Latest KFF Health News Stories
UK’s Zero-Tariff Deal On Pharma Will Bring More Jobs To The United States
The agreement “strengthens the global environment for innovative medicines and brings long-overdue balance to U.S.–U.K. pharmaceutical trade,” Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. said. Meanwhile, the American Hospital Association has filed a lawsuit to try to block the 340B discount program.
US Opts Out Of World AIDS Day, Frustrating Activists On The Front Line
Other countries marked the day with public health declarations and commemorative ceremonies, while the Trump administration stayed silent about the epidemic. “I think it’s emblematic of an administration that doesn’t seem to care,” one activist said.
Congress May Punt Funding Bills To January As Another Shutdown Looms
Meanwhile, House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.) appeals to centrist Republicans in an effort to extend ACA subsidies before they expire at the end of the month.
CMS To End Medicare Experiment Meant To Fix Kidney Dialysis Shortage
The trial, which will end Dec. 31, studied whether giving financial incentives to providers would move more patients with end-stage kidney disease onto home dialysis and through the transplant process, Stat reports. That approach was not proven to work.
First Edition: Tuesday, Dec. 2, 2025
Today’s early morning highlights from the major news organizations.
Congress Looks To Trump As ACA Subsidies’ Expiration Draws Closer
Mixed signals from the president are muddying the path forward on health care as Congress returns to session today. Also: Charities that help those with outstanding medical bills report seeing a troubling increase in requests for help, and they warn it could get worse as Medicaid cuts take effect.
Smartphones Before 12 May Lead To Higher Rates Of Depression, Obesity
The study, published Monday, found that the younger kids were when they got their first smartphones, the greater their risk of obesity, depression, and poor sleep. Also: Some mental health apps are looking to integrate generative AI chatbots.
New Rating Rules May Give Medicare Advantage Insurers A $13B Boost
One proposed change to the star rating system is bringing back the “reward factor.” This provision, previously used until 2023, would increase payments to insurers that perform well. As a result, Medicare is scrapping the “health equity index” that was set to go into effect in 2027.
Opinion writers discuss these public health issues.
Experts Want FDA To Back Up Claim That Covid Vaccine Caused Kids’ Deaths
Vaccine regulator Vinay Prasad, whose memo calls for stricter vaccine regulation, needs to make public the evidence that directly ties the shots to fatal outcomes, scientists say. In other vaccine news, scientists are studying more modern techniques for making shots.
NYC Officials Knew About Toxins In Air On 9/11 But Hid Testing Results: Union
Dozens of boxes of records undisclosed until now have allegedly shown that New York City officials “had real testing done. And when that testing was done, it was suppressed. And everyone was told the air was safe; people would have made different choices,” a union official said. Also: An FDNY deputy chief whose firefighter son died on 9/11 has also now died of World Trade Center-related illnesses.
FDA Reverses Proposed Rule To Test Cosmetics Containing Talc For Asbestos
The FDA said it will submit a new proposal to regulate an even broader range of talc-containing products in an effort to reduce exposure to the carcinogen. Other news is on “less lethal” crowd-control tactics, heating assistance, and more.
First Edition: Monday, Dec. 1, 2025
Today’s early morning highlights from the major news organizations.
Editorial writers examine these public health topics.
Trump Says He’d Extend ACA Subsidies Only To Make Time To Hash Out A Plan
“Some kind of an extension may be necessary to get something else done,” President Donald Trump said Tuesday. But he added: “Somebody said I wanna extend them for two years. I don’t want to extend them for two years. I’d rather not extend them at all.”
Kentucky Reports Third Infant Death From Pertussis Amid Nationwide Surge
Of the three infant fatalities, none of the babies or their mothers had been vaccinated against the highly contagious whooping cough. Kentucky has reported 566 confirmed cases of pertussis this year, which is the largest outbreak since 2012. Also: norovirus, measles, RSV, flu, and covid.
CMS Floats Overhaul Of Medicare Advantage Star Ratings System
CMS may nix a dozen Medicare Advantage and Part D measures that focus on operational performance or completion of administrative processes. Other health industry news is on Humana’s plan to appeal a court loss over the Medicare Advantage star ratings, Asheville’s Mission Hospital is removed from immediate jeopardy by CMS, and more.
Lawmaker Will Introduce Federal Bill To Safely Discharge Patients In Labor
The bill from Rep. Robin Kelly, a Democrat from Illinois, would require clinical justification for discharging patients presenting with signs or symptoms of labor, an assessment of travel distance, a confirmed back-up hospital or birthing facility, verification that patients have reliable transportation, and documentation of patient understanding, Becker’s Hospital Review reported.
Medicare To Lower Prices On 15 More Prescription Drugs, Including Ozempic
Some prescription cancer drugs are also included in the negotiations. The announcement followed the second round of talks with pharmaceutical manufacturers under a new system implemented by the Biden administration as part of the 2022 Inflation Reduction Act, The Washington Post reported.
Doctor Who Called Covid Vaccines ‘Dangerous’ Is CDC’s New Deputy Chief
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s internal database lists Dr. Ralph Abraham, 71, as its principal deputy director, with a start date of Nov. 23, The New York Times reported. Abraham is also the former surgeon general of Louisiana and halted the state health department’s mass vaccination campaigns.