First Edition: Monday, April 28, 2025

KFF HEALTH NEWS ORIGINAL STORIES

KFF Health News: RFK Jr. Exaggerates Share Of Autistic Population With Severe Limitations
Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. attracted notice — and in some quarters, outrage — for remarks about autism, a topic he’s clashed with scientists about for years. Kennedy held an April 16 press conference pegged to a new Centers for Disease Control and Prevention report that found the prevalence of autism rising to 1 in 31 among 8-year-olds, the latest in a series of increases in recent decades. Kennedy said “autism destroys families” and is an “individual tragedy as well.” (Jacobson, 4/28)

KFF Health News: When They Don’t Recognize You Anymore
It happened more than a decade ago, but the moment remains with her. Sara Stewart was talking at the dining room table with her mother, Barbara Cole, 86 at the time, in Bar Harbor, Maine. Stewart, then 59, a lawyer, was making one of her extended visits from out of state. Two or three years earlier, Cole had begun showing troubling signs of dementia, probably from a series of small strokes. “I didn’t want to yank her out of her home,” Stewart said. (Span, 4/28)

KFF Health News: When Hospitals Ditch Medicare Advantage Plans, Thousands Of Members Get To Leave, Too
For several years, Fred Neary had been seeing five doctors at the Baylor Scott & White Health system, whose 52 hospitals serve central and northern Texas, including Neary’s home in Dallas. But in October, his Humana Medicare Advantage plan — an alternative to government-run Medicare — warned that Baylor and the insurer were fighting over a new contract. If they couldn’t reach an agreement, he’d have to find new doctors or new health insurance. (Jaffe, 4/28)

THE TRUMP ADMINISTRATION

The New York Times: Trump Budget Draft Ends Narcan Program And Other Addiction Measures.
The opioid overdose reversal medication commercially known as Narcan saves hundreds of thousands of lives a year and is routinely praised by public health experts for contributing to the continuing drop in opioid-related deaths. But the Trump administration plans to terminate a $56 million annual grant program that distributes doses and trains emergency responders in communities across the country to administer them, according to a draft budget proposal. In the document, which outlines details of the drastic reorganization and shrinking planned for the Department of Health and Human Services, the grant is among many addiction prevention and treatment programs to be zeroed out. (Hoffman, 4/25)

The New York Times: F.D.A. Scientists Are Reinstated At Agency Food Safety Labs
Federal health officials have reversed the decision to fire a few dozen scientists at the Food and Drug Administration’s food-safety labs, and say they are conducting a review to determine if other critical posts were cut. A spokesman for the Department of Health and Human Services confirmed the rehirings and said that several employees would also be restored to the offices that deal with Freedom of Information requests, an area that was nearly wiped out. (Jewett, 4/25)

NBC News: Health Program For 9/11 Illnesses Faces Uncertain Future After Federal Staffing Cuts 
More than 23 years after the Twin Towers collapsed, blanketing lower Manhattan in toxic dust and debris, the number of people diagnosed with 9/11-related illnesses is still growing. Since 2011, the main resource for people exposed to the fumes has been the World Trade Center Health Program, which covers treatment for cancer, asthma and post-traumatic stress disorder, among other health conditions. (Bendix, 4/26)

The Boston Globe: Amid Trump Cuts, How Will Labs Make Up For Lost Research Funding?
The funding geyser that propelled US medical advances for much of the past century may be drying up as the Trump administration pulls back federal research money from Harvard University and other New England institutions that have been reliable engines of discovery and innovation. Yet as labs scramble for alternative funding sources — from foundations, industry, even their university hosts — there’s little hope, in the short term, that those players can fill the gaps resulting from White House rollbacks. (Gokee, Saltzman and Weisman, 4/28)

Stat: Trump's Tariffs Hit Surgical Robots, Medical Device Companies 
President Trump’s tariffs are adding hundreds of millions of dollars in costs to individual medical device firms and diagnostic companies. The biggest manufacturers are relatively unbothered by it. (Herman, 4/28)

CNN: 3 Children Who Are US Citizens — Including One With Cancer — Deported With Their Mothers To Honduras, Lawyers And Advocacy Groups Say 
Three children who are US citizens were deported to Honduras with their mothers last week, including a 4-year-old receiving treatment for metastatic cancer, according to the families’ attorneys and civil rights and immigration advocacy organizations. (Andone, 4/27)

