Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
First Edition: Friday, Aug. 22, 2025
KFF HEALTH NEWS ORIGINAL STORIES
KFF Health News: Native Americans Want To Avoid Past Medicaid Enrollment Snafus As Work Requirements Loom
Jonnell Wieder earned too much money at her job to keep her Medicaid coverage when the covid-19 public health emergency ended in 2023 and states resumed checking whether people were eligible for the program. But she was reassured by the knowledge that Medicaid would provide postpartum coverage for her and her daughter, Oakleigh McDonald, who was born in July of that year. Wieder is a member of the Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes in Montana and can access some health services free of charge through her tribe’s health clinics. But funding is limited, so, like a lot of Native American people, she relied on Medicaid for herself and Oakleigh. (Orozco Rodriguez, 8/22)
KFF Health News: The Price Increases That Should Cause Americans More Alarm
Wary of inflation, Americans have been watching the prices of everyday items such as eggs and gasoline. A less-noticed expense should cause greater alarm: rising premiums for health insurance. They have been trending upward for years and are now rising faster than ever. Consider that, from 2000 to 2020, egg prices fluctuated between just under $1 and about $3 a dozen; they reached $6.23 in March but then fell to $3.78 in June. Average gas prices, after seesawing between $2 and $4 a gallon for more than a decade starting in 2005, peaked at $4.93 in 2022 and recently fell back to just over $3. (Rosenthal, 8/22)
KFF Health News: KFF Health News' 'What The Health?': Happy 60th, Medicare And Medicaid!
On July 30, 1965, President Lyndon B. Johnson signed landmark legislation creating Medicare and Medicaid. Sixty years later, the programs represent a fifth of the federal budget and provide coverage to nearly 1 in 4 Americans. In addition, the way Medicare and Medicaid structure and pay for medical care has set the standard for the private sector as well. On this week’s special episode of KFF Health News’ “What the Health?” podcast, host Julie Rovner interviews two experts on the history, development, impact, and future of Medicare and Medicaid. (8/21)
FEDERAL REORGANIZATION AND FUNDING CUTS
Politico: Supreme Court Lets Trump Admin Cut Off Health Grants It Says Advance DEI Or ‘Gender Ideology Extremism’
The Supreme Court is allowing the Trump administration to cut off health research grants it contends advance diversity, equity and inclusion efforts or promote “gender ideology extremism.” By a 5-4 vote, the justices lifted an order a federal court judge in Boston issued forcing the National Institutes of Health to restore funding for more than 1,700 grants focused on heart disease, HIV/AIDS, Alzheimer’s disease, alcohol and substance abuse and mental health issues. (Gerstein, 8/21)
The New York Times: Trump Budget Office Is Withholding H.I.V. Funds That Congress Appropriated
The Trump administration is ignoring a directive from Congress and refusing to fully fund a landmark H.I.V. program that is widely credited with saving millions of lives over the past two decades. The Office of Management and Budget, headed by Russell T. Vought, has apportioned only $2.9 billion of $6 billion appropriated by Congress for the President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief in the 2025 fiscal year spending bill, according to budget documents and members of the program’s staff. (Nolen, 8/21)
Fierce Healthcare: HHS To Form Outside Committee On Reshaping Medicare, Medicaid
The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) will seek external experts for a new committee tasked with providing strategic guidance on the care provided by government insurance programs. The HHS announced Thursday that the Healthcare Advisory Committee will offer recommendations to Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) Administrator Mehmet Oz, M.D., seeking to "improve how care is financed and delivered" across Medicare, Medicaid, the Children's Health Insurance Program and the Affordable Care Act's exchanges. (Minemyer, 8/21)
The New York Times: Year Will End With 300,000 Fewer Federal Workers, Trump Official Says
There will be some 300,000 fewer federal workers on the government payroll by the end of December than there were in January, according to the Trump administration’s top human resources official. That amounts to the loss of about one in eight federal civilian workers, and would be the largest single-year reduction since World War II. But in an interview with The New York Times on Thursday, the director of the Office of Personnel Management, Scott Kupor, painted the coming few months as a period of relative stability after a time of tremendous upheaval. (Sullivan, 8/22)
Stat: CDC Attacker Likely Attempted To Enter Campus Days Before Shooting
