First Edition: Wednesday, April 23, 2025

KFF HEALTH NEWS ORIGINAL STORIES

KFF Health News: Hospitals’ Lobbying Frustrates Montana Lawmakers Who Sought To Boost Oversight
As Republican legislative leaders in Montana girded for this year’s battle over whether to extend Medicaid expansion in the state, they took aim at one of the program’s biggest backers: hospitals. If Montana’s hospitals wanted to extend the government health insurance program that cost taxpayers about $1 billion in 2024, and benefit from that revenue, they should give something back, such as additional community health care services and benefits, GOP leaders argued as the session began in January. (Dennison, 4/23)

KFF Health News: Measles Misinformation Is On The Rise — And Americans Are Hearing It, Survey Finds
While the most serious measles epidemic in a decade has led to the deaths of two children and spread to 27 states with no signs of letting up, beliefs about the safety of the measles vaccine and the threat of the disease are sharply polarized, fed by the anti-vaccine views of the country’s seniormost health official. About two-thirds of Republican-leaning parents are unaware of an uptick in measles cases this year while about two-thirds of Democratic ones knew about it, according to a KFF survey released Wednesday. (Allen, 4/23)

KFF Health News: Medi-Cal Under Threat: Who’s Covered And What Could Be Cut?
Medi-Cal, California’s complex, $174.6 billion Medicaid program, provides health insurance for nearly 15 million residents with low incomes and disabilities. The state enrolls twice as many people as New York and more than three times as many as Texas — the two states with the largest number of Medicaid participants after California. Enrollment is high because California goes beyond federal eligibility requirements, opening Medi-Cal to more low-income residents. (Thompson, 4/23)

KFF Health News: Listen To The Latest 'KFF Health News Minute'
Sam Whitehead reads this week’s news: Families that rely on home health aides could pay the price for the Trump administration’s anti-immigrant policies, and some local health departments are canceling scheduled services because the federal government is trying to take back health grants. Jackie Fortiér reads this week’s news: The Trump administration is rolling back accommodations for people with disabilities, and a charity is about to wipe out $30 billion of medical debt, but that won’t stop Americans from accruing more. (4/22)

THE LATEST FROM HHS

CNN: FDA Says It Will Phase Out Petroleum-Based Food Dyes, Authorize Four Natural Color Additives 
The US Food and Drug Administration plans to phase out the use of petroleum-based synthetic dyes in the US food supply due to health concerns, Commissioner Dr. Marty Makary announced Tuesday. (Christensen, 4/22)

CBS News: NIH Director Pushes Back Timeline For RFK Jr.'s Autism Answers
The head of the National Institutes of Health now says it could take until next year to get preliminary results from their new studies into autism, marking the latest delay to findings that Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. had promised by September. "We're going to get hopefully grants out the door by the end of the summer," NIH Director Dr. Jay Bhattacharya told reporters Tuesday. "And people will get to work. We'll have a major conference, with updates, within the next year." (Tin, 4/22)

Politico: RFK Jr. Eyes Reversing CDC's Covid-19 Vaccine Recommendation For Children
HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. is weighing pulling the Covid-19 vaccine from the government’s list of recommended immunizations for children, two people familiar with the discussions told POLITICO. The directive under consideration would remove the Covid shot from the childhood vaccine schedule maintained by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and widely used by physicians to guide vaccine distribution, marking Kennedy’s most significant move yet to shake up the nation’s vaccination practices. (Cancryn, 4/22)

FEDERAL REORGANIZATION AND FUNDING CUTS

Stat: FDA Commissioner Marty Makary Names Three New Hires In Leadership Team
The commissioner of the Food and Drug Administration welcomed three new leaders to the agency this week, including a new deputy commissioner, according to an email to staff on Monday. The new arrivals were Lowell Zeta as deputy commissioner for strategic initiatives; Timothy Schell as acting director for the Center for Veterinary Medicine; and Craig Taylor as the acting chief information officer. (Lawrence and Trang, 4/22)

Modern Healthcare: What HHS' Regional Office Reorganization Means For The Industry
The federal government is likely to be slower to perform basic yet vital functions when the Health and Human Services Department halves the number of regional offices that handle responsibilities such as Medicare claims appeals and safety inspections. HHS announced it would close regional offices in Boston, Chicago, New York, San Francisco and Seattle as part of a sweeping departmental overhaul. The remaining offices in Atlanta, Dallas, Denver, Philadelphia and Kansas City, Missouri, will be expected to absorb a slew of new oversight and enforcement activities. (Early, 4/22)

