First Edition: Friday, Jan. 16, 2026

KFF HEALTH NEWS ORIGINAL STORIES

KFF Health News: As Insurance Prices Rise, Families Puzzle Over Options 
New York-based performer Cynthia Freeman, 61, has been trying to figure out how to keep the Affordable Care Act health plan that she and her husband depend on. “If we didn’t have health issues, I’d just go back to where I was in my 40s and not have health insurance,” she said, “but we’re not in that position now.” Freeman and her husband, Brad Lawrence, are freelancers who work in storytelling and podcasting. In October, Lawrence, 52, got very sick, very fast. (Arditi, 1/16)

KFF Health News: How Is Your County Spending Opioid Settlement Cash? Our Tracking Tool Follows The Money
More than $50 billion in opioid settlement funds — meant to help curb the nation’s addiction crisis — is going to local and state governments. But because of lax reporting rules and little guidance on what’s appropriate, the money is generally being spent with next to no accountability. Survivors of the overdose epidemic and families who lost loved ones to it are calling for stricter rules to govern how the payout can be used. (Pattani, 1/16)

KFF Health News: Kaiser Permanente To Pay $556 Million In Record Medicare Advantage Fraud Settlement
In the largest Medicare Advantage fraud settlement to date, Kaiser Permanente has agreed to pay $556 million to settle Justice Department allegations that it billed the government for medical conditions patients didn’t have. The settlement, announced Jan. 14, resolves whistleblower lawsuits that accused the giant health insurer of mounting a years-long scheme in which it overstated how sick patients were to illegally boost revenues. (Schulte, 1/15)

KFF Health News: KFF Health News’ ‘What The Health?’: Culture Wars Take Center Stage
Millions of Americans are facing dramatically higher health insurance premium payments due to the Jan. 1 expiration of enhanced Affordable Care Act subsidies. But much of Washington appears more interested at the moment in culture war issues, including abortion and gender-affirming care. Meanwhile, at the Department of Health and Human Services, personnel continue to be fired and rehired, and grants terminated and reinstated, leaving everyone who touches the agency uncertain about what comes next. (Rovner, 1/15)

'THE GREAT HEALTHCARE PLAN'

Stat: Trump Unveils What He Calls 'The Great Healthcare Plan' 
President Trump on Thursday released a hodgepodge of health care policies that would create new price-control power over pharmaceutical companies, but that otherwise wouldn’t fundamentally overhaul America’s existing system, as he faces mounting pressure to address the cost of insurance and care. The proposal, which Trump dubbed “The Great Healthcare Plan,” would not reshape the structure of Medicare, Medicaid, or the health insurance plans people get through their jobs. Hospitals and doctors would not cede pricing power.  (Payne, Herman and Wilkerson, 1/15)

NPR: Trump Health Care Plan Doesn't Help People Facing Skyrocketing ACA Premiums
The plan does not include a remedy for people who buy their health insurance on HealthCare.gov, some of whom are facing sky-high premium hikes this month. (Simmons-Duffin and Gringlas, 1/15)

The Guardian: ‘Absolutely No Detail’: Experts Alarmed As Trump Unveils Healthcare Plan 
“This plan is more about increasing the number of uninsured, on top of the 10 million who will already lose coverage under HR1, the budget reconciliation law from last summer," said Edwin Park, a research professor at the McCourt School of Public Policy at Georgetown University. ... Miranda Yaver, an assistant professor at the University of Pittsburgh who teaches courses on health policy and health politics, said in a statement that “it isn’t clear that the plans the Trump administration wants to help people to purchase would be ACA-compliant, which would mean that while healthy patients may enjoy cost savings, there won’t be remotely sufficient protection for the millions of Americans with pre-existing medical conditions.” (Luscombe and Schreiber, 1/15)

Politico: Trump Jettisons The GOP’s Corporate Allies In Health Care Plan
Trump’s plan, notably, does not include free-market ideas in a bill House Republicans passed in December. That bill, for example, would have allowed small businesses to band together to drive harder bargains with insurers. Trump’s plan “would be a massive redefinition of the relationship between the United States government and the health care system and the American people,” said Ryan Ellis, a Republican lobbyist and president of the Center for a Free Economy. “Today was about resetting the vision and resetting the conversation so Republicans can talk on offense.” (Chu, Lim, King and Hooper, 1/15)

Read the official White House description of 'The Great Healthcare Plan' —

RURAL HEALTH

The Washington Post: Trump Bets On Rural Health As A Winning Midterm Message
An invitation obtained by The Washington Post said that the president would deliver remarks Friday at the White House on “the great, historic investment in rural health.” (Diamond, 1/16)