The man who attacked the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention probably tried to enter the agency’s Atlanta campus days before the shooting, investigators believe. The shooter, identified by authorities as Patrick Joseph White, appears to have been captured in security camera footage trying to enter the campus visitor’s center late in the afternoon on Aug. 6, according to an internal email to CDC staff, reviewed by STAT. The email said “the likelihood is very high” the person in the video is White. Investigators believe White “was conducting reconnaissance” for the shooting, which he carried out two days later, the email states. (Payne, 8/21)
ABC News: US And EU Release Details For Tariffs On Cars, Pharmaceuticals
The United States and European Union on Thursday released new details of their trade agreement, including tariff levels for consumer staples like pharmaceuticals and autos. The accord officially establishes a 15% tariff rate for pharmaceuticals from the EU, a top source of U.S. drug imports. Generic pharmaceuticals will be exempt from the new agreement, meaning such drugs will face a roughly 2.5% tariff rate in place prior to the Trump administration. The move ruled out the possibility of a higher tariff rate for pharmaceuticals, for which Trump had previously threatened levies as high as 250%. The new tariffs will take effect on Sept. 1, the joint framework said. (Zahn, 8/21)
IMMIGRATION CRISIS
The New York Times: Judge Orders ‘Alligator Alcatraz’ Detention Center In Florida To Shut Down For Now
A federal judge on Thursday ordered that no more immigrant detainees be sent to a center in the Florida Everglades, and that much of the facility be dismantled. The ruling rebuked the state and federal governments for failing to consider potential environmental harms before building the facility, known as Alligator Alcatraz. The judge gave both branches of the government 60 days to move out existing detainees and begin to remove fencing, lighting, power generators and other materials. The order also prohibits any new construction at the site. (Mazzei and Adams, 8/21)
REPRODUCTIVE HEALTH
NBC News: Planned Parenthood Files Legal Challenge In South Carolina To Protect Medicaid Funding
A new legal challenge from Planned Parenthood seeks to preserve Medicaid payments for its health centers in South Carolina after a Supreme Court decision put the federal funding in jeopardy. On Thursday, Planned Parenthood South Atlantic filed an amended complaint in federal court challenging the constitutionality of executive orders from Republican Gov. Henry McMaster that block Medicaid reimbursements for organizations providing abortions, even though the funds are used to provide other medical care. The South Carolina clinics provide services such as contraception, cancer screenings, annual exams and testing for sexually transmitted diseases. (Harris, 8/21)
Iowa Public Radio: Iowa Is Facing A Shortage Of OB-GYN Doctors. The State's Abortion Law May Be Driving Some Out
For more than a decade, Jonna Quinn fought to keep what she once thought was her perfect life — and job — in Mason City. Quinn was an OB-GYN at a hospital nearby. She was initially thrilled to work just an hour away from where she grew up. But little by little, she said the hospital started restricting care, like certain birth control options and fertility treatments, based on its affiliation with the Catholic Church. At the same time, her unit was becoming increasingly short-staffed. (Krebs, 8/21)
CNN: Irate Parents Turn To Legal Action Over The Marketing Of So-Called ‘Toddler Milks’
“Toddler milks” are marketed to parents who have been using infant formula as a necessary next step in their child’s nutritional journey, according to the American Academy of Pediatrics. Critics say these expensive concoctions — first introduced into the United States in the 1990s — are not nutritionally necessary, may be contributing to childhood obesity, and should not be sold at all. (LaMotte, 8/21)
Newsweek: Doctors Warn Against 'Unnecessary' Menopause Services
Menopausal women have been warned against spending time and money on "unnecessary" direct-to-consumer services that might not actually be of benefit. A group of doctors have warned against the risks or benefits of hormone therapy being exaggerated, the over-promotion of supplements and testing and marketing being disguised as advocacy. (Millington, 8/21)
AP: James Dobson, Focus On The Family Founder And Key Leader On The Christian Right, Dies At 89
James Dobson, who founded the conservative Christian ministry Focus on the Family and was a politically influential campaigner against abortion and LGBTQ+ rights, died on Thursday. He was 89. Born in 1936 in Shreveport, Louisiana, Dobson was a child psychologist who launched a radio show to counsel Christians on parenting and started Focus on the Family in 1977. Alongside fundamentalist giants like Jerry Falwell and Pat Robertson, he became a force in the 1980s for pushing conservative Christian ideals in mainstream American politics. (Catalini and Meyer, 8/21)
PHARMACEUTICALS
Stat: Major U.S. Drug Manufacturing Plant Did Not Properly Investigate Cat Hair, Pests, And Other Problems, FDA Finds