Becker's Hospital Review: DOGE Has Access To 19 HHS Systems: Report
The U.S. Department of Government Efficiency has access to sensitive information in 19 HHS databases and systems, according to a court filing obtained by Wired. HHS submitted the filing as part of the discovery process for a lawsuit the American Federation of Labor and Congress of Industrial Organizations’ filed against the federal government, aiming to restrict DOGE’s access to federal systems. Nine such systems had not been previously disclosed as being accessed by DOGE. HHS did not respond to Wired‘s request for comment. (Bean, 4/22)

Stat: Women’s Health Initiative, Known For Hormone Trials, To Lose U.S. Funds
Federal funding for the Women’s Health Initiative, which as one of the largest research projects in women’s health has shaped treatment of menopause, osteoporosis, and nutrition, will be reduced in September, the program said Tuesday in a message to its 40 regional centers. (Cooney, 4/22)

The New York Times: National Science Foundation Terminates Hundreds Of Active Research Awards
Casey Fiesler, an information science professor at the University of Colorado Boulder, learned late on Friday evening that one of the three grants she had been awarded by the National Science Foundation was being terminated. “It was a total surprise,” Dr. Fiesler said. “This is the one that I thought was totally safe.” The grant supported Dr. Fiesler’s research on building A.I. literacy. She received no official explanation for why the grant was being terminated more than a year ahead of its scheduled end. (Miller and Zimmer, 4/22)

Politico: Equity Programs Out, Nutrition Programs In
President Donald Trump’s CMS is changing how the federal government rewards doctors and hospitals for quality care. The agency is shifting focus from measures to fight racism and inequality care gaps to nutrition and well-being initiatives, POLITICO’s Robert King reports. CMS has signaled it wants to roll back several incentives and requirements for doctors and hospitals to address health disparities. The push marks a stark departure from the Biden administration, which made health equity a goal. (Cirruzzo and Hooper, 4/22)

MORE FROM THE TRUMP ADMINISTRATION

Modern Healthcare: CFPB To Retract Medical Debt Opinion
The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau plans to retract an advisory opinion reminding debt collectors — including revenue cycle management firms often contracted by healthcare providers — that asking patients to pay for invalid or inaccurate medical bills is a violation of federal law. The advisory opinion, published in the Federal Register in October, was challenged by two debt collection companies the same week. In a district court filing this month, the collection companies and the agency jointly requested a pause in the proceedings, saying the CFPB intends to revoke the opinion. (DeSilva, 4/22)

The New York Times: Female Soldiers Will Have To Pass ‘Sex-Neutral’ Physical Test, U.S. Army Says 
Women in U.S. Army combat roles will be expected to pass the same “sex-neutral” physical test as male soldiers, that military branch announced on Monday, weeks after Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth ordered the elimination of lower physical fitness standards for women in combat. The change could hinder the Army’s ability to recruit and retain women in particularly dangerous military jobs. The new test, the Army Fitness Test, will replace the Army Combat Fitness Test, and “is designed to enhance Soldier fitness, improve warfighting readiness, and increase the lethality of the force,” the Army wrote in its announcement. The new scoring standards will be phased in beginning on June 1, the Army said. (Wolfe, 4/22)

ENVIRONMENT AND HEALTH

Axios: Nearly Half Of US Exposed To Air Pollution Amid Trump Climate Cuts
Nearly half of Americans are now exposed to potentially dangerous levels of air pollution, per a new report. The findings, which predate the current Trump administration, come as the White House is reconsidering EPA rules and regulations meant to curb pollution and promote cleaner air. (Fitzpatrick, 4/22)

The Washington Post: EPA To Fire Or Reassign More Than 450 Staffers Working On Environmental Justice, DEI
“EPA is taking the next step to terminate the Biden-Harris Administration’s Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion and Environmental Justice arms of the agency,” the agency said in a statement. “This is the first step in a broader effort to ensure that EPA is best positioned to meet its core mission of protecting human health and the environment and Powering the Great American Comeback.” (Ajasa, 4/22)

