work for programs that are not legally required to continue. The Office of Management and Budget move to permanently reduce the government workforce if there is a shutdown, outlined in a memo shared with POLITICO ahead of release to agencies tonight, escalates the stakes of a potential shutdown next week. (Cai, 9/24)

The Washington Post: Federal Judge Declines To Reinstate Inspectors General Fired By Trump 
A federal judge in Washington on Wednesday declined to reinstate eight inspectors general fired by President Donald Trump as part of a purge of government watchdogs in the early days of his second term, though she agreed the terminations were unlawful. In her ruling, U.S. District Judge Ana C. Reyes said it was “obvious” that Trump violated the 1978 Inspector General Act with the firings because he did not provide Congress with a 30-day notice of the dismissals or a valid reason for the removal of the Senate-confirmed inspectors general. (Cho, 9/25)

The Washington Post: Trump Administration Eyes USAID Money To Advance America First Goals 
The Trump administration, in its latest challenge to Congress’s authority over federal spending, intends to shift almost $2 billion in U.S. foreign aid toward a slate of priorities aimed largely at advancing the president’s “America First” agenda. The plan, which has not been reported previously, was outlined for lawmakers in a document the State Department sent to Capitol Hill on Sept. 12 and later reviewed by The Washington Post. It represents a dramatic rebranding of Washington’s approach to foreign assistance after the Trump administration’s dismantling of the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) this year. (Robertson, 9/24)

Politico: The Trump Administration Is Pushing Courts To Make More ‘New Law’ 
Federal courts tend to avoid tackling unprecedented questions that strike at the heart of the separation of powers — the large and small mysteries left by the framers (and amenders) of the Constitution. Judges at every level are painfully aware that their decisions in cases of “first impression” risk unintended consequences that could destabilize the nation’s balance of power. So when those questions present themselves, they often find ways to resolve the cases without issuing far-reaching rulings, or making “new law.” (Cheney, 9/24)

HEALTH CARE COSTS AND COVERAGE

The New York Times: Why Obamacare Bills May Double Next Year
Earlier this month, Julie Morringello, an artist in rural Maine, received a notice that her health care premiums could nearly double next year. She now pays $460 a month for her Obamacare plan, but that amount is contingent on government subsidies that the Republican-controlled Congress may not extend. (Abelson and Sanger-Katz, 9/24)

ProPublica, The Current: Georgia’s Medicaid Work Requirement Program Spent Twice As Much On Administrative Costs As On Health Care, GAO Says
Most of the tax dollars used to launch and implement the nation’s only Medicaid work requirement program have gone toward paying administrative costs rather than covering health care for Georgians, according to a new report by the Government Accountability Office, the nonpartisan agency that monitors federal programs and spending. The government report examined administrative expenses for Georgia Pathways to Coverage, the state’s experiment with work requirements. It follows previous reporting by The Current and ProPublica showing that the program has cost federal and state taxpayers more than $86.9 million while enrolling a tiny fraction of those eligible for free health care. (Coker, 9/24)

Bloomberg: Pharma Middlemen Seek To Head Off New Rules With Voluntary Changes
Pharmacy middlemen are working on a proposal to voluntarily change some of their business practices in an effort to avoid new regulation from the Trump administration, according to people familiar with the discussions. The main lobbying group that represents so-called pharmacy benefit managers, the Pharmaceutical Care Management Association, has drafted proposals to bring to the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, according to a document viewed by Bloomberg News. (Tozzi and Cohrs Zhang, 9/24)

VACCINES

AP: Pentagon Adds Exemptions To Flu Shot Requirement
The Pentagon has stepped back from the policy that requires all troops to get the flu shot every year by introducing exemptions for reservists and proclaiming that the shot is only necessary in some circumstances for all service members, according to a document obtained by The Associated Press. The memo, written by Deputy Defense Secretary Steve Feinberg on May 29 and sent to all the military services, says reserve troops now will need to be on active duty for 30 days or more before being required to get an annual flu shot. It also says the military will no longer be paying for reservists or National Guard members to get the vaccine on their own time. (Toropin, 9/25)

Chicago Tribune: Illinois Issues Its Own COVID-19 Vaccine Recommendations
Illinois has released its own recommendations on COVID-19 vaccines — urging all adults and many children to get the shots, in a break with the federal government’s guidance. (Schencker, 9/24)

