Latest KFF Health News Stories
Nearly A Year After Cyberattack, Ascension Hasn’t Fully Rebounded
Modern Healthcare reports that the St. Louis-based health system spent about $140 million in response to the May 2024 hack and saw operating losses of almost $1 billion. Other names in the news include MultiPlan, CVS Caremark, and the Cleveland Clinic.
Study Shows Lifestyle More To Blame For Premature Death Than Genetics
In the age-old question of nature vs. nurture, it looks like we might have a winner. In other news: Bioengineers think they have found the key to reversing aging on a cellular level; supplements could harm your liver; and Apple starts a new health study based off of users’ data.
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IVF Treatment Should Cost Less, Trump Says In Latest Executive Order
On average, a patient spends $15,000 on each round of in vitro fertilization, and many patients require multiple treatments, The Hill reported. Still, President Donald Trump is likely to get pushback from anti-abortion conservatives and also Senate Republicans, who have blocked consideration of IVF legislation several times in the past.
Childhood Vaccine Schedule Will Be Scrutinized, RFK Jr. Pledges
Despite his pre-confirmation assurances that he would not make changes, HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. plans to investigate topics that “were formally taboo or insufficiently scrutinized.” Additional news is about cuts to the 9/11 survivor program, an FDA official’s ousting, and more.
Lawmakers Ban Gender-Affirming Care For Minors In Kansas, Overriding Veto
Kansas is now the 27th state to ban or restrict this type of health care. In California, a law trying to stop pharmaceutical companies from paying to keep generic drugs off the shelves for longer has been struck down. More news comes from Georgia, Texas, New York, and Colorado.
White House Backs Off Plan To Shut Down Covid Website, Discard Tests
The federal government will keep its stockpile of tests, and people may still order them through COVIDtests.gov. In other news, more Americans are skipping covid vaccines, complicating the path to herd immunity.
USDA Mistakenly Fires Officials Working On Bird Flu Response
The Department of Agriculture is scrambling to reverse the terminations. Meanwhile, many CDC scientists who worked in a lab program created to address embarrassing lab-safety failures, and improve outbreak responses, have been let go.
First Edition: Wednesday, Feb. 19, 2025
Today’s early morning highlights from the major news organizations.
Viewpoints: DOGE’s Slash-And-Burn Method Will Only Make Things Worse; Most Americans Want Vaccines
Opinion writers discuss these public health issues.
White House Chops Funding For ACA Health Insurance Navigators By 90%
Explaining the cuts, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services said the higher funding did not represent “a reasonable return on investment.” But The Hill reports that navigators were particularly effective in helping people enroll in Medicaid and the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP).
As ‘Disease Detectives’ Lose Their Jobs, Worry Escalates Over Bird Flu, Measles
“We’re heading in the wrong direction,” Caitlin Rivers, a senior scholar at the Johns Hopkins Center for Health Security, told The Washington Post. Meanwhile, a measles outbreak in Texas has doubled in size, and a fourth American was hospitalized in Wyoming with human bird flu.
Covid Vaccine Requirements Will Cost Schools Federal Funds, Per Trump Rule
Fifteen colleges would be affected by the executive order; K-12 schools nationwide no longer have such a requirement. Meanwhile, hospitals and medical providers are feeling the strain of the nation’s worst flu season in 15 years.
Uncertain Times Delay Private Equity Investments In Home Care
Concerns about the economy and federal policy are causing investors to take a beat on investing in companies that provide in-home care. Also, states remove mental health questions from licensure forms so doctors won’t fear getting help. Other industry news: a medical oxygen shortage, medical delivery drones, and more.
Missouri Judge Clears Way For Abortions To Restart
In November, voters approved enshrining abortion rights into the state constitution, but regulations on health centers were so strict that most didn’t meet them, AP reported. The latest ruling blocks those regulations. In other news, New Jersey has broadened elderly care outside of nursing homes.
More People Search For Gambling Addiction Help As Sports Betting Grows
A new study suggests that the growing number of states legalizing sports gambling is cause for concern. Meanwhile, heart failure deaths are up, partly due to medical successes that enable people to live longer. Other news is on cancer treatments, the Senate Aging Committee, and more.
HHS Purges Thousands Of Public Health Experts, Inspectors, And Others
Practically every Department of Health and Human Services agency lost workers, who were told via email that their jobs have been eliminated. The mass firings prompted the head of the FDA food division to resign in protest.
First Edition: Tuesday, Feb. 18, 2025
Today’s early morning highlights from the major news organizations.
Opinion writers tackle these public health issues.
Medicaid Changes Come Into Focus As House Begins Paring Budget
Looking to trim $880 billion, Republican lawmakers are considering block-granting Medicaid funding and establishing work requirements for beneficiaries, Modern Healthcare reports. As Politico points out, cutting Medicaid won’t be so simple.