Latest KFF Health News Stories
First Edition: Monday, April 14, 2025
Today’s early morning highlights from the major news organizations.
Opinion writers examine these public health issues.
Crozer Health Raises Funds To Stave Off Closure As Sale Woes Continue
Prospect Medical Holdings has managed to keep the lights on for another week at two of its Pennsylvania hospitals while it transitions some services to nearby providers in line with its closure contingency plan. Also in the news: GE HealthCare, Cincinnati Children’s, GWU Hospital, and more.
Maryland’s Maximum Security Psychiatric Facility Loses Accreditation
According to The Washington Post, The Joint Commission visited Clifton T. Perkins Hospital Center to inspect the location after the facility struggled with safety concerns, understaffing, and excessive leadership turnover. Others states making news are Arkansas, Alabama, Florida, Kansas, Maine, Missouri, Ohio, North Carolina, and California.
Longer Looks: Interesting Reads You Might Have Missed
Each week, KFF Health News finds longer stories for you to enjoy. Today’s selections are on homelessness, microplastics, Cory Booker, and more.
With Budget Plan In Hand, Congress Looks To Pare Health Care Spending
The Republican-led Congress is considering $880 billion in Medicaid cuts in order to free up money to pay for President Trump’s tax cuts. Stat explores why those cuts might not be as deep as feared.
RFK Jr. Decries Single-Antigen Vaccines; Scientists Say He’s Wrong
“A tenet of virology is that you go after one of the proteins on the surface that generates a good immune response, and that’s what you target. This principle has withstood the test of time because we’ve made multiple good vaccines in that manner,” said Peter Marks, the former chief of the FDA’s biologics center. Also in the news: measles, whooping cough, covid, and more.
NIH Allegedly Tells Workers To Ignore DOGE Emails About Their Productivity
Messages obtained by Politico said, “NIH … will notify employees directly if any information related to work duties or performance is needed.” The messages also said the ability to travel or purchase work materials “will be restored to full capacity and use” on Thursday, Politico reported. In March, DOGE put a $1 spending limit on purchasing cards.
Immigrants Aren’t Dead, But Social Security Adds Them To Death Database
By adding more than 6,000 immigrants to the death file, the Trump administration is cutting off their access to Medicaid, Medicare, and other programs, The Washington Post reports. The administration is using this tactic to force people to leave the U.S., with plans to reclassify more people in the future.
FDA Leans Into AI Models As Replacement For Animal Testing
FDA Commissioner Martin Makary said this move would offer newer treatments for patients quicker, while also reducing the cost of research and development. Other news includes: lab models of pain pathways to test drugs; a device that diagnoses TB without a lab; and more.
What Is Causing Rising Autism Rates? RFK Jr. Vows To Find Out By September
At Thursday’s Cabinet meeting, HHS Chief Robert F. Kennedy Jr. said his agency has launched a large research effort involving “hundreds of scientists from around the world” to determine “what has caused the autism epidemic.” Experts in the field of autism say rising rates are due to increased awareness and expanded parameters, as well as increased access to services, reports ABC news.
First Edition: Friday, April 11, 2025
Today’s early morning highlights from the major news organizations.
Viewpoints: Raw Pet Food Might Kick Off The Next Pandemic; ‘MAHA Moms’ Support What RFK Jr. Is Doing
Editorial writers discuss these public health issues.
Research Roundup: The Latest Science, Discoveries, And Breakthroughs
Each week, KFF Health News compiles a selection of the latest health research and news.
Fate Of Medicaid Cuts Unclear After House Pauses Budget Resolution Vote
Modern Healthcare reported that the measure was abandoned Wednesday because a few conservative Republicans had reservations. House Speaker Mike Johnson said he’d try to hold a vote today before the House goes on a two-week recess.
Maternal Health Under Siege As Study Shows Mortality Rate Up 27% in US
The NIH analysis saw the increase over five years and called the issue “an urgent public health priority.” Almost one-third of the pregnancy-related deaths took place between six weeks to a year after giving birth. Meanwhile, the entire team behind a key CDC dataset for OB-GYN research has been cut as part of the administration’s downsizing of federal health agencies.
Pharmaceutical Tariffs, Still Promised, Would Hurt Americans, Experts Warn
Such tariffs could cause drug shortages and added costs for consumers, they say. For example, an assessment by The Budget Lab at Yale found that a 25% tariff would raise pharmaceutical prices by an average of 15%. House representatives have warned the move could backfire and drive manufacturers to “cheaper foreign markets.”
In Interview, Kennedy Says He Is ‘Not Familiar’ With $11 Billion In HHS Cuts
Speaking to CBS News’ chief medical correspondent Dr. Jon LaPook, health chief Robert F. Kennedy Jr. stated the HHS cuts were mainly “DEI cuts.” Other topics discussed in the interview were food additives, weight loss drugs, and measles.
Idaho’s ‘Medical Freedom’ Law Bans School, Business Vaccine Mandates
Under the law, which goes into effect July 1, state entities may not require medical interventions as a condition for school attendance or business employment. Texas is pursuing similar legislation. Meanwhile, measles continues to spread across the nation.
Trump Wants $45B To Build Immigrant Lockups That Have Little Medical Care
The New York Times reports that detention centers under contract don’t have to meet the same standards for detainee care that the government typically abides by. The new centers likely wouldn’t include comprehensive medical care, such as access to mental health services. Plus: Recent federal funding cuts have left about 600 immigrant children in Pennsylvania without legal aid.