Cat hair, pests, bacteria, and equipment failures. These were among the concerns of a recent regulatory inspection of a key, but historically troubled, manufacturing plant that Novo Nordisk bought last year as part of its parent company’s acquisition of Catalent, one of the largest contract manufacturers serving the pharmaceutical industry. A copy of a Food and Drug Administration inspection report was obtained by STAT. The plant — located in Bloomington, Indiana, and one of three that Novo acquired late last year — conducts a variety of tasks, from filling vials and syringes with medicines to labeling and packaging. (Silverman and Chen, 8/21)
Newsweek: Ozempic Linked To Reduced Cancer Risk
People with obesity who take weight loss and diabetes drugs like Ozempic and Mounjaro could face a lower risk of cancer compared to those with obesity who do not. Looking at 14 cancers, of which 13 were associated with obesity, scientists discovered people taking glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor agonists (GLP-1RAs)—the official name for the class of drugs—had a small reduction in risk of any of the cancers. (Millington, 8/21)
Stat: FDA Agrees To Speed Review For An Ultra-Rare Disease Drug
The Food and Drug Administration has agreed to decide by late next month whether to approve an ultra-rare disease drug developed by Stealth BioTherapeutics, a significant step after the company claimed it may have to close its doors if an agency endorsement is not made in coming weeks. (Silverman, 8/21)
Stat: Ionis Drug For Hereditary Angioedema Approved By FDA
Ionis Pharmaceuticals won approval from the Food and Drug Administration on Thursday for a drug that prevents painful swelling attacks triggered by a rare genetic condition. The therapy, Dawnzera, was approved for hereditary angioedema (HAE) after a pair of late-stage trials found that it significantly reduced the rate of swelling attacks, including among patients who switched from taking therapies already on the market to Ionis’ drug. (Wosen, 8/21)
HEALTHCARE INDUSTRY
North Carolina Health News: Atrium Health Halts Gender-Affirming Care For Patients Under Age 19
Since 2020, Josh Dumas’ 14-year-old transgender son has received gender-affirming care — including puberty blockers and testosterone — from an Atrium Health doctor in Charlotte. Dumas said the gender-affirming health care has made all the difference for his youngest child’s gender dysphoria, a condition in which there is a conflict between the sex assigned at birth and the gender someone identifies with. (Crumpler, 8/22)
Modern Healthcare: Court Approves Blue Cross’ $2.8B Antitrust Deal With Providers
A federal judge has approved the Blue Cross Blue Shield Association’s $2.8 billion agreement with numerous healthcare providers to settle antitrust allegations and reform the operations of its 33 member companies. Judge R. David Proctor, of the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Alabama-Southern Division, approved the settlement Tuesday. The $2.8 billion will be distributed among as many as 3.3 million hospitals, physicians and other healthcare providers, Proctor wrote in the final order. (Tepper, 8/21)
The Boston Globe: Former Mass General Surgeon, A Pioneer In Gender Reassignment, Faces Lawsuits
Surgeon Curtis Cetrulo became a leading light of a cutting-edge program at Massachusetts General Hospital soon after it opened in 2018, crafting penises for transgender men — and helping plant a flag in Boston amid intensifying national competition for such procedures. By then, Cetrulo was already well known in plastic surgery circles. He had led a Mass. General team two years earlier that completed the country’s first successful transplant of a penis, involving a 64-year-old man who had lost his penis to cancer. (Kowalczyk, 8/21)
STATE WATCH
AP: Inspectors Find Decomposing Bodies At Colorado Funeral Home
State inspectors in Colorado found about 20 decomposing bodies behind a hidden door in a funeral home owned by a county coroner, who told them he may have given fake ashes to next of kin who sought cremations, authorities disclosed Thursday. The bodies were discovered in a room behind a door hidden by a cardboard display during an inspection of Davis Mortuary in Pueblo, about 110 miles (177 kilometers) south of Denver. Inspectors found a “strong odor of decomposition” after arriving at the business on Wednesday. Brian Cotter — the owner and Pueblo County coroner — had asked them not to enter the room, according to a document from state regulators. (Brown and Slevin, 8/21)
AP: 6th Death Reported In Legionnaires' Disease Outbreak In New York City
New York City officials have discovered a sixth death linked to a Legionnaires’ disease outbreak in Central Harlem, where more than 100 people have been diagnosed with the ailment, health authorities said Thursday. The person died earlier this month outside of New York City. Their death was recently discovered during the city health department’s ongoing investigation of the outbreak that began in late July, the agency said. The department reported a fifth death on Monday. (8/21)
