First Edition: Friday, July 18, 2025

KFF HEALTH NEWS ORIGINAL STORIES

KFF Health News: Insurers And Customers Brace For Double Whammy To Obamacare Premiums
Most of the 24 million people in Affordable Care Act health plans face a potential one-two punch next year — double-digit premium increases along with a sharp drop in the federal subsidies that most consumers depend on to buy the coverage, also known as Obamacare. Insurers want higher premiums to cover the usual culprits — rising medical and labor costs and usage — but are tacking on extra percentage point increases in their 2026 rate proposals to cover effects of policy changes advanced by the Trump administration and the Republican-controlled Congress. (Appleby, 7/18)

KFF Health News: Surprise Medical Bills Were Supposed To Be A Thing Of The Past. Surprise — They’re Not
Last year in Massachusetts, after finding lumps in her breast, Jessica Chen went to Lowell General Hospital-Saints Campus, part of Tufts Medicine, for a mammogram and sonogram. Before the screenings, she asked the hospital for the estimated patient responsibility for the bill using her insurance, Tufts Health Plan. Her portion, she was told, would be $359 — and she paid it. She was more than a little surprised weeks later to receive a bill asking her to pay an additional $1,677.51. “I was already trying to stomach $359, and this was many times higher,” Chen, a physician assistant, told me. (Rosenthal, 7/18)

KFF Health News’ ‘What The Health?’ Podcast: The Senate Saves PEPFAR Funding — For Now
The Senate has passed — and sent back to the House — a bill that would allow the Trump administration to claw back some $9 billion in previously approved funding for foreign aid and public broadcasting. But first, senators removed from the bill a request to cut funding for the President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief, President George W. Bush’s international AIDS/HIV program. The House has until Friday to approve the bill, or else the funding remains in place. (Rovner, 7/17)

FDA

The New York Times: F.D.A. Approves Juul Vapes After Yearslong Delay
The Food and Drug Administration authorized Juul e-cigarettes for the U.S. market on Thursday, ending a lengthy standoff with regulators and lawmakers who accused the company of spurring an epidemic of e-cigarette use among youths. The company was required to prove that the products were “appropriate for the protection of public health” under agency rules. Juul said in a statement that it met the bar, in part, by showing that its products had helped about two million adults quit smoking cigarettes. (Jewett, 7/17)

Modern Healthcare: The FDA Clearances For Medical Devices You Need To Know
The Food and Drug Administration has cleared a variety of medical devices for clinical use that detect seizures, monitor for cardiac arrhythmias and cut across and seal soft tissue and organs. These devices received 510(k) clearance, which means they are similar to other devices on the market and are considered safe to use. (Dubinsky, 7/17)

The New York Times: F.D.A. Panelists Call For Removal Of Warnings On Menopause Treatments
A dozen physicians and researchers participating in a Food and Drug Administration panel on Thursday pleaded with the agency to “stop harming women” and remove the so-called black box warning from packages containing hormone treatments for menopause. One after another, the panelists described patients who suffered from severe menopause symptoms — from hot flashes and painful sex to severe mood swings, forgetting names and even suicidal ideation — yet were scared away from estrogen-containing products by the labels. (Caryn Rabin, 7/17)

MedPage Today: FDA Reviewers Flag Inconsistent Data For Rexulti In PTSD
Whether brexpiprazole (Rexulti) is effective as adjunctive treatment for post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) will be debated at an FDA advisory committee meeting on Friday. The atypical antipsychotic is under review as an adjunct to the selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor (SSRI) sertraline (Zoloft) for adults with PTSD. Brexpiprazole already is approved for schizophrenia, as adjunctive therapy for major depressive disorder, and for agitation associated with dementia. (Monaco, 7/17)

Stat: GSK's Blood Cancer Drug Blenrep Hits Setback With FDA Advisers
In a surprise, advisers to the Food and Drug Administration on Thursday voted that the risks tied to a blood cancer drug from GSK outweighed the benefits it had demonstrated in trials, as concerns about sometimes serious eye-related side effects and questions about the dose the company selected dominated a hearing. (Joseph, 7/17)

MedPage Today: A 'Culture Change' Is Needed In Academic Medicine, FDA Commissioner Says
The culture of academic medicine needs to change, FDA Commissioner Marty Makary, MD, MPH, said at an event sponsored by The Hill. "The culture of academic medicine in the United States has been defined by the culture of NIH, the Francis Collins culture mindset that the gene is responsible for most of our problems and the gene can solve most of our problems," Makary said at the event on Wednesday, referring to the former NIH director, who is a geneticist. "And while we need to do work on genetics, and we have a very robust gene editing and rare disease program at the FDA," that's not where the problem lies. (Frieden, 7/17)