AP: Trump 100 Days: Public Health
At the Department of Health and Human Services, 10,000 jobs are gone. Billions of dollars in research sent to scientists and universities was shut off. Public meetings to discuss flu shots and other vaccines have been canceled. Fluoride in drinking water may be the next to go, according to Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. Kennedy has done a blitz of his “Make America Healthy Again” campaign at day cares, schools and health centers around the country where he has promised to work with Trump’s other agency leaders to prohibit soda from the federal Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, limit dyes in the food supply and call for fluoride to be removed from drinking water. (Seitz, 4/27)

'MAKE AMERICA HEALTHY AGAIN'

AP: How Bugs And Beet Juice Could Play Roles In The Race To Replace Artificial Dyes In Food
As pressure grows to get artificial colors out of the U.S. food supply, the shift may well start at Abby Tampow’s laboratory desk. On an April afternoon, the scientist hovered over tiny dishes of red dye, each a slightly different ruby hue. Her task? To match the synthetic shade used for years in a commercial bottled raspberry vinaigrette — but by using only natural ingredients. ... Tampow is part of the team at Sensient Technologies Corp., one of the world’s largest dyemakers, that is rushing to help the salad dressing manufacturer — along with thousands of other American businesses — meet demands to overhaul colors used to brighten products from cereals to sports drinks. (Aleccia, 4/28)

CNN: Your Chance Of An Early Death Rises With Every Bite Of Ultraprocessed Food, Study Says 
As you add more ultraprocessed foods to your diet, your risk of a premature death from any cause rises, according to a new meta-analysis of research involving more than 240,000 people. (LaMotte, 4/28)

MEDICAID AND MEDICARE

The Hill: Jason Smith Says Trump ‘Does Not Want’ Agenda Bill ‘To Be A Health Care Bill’
House Ways and Means Chair Jason Smith (R-Mo.) said Sunday that President Trump “does not want” the “one big, beautiful bill” encompassing his agenda “to be a health care bill.” “Medicaid … all falls underneath the Energy and Commerce Committee, not Ways and Means,” Smith said when asked about cuts to Medicaid via the bill on “The Hill Sunday” by NewsNation’s Chris Stirewalt. (Suter, 4/27)

Politico: White House Wariness Tempers GOP Plans To Share Food-Aid Spending With States 
America’s largest anti-hunger program could be transformed under proposals now being debated by congressional Republicans, with some of the costs for the safety-net program potentially pushed onto states for the first time. But White House officials are urging caution as GOP lawmakers move to finalize their massive domestic policy bill, with concerns mounting about benefit cuts hitting President Donald Trump’s own voters. Lawmakers are discussing more than a dozen iterations of the still-tentative plan to scale back federal spending on the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program by forcing states to split at least some of the cost, according to five people granted anonymity to describe the private deliberations. Governors would have to decide whether to foot the bill or put new limits on who would be eligible for food aid in their states. (Hill, 4/27)

Stat: Congress Health Policies To Watch: Medicaid Cuts, RFK Jr., NIH Budget
Soon after returning from their spring break, congressional Republicans will have to start making some tough choices. How will they pay for up to $5 trillion in tax cuts? How much health spending will they cut? And just when are they going to drag Health and Human Services Department Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. to the hill to testify? (Wilkerson, 4/28)

Bloomberg: Most US States Ok Medicaid Pilot For Sickle Cell Gene Therapies
In a speech Friday, Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. said 35 states have agreed to participate in a federal pilot program aimed at helping Medicaid patients access costly gene therapies for sickle cell disease. The states represent about 84% of Medicaid patients with the blood disorder, Kennedy said in an address to the National Council of Insurance Legislators, according to a person who attended the meeting but was not authorized to speak publicly on the matter. (Cohrs Zhang and Smith, 4/25)

Politico: Medicaid Cuts Threaten To Leave Hochul With Political Wounds
New York Gov. Kathy Hochul is facing a threat of political backlash if the state is hit hard by looming federal cuts to Medicaid. With Congressional Republicans on the hook to realize $880 billion in savings by Sept. 30, the Democratic governor is now forced to look for ways to compensate for the anticipated hit to the state’s $124 billion Medicaid budget — one of the largest in the country. Hochul would be on the hook to contend with the fiscal fallout from the potential cuts, forcing her to consider contingencies that come with their own political risks. (Cordero, 4/28)

Stat: Chris Klomp, The New Medicare Director, Has Big Ambitions
In keeping with the Trump administration’s quest to slash spending at the federal health department, it’s hired a famously thrifty technology entrepreneur to lead Medicare. As the CEO of health IT company Collective Medical, Chris Klomp flew bargain-priced Frontier Airlines and once boasted about sleeping in rental cars and crummy motels on business trips. (Aguilar, 4/28)

