First Edition: Friday, June 13, 2025

KFF HEALTH NEWS ORIGINAL STORIES

KFF Health News: Kennedy’s HHS Sent Congress ‘Junk Science’ To Defend Vaccine Changes, Experts Say
A document the Department of Health and Human Services sent to lawmakers to support Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s decision to change U.S. policy on covid vaccines cites scientific studies that are unpublished or under dispute and mischaracterizes others. One health expert called the document “willful medical disinformation” about the safety of covid vaccines for children and pregnant women. (Fortiér, 6/13)

KFF Health News: ‘One Big Beautiful Bill’ Would Batter Rural Hospital Finances, Researchers Say
Cuts to Medicaid and other federal health programs proposed in President Donald Trump’s budget plan would rapidly push more than 300 financially struggling rural hospitals toward a fiscal cliff, according to researchers who track the facilities’ finances. The hospitals would be at a disproportionate risk of closure, service reductions, or ending inpatient care, according to a report authored by experts from the Cecil G. Sheps Center for Health Services Research following a request from Senate Democrats, who released the findings publicly Thursday. (Orozco Rodriguez, 6/12)

KFF Health News: KFF Health News’ ‘What The Health?’: RFK Jr. Upends Vaccine Policy, After Promising He Wouldn’t
After explicitly promising senators during his confirmation hearing that he would not interfere in scientific policy over which Americans should receive which vaccines, Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. this week fired every member of the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices, the group of experts who help the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention make those evidence-based judgments. Kennedy then appointed new members, including vaccine skeptics, prompting alarm from the broader medical community. (Rovner, 6/12)

SUPREME COURT

The Washington Post: Supreme Court Makes It Easier To Sue Schools Over Disability Accommodations
The Supreme Court on Thursday made it easier for students to prove their schools are not making proper accommodations for disabilities, ruling for the family of a Minnesota teen with a severe form of epilepsy who claimed her school district did not do enough to meet her instructional needs. An attorney for Ava Tharpe argued that schoolchildren had to meet an unfairly high burden to show schools are falling short under the Americans With Disabilities Act, Rehabilitation Act and other disability statutes. The high court unanimously agreed. (Jouvenal, 6/12)

ON CAPITOL HILL

AP: House Sends Trump A Bill That Would Combat Fentanyl Trafficking
The House overwhelmingly passed bipartisan legislation Thursday that would solidify federal policies cracking down on the synthetic opioid fentanyl and its analogs in a bid by lawmakers to combat the nation’s opioid epidemic. The HALT Fentanyl Act makes permanent a 2018 emergency rule that classifies knockoffs of fentanyl as Schedule I controlled substances, which results in harsher sentences for possession of the drug. The bill passed the House 321-104 and now heads to President Donald Trump for his signature. (Brown, 6/12)

The War Horse: Congress Advances Bill For Firms To Charge Veterans For VA Help
Veterans’ advocates have worked for years to stop unaccredited consultants from charging vets thousands of dollars for help filing disability claims​, b​ut setbacks in court and on Capitol Hill indicate their quest to ban the deep-pocketed companies could be in peril. With Republicans in control of Congress, a bill legalizing for-profit claims consultants nationwide will advance to a full House of Representatives vote, the first time such a measure has made it out of the House Committee on Veterans’ Affairs. Meanwhile, a competing bill introduced by a Democrat, which would crack down on for-profit companies by imposing criminal penalties, has not advanced. (Rosenbaum, 6/12)

AP: House Approves Trump's Request To Cut Funding For NPR, PBS, Foreign Aid
The House narrowly voted Thursday to cut about $9.4 billion in spending already approved by Congress as President Donald Trump’s administration looks to follow through on work done by the Department of Government Efficiency when it was overseen by Elon Musk. The package targets foreign aid programs and the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, which provides money for National Public Radio and the Public Broadcasting Service as well as thousands of public radio and television stations around the country. The vote was 214-212.Republicans are characterizing the spending as wasteful and unnecessary, but Democrats say the rescissions are hurting the United States’ standing in the world and will lead to needless deaths. (Freking, 6/12)