CAPITOL WATCH

Bloomberg: Senate Bill Would Hasten Health Data From Insurers To Employers
A new bipartisan Senate bill would require companies that run health plans to hand over data to employers who insure their workers more quickly, or face thousands of dollars in penalties. The bill, which is expected to be filed Thursday, would prohibit so-called “third-party administrators” from delaying disclosures of information to employers’ health plans. Health insurance is generally the most expensive benefit an employer offers. (Cohrs Zhang, 7/17)

Bloomberg: House Bill Seeks To Help Veterans Access Alternatives To Opioids
A bipartisan group of US lawmakers introduced legislation to help veterans access alternatives to opioids, part of a broader push to promote safer painkillers and reduce overdose deaths. The Nopain for Veterans Act would require the US Department of Veterans Affairs to include non-opioid pain drugs on its formulary, making it easier for patients to access them. The bill has several sponsors, including Reps. Greg Landsman, a Democrat from Ohio, and Derrick Van Orden, a Republican from Wisconsin and former Navy Seal. (Smith, 7/17)

Modern Healthcare: CMS To End 1115 Waivers For Medicaid Enrollment Flexibilities
The federal government won’t approve or renew state programs to promote multiyear, continuous Medicaid enrollment or health professional workforce development, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services announced Thursday. Affected 1115 waivers will operate until their original approvals run out, then cease, Center for Medicaid and Children’s Health Insurance Program Services Director Drew Snyder wrote in a pair of memoranda. (Early, 7/17)

The Hill: Democratic Attorneys General Sue Trump Administration To Block ObamaCare Changes
A coalition of 20 Democratic attorneys general sued the Trump administration Thursday to block implementation of a rule they argue will undermine the Affordable Care Act. The complaint was co-led by California, Massachusetts and New Jersey and filed in federal court in Massachusetts. The lawsuit alleges the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) illegally made changes to the health law, which will make it harder for people to enroll and will shift costs to states. (Weixel, 7/17)

NBC News: U.S. Program To Combat HIV/AIDS Survives Trump's Latest Round Of Cuts
PEPFAR, the popular global HIV/AIDS program credited with saving millions of lives, has been spared from a package of billions of dollars in spending cuts that Congress sent to President Donald Trump early Friday morning to sign into law. The original rescissions package Trump requested called for $400 million in cuts to PEPFAR, the President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief, which George W. Bush started in 2003. But in the Senate, Democrats and a handful of Republicans objected to the PEPFAR cuts. (Wong and Kapur, 7/18)

MORE FROM THE TRUMP ADMINISTRATION

Politico: 3 Things To Know About Trump’s Vein Condition
President Donald Trump was recently diagnosed with a common vein condition called chronic venous insufficiency. White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt told reporters Thursday that Trump had noticed swelling in one of his legs, prompting him to undergo testing. CVI is a condition usually caused by damaged leg veins that struggle to send blood back up to the heart. Leavitt said Trump tested for other, more serious complications that sometimes go hand in hand with chronic venous insufficiency, but none were found. (Gardner, 7/17)

Politico: US Has Wasted Hundreds Of Thousands Of Vaccines Meant For Africa, Health Officials There Say
Nearly 800,000 mpox vaccine doses the U.S. government had promised to donate to African countries experiencing an outbreak of the rash-causing disease cannot be shipped because they’re expiring in less than six months, according to the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention. “For a vaccine to be shipped to a country, we need a minimum of six months before expiration to ensure that the vaccine can arrive in good condition and also allow the country to implement the vaccination,” said Yap Boum, an Africa CDC deputy incident manager. (Paun, 7/17)

ProPublica: RFK Jr. Wants To Overhaul A Vital System That Supports Childhood Immunization
Five months after taking over the federal agency responsible for the health of all Americans, Robert F. Kennedy Jr. wants to overhaul an obscure but vital program that underpins the nation’s childhood immunization system. Depending on what he does, the results could be catastrophic. (Callahan, 7/17)

The Colorado Sun: DOJ Subpoenas Children’s Hospital Colorado Over Gender Care
Children’s Hospital Colorado, the state’s largest pediatric specialty hospital, has received a subpoena from the U.S. Department of Justice as part of an apparent investigation into gender-affirming care for transgender youth. (Ingold, 7/18)

