Latest KFF Health News Stories
Monarez: CDC Will Be Guided By ‘Rational, Evidence-Based Discourse’
The CDC director spoke with staffers about the dangers of misinformation and rebuilding trust in the agency. Meanwhile, authorities confirmed vaccine mistrust motivated the gunman to attack the CDC campus — a day after HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. declined to discuss a motive.
ACA Market May Be In For Turbulent Ride, CMS Data Suggest
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services noted it found inconsistencies in the number of claims on exchanges. “As you pull … subsidized dollars out of the system, it means margins will be lower and people are going to be paying higher premiums,” one health care strategist says.
Today’s early morning highlights from the major news organizations.
Opinion writers tackle these public health issues.
As Kennedy Visits Bullet-Riddled CDC, Critics Insist He Stop Vaccine Rhetoric
The HHS secretary also met with the widow of officer David Rose. Meanwhile, the agency says it is adding safety and security measures before it brings back employees, who are reeling from the trauma and have the option of working remotely this week. “I think most of us would very much like the next message we hear from [Kennedy] to begin with ‘I hereby resign,’” one staffer said.
NIH Director Jay Bhattacharya, who opposed most covid mandates, said on Steve Bannon’s podcast Saturday that “a large fraction of the population” distrusts mRNA shots and that the technology is “promising but not yet ready for prime time for vaccines.” The mRNA vaccines for covid are widely credited with saving millions of lives.
For Two Companies, State Department Resumes Nutrition Aid Orders
Some famine experts are optimistic about the government’s decision to ship U.S.-made ready-to-use therapeutic food — it’s a start — but one notes: “What we haven’t seen yet … is any indication that programs and funding that were meant to address long-term food security will be resumed.”
Doctors Are Working Harder For Less Pay, Report Shows
Stalled reimbursements from both private and public insurers — which means less net revenue — and an increase in practitioners’ workload since the start of the pandemic could mean less access for patients. Also in the news: rural ERs; Blue Cross’ antitrust deal; and more.
In Promising Trial, Pancreatic Cancer Vaccine Helped Patients Live Longer
As NBC News reported, people with pancreatic cancer survived for an average of 29 months and lived recurrence-free for more than 15 months post-vaccination — far longer than the rates of resectable cancers. A randomized phase 2 trial is being held to test the durability of the vaccine.
Telehealth Has Unlocked Abortion Access In South And Midwest: Study
A study released Monday in JAMA found that the rates of telehealth abortion were notably highest in states with abortion bans. Also: news on birth control, in-utero procedures, and more.
Buoyed By MAHA, Anti-Sunscreen Fad Emerges — To Dermatologists’ Dismay
Social media influencers skeptical of sunscreen ingredients are advocating for natural alternatives, but health experts maintain sunscreen is one of the most effective tools for preventing skin cancer. “Ultraviolet radiation is a known carcinogen,” said Adam Friedman, a professor of dermatology.
First Edition: Tuesday, Aug. 12, 2025
Today’s early morning highlights from the major news organizations.
Ousted Vaccine Regulator Vinay Prasad Is Back At FDA
It is not clear whether Prasad will still serve as the agency’s chief medical and scientific officer, Stat reports. Meanwhile, Center for Drug Evaluation and Research staff grill top drug regulator George Tidmarsh about the challenges they face.
Supreme Court Is Formally Petitioned To Reverse Same-Sex Marriage Ruling
The appeal, which comes 10 years after the historic Obergefell case, is being brought by Kim Davis, the former Kentucky county clerk who was jailed for refusing marriage licenses to a same-sex couple.
Boar’s Head Plant At Center Of Listeria Outbreak Will Reopen Soon In Virginia
The plant was shut down in September amid the outbreak that killed 10 people and sickened dozens. Recent inspections have found health concerns at other Boar’s Head facilities, however. Plus: Covid cases are rising everywhere, particularly in Louisiana.
A Dose Of Upbeat And Inspiring News
Today’s stories are on an elderly EMT, food insecurity, disability inclusion, ALS, allergies, and more.
VA Hospitals Having Difficulty Wooing Doctors, Nurses Amid Federal Turmoil
Internal documents examined by ProPublica show nearly 4 in 10 of the approximately 2,000 doctors offered jobs from January through March turned them down — quadruple the rate during the same period last year — because the doctors worried the jobs weren’t stable.
CDC Leaders And Staff Express Fear, Anger, And Resolve After Shooting
In a call with employees, agency brass told employees that the attack on the office complex was deliberate: “This was not stray bullets.” Employees are calling for the resignation of HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., who one says is “propagating misinformation and distrust.” Law enforcement sources say the suspect might have blamed his health concerns on the covid-19 vaccine.
Trump Demands Homeless People ‘Immediately’ Get Out Of DC
The president’s crackdown on homelessness in the nation’s capital comes after an alleged assault of a former Department of Government Efficiency staffer. Separately, the Commerce Department will launch an investigation into Harvard University’s patents that received government funding.
Editorial writers discuss these public health topics.