THE TRUMP ADMINISTRATION

MedPage Today: RFK Jr. Plans To Pull Medical Schools' Funding If They Don't Teach Nutrition
HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. said in April that he plans to tell medical schools to teach nutrition or risk losing federal funding, ABC News reported last week. "Under Secretary Kennedy's leadership, HHS is committed to ensuring that nutrition is treated as core clinical knowledge -- not a wellness extra -- in building a healthcare system equipped to prevent and manage chronic disease," an HHS spokesperson told MedPage Today in an email. (Nielsen, 6/12)

Politico: White House Looks To Freeze More Agency Funds — And Expand Executive Power
The Trump administration is working on a new effort to both weaken Congress’ grip on the federal budget and freeze billions of dollars in spending at several government agencies, people familiar with the strategy told POLITICO’s E&E News. The strategy: order agencies to freeze the spending now — then ask Congress’ approval, using a maneuver that allows the cuts to become permanent if lawmakers fail to act. (Waldman and Hiar, 6/12)

The Guardian: Harvard Researcher Released From US Custody After Arrest For Smuggling Frog Embryos
A judge released a Russian-born scientist and Harvard University researcher charged with smuggling frog embryos into the US on Thursday, freeing her on bail after a brief hearing. Kseniia Petrova, 30, who was brought into court wearing an orange jumpsuit, had been in federal custody since February. She was seen walking out of the courthouse laughing and hugging supporters. (Guardian staff and agency, 6/12)

Stat: Trump Administration Demands Pharma Companies Begin Drug Price Negotiations, A Day After Key Deadline
Under President Donald Trump’s order, signed in May, Wednesday marked the 30-day deadline for the administration to release its price targets. Executives and lobbyists for the industry were waiting for more details on the proposal and gaming out a wide variety of scenarios. But a White House spokesperson told STAT on Wednesday the companies already had the price targets, pointing to a May 20 announcement from the administration that laid out a broad target for the negotiations: that drugs should be the lowest price offered in peer nations. (Payne, 6/12)

MEDICAID AND MEDICARE

Stat: States Snag $9 Billion In Medicaid Funds As GOP Weighs New Limits 
Hospitals, physician groups, and nursing homes across 15 states will receive billions of dollars in extra Medicaid funding this year thanks to federal health care officials signing off on new agreements. (Herman, 6/13)

VACCINES

MedPage Today: Docs Should Turn Away From ACIP's Vaccine Recommendations, Ex-Member Says
A recently ousted member of the CDC's Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) said Thursday that she is recommending that physicians go to sources other than ACIP for vaccine scheduling recommendations. "It puts us in a very dangerous place if we can't trust the national recommendations made by ACIP," said Helen Chu, MD, professor of allergy and infectious diseases at the University of Washington, in Seattle. (Frieden, 6/12)

Bloomberg: RFK Jr.’s New Vaccine Panel Includes Two Paid Witnesses Against Merck
Two new vaccine advisers tapped by Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. have served as paid expert witnesses for plaintiffs suing Merck & Co. over some of the drug company’s inoculations targeting measles, mumps and cancer. Robert Malone, a scientist who has espoused debunked theories about the safety of vaccines, along with Martin Kulldorff, a Harvard-trained epidemiologist who has studied their side effects, were added to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s committee on immunization policy. Both men have been hired by plaintiffs’ attorneys in the past to opine about Merck’s handling of its vaccines, court filings show. (Feeley and Garde, 6/12)

The Hill: Donald Trump's Former Surgeon General Rips Robert F. Kennedy Jr's Purge Of Vaccine Board
President Trump’s former surgeon general blasted Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s decision to fire the entirety of a federal advisory committee on vaccine guidance, saying the move jeopardizes public health and threatens public trust in health institutions. In an op-ed published by Time, former Surgeon General Jerome Adams wrote that Kennedy’s recent actions cast doubt over his pledge that, “We won’t take away anyone’s vaccines.” (Choi, 6/12)