AFFORDABLE CARE ACT

Bloomberg: Congress Deadlocked On Obamacare Subsidies As Enrollment Deadline Passes 
Cynthia Cox, a vice president at KFF, a nonpartisan health care research organization, said the longer Congress waits the more complicated and difficult a resolution will be. “The farther away you get from open enrollment, the harder it is to get people to come back and shop again,” she said. While several lawmakers have said Jan. 15 wasn't a firm deadline for coverage decisions, it will only become more difficult to enroll those who opted to forego insurance. (Reilly, 1/15)

Politico: Democrats Make Pitch To Keep No-Premium Obamacare Plans
Abortion restrictions may be the top sticking point in negotiations between Democrats and Republicans over a bill that would give enhanced Obamacare premium subsidies – which expired Dec. 31 – new life this year. But there’s another obstacle close behind: no-premium plans that make coverage more affordable for the lowest-income customers. (King, 1/15)

The 19th: What Women Business Owners Are Poised To Lose With ACA Cuts
Stacy Cox has always prioritized having access to health insurance. For the 48-year-old self-employed photographer in southern Utah, it’s necessary “so that I can help to calm my anxiety and know that if I need care, I can get care.” Still, Cox and her husband, John, have decided this month to go uninsured after the cost of their health plan under the Affordable Care Act skyrocketed. (Rodriguez, 1/15)

IMMIGRATION CRISIS

Becker's Hospital Review: Homeland Security Subpoenas Minnesota Health System For Employee Records
The Department of Homeland Security has issued a subpoena to Minneapolis-based Hennepin Healthcare for employee I-9 forms, the health system confirmed to Becker’s. The subpoena, issued Jan. 8, authorizes federal officials to inspect I-9 forms, which are documents used to verify employees’ identities and work eligibility. The forms contain sensitive personal information, including names, birth dates, addresses, Social Security numbers and copies of identification such as passports or driver’s licenses. (Condon, 1/15)

Minnesota Public Radio: Federal Judge Blocks USDA From Cutting SNAP Benefits In Minnesota 
The recertification push by the USDA was in response to allegations of widespread fraud within the program, though the federal agency hasn’t provided any evidence to support the accusation. Immigration advocates also worried about the data collection that could be used to target immigrants for deportation. (Yang, 1/15)

The 19th: ICE Violence Against Women Is Increasingly Visible And Largely Untracked
A mother shoved to the ground in front of her children in the hallways of a immigration courthouse in New York. A young woman pulled from her car and handcuffed on a busy street in Key Largo, Florida. A child care worker dragged out of her workplace in Chicago, in front of parents and children. A pregnant woman yanked by one arm through the snowy streets of Minneapolis. (Norwood, 1/15)

ProPublica: USDA Scientists Ordered To Investigate Foreign Researchers
The Trump administration is directing employees at the U.S. Department of Agriculture to investigate foreign scientists who collaborate with the agency on research papers for evidence of “subversive or criminal activity.” The new directive, part of a broader effort to increase scrutiny of research done with foreign partners, asks workers in the agency’s research arm to use Google to check the backgrounds of all foreign nationals collaborating with its scientists. (Song and Lerner, 1/16)

'MAKE AMERICA HEALTHY AGAIN'

The Wall Street Journal: RFK Jr.’s Health Department Quietly Removes Webpages Saying Cellphones Aren’t Dangerous
The Food and Drug Administration quietly removed webpages saying cellphones aren’t dangerous as the Department of Health and Human Services under Robert F. Kennedy Jr. launches a study on cellphone radiation. Kennedy and some of his allies have long pointed to cellphones as a potential source of illnesses including cancer. Many mainstream scientific institutions, including the FDA, previously concluded that there isn’t adequate proof to link health problems to cellphones or other wireless devices. A vocal group of scientists have said there is reason to worry and to take more precautions, and Kennedy has echoed their concerns. (Essley Whyte and Haggin, 1/15)

The Hill: Democrats Rip Brooke Rollins's 'Chicken, Broccoli, Tortilla' Dinner Suggestion
Democrats pounced on Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins after she suggested Americans could save money by eating a piece of chicken, a piece of broccoli, a corn tortilla and “one other thing” to afford a nutritious dinner. In a NewsNation interview, Rollins addressed concerns that the White House’s newly revamped dietary guidelines — which prioritize protein and healthy fats over ultra-processed foods and sugars — would be costly for the average American already facing financial constraints. (Fortinsky, 1/15)