Tampa Bay Times: Florida Touts Doctor Freedom But Pushes Them To Take Unvaccinated Kids
In Florida, you can’t turn away a patient on the basis of their race, color, sex, religion or national origin. But a doctor can turn someone away if they’re unvaccinated. And in the Tampa Bay area, several pediatricians do. (Ellenboogen, 9/24)

HEALTH CARE INDUSTRY

Modern Healthcare: Providence, Adventist Health Layoffs Tied To Tax Law
Providers and insurers are cutting staff or eliminating unfilled positions due to forthcoming funding cuts stemming from the tax law. The law, H.R. 1, is expected to cost the industry $1.1 trillion and leave 10 million people uninsured, according to the Congressional Budget Office. Among other likely challenges, health systems are forecasting less reimbursement for Medicare and Medicaid services, while insurers anticipate rising claims costs. (DeSilva, 9/24)

Becker's Hospital Review: 2,600 Temple Health Workers Set To Strike
Members of the Pennsylvania Association of Staff Nurses and Allied Professionals are set to begin a five-day strike Oct. 6 at Temple University Hospital Main Campus and Temple Women and Families Hospital in Philadelphia, with bone marrow transplant nurses and techs at Jeanes Hospital in Philadelphia also striking. The union represents 2,600 nurses, techs and professionals across two local chapters: the Temple University Hospital Nurses Association and the Temple University Hospital Allied Health Professionals, according to a union news release. As of 2024, Temple Health had more than 12,000 total faculty members and employees, according to its website. (Gooch, 9/24)

Modern Healthcare: Physician Specialty Jobs Took Longer To Fill In 2024 Over 2023
The time it took to fill open positions for the most sought-after physician specialties increased to almost five months in 2024, according to new research. The nonprofit Association for Advancing Physician and Provider Recruitment, with research firm Industry Insights, examined 2024 data from more than 15,000 searches of the association’s site, 61% of which were related to physician searches. (Broderick, 9/24)

Fierce Healthcare: UnitedHealthcare Unveils Direct-To-Consumer Shopping Tool
UnitedHealthcare is rolling out a new offering that aims to make it easier for employer plan members to shop for health and wellness solutions that meet their needs. The UHC Store is embedded in the insurer's member portal and app and is now available to 6 million people enrolled in its employer-sponsored health plans. The payer giant plans to expand to 18 million members this year. (Minemyer, 9/24)

Becker's Hospital Review: UC San Diego Health Cuts Readmissions By 26% With Virtual Clinic
UC San Diego Health reduced hospital readmissions by 26% through its virtual transition of care clinic, according to a Sept. 23 study published in JMIR Medical Informatics. Launched in 2021, the virtual clinic connects moderate- to high-risk patients with care teams within one week of hospital discharge, the health system said in a Sept. 24 news release. (Gregerson, 9/24)

Modern Healthcare: How Community Health Worker Programs Can Boost Hospital ROI
Health systems are growing investments in community health workers, but they face questions about how to make these programs financially sustainable. Community health workers are gearing up for the impact of federal healthcare funding cuts, and health systems hope they can help patients avoid losing insurance coverage with expiring enhanced subsidies and the new tax law, among other areas. But setting up these kinds of programs — and finding stable funding for them — can be tricky, even if community health workers ultimately help avoid unnecessary costs. (Hudson, 9/24)

PHARMA AND TECH

The Washington Post: New Gene Therapy Slows Huntington's Disease Progression
An experimental treatment for the first time slowed the devastating progression of Huntington’s disease, gene therapy company uniQure announced Wednesday, a rare hopeful advance against a cruel genetic disease that robs people of control of their bodies and minds in the prime of life. ... About 40,000 people in the United States have symptomatic Huntington’s, which is caused by a mutated gene. (Johnson, 9/24)

Bloomberg: Gates Foundation Accelerates Rollout Of Cheaper HIV Drug Lenacapavir Injection
A twice-yearly injection described as the most promising HIV prevention tool in decades is poised to reach millions more people, with new generic versions priced at about $40 per patient per year. The Gates Foundation and Indian drugmaker Hetero Labs Ltd. are among the groups moving to produce the medication, lenacapavir, which Gilead Sciences Inc. sells in the US for a list price of more than $28,000 annually under the brand name Yeztugo. (Kew and Furlong, 9/24)