Bloomberg: Will Insurance Cover Vaccines? RFK Jr. Moves Leave Free Shots In Doubt
Public health experts are taking it upon themselves to counter recent moves by Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. that could dramatically change US vaccine policy. They have formed a shadow group of specialists who can give recommendations on who should receive which vaccines, and are urging insurers to continue paying for shots. (Cohrs Zhang, Nix, and Smith, 6/12)

CIDRAP: Groups Call For Continued Insurance Coverage For COVID Vaccines In Pregnancy
Dozens of medical and public health organizations have signed a letter urging insurers to continue covering COVID-19 vaccination in pregnant patients. The letter from the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists is in response to the recent move by the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to no longer recommend COVID-19 shots for healthy pregnant women. (Dall, 6/12)

Stat: FDA Approves Moderna RSV Vaccine Use For People Aged 18 To 59
The Food and Drug Administration expanded the approval of Moderna’s RSV vaccine on Thursday, extending the license to include adults aged 18 to 59 who are at high risk of severe illness if they contract respiratory syncytial virus. (Branswell, 6/12)

REPRODUCTIVE HEALTH

CBS News: Average Age Of Moms Giving Birth In U.S. Has Climbed To Nearly 30 Years Old, CDC Data Show
The average age of moms giving birth in the U.S. continues to rise, hitting nearly 30 years old in 2023, according to a new report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. In the report, published Friday by the CDC's National Center for Health Statistics, researchers found the average age of all mothers giving birth in the United States increased from 28.7 years old in 2016 to 29.6 in 2023. For new first-time moms, average age also increased, from 26.6 in 2016 to 27.5 in 2023. The data was taken from the National Vital Statistics System, which includes all birth records in the country. (Moniuszko, 6/13)

Health News Florida: 17,269 Abortions Reported In Florida This Year
A reported 17,377 abortions had been performed in Florida this year as of June 2, a 45.8 percent decrease from a comparable period in 2024, according to state data. The drop came after a law took effect in May 2024 that prevented most abortions after six weeks of pregnancy. (6/12)

AP: Illinois Investigates Police For Sharing License Plate Data With Texas Sheriff
The Illinois secretary of state on Thursday asked for an investigation into a suburban Chicago police department after learning that it violated state law by sharing data from automatic license-plate readers with a Texas sheriff seeking a woman who had an abortion. Secretary of State Alexi Giannoulias asked the attorney general to review the matter. He also is creating an audit system to ensure police departments don’t run afoul of a 2023 law banning the distribution of license-plate data to track women seeking abortions or to find undocumented immigrants. (O’Connor, 6/12)

HEALTH CARE INDUSTRY

Modern Healthcare: BCBS Of Michigan Layoffs To Affect 220 Nonunion Employees
Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan said Thursday it has laid off nearly 220 nonunion staff members and eliminated more than 400 unfilled, nonunion positions. The cuts are part of a long-term, $600 million cost savings plan the insurer began in 2024 to reduce administrative expenses over three years. Last year, the company said it saved more than $200 million in administrative costs. (DeSilva, 6/12)

Modern Healthcare: Medtronic Names New Diabetes Company MiniMed
Medtronic announced Thursday that its new diabetes company will be called MiniMed. The move comes after the news on May 21 that the company intends to separate its diabetes business into a standalone company. The company said at the time that the decision would allow it to focus on high-margin growth markets. The diabetes business accounted for 8% of its $33.5 billion in revenue for fiscal 2025, which ended April 25. (Dubinsky, 6/12)