The 19th: Trump’s New Tax Law Could Override Protections For Children In Immigration Detention 
President Donald Trump’s so-called “one, big beautiful” tax and spending bill allocates $170 billion to fulfill the administration’s long list of immigration priorities, including hiring for law enforcement agents, border security personnel and immigration court judges. Also tucked into the massive, nearly 1,000-page legislation are provisions that pave the way for migrant children to face longer periods in detention with fewer legal protections. (Norwood, 7/17)

Los Angeles Times: ICE Is Gaining Access To Medicaid Records, Adding New Peril For Immigrants
The Trump administration is forging ahead with a plan that is sure to fuel alarm across California’s immigrant communities: handing over the personal data of millions of Medicaid recipients to federal immigration officials who seek to track down people living in the U.S. illegally. The huge trove of private information, which includes home addresses, social security numbers and ethnicities of 79 million Medicaid enrollees, will allow officials with Immigration and Customs Enforcement greater latitude to locate immigrants they suspect are undocumented, according to an agreement signed this week between the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services and the Department of Homeland Security and obtained by the Associated Press. (Jarvie and Fry, 7/17)

PUBLIC HEALTH

CIDRAP: CDC, FDA Probe Salmonella Outbreaks In Frozen Sprouted Beans, Pistachio Cream
The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and Food and Drug Administration (FDA) have launched investigations into separate Salmonella outbreaks involving frozen sprouted beans and pistachio cream. In a media alert issued today, the CDC said 11 people in 10 states have been sickened by a strain of Salmonella (Anatum) linked to Deep-brand frozen sprouted mat (moth) beans and frozen sprouted moong (mung) beans. Illnesses started on dates ranging from October 22, 2024, to June 24, 2025. Four people have been hospitalized, with no deaths reported. (Dall, 7/17)

MedPage Today: Farm Women With Rheumatoid Arthritis: Are Pesticides To Blame?
Women exposed to pesticides through farm work or as farmers' wives face increased risk for developing rheumatoid arthritis (RA), a new analysis of Agricultural Health Study (AHS) data indicated. For a variety of insecticides and fungicides that are or once were commonly used on U.S. farms, adjusted odds for new-onset RA were 1.21 to 2.49 times greater among exposed participants versus the unexposed, according to Christine G. Parks, PhD, MSPH, of the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences in Research Triangle Park, North Carolina, and colleagues. (Gever, 7/17)

CIDRAP: Avian Flu Exacts Heavy Financial Toll On Dairy Industry, Report Says
Decreased milk production, death, and early removal from a single herd of adult dairy cows infected with the H5N1 strain of highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) cost an estimated $737,500, even before considering ongoing altered herd dynamics or reproductive losses, according to a study published this week in Nature Communications. ... So far, 1,074 herds in 17 states have been infected. (Van Beusekom, 7/17)

CIDRAP: Most US Pregnant Women, Parents Of Young Kids Don't Plan To Accept All Recommended Kids' Vaccines
Only 35% to 40% of US pregnant women and parents of young children say they intend to fully vaccinate their child, per survey results from researchers at Emory University and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). (Van Beusekom, 7/17)

The Boston Globe: Using ChatGPT For Free Therapy? Psychologists Say It Could Be Dangerous.
Around the winter holidays, Scout Stephen found herself unraveling. She desperately needed to speak to someone. She reached out to her therapist, but they were on vacation. Her friends were unavailable. She tried calling a suicide crisis hot line, but it felt robotic and left her feeling more alone and disconnected. (Gagosz, 7/17)

SCIENCE AND INNOVATIONS

CIDRAP: COVID-19 Vaccines Offer Strong Protection For Cancer Patients, But Uptake Remains Low
Today, JAMA Oncology published two studies and a research letter on COVID-19 and cancer, including a retrospective cohort study showing that COVID-19 booster vaccinations offered significant protection against severe infection. A second study determined risk factors for hospitalization and death in patients with cancer and COVID-19 infection, and a third research letter describes the pandemic’s effect on breast cancer surveillance and outcomes. (Soucheray, 7/17)

CIDRAP: COVID Hospitalization Linked To Cognitive Impairment 2 Years Later
Almost 20% of people who were hospitalized for COVID-19 infections early in the pandemic still had signs of impairment with brain function 2 years after infection, finds a new study in Scientific Reports. (Soucheray, 7/17)

CIDRAP: Shortened Treatment Benefits Some With Pre-Extensively Drug-Resistant TB, But Not All
A shortened, all-oral drug regimen worked well for some patients with pre-extensively drug-resistant tuberculosis (pre-XDR TB), according to the results of a multi-country randomized controlled trial published this week in The Lancet Respiratory Medicine. But the benefits were primarily seen in those with limited disease. (Dall, 7/17)

