First Edition: Friday, Oct. 10, 2025

KFF HEALTH NEWS ORIGINAL STORIES

KFF Health News: Trump Called Digital Equity Act ‘Racist.’ Now Internet Money For Rural Americans Is Gone
Megan Waiters can recite the stories of dozens of people she has helped connect to the internet in western Alabama. A 7-year-old who couldn’t do classwork online without a tablet, and the 91-year-old she taught to check health care portals on a smartphone. “They have health care needs, but they don’t have the digital skills,” said Waiters, who is a digital navigator for an Alabama nonprofit. Her work has involved giving away computers and tablets while also teaching classes on how to use the internet for work and personal needs, like banking and health. “It’s like a foreign space.” (Tribble, 10/10)

KFF Health News: Cops On Ketamine? Largely Unregulated Mental Health Treatment Faces Hurdles
A few months ago, Waynesville Police Sgt. Paige Shell was about to give up hope of getting better. The daily drip of violence, death, and misery from almost 20 years in law enforcement had left a mark. Her sleep was poor, depression was a stubborn companion, and thoughts of suicide had taken root. Shell, who works in a rural community about 30 miles west of Asheville, tried talk therapy, but it didn’t work. When her counselor suggested ketamine-assisted psychotherapy, she was skeptical. (Ridderbusch, 10/10)

KFF Health News: KFF Health News’ ‘What The Health?’: Starting To Feel The Shutdown’s Bite
It’s not yet clear how the federal government shutdown will end, but Democrats are continuing to draw attention to the issue they are promoting — the coming expiration of additional subsidies for Affordable Care Act insurance plans. Some Republicans are now going public with their worries about the huge cost increases many of their constituents face. (Rovner, 10/9)

AUTISM

AP: RFK Jr. Links Tylenol, Autism And Circumcision Without Proof
Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. Thursday reasserted the unproven link between the pain reliever Tylenol and autism, and suggested people who opposed the theory were motivated by hatred for President Donald Trump. During a meeting with Trump and the Cabinet, Kennedy reiterated the connection, even while noting there was no medical proof to substantiate the claim. He also mistakenly described a pregnant woman’s anatomy and linked autism to circumcision. (Beaumont and Ungar, 10/9)

The 19th: Republican Women Lean Toward Believing Tylenol And Autism Link, Survey Finds
Overall, women are more likely than men to think that the link between autism and Tylenol’s active ingredient, acetaminophen, is “definitely false,” according to the survey. However, a divide becomes clear when the data is broken down by party: 54 percent of Republican women think the connection is definitely or probably true, while only 13 percent of Democratic women believe the same. Thirty-four percent of Independent women think the connection is probably or definitely true.  (Mithani, 10/9)

The Washington Post: Why The Trump Administration Granted $50 Million For Autism Research
One study aims to examine children with autism from across the country to see what may be driving the increase in diagnoses. Another will explore the genetic data of more than 2 million people to examine what environmental exposures might influence autism. And other studies will examine how diet affects autism, adults who have it and how to improve care for those who have been diagnosed. (Chiu and Eunjung Cha, 10/9)

VACCINES

Politico: CDC Panel Announces Plans To Assess Childhood Vaccines
The CDC’s vaccine advisers will review the safety and efficacy of the childhood vaccine schedule, including the timing of shots given to kids and possible risks associated with common vaccine ingredients, according to a document posted Thursday to the agency’s website. A work group within the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices will gather information as part of a “multi-year effort” to inform future recommendations on a raft of issues that vaccine skeptics — including Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. — have floated as possible drivers of chronic and neurodevelopmental conditions like autism despite ample research refuting most of their claims. (Gardner and Gardner, 10/9)

CIDRAP: New Poll: Public Confidence In CDC For Vaccine Advice Tumbles
A new KFF poll taken in the days after President Donald Trump linked acetaminophen use in pregnancy to autism—and said the measles, mumps, and rubella vaccine should be separated into three monovalent (single-strain) shots—shows public trust in the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is now at its lowest level since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic. The poll also showed low support for Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr, who also made the unsupported acetaminophen (Tylenol) link to autism. (Soucheray, 10/9)

MORE ON HHS AND RFK JR.

MedPage Today: NIH Leaders Fired, CDC Gets Acting Center Directors, And Prasad Shapes FDA Team
HHS agencies have seen yet another flurry of personnel changes: Four institute directors have been fired from the NIH; acting directors replaced two CDC leaders who resigned in the wake of the firing of Susan Monarez, PhD; and the FDA's Center for Biologics Evaluation and Research (CBER) announced several promotions. The four fired NIH institute directors had been in professional limbo since they were placed on administrative leave during the Trump administration's April 1 layoffs, Science reported. (Fiore, 10/9)

FEDERAL GOVERNMENT SHUTDOWN

The Hill: Shutdown Persists As Senators Leave Washington
Senators departed Washington without a deal to end the government shutdown, ensuring that it will last into next week with both sides still deadlocked. The upper chamber finished work for the week late on Thursday night when they passed the Senate’s version of the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA), which included more than a dozen of amendment votes. (Weaver, 10/9)

Military.com: Food Pantry Visits From Military Families Climb Over 30% Since Government Shutdown Began 
The government shutdown has surpassed one week and has put federal workers and military families in a financial bind, with food pantries in some portions of the country experiencing 30% upticks in traffic. “Starting last week at our normal food operations, we saw an increase in demand,” Dorene Ocamb, chief development and brand officer of ASYMCA, told Military.com. “As a result, we ran out of food a little more quickly than normal. We had about a 34% increase in Killeen, Texas, which was the first sort of food distribution after the shutdown happened. (Mordowanec, 10/9)

AP: US Troops Face A Missed Paycheck During Government Shutdown 
Heather Campbell lost her job working for a food bank over the summer because of federal funding cuts. Her husband serves as an officer in the Air Force, but now he’s facing the prospect of missing his next paycheck because of the government shutdown. If lawmakers in Washington don't step in, Campbell’s husband won’t get paid on Wednesday. Because the couple lacks the savings to cover all their expenses, they expect to survive on credit cards to pay the mortgage and feed their three children, racking up debt as the political stalemate drags on. (Finley, 10/9)

The Hill: Chip Roy Calls For Overhaul Of All Federal Health Programs
Rep. Chip Roy (R-Texas) blasted his fellow Republicans in Congress for “running