AP: EPA Chief Demands That Mexico Stop Tijuana Sewage From Flowing Into California
The head of the Environmental Protection Agency said Tuesday that Mexico must stop the flow of billions of gallons of sewage and toxic chemicals from Tijuana that has polluted the Pacific Ocean off neighboring Southern California, closing beaches and sickening Navy SEALs who train in the water. Lee Zeldin made the demand during an Earth Day trip to the California-Mexico border, where he toured a plant in San Diego County that treats the sewage as a secondary facility and flew along the frontier to see the Tijuana River. He also was scheduled to meet with SEALs. (Watson, 4/23)

The Hill: Republican Senator Asks Kennedy To Restore HHS Staff That Worked On Coal Miner Health
A Republican senator on Tuesday indicated disagreement with at least some of the firings and closures being made by the Trump administration in the name of efficiency. In a letter to Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., Sen. Shelley Moore Capito (R-W.Va.) pushed back on decisions that cut an office and workers seeking to support coal miners’ health. (Frazin, 4/22)

Wyoming Public Radio: As Black Lung Increases In Wyoming, Some Worry Federal Cuts Will Hinder Detection 
As more Wyoming coal miners suffer from the debilitating and deadly disease known as black lung, the Trump administration is dismantling the health system that tested for the disease and helped miners avoid getting sicker. (Clements, 4/22)

MEDICAID

The Hill: Cutting Federal Medicaid Expansion Funding Could Lead To 30k Additional Deaths: Analysis
An attempt by Republican lawmakers to roll back the federal government’s share of Medicaid expansion could result in tens of thousands of additional deaths, according to an analysis by a liberal think tank. The analysis by the Centers for American Progress (CAP), shared first with The Hill, found that about 34,200 more people would die annually if the federal government reduced its current 90 percent match for the expansion costs and states responded by dropping their Medicaid expansions. (Weixel, 4/23)

Axios: MAGA World Signals Medicaid Protectiveness
There are growing signs that Trump-aligned forces are ready to go to war with House Republicans if they attempt to pass large Medicaid spending cuts. New polling from a top Trump campaign pollster shared exclusively with Axios has found the Medicaid program is popular among all voters, including those who cast their ballot for Trump — yet another sign of the political peril of cutting it. (Owens, 4/23)

Stat: Pharma Company Says Medicaid Forced A Huge Price Hike For Its Rare Disease Drug
Four months ago, a small pharmaceuticals company bought a medicine used to combat a rare growth disorder in children and quickly raised the list price by 150%. Such a dramatic boost — from $5,882 to $14,705 per vial — is the sort of move that often draws attention at a time when many Americans complain about rising drug costs. But the company, Eton Pharmaceuticals, argues there is no other way to keep its treatment on the market and make a profit. But its decision involves a calculated twist: a willingness to take a hefty loss on each Medicaid patient. (Silverman, 4/22)

Politico: Florida Medicaid Regulator Offers Explanation Of Scrutinized $10M Hope Florida Donation
Florida’s top Medicaid regulator on Tuesday sought to explain that a $10 million donation made to a nonprofit associated with first lady Casey DeSantis’ community-based assistance program was not made with Medicaid dollars recouped in a much larger cash settlement. Amid heightened scrutiny Hope Florida has received over whether it improperly received money intended for the state, the Florida Agency for Health Care Administration’s general counsel sought to clarify the original intent of the money in a Tuesday letter to legislative leaders. (Sarkissian, 4/22)

REPRODUCTIVE HEALTH

The New York Times: Birthrates Languish In Record Lows, C.D.C. Reports
Births in the United States increased by just 1 percent in 2024, still near the record low rates that have alarmed demographers and become a central part of the Trump administration’s cultural agenda, according to data released on Wednesday by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. More than 3.6 million babies were born in the United States last year, a meager rise from the record-setting low in 2023. The fertility rate, approximately 1.6 births per woman over her lifetime, is well below the 2.1 births needed to maintain the country’s population through births alone. (Ghorayshi, 4/23)

The Hill: Trump Says Bonuses For Moms After They Have Child ‘Sounds Like A Good Idea’
President Trump on Tuesday signaled support to reporters about a proposal to give moms bonuses when they have a child amid reports the White House is looking at ways to bring up the nation’s birth rates. Trump was pressed by the media Tuesday afternoon about whether he was considering bonuses for moms whenever they have a child, following reports his administration heard a similar pitch that could mean up to $5,000 in extra cash for moms after giving birth. “Sounds like a good idea to me,” Trump said briefly before jumping to another question. (Folley, 4/22)