MedPage Today: Duchenne Gene Therapy Will Undergo Changes After Patient Deaths
At the FDA's request, delandistrogene moxeparvovec (Elevidys), the only approved gene therapy for Duchenne muscular dystrophy, will carry a black box warning for acute liver injury and acute liver failure, drugmaker Sarepta Therapeutics said. The label change follows the death of two boys with Duchenne who died soon after being treated with delandistrogene moxeparvovec. In June, the FDA said it was investigating the deaths, focusing on the risk of acute liver failure with serious outcomes, including hospitalization and death, after treatment. (George, 7/17)

Stat: Patient Dies In Sarepta Gene Therapy Trial, Adding To Safety Concerns
A 51-year-old man died last month after receiving an experimental gene therapy developed by Sarepta Therapeutics for an ultra-rare form of muscular dystrophy, a company spokesperson confirmed Thursday. He is the third patient to die after getting a Sarepta gene therapy this year, all tied to liver issues. (Mast, 7/18)

HEALTH INDUSTRY AND PHARMACEUTICALS

Modern Healthcare: Healthcare Costs To Grow 8.5% In 2026: PwC
Group healthcare costs are expected to increase by 8.5% in 2026. PricewaterhouseCoopers’ Health Research Institute based its forecast published Thursday on policy changes, expensive medications including glucagon-like peptide agonists, higher rates of behavioral health claims and increased use of artificial intelligence, among other factors. (DeSilva, 7/17)

The Wall Street Journal: Obamacare Insurers Seek Double-Digit Premium Hikes Next Year
If you buy your own health insurance, you are probably going to pay more next year—a lot more. Insurers are seeking hefty 2026 rate increases for Affordable Care Act marketplace plans, the coverage known as Obamacare. Blue Cross & Blue Shield of Illinois wants a 27% hike, while its sister Blue Cross plan in Texas is asking for 21%. The largest ACA plans in Washington state, Georgia and Rhode Island are all looking for premiums to surge more than 20%. (Wilde Mathews, 7/18)

Modern Healthcare: Elevance Health Cuts Guidance Amid Medicaid, Exchange Pressure
Heightened Medicaid and health insurance exchange plan spending pressured Elevance Health during the second quarter, the company announced Thursday. Net income plummeted 24.2% to $1.7 billion, or $7.72 per share, as revenue increased 13.4% to $49.8 billion during the quarter, Elevance Health disclosed. (Tepper, 7/17)

The Washington Post: Telehealth Companies' Ties To Pfizer, Eli Lilly Draw Senate Scrutiny
Partnerships between telehealth companies and pharmaceutical giants Pfizer and Eli Lilly raise concerns about conflicts of interest and inappropriate prescribing, according to a Senate investigation released Thursday. The report by offices of several Democratic senators said the arrangements appear intended to steer patients to medications manufactured by those companies, which maintain websites touting drugs and providing links directing them to doctors who can prescribe them. (Ovalle, 7/17)

The Wall Street Journal: Bristol-Myers And Pfizer To Offer Blood Thinner Eliquis At Discount
The drugmakers Bristol-Myers Squibb and Pfizer plan to sell the widely used blood thinner Eliquis directly to patients at a discounted cash price—a move that follows the Trump administration’s pressure on the industry to cut drug prices. The companies, which have a joint venture that markets Eliquis, said the new service will allow uninsured or underinsured patients to buy the pill at more than 40% off the current list price starting Sept. 8. The service will provide direct shipping of the drug to patients in the U.S. (Loftus, 7/17)

MedPage Today: Doctors Who Use AI Perceived Less Favorably, Survey Suggests
Physicians who use artificial intelligence (AI) are perceived less favorably than those who don't use it, a survey showed. In a survey of 1,276 U.S. adults who were shown fake social media or billboard advertisements for family doctors, physicians portrayed to use AI were perceived as significantly less competent, trustworthy, and empathetic compared with those whose AI use was not mentioned, reported Moritz Reis, MSc, of the University of Wuerzburg in Germany, and colleagues. (Henderson, 7/17)

Bloomberg: Novartis CFO Plans To Retire, Psoriasis Drug Disappoints
Novartis AG announced disappointing sales for a key psoriasis drug and the looming retirement of its respected finance chief, which overshadowed a modest outlook raise. Harry Kirsch will be replaced by Mukul Mehta as chief financial officer next March, the Swiss drugmaker said Thursday. Kirsch, who will retire after more than a decade as finance chief, “is widely considered the best CFO in the industry,” said Naresh Chouhan at Intron Health. (Loh and Kresge, 7/17)

