Latest KFF Health News Stories
Viewpoints: Cuts To NIH Will Have Long-Lasting Implications; Why Are So Few Getting The HPV Vaccine?
Editorial writers tackle these public health issues.
CMS Pulls Plug On Projects Aimed At Improving Care, Saving On Costs
One initiative that has been scrapped would have offered some generic drugs to Medicare enrollees for $2. Meanwhile, the Trump administration has backed off hospice oversight.
EPA To Reassess Whether Greenhouse Gases Truly Do Damage Public Health
The agency in 2009 determined that six greenhouse gases posed health risks and put regulations in place to mitigate any harm. The Trump administration intends to revisit 31 of those environmental regulations. Plus, news outlets examine the effects of budget cuts, layoffs, and reduced services.
MRNA Research Might Be Next On List Of NIH Grant Cuts
NPR reports on the National Institutes of Health funding cuts with insight from two NIH staffers and one person familiar with NIH’s activities who requested anonymity because they were not authorized to speak publicly. Also in research-related news, a lawsuit over the removal of two research papers from a government website, stranded Fulbright Scholars, and more.
North Dakota Might Ask Supreme Court To End Same-Sex Marriage
The resolution passed the Republican-led House last month but still needs Senate approval, which is not assured, AP reported. In other LGBTQ+ news, a federal judge questions the Pentagon’s transgender ban; President Donald Trump shares a link that included an image associated with the persecution of gay people during the Nazi regime; and more.
Montana Judge Voids 2 Abortion Laws, Ruling They Added Unneeded Hardship
The laws, passed in 2023 and immediately halted by the courts, required those who use Medicaid to submit to unnecessary steps before receiving care, a district court judge determined. More abortion-related news comes from Wyoming, Kentucky, and Missouri.
Nearly 26 Years After Columbine High Massacre, Death Toll Rises By One
A coroner has determined that the cause of death for Anne Marie Hochhalter, who was paralyzed in the 1999 Colorado school shooting and died last month, was “best classified as homicide.” Hochhalter, 43, had sepsis related to the two gunshots she suffered. Her death raises the victim toll to 14, not including the two shooters.
Research Roundup: The Latest Science, Discoveries, And Breakthroughs
Each week, KFF Health News compiles a selection of the latest health research and news.
First Edition: Thursday, March 13, 2025
Today’s early morning highlights from the major news organizations.
Viewpoints: Women’s Health Sector Has Seen Tremendous Growth But Needs Investors, Leaders To Expand
Opinion writers discuss the following public health topics.
Abortion Reporting Requirements Are Now Too Risky, Advocacy Group Says
Guttmacher data scientist Isaac Maddow-Zimet worries some of the information could be used to identify patients, AP reports. In other news, an Idaho health system is fighting the state’s abortion ban; a Louisiana mother in a cross-state abortion pill case pleads not guilty; and more.
House Funding Bill Preserves Hospital Provisions, Omits Physician Pay Terms
The narrowly passed funding bill, which still must win Senate approval to avoid a government shutdown, extends certain programs through September. Separately, a bipartisan bill to expand fentanyl testing has been reintroduced in the Senate.
Texas-New Mexico Measles Outbreak Has Likely Spread To Oklahoma
Two people from the Sooner State were reportedly exposed to the virus and followed safety measures to stop the spread. Meanwhile, as cases swell to 223 in Texas and 33 in New Mexico, health officials in California are warning about an exposure risk after a Los Angeles County resident tested positive.
EPA To Shutter Environmental Justice Offices, A Blow For Minorities’ Health
EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin announced the plan in a memo. The work slated for elimination had aimed to ease the pollution that affects poor and minority communities. Also: older Black people in America die at higher rates; the Education Department slashes half its staff; and more.
Gilead’s HIV Drug Prevents Infection With One Shot A Year Instead Of Two
The company is planning a Phase 3 trial for the new formulation of lenacapavir, Stat reports. Other pharma and technology news is on microplastics and the spread of antibiotic-resistant superbugs; a successful artificial titanium heart trial; AI in hospitals; and more.
Gender Dysphoria Lawsuit Could Raze Protections For Those With Disabilities
As The Washington Post notes, section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 prohibits any entity receiving federal funds from discriminating against people with disabilities. Section 504 also says gender dysphoria may sometimes be considered a disability. Seventeen states are suing to overturn it.
RFK Jr. Wants Artificial Food Dyes Removed From Foods Quickly
HHS Secretary Robert Kennedy Jr. reportedly wants them gone before he leaves office. In related news, The Wall Street Journal reported that Kennedy also told the FDA to consider changes to a rule governing food additives deemed “generally recognized as safe,” or GRAS.
First Edition: Wednesday, March 12, 2025
Today’s early morning highlights from the major news organizations.
As World Mostly Moves On From Covid, NJ Family Copes With Profound Loss
Five members of the Fusco family died after gathering for dinner in the early days of the pandemic. Now, five years after covid was declared a global pandemic, their relatives — and millions of other families who lost loved ones to covid — are still reckoning with grief.
Colorado Christian Therapist Takes Conversion Therapy Ban To High Court
Most mental health care providers say conversion therapy is harmful, and more than 20 states have implemented a ban, according to The Washington Post. In other news, HHS opens investigations on four medical schools; a study on menstruation loses it funding after being mis-defined as transgender; and more.