The Washington Post: For Decades, Scientists Puzzled Over A Genetic Anomaly. They Just Solved It
When couples have trouble conceiving a baby or lose a pregnancy, they often undergo routine tests, which can turn up a shock: One of the prospective parents may be missing a chromosome. The most common chromosomal abnormality — carried by about 1 in 800 people — is a “Robertsonian translocation,” when two chromosomes get fused together. People are often healthy, but one short of the typical 46 chromosomes for a human. Most don’t learn they carry this genetic anomaly unless they experience reproductive problems and seek testing. (Johnson, 9/24)

STATE WATCH

AP: Storms With Heavy Rain And Damaging Winds Tear Roof Off Oklahoma Hospital
Storms carrying heavy rain and damaging winds ripped part of the roof off a hospital in eastern Oklahoma on Tuesday afternoon, forcing some patients to be evacuated, according to county officials. The Northeastern Health System hospital in Sallisaw had to evacuate around nine patients after a small section of its roof was peeled off, leaving part of the facility soaked, said Brad Taylor, Sequoyah County’s Emergency Management director. No injuries had been reported, he said. (9/24)

EdSource: After Federal Cuts, California Schools Could Lose Hundreds Of Mental Health Clinicians 
After Jane Huang graduated from Eureka High School in 2018, she knew she wanted to go to college in a different town.  She had struggled with severe depression, and when she could not keep up with her classes, teachers called her “lazy.” She dreaded going to school, where she felt isolated from friends and family and outcast as one of the few Chinese American students in Eureka, a rural and low-income seaport town in Northern California. As an undergraduate student at Cal State East Bay, majoring in psychology, Huang returned to Eureka High School as a student mental health worker in a role funded by the federal government’s school-based mental health grants in 2022.  (Sanganeria, 9/24)

Investigate Midwest: These Rural Communities Feed The World. They’re Also Going Hungry.  
Over the last four decades, America’s agricultural output has nearly doubled, as the production of livestock and crops has not only fed the nation but also fueled growing food demand in Asia and South America.  But in the rural communities that have made the U.S. a global food power, residents are increasingly finding it difficult to access enough food for themselves. While the national food insecurity rate has dropped slightly over the last decade, farming-dependent counties have seen an 11.7% increase. (Felder, 9/24)

PUBLIC HEALTH

AP: CDC STD Trends: Cases Fall Overall, But Syphilis In Newborns Rises Again
Sexually transmitted disease rates for U.S. adults fell last year, but syphilis in newborns continued to rise, according to new government data posted Wednesday. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention provisional data for 2024 showed a third consecutive year of fewer gonorrhea cases, and the second year in a row of fewer adult cases of chlamydia and the most infectious forms of syphilis. (Stobbe, 9/24)

CIDRAP: CDC Confirms 23 More US Measles Cases As 2025 Total Tops 1,500
In its weekly measles update, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) said there are now 1,514 confirmed measles cases in the United States reported this year, with 23 new cases reported in the past week. Eighty-six percent of the cases have been part of 40 outbreaks reported to the CDC. Of note, 92% of case-patients are unvaccinated or have unknown vaccination status, 4% have only one measles, mumps, and rubella dose, and 4% were fully vaccinated. (Soucheray, 9/24)

The Washington Post: Air Pollution Could Be Worsening Children’s Vision, Study Says
It’s well established that air pollution causes a wide variety of harms to the human body, raising the risk of heart disease, respiratory diseases and strokes. But new research has highlighted yet another damaging impact: to our vision. The research found that extended exposure to air pollutants, specifically nitrogen dioxide and fine particulate matter, could be contributing to high rates of myopia, also known as short- or nearsightedness, in schoolchildren in China. (Ajasa, 9/24)

AP: Al Gore's Climate TRACE Uses AI And Satellites To Track Soot Pollution
Soon people will be able to use satellite technology and artificial intelligence to track dangerous soot pollution in their neighborhoods — and where it comes from — in a way not so different from monitoring approaching storms under plans by a nonprofit coalition led by former Vice President Al Gore. Gore, who co-founded Climate TRACE, which uses satellites to monitor the location of heat-trapping methane sources, on Wednesday expanded his system to track the source and plume of pollution from tiny particles, often referred to as soot, on a neighborhood basis for 2,500 cities across the world. (Borenstein, 9/24)