Latest KFF Health News Content

Latest KFF Health News Stories

ACA Subsidies, Funding Bill Punted To Next Year As Congress Takes A Break

Morning Briefing

The enhanced tax credits that millions of Americans rely on to pay for health insurance on the Obamacare marketplace will expire Dec. 31, meaning premiums could soar. When Congress meets again, it’ll have mere weeks to pass funding legislation to avoid another government shutdown.

Study Shows High-Fat Cheese, Cream May Help Lower Dementia Risk

Morning Briefing

The researchers note that no difference was seen for low-fat milk products, or whole milk, and that what the cows eat is also important. Other lifestyle and health news looks at warning signs of dementia; blood tests for Alzheimer’s; “holiday heart syndrome;” and more.

Nebraska Medicaid Work Requirements Will Start May 1, Ahead Of Schedule

Morning Briefing

The Cornhusker State will be the first to fall in line with the Trump administration’s law that mandates 80 hours of work or community service each month, or part-time school enrollment for people 19 to 64 who have Medicaid coverage. States have until 2027 to implement that policy.

NEJM Evidence, CIDRAP Issue First ‘Public Health Alerts’ To Fill Data Gaps

Morning Briefing

The joint report discussed mpox and H3N2 influenza. The collaboration aims to provide “timely, evidence-based alerts that can help local and state health leaders act quickly to protect the health of people in their communities,” said Michael Osterholm, director of the Center for Infectious Disease Research and Policy (CIDRAP) at the University of Minnesota.

HHS Rescinds Millions In Grants Given To American Academy Of Pediatrics

Morning Briefing

The Trump administration said it is clawing back grants that “no longer align with the department’s mission or priorities.” The academy has been critical of how the Department of Health and Human Services under Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has approached vaccine policy.

House OKs GOP Health Care Bill Without Extending ACA Subsidies

Morning Briefing

The vote was 216-211, but four Republicans have joined with Democrats in trying to force a vote on an extension of the ACA subsidies. Meanwhile, Affordable Care Act exchanges brace for chaos.

Anti-Transgender Bill Passes House; RFK Jr. Announces Restrictions

Morning Briefing

Meanwhile in Texas, the Department of Public Safety is amassing a list of transgender Texans using data from their driver’s licenses, and the state has opened a public tip line designed to help enforce the state’s “bathroom bill.”

Dana-Farber Cancer Institute Will Pay $15M To Settle Case Over Flawed Data

Morning Briefing

Dana-Farber has admitted that scientists, working under inadequate supervision, used federal grant money to conduct research that led to papers with duplicated or manipulated images, Stat reported. But the agreement doesn’t include an admission of intentional fraud, Stat noted.

NY Health System, Union Strike Deal To Bypass Insurers, Reduce Red Tape

Morning Briefing

Members of the 32BJ Health Fund will receive more favorable pricing from the nonprofit Northwell Health system, which will become the preferred provider. This strategy bypasses an insurer’s role in administering the plan. Plus, the latest on the Brown University shooting.

House To Vote On Gender-Affirming Care For Kids, Including Penalties

Morning Briefing

The two bills up for a vote include one that would criminalize providing certain gender-affirming procedures or medications, and one that would prohibit Medicaid funding for gender-affirming care, Axios reports. Also: House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) blocks a vote on ACA subsidies.

CDC Makes It Official, Drops Hep B Shot Recommendation For Newborns

Morning Briefing

Babies whose mothers test positive for the virus, or whose status is unknown, should still get the birth dose, the CDC says, but others may delay the first shot until the child is at least 2 months old. However, doctors and hospital systems are likely to continue following the decades-old policy.

Dismantling Of USAID In Bangladesh Has Led To Surge In Child Prostitution

Morning Briefing

The sudden funding cuts in multiple countries forced the closure of thousands of schools and child protection programs. Without them, AP reported, many children as young as 10 have been forced into unwanted marriages and manual labor, and girls as young as 12 have been forced into prostitution.

FDA Will Put Brain Tumor Warning On Depo-Provera Birth Control Shot

Morning Briefing

Pfizer, which makes the shot, is fighting a lawsuit from more than 1,000 women who claim the company knew about the risk of meningiomas but failed to warn patients. Meanwhile, former Vice President Mike Pence’s organization Advancing American Freedom has called for HHS Secretary RFK Jr.’s removal from office over his refusal to review the abortion pill mifepristone.