OUTBREAKS AND HEALTH THREATS

CIDRAP: US Measles Cases Climb Higher, Approach 900
The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) today reported 84 more measles cases, boosting the national total to 884, keeping the nation on pace to experience its worst year since the nation eliminated the disease in 2000. So far, 30 jurisdictions have reported cases, up 5 from the previous week. One more outbreak was reported, bringing that total to 11, the largest one centered in West Texas. The CDC said 820 (83%) of the cases so far are part of outbreaks. (Schnirring, 4/25)

The Colorado Sun: Vaccinated Adult In Colorado Infected With Measles
Colorado on Friday reported its fifth incidence of measles this year, and, for the first time in the spate of cases, the infection was in a person who had been vaccinated against the disease. The person, an adult living in Denver, had recently traveled to the Mexican state of Chihuahua, which is seeing an outbreak of measles. Two other cases identified in Colorado — one in a baby in Denver and another in a Pueblo resident — were also connected to travel to Chihuahua. (Ingold, 4/25)

CIDRAP: More US Adults Willing To Receive Mpox Vaccine Now Than In 2022
Amid ongoing clade 1 mpox outbreaks in Africa, 58% of US adults say they would be willing to be vaccinated against the viral illness if their physician or health authority were to recommend it, up 12 percentage points since 2022, a University of Texas survey finds. Published yesterday in Vaccine, the study compares the results of an online survey conducted during the 2022 global outbreak of clade 2b mpox with those of a September 2024 survey of 828 participants fielded during the African clade 1b mpox outbreaks and scattered cases reported elsewhere, including the United States. (Van Beusekom, 4/25)

CIDRAP: Tick-Borne Meat Allergy May Be Related To Urbanization In Mid-Atlantic US
A University of North Carolina (UNC) at Chapel Hill modeling study suggests that wild-habitat disruption may be contributing to the increasing US prevalence of Alpha-gal syndrome (AGS), a tick-borne allergy to animal meat. The study team used a dataset of 462 AGS patients with confirmed AGS from UNC Health and models based on environmental factors, such as landcover and topography, to assess whether the risk of AGS is linked to the habitat fragmentation often seen in open spaces and areas of low-density development in North Carolina, South Carolina, and Virginia. (Van Beusekom, 4/25)

VIOLENCE AGAINST HEALTH WORKERS

AP: Luigi Mangione Pleads Not Guilty To Federal Death Penalty Charge In UnitedHealthcare CEO’s Killing
Luigi Mangione pleaded not guilty Friday to a federal murder charge in the killing of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson. Prosecutors formally declared their intent to seek the death penalty, and the judge warned Justice Department officials to refrain from making public comments that could spoil his right to a fair trial. Mangione, 26, stood between his lawyers and leaned toward a tabletop microphone as he entered the plea in Manhattan federal court. (Sisak, 4/25)

Kansas City Star: Kansas City Firefighter Dies After Being Stabbed In Ambulance 
A Kansas City firefighter-paramedic has died after he was stabbed in an ambulance by a patient he was transporting Sunday morning, city officials announced. (Alviz-Gransee, 4/27)

HEALTH CARE INDUSTRY

Asheville Watchdog: Medical Examiners: Mission Hospital Released More Than 100 Bodies Before Legally Required Review
Since 2021, Mission Hospital has released at least 111 bodies to funeral homes before a legally required medical examiner’s review, according to a list of issues related to the hospital’s handling of deaths compiled by Buncombe County medical examiners and obtained by Asheville Watchdog. The list includes people who died of gunshot wounds, drug overdoses, choking and falling bricks. Some of the bodies had to be returned to the hospital from funeral homes as far away as Georgia. Some were already buried. (Jones, 4/26)

Carolina Public Press: Many Hope This NC County’s Hospital Won’t Close. It’s The Only One Around.
Six months ago, Washington Regional Medical Center in Plymouth declared bankruptcy for the second time in five years. Now, hospital leadership hopes that the facility will emerge from this latest financial hardship by late May. That’s good news to the 10,713 residents of Washington County who need the hospital to stay in business. It’s the only one around. (Sartwell, 4/27)

The Baltimore Sun: Lown Institute Report: Maryland Nonprofit Hospitals Outpace Tax Breaks With Community Investment
Maryland nonprofit hospitals spend more on their communities than they receive in tax breaks, according to a new report by the Lown Institute, a Boston-based independent health care think tank. (Karpovich, 4/26)

WUSF: $1 Million Gift Will Fund Housing For Patient Families At St. Petersburg's All Children's Hospital
A charity known for its barbecue fundraisers is donating $1 million to Johns Hopkins All Children’s Hospital in St. Petersburg to turn apartments into housing for patients’ families. Hogs for the Cause, a New Orleans-based nonprofit, said its third “Hogs House” will provide free quarters for families while their child undergoes extended hospital care. (Mayer, 4/25)