Politico: Clinics Begin Closing As Trump Admin Continues Freeze On Family Planning Funds
Clinics around the country that provide contraception and other reproductive health services to low-income patients are running out of funds as they await word from the Trump administration on tens of millions of dollars in grants frozen last month. Dozens of medical providers from California to Maine, including nine Planned Parenthood affiliates, have struggled to stay afloat since more than $65 million dollars for the Title X family planning program was withheld on April 1. (Ollstein, 4/22)

The Texas Tribune: Bill Clarifying Texas Abortion Law Gets Senate Panel’s OK
A bill seeking to clarify Texas’ abortion laws has passed out of a Senate committee, with amendments attached that aim to appease criticism from the left and the right. Texas law bans abortion except to save the life of the pregnant patient, with penalties of up to life in prison, $100,000 fines and loss of licensure. But the law is confusing and vague, doctors and hospitals say, forcing them to delay or deny medically necessary abortions for fear of triggering the strict penalties. (Klibanoff, 4/22)

The 19th: Texas CPS Took A Newborn For Three Weeks. Now The Family Is Suing. 
Two years ago, Temecia and Rodney Jackson’s newborn baby, Mila, was taken from them for three weeks in a nightmare scenario that gained national media attention. At the time, the Jackson family’s pediatrician reported the parents to child protective services in Texas, questioning their ability to properly care for Mila’s serious jaundice level using their midwife instead of going to a hospital. Mila was taken and put into foster care for three weeks before being returned to her parents. Now, the Jackson family, alongside the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) of Texas, announced on Tuesday that they have sued the Texas Department of Family and Protective Services (DFPS), challenging several policies that they argue undermine due process rights and violate state and constitutional law. (Norwood, 4/22)

OUTBREAKS AND HEALTH THREATS

ABC News: Texas Measles Outbreak Surpasses 600 Cases With Most Among Children, Teens
The measles outbreak in western Texas has now reached 624 cases, with 27 new infections confirmed over the last five days. Nearly all of the cases are among unvaccinated individuals or among those whose vaccination status is unknown, according to new data published by the Texas Department of State Health Services (DSHS) on Tuesday. Currently, 10 cases are among residents who have been vaccinated with one dose of the measles, mumps and rubella (MMR) vaccine, while 12 cases are among those vaccinated with two doses. (Kekatos, 4/22)

Newsweek: Florida Doctors Aren't Treating Unvaccinated Kids, Surgeon General Says
Florida Surgeon General Joseph Ladapo is urging the passing of statewide legislation to minimize purported incidents of doctors rejecting patients due to being unvaccinated. Newsweek reached out to the Florida Department of Health for comment. In March, Lapado and Florida Governor Ron DeSantis urged Florida lawmakers to pass legislation making it illegal for businesses and government entities to fire or refuse to hire employees based on their vaccination status, as well as to implement a permanent ban on mRNA vaccine mandates in Florida—which Ladapo compared to the "horrific things" doctors did to Jewish people in Nazi concentration camps. (Mordowanec, 4/22)

Axios: Vaccine Developers Mobilize Amid "Great Unraveling" Of Their Work
Hundreds of vaccine researchers gathered in Washington, D.C., on Tuesday, still struggling to counter rising anti-vaccine sentiment and mistrust many blamed on top Trump administration health officials. (Reed, 4/23)

The Washington Post: Whooping Cough Cases Surge As Vaccine Rates Fall
Whooping cough cases are soaring in the United States, according to new data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, as the Trump administration’s cuts to federal health agencies and funding destabilize programs that monitor disease and promote vaccination. The U.S. has tallied 8,077 cases of whooping cough in 2025, compared with 3,847 cases in the same period last year, the CDC’s data shows. The bacterial illness, formally known as pertussis, spreads easily and is especially dangerous for infants. (Bellware, 4/22)

CIDRAP: New Agreement Geared Toward Universal Avian Flu Vaccine
The University of Cambridge–based DioSynVax and Singapore's ACM Biolabs have signed a deal to jointly develop a next-generation universal avian flu vaccine with the potential for mucosal delivery. The mRNA vaccine targets all major clades of the H5 avian flu subtype and is scalable for rapid, global distribution, according to a press release from DioSynVax. Delivery via a nasal spray could help increase uptake of the vaccine. (Soucheray, 4/22)

HEALTH CARE INDUSTRY

The Texas Tribune: East Texas Hospital To Close After Reopening 14 Months Ago 
Trinity County’s only hospital, which opened just 14 months ago, will close this week as Texas continues to struggle to keep their rural hospitals afloat. (Huff, 4/23)