Politico: American Medical Association Wants Explainable AI
The American Medical Association has adopted a new policy that calls for clinical AI tools that can explain their answers. It also wants the AI purveyors to provide safety and efficacy data. To make AI explainable means that the AI should be able to cite sources or back up its decisions with data clinicians can review. The AMA adopted the policy at its annual house of delegates meeting in Chicago this week, and it calls for an independent third party — like a regulatory agency or other certifying body — to verify that AI tools are actually explainable. (Reader, 6/12)

Stat: Researchers Examine Scientific Rigor Of Systematic Reviews 
Systematic reviews, which involve pooling data from multiple studies and analyzing them together, are increasingly popular as a way to produce more authoritative conclusions than can be derived from the individual smaller papers. In recent weeks, systematic reviews have been used to justify policy around gender affirming care as well as in the MAHA report. (Oza, 6/12)

PHARMACEUTICALS

The Wall Street Journal: AstraZeneca Teams Up With CSPC Pharmaceuticals With Deal Valued At Up To $5.33 Billion
The collaboration boosts AstraZeneca’s presence in ChinaAstraZeneca said it entered into a strategic research collaboration with China’s CSPC Pharmaceuticals, focused on artificial intelligence-driven research, valued at up to $5.33 billion. The partnership aims to advance the discovery and development of novel oral candidates, with the potential to treat diseases across multiple indications, the British pharmaceutical giant said Friday. (Figueras, 6/13)

Bloomberg: Nicotine Pouches Like Zyn Are Getting More Popular With Women
At Odenplan Square in central Stockholm, high school students move in packs, enjoying a day off and the early spring weather. Even though graduation is still weeks away, some seniors are already sporting their celebratory caps, per Swedish tradition. One of them is 19-year-old Olivia Persson, who, in addition to wearing the sailor-style hat, carries a bright tin of nicotine pouches. So do most of the other girls in her crew, each in turn showing off colorful containers with peach and apple-mint flavors tucked into pockets and purses. (Ekblom, 6/12)

STATE WATCH

The 19th and APM Reports: Illinois Lawmakers Pass Bill Requiring Hospital Care For Sexual Assault Survivors
Lawmakers have strengthened Illinois’ longstanding sexual abuse survivors law in an effort to ensure patients receive critical care after sexual assault. (Martin, 6/12)

The Nevada Independent: Nevada To Pay $753K For Delays In Providing Mental Health Care To Criminal Defendants
The State of Nevada will pay more than $753,000 in court-ordered fines for delays in providing criminal defendants with mental health care at a psychiatric facility in Sparks. The Nevada Board of Examiners — composed of the governor, attorney general and secretary of state — signed off on the payment Tuesday after a Washoe County district court judge in April held the state in contempt for failing to provide timely treatment to criminal defendants deemed mentally unfit to stand trial. (Neugeboren, 6/12)

AP: Louisiana AG Investigating CVS For Sending Mass Text Messages Lobbying Against Legislation
Louisiana Attorney General Liz Murrill announced Thursday she is investigating whether pharmaceutical giant CVS improperly used customers’ personal information to send out text messages lobbying against a proposed state law. Murrill also said she plans to issue a cease-and-desist letter to the company to stop the messages. As lawmakers debated a now-failed bill on Wednesday they held up screenshots of text messages sent by CVS. (Cline and Brook, 6/13)

PUBLIC HEALTH

Newsweek: Unexpected Solution Could Help Reduce Sudden Infant Death Syndrome
A common household chemical might hold a surprising secret—one that could help prevent sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS). In a new paper published in the Journal of Perinatology, researchers at Rutgers Health propose that caffeine—long used as a respiratory stimulant in premature infants—could help protect babies from the low-oxygen episodes that may trigger SIDS and other forms of sudden unexpected infant death (SUID). (Gray, 6/12)

CNN: PFAS Exposure Before Birth Could Put Your Teen At Risk For High Blood Pressure, Study Finds 
Prenatal exposure to a class of dangerous, widely used chemicals could be linked to your child having high blood pressure as a teen, according to a new study. (Holcombe, 6/12)