Modern Healthcare: WellSpan Health Cancels Black Men In White Coats Summit
WellSpan Health canceled a mentorship event designed to introduce Black youth to medical careers, citing concerns about potential federal backlash over diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives. The Black Men in White Coats summit was set to take place at the end of May at the York College of Pennsylvania. The York, Pennsylvania-based system previously held the event in May 2024 and March 2023. Other healthcare organizations including Johns Hopkins Medicine, Summa Health and Kaiser Permanente have also held Black Men in White Coats mentorship events. (DeSilva, 4/25)

Stat: Investing In Nurse-Scientists Can Help Restore Trust In Medicine 
Every day, nurses make decisions that shape not only how patients recover but how they experience illness. Take patients recovering from sepsis, who are often under sedation on a ventilator. Evidence urges daily sedation breaks to prevent delirium, but guidelines rarely acknowledge the fear of suddenly waking up in a maze of tubes. These moments — where protocol clashes with human need — make nurses want to be scientists and figure out better answers. (Kathryn Connell, Eleanor Turi and Mollie Hobensack, 4/28)

Fierce Healthcare: Here's What For-Profit Health System CEOs, CFOs Made In 2024
The CEOs of HCA Healthcare, Tenet Healthcare, Universal Health Services (UHS), Community Health Systems (CHS) and public market newcomer Ardent Health Services received compensation packages ranging from $6.9 million to $24.7 million, according to annual proxy statements filed with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. This was a wider range than the $8.3 million to $21.3 million reported last year. (Muoio, 4/28)

PHARMACEUTICALS

NBC News: Lawsuit Alleges Man With Diabetes Became Blind After Taking Ozempic
A Maryland man who took Ozempic and then became legally blind is suing the drug’s manufacturer, arguing it had an obligation to warn patients that loss of sight could be a possible side effect. Todd Engel, 62, was prescribed Ozempic in 2023 to manage his Type 2 diabetes. The lawsuit said about four months later, Engel was diagnosed with nonarteritic anterior ischemic optic neuropathy, or NAION, a condition in which a loss of blood flow to the optic nerve causes sudden and irreversible vision loss. (Chuck, 4/26)

The New York Times: Immunotherapy Drug Spares Cancer Patients From Grisly Surgeries And Harsh Therapies
When a person develops solid tumors in the stomach or esophagus or rectum, oncologists know how to treat them. But the cures often come with severe effects on quality of life. That can include removal of the stomach or bladder, a permanent colostomy bag, radiation that makes patients infertile and lasting damage from chemotherapy. So a research group at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, using a drug from the pharmaceutical company GSK, tried something different. (Kolata, 4/27)

AP: Genetic Medicine Can Leave People With Rare Mutations Behind. But There's New Hope
Emily Kramer-Golinkoff can’t get enough oxygen with each breath. Advanced cystic fibrosis makes even simple things like walking or showering arduous and exhausting. She has the most common fatal genetic disease in the U.S., which afflicts 40,000 Americans. But her case is caused by a rare genetic mutation, so medications that work for 90% of people with cystic fibrosis won’t help her. The same dynamic plays out in other genetic conditions. Stunning advances in genetic science have revealed the subtle, insidious culprits behind these brutal diseases and have started paving the way for treatments. (Ungar, 4/26)

MENTAL HEALTH

Axios: Blue States Change Course On Mental Health Policies
Cities and states that once championed progressive approaches to mental health and drug use are continuing their yearslong course reversal, and are increasingly open to involuntary commitment. The push to get people with severe mental illness help — especially those who are homeless — is a response to public backlash, but may be outpacing the availability of high-quality treatment for them. (Owens, 4/25)

Fox News: ‘SkinnyTok’ Could Promote Starvation And Disordered Eating, Experts Warn
Social media can be a great source of fitness, nutrition and wellness tips — but it also has some potentially harmful content. Enter "SkinnyTok," a popular weight-loss trend making the rounds on TikTok. Creators are pairing the hashtag with videos that share various ways to lose weight, many of them based on the goal of getting as thin as possible in a short amount of time. (Rudy, 4/27)

The Washington Post: ‘Smart Insoles’ Could Help Diagnose Dementia, Other Health Problems
A new “smart insole” system that transmits data based on a person’s gait could one day provide earlier warnings of dementia, orthopedic issues and lumbar disc problems, a recent study says. Writing in Science Advances, researchers called the system “a practical solution for improving clinical assessments, personalized treatments, and biomechanics research.” (Blakemore, 4/27)

GLOBAL WATCH