Chicago Tribune: Health Insurers Propose Price Increases For ACA Plans
Illinois consumers may face sticker shock when they shop for health insurance plans on the state’s Affordable Care Act exchange this fall — with most companies proposing double-digit-percentage price increases as they grapple with uncertainty about changes at the federal level. (Schencker, 8/21)
The Texas Tribune: Average ACA Premiums Could Rise By More Than 20% In Texas
Health insurance companies have requested an average premium increase of 24% for Affordable Care Act plans in Texas in 2026, a significant hike that could lead to destabilization in the marketplace and customers opting for less or no coverage. (Birenbaum, Keemahill and Wu, 8/21)
The CT Mirror: Prospect Medical Holdings Says CT Hospital Bidder News Imminent
A lawyer for Prospect Medical Holdings said during a court hearing on Wednesday that the company will announce initial bids for its Connecticut hospitals as soon as Friday, while also petitioning the court to force Yale New Haven Health to comply with a deal they inked to buy the hospitals over two years ago. (Golvala, 8/21)
The Baltimore Sun: Maryland Violates 10-Day Law As Defendants With Mental Illness Languish In Jail For Months
Individuals under court order for placement in state-run psychiatric facilities, on average, find themselves languishing nearly two months in local jails for their mandated hospital bed, with at least 10 instances of people waiting more than 200 days since 2023, according to records obtained by The Baltimore Sun. (Gaskill, 8/21)
Atlanta Journal-Constitution: Regional Approach Needed For Homeless In Metro Atlanta, Officials Say
Officials in DeKalb County say the city of Atlanta did not seek their input on an ambitious plan to end homelessness in downtown before the 2026 FIFA World Cup next summer, and that a regional approach is needed to address the problem in a serious way. Fulton County Commission chairman Robb Pitts also said he wasn’t briefed on the city’s “Downtown Rising” plan, and only “read about it.” (Williams, 8/22)
CIDRAP: Idaho Health Officials Announce Third Measles Case
Idaho health officials yesterday announced the state's third recent case, which involves an unvaccinated child from Bonner County, located in the state's far-north panhandle. In a statement, the Idaho Department of Health and Welfare (DHW) and the Panhandle Health District said there are no known links between the new infection and two other recently announced cases. (Schnirring, 8/21)
AP: New Policies At Philadelphia's Mutter Museum Address Display Of Human Remains
A medical museum in Philadelphia has redrawn its policies on the collection and display of human remains, limiting its acceptance of additional specimens and working to follow “evolving modern medical ethical standards” in how it handles the 6,500 organs, bones and other body parts in its collection. The College of Physicians of Philadelphia, which owns the Mutter Museum, announced this week it is restricting the taking of photos and videos of human remains, allowing it only with the museum’s permission. Photography by the public will remain prohibited. (Lau and Scolforo, 8/21)
PUBLIC HEALTH
ABC News: More Shrimp Recalled Due To Possible Radioactive Contamination, FDA Says
Multiple brands of raw and cooked frozen shrimp have been added to an ongoing recall of frozen shrimp due to possible radioactive contamination, according to the Food and Drug Administration. The frozen shrimp products are sold by Southwind Foods, LLC, of Carson, California, according to an FDA alert issued on Thursday. The bagged, frozen raw and cooked shrimp from the latest recall were sold between July 17 and Aug. 8 in nine states -- Alabama, Arizona, California, Massachusetts, Minnesota, Pennsylvania, Utah, Virginia and West Virginia -- the FDA said. The products were sold under the brand names Sand Bar, Arctic Shores, Best Yet, Great American and First Street, according to the recall notice. (Benadjaoud and Deliso, 8/21)
Politico: The Fall Trip To The Pharmacy For A Covid Shot May Be Strewn With Obstacles
The millions of Americans who are used to getting their Covid-19 vaccines at a local pharmacy may face new hurdles this fall depending on where they live and whether federal health officials have decided they qualify. Pharmacists’ authority to vaccinate individuals varies across state lines. In some places, it’s dependent upon a federal advisory process that Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has upended. (Gardner, 8/22)
DISABILITIES
The 19th: Stacey Park Milbern’s Quarter Marks A Historic First For Disability Representation
The late disability justice co-founder and activist Stacey Park Milbern is the latest pioneering woman to receive her own quarter from the U.S. Mint. Milbern is the first woman in a wheelchair featured on U.S. currency and the first person whose wheelchair is actually shown. (Luterman, 8/21)