Becker's Hospital Review: 51 Healthcare Leaders' Takes On Doing More With Less
It’s a directive that hospitals and health systems of every size know well — whether sprawling academic medical centers, multistate nonprofit systems or rural, independent 25-bed hospitals. While the phrase isn’t new, the urgency behind it is intensifying. The nation’s healthcare workforce remains fragile, forcing leaders to distinguish between staffing gaps that are temporary hurdles or structural limitations. Revenue projections for health systems have shifted dramatically — even within the last six months — as federal spending plans tighten, particularly around Medicaid. Funding for clinical research, once considered a durable pillar of U.S. healthcare post-World War II, is also undergoing one of its most significant shakeups, underscoring a stark reality: Even the most established sources of support are no longer guaranteed. (Woldenberg, Gooch, Taylor, Bruce, Kuchno and Cass, 7/17)

STATE WATCH

Modern Healthcare: Everything To Know About The Rural Health Transformation Program
Hospitals are working with states to prepare bids for a $50 billion fund that aims to bolster rural healthcare, though the program may not be enough to sustain providers. States have until the end of the year to submit to the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services their plans for the Rural Health Transformation Program funding that was part of the new tax law. However, industry observers are concerned the program won’t ultimately benefit the highest-need rural hospitals and will not be enough to mitigate looming Medicaid and Medicare cuts. (Kacik, 7/17)

Bloomberg: Nevada, California Among States Likely Hurt Most By Medicaid Cuts, Barclays Says
President Donald Trump’s budget bill that could deeply cut the nation’s largest public health-insurance program stands to hurt some states more than others, according to Barclays Plc. Louisiana, Nevada and California stand to be the most negatively impacted if Medicaid is reduced, based on funding losses as a percentage of yearly revenue loss and the number of Americans with chronic health conditions living there, municipal strategists Mikhail Foux, Francisco San Emeterio and Grace Cen said in a Thursday note. (Taylor, 7/17)

WUSF: Florida's Surgeon General Calls For More Study Of People Injured By COVID MRNA Vaccines 
Florida Surgeon General Dr. Joseph Ladapo is urging more study of people who say they were injured by COVID-19 vaccines. A press conference in Tampa on Thursday, Ladapo also praised the federal government's decision in May, announced by Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., to no longer recommend COVID-19 mRNA vaccines for healthy children and pregnant women. (Sheridan, 7/17)

The Baltimore Sun: Baltimore’s 911 Mental Health Experts Handling Fewer Calls, Leaving Police To Respond 
In an analysis of 911 data, The Baltimore Sun found that, while behavioral health calls in Baltimore surged in the past two years, the number of those calls diverted to mental health services dropped more than 50%, leaving police officers to respond to situations they might be ill-prepared to handle. (Schumer, 7/17)

The Baltimore Sun: Trump-Aligned Legal Group Targets Hopkins DEI Practices
A Trump-aligned legal group is calling on the U.S. Department of Justice to investigate what it claims are “illegal DEI practices” at Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine. America First Legal, founded by White House Deputy Chief of Staff Stephen Miller in 2021, filed a complaint Thursday demanding the DOJ investigate the university for “systemic, intentional, and ongoing discrimination” through its diversity, equity and inclusion admissions and hiring practices. (Schumer, 7/17)

The Charlotte Ledger: Charlotte’s New Med School Is Mum On Diversity 
When Atrium Health and the Wake Forest University School of Medicine announced plans in 2021 to build Charlotte’s first four-year medical school, they said they wanted it to have “one of the most diverse learner bodies in the country.” But now that the campus has opened its doors, it’s hard to determine whether they hit that goal. (Crouch, 7/18)

The Baltimore Sun: Ex-Aberdeen High Transformed Into Medical Institution
A long-vacant historic Aberdeen building on Route 40 has been turned into the Aberdeen Medical Pavilion following a multimillion-dollar renovation. (Hubbard, 7/17)

AP: Severe Weather In Tropical Storm's Wake Triggers North Carolina State Of Emergency
North Carolina can seek federal funding to help its overloaded response efforts to Tropical Storm Chantal, which killed at least six people and left damage from flooding in its wake, as Gov. Josh Stein announced a state of emergency Thursday. ... Some rivers reached record-breaking levels from the storm, including the Eno River in Durham, one of several cities where some residents lost access to safe drinking water because of damage to the water system. (Seminera, 7/17)