Chicago Tribune: Prime Healthcare Suspending Pediatric Inpatient Care At Joliet Hospital
The new owner of St. Joseph Medical Center in Joliet plans to suspend inpatient pediatric care at the hospital less than two months after buying St. Joseph and seven other Illinois hospitals from Ascension — a move that’s drawing criticism from the hospital’s nurses union. (Schencker, 4/22)

Modern Healthcare: Why OhioHealth, Bon Secours Are Investing In Smart Rooms
Health systems are betting big money on smart technology to streamline workflow and improve quality of care. Some systems, including Columbus, Ohio-based OhioHealth, have already incorporated full smart rooms at some facilities, areas equipped with intelligent technologies and ambient sensors to monitor patient activity and streamline care interactions. Others are investing millions of dollars to test and hone smart technology alongside third-party companies. (Hudson, 4/22)

Modern Healthcare: UnitedHealth, Cigna CEOs Saw Compensation Grow Over 10% In 2024
Health insurance CEO pay rose in 2024 despite disappointing financial performances by several leading companies. Total compensation increased for the chief executives of UnitedHealth Group, Cigna, Centene and Molina Healthcare while it declined for the CEOs of CVS Health, Elevance Health and Humana, according to proxy statements the companies submitted to the Securities and Exchange Commission. (Tepper, 4/22)

The Washington Post: Virginia NICU Nurse Accused Of Hurting Babies Faces New Charges 
New charges unveiled Tuesday against a nurse suspected of hurting infants in a Virginia hospital’s neonatal intensive care unit bring the number of children she is accused of abusing to five and extend the window of alleged mistreatment by two years. Erin Elizabeth Ann Strotman, 26, was arrested in January and charged in a single case after several infants suffered seemingly inexplicable fractures, prompting Henrico Doctors’ Hospital to abruptly shutter its NICU as police investigated. (Uber, 4/22)

STATE WATCH

CNN: North Carolina Communities Still Struggling To Recover From Hurricane Helene Feel The Loss Of Laid-Off CDC Survey Team 
Hurricane Helene tore through the Swannanoa River Valley of western North Carolina almost seven months ago, but many of the scars it left are still fresh. President Donald Trump traveled here in January, just four days after the start of his second term, and pledged more federal help. (Goodman, 4/22)

AP: Minnesota Attorney General Files Preemptive Lawsuit Against Trump On Transgender Sports Ban
Democratic Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison filed a preemptive lawsuit Tuesday against Republican President Donald Trump seeking to block his administration from acting against Minnesota in the way it’s taking on Maine under a federal push to ban transgender athletes from girls and women’s sports. “Minnesota brings this lawsuit to stop President Trump and his administration from bullying vulnerable children in this state,” Ellison said at a news conference, quoting the opening line from the lawsuit naming Trump and his attorney general, Pam Bondi. (Karnowski, 4/22)

AP: Nebraska Bill To Ban Transgender Students From The Bathrooms And Sports Of Their Choice Advances
A Nebraska bill that would bar transgender students from bathrooms, locker rooms and sports teams that correspond with their gender identity has advanced from the first of three rounds of debate — but with a caveat. Sen. Merv Riepe, who helped tank an effort to pass a similar bill last year, agreed Tuesday to provide the 33rd vote needed to break a filibuster against the bill. But only if the bill’s sponsor agrees to support his amendment to remove language that would ban bathroom and locker room use, leaving only the ban on sports participation. That amendment will be introduced in the next round of debate, Riepe said. (Beck, 4/23)

GUN VIOLENCE AND MENTAL HEALTH

WUFT: Overexposure To Violence Linked To Desensitization, American Academy Of Pediatrics Says
Tragedies like the COVID pandemic, and the Sandy Hook and Parkland school shootings are events that affected so many people, especially Generation Z. With the easy accessibility of social media, Gen Z is becoming more desensitized to devastation. (Schiffer, 4/22)

AP: Following FSU Shooting, Students Call On Lawmakers To Block Effort To Lower Gun-Buying Law
Student survivors of last week’s deadly shooting at Florida State University urged state legislators Tuesday to block an effort to reverse a law passed after the 2018 Parkland school shooting that raised the state’s gun-buying age from 18 to 21. Days after a gunman terrorized the university in the state capital of Tallahassee, students traveled to the Capitol to call on lawmakers to take action to protect them from gun violence. (Payne, 4/22)