The Hill: School Lunch Advocates Respond To RFK Jr.'s New Food Pyramid: Put Your Money Where Your Mouth Is
The release of a new food pyramid has been met with mixed reactions by school food advocates, who say changes to the cafeteria menu will need financial backing. While there is skepticism regarding the science behind the new guidelines, which were unveiled last week by Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., schools are more concerned about any infrastructure and training to implement them. (Lonas Cochran, 1/15)

MedPage Today: Experts Who Advised On Diet Guidelines Say RFK Jr.'s Version Is Full Of Errors
Some of the experts who advised on the development of the most recent national dietary guidelines told MedPage Today that their work wasn't considered, and that the final guidance is riddled with errors. Christopher Gardner, PhD, an expert in diabetes and nutrition at Stanford University in California, and Fatima Cody Stanford, MD, MPH, MPA, an obesity medicine physician at Harvard University in Boston, both worked on the 2025-2030 Dietary Guidelines Advisory Committee (DGAC) report. It was more than 400 pages long with a 1,000-page supplement, and was submitted just before President Donald Trump started his second term. (Robertson, 1/15)

Stat: Cost Of New Food Pyramid Tested By Economists. Results Are Mixed
How easy is it to make a healthy dinner for $3? When the new U.S. dietary guidelines came out last week, food economist William Masters emailed a few colleagues with a fun exercise — or at least what passes for fun among economists. (It was, after all, a spreadsheet.) The challenge: Design your own diet to figure out how affordable, and healthy, following the new guidelines would actually be. (Todd, 1/16)

VACCINES

MedPage Today: Controversial CDC-Funded Hep B Study Halted
A controversial study on hepatitis B vaccination in Guinea-Bissau that was funded in part by the U.S. CDC has been halted. Yap Boum, PhD, MPH, a senior official at the Africa CDC, said the study was "cancelled" during a press briefing on Thursday morning. He noted, however, that conversations between officials in Guinea-Bissau and the U.S. are ongoing, since research on hepatitis B in that country is needed. However, if the study is to move forward, he said, it will need to meet ethical criteria. The Guardian first reported the news. (Fiore, 1/15)

St. Louis Public Radio: St. Louis County Officials Reject New CDC Vaccination Guidelines 
St. Louis County Department of Public Health officials said they do not agree with updated federal childhood vaccine guidelines and made their own recommendations, part of a growing trend of jurisdictions breaking with federal immunization guidance. (Fentem, 1/15)

CIDRAP: Finding Moms’ Vaccine-Induced Whooping Cough Antibodies In Babies’ Noses Highlights Benefits Of Indirect Immunization
Newborns of mothers vaccinated against pertussis (whooping cough) during pregnancy have antibodies not only in their blood but also in their nasal membranes, the entry site for Bordetella pertussis, the bacteria that cause the highly contagious disease, a phase 4 randomized controlled trial shows for the first time. (Van Beusekom, 1/15)

HEALTH CARE INDUSTRY

Bloomberg: NYC Nurse Strike Has Hospitals Paying $9,000 A Week To Substitutes
New York City hospitals are paying as much as $9,000 a week to nurses willing to cross picket lines, creating an expense for medical centers that further strains their struggling budgets. The $9,006 a week that Continuum Health Center is offering to pay travel nurses for pulling five 12-hour shifts is nearly three times the average salary that data from Indeed shows hospitals typically offer in the Big Apple. The pay, which is on the higher end of what temporary nurses typically get, is a large slice of the millions of dollars major hospitals are spending because of the strike. (Thornton, 1/15)

Modern Healthcare: Sutter Health Signals Plans To Expand Outside California
Sutter Health is seeking to grow its footprint outside of California for the first time. The system said in a news release Thursday it had hired Scott Nordlund to oversee potential mergers and acquisitions, joint ventures and other strategic collaborations outside the state as the health system’s first executive vice president of corporate development and partnerships. Sutter has no facilities or other business outside of California, a spokesperson said. (DeSilva, 1/15)

CIDRAP: Diminished US Nursing Homes Capacity May Limit Access To Long-Term Care, Slow Hospital Release
Likely due to staffing shortages, US nursing-home capacity has declined—by 15% or more in some cases—since the COVID-19 pandemic began, potentially narrowing access to long-term care and complicating hospital releases, a team led by University of Rochester, New York, researchers writes in JAMA Internal Medicine. (Van Beusekom, 1/15)

The Washington Post: More Seniors Are Now Caregivers As They Tend To Spouses Alone
Lori Gonzalez never trained to be a nurse. But at 75, she is her husband’s full-time caregiver — helping him bathe, dress and move about their Phoenix home. She makes sure he eats, and she knows not to argue when he’s agitated or confused. And she hasn’t left him home alone in three years. Gonzalez knows that his dementia will only worsen and that she’ll be tending to him as her own health challenges mount, including the severe stenosis that leaves her back stiff and in pain. (Najmabadi, 1/15)

STATE WATCH

Verite News: Youth Trans Health Care Ban Lawsuit Continues As Judge Denies Key Motion
An East Baton Rouge Parish judge on Thursday (Jan. 15) denied the state of Louisiana’s motion to dismiss a lawsuit that five transgender teenagers and their parents brought against the state challenging a 2023 law banning medical professionals from providing trans health care to minors. The two-year-old case was filed days after the law, Act 466, went into effect in 2024, by the trans teens and their parents, who filed under pseudonyms to protect their privacy. They claimed that the state’s ban interferes with parents’ ability to make health decisions for their children and unlawfully denies trans kids access to necessary medical care on the basis of their sex, violating the rights of privacy and equal protection under the law that are guaranteed in the Louisiana State Constitution. (Costley, 1/15)

Missouri Independent: Abortion Trial Details How Laws Drove Providers From Missouri Planned Parenthood Clinics
In 2015, the Planned Parenthood clinic in Columbia reached out to every OBGYN in Missouri with a request. Would any of the doctors be willing to help provide abortion services? The responses were similar, said Emily Wales, president and CEO of Planned Parenthood Great Plains, which operates the Columbia location. “Could this affect my practice?” the physicians asked. “Could this put me at risk?” (Spoerre and Hardy, 1/15)

CalMatters: The Fight Over How To Pay For Medi-Cal Puts Pressure On Newsom To Raise Taxes
California health care advocates, labor unions and progressive lawmakers are urging the governor and the Legislature to find new money to fund medical care and other social services for millions of low-income and disabled Californians. Their coalition, known as “Fight for Our Health,” demanded Wednesday on the Capitol steps that the Legislature and soon-to-be lame duck Gov. Gavin Newsom take action to backfill funding cuts that President Donald Trump and Republicans approved last year. (Miller and Kuang)

Verite News New Orleans: Parents Worried That Proposed CO2 Pipeline Could Have 'Catastrophic' Effects On Nearby School, Neighborhood
As a resident of heavily industrial Ascension Parish, Kheri Monks is no stranger to living near petrochemical facilities. Monks has been living in Gonzales for more than a decade. In that time, she had three children. All of them have asthma and were born prematurely. Monks thinks that exposure to pollutants might have led to their health concerns. “I just can’t help but think, ‘Should I have not given birth here in Louisiana? You know, with all of the environmental concerns that we have?”’ Monks said. “I can’t believe I’m living, like literally living in Cancer Alley.” (Syed and Tesfaye, 1/15)

CANCER RESEARCH

CIDRAP: Family History Of Cancer Linked To Increased Risk Of Long COVID
A new study suggests that US adults with a family history of cancer may face a higher risk of developing long COVID, even if they have never had cancer themselves. (Bergeson, 1/15)

PUBLIC HEALTH

The Washington Post: Science Shows Very Different Psychiatric Disorders Might Have The Same Cause
A sweeping new study of psychiatric and genetic records has the potential to change treatment for millions of psychiatric patients. (Johnson, 1/16)

CIDRAP: Lyme Disease Costs Up To $1 Billion Annually In US, Study Estimates
Lyme disease (LD) carries a substantial financial burden for both patients and the health care system, suggests a new retrospective cohort study, with costs driven largely by cases that progress beyond early-stage infection. (Bergeson, 1/15)

AP: Wastewater Testing Helps Public Health Officials Detect Measles Early
Wastewater testing can alert public health officials to measles infections days to months before cases are confirmed by doctors, researchers said in two studies published Thursday by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Colorado health officials were able to get ahead of the highly contagious virus by tracking its presence in sewer systems, researchers wrote. And Oregon researchers found wastewater could have warned them of an outbreak more than two months before the first person tested positive. (Shastri, 1/15)

CIDRAP: Delaware, Georgia See Major Commercial Avian Flu Outbreaks
The US Department of Agriculture (USDA) Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) this week noted several commercial poultry outbreaks of avian flu, including an event in Kent County, Delaware, involving 147,900 birds that were part of a commercial broiler operation. Walker County, Georgia had the second-largest detection this week, affecting 71,300 birds at a commercial broiler breeder facility. (Soucheray, 1/15)

Stat: 77% Of Americans Trust In Science, New Survey Finds
Even in this starkly divided country, Americans can agree on one thing: They want the U.S. to be a global leader in the sciences. But while Democrats fear the country’s position at the scientific fore is slipping, Republicans remain largely unworried. (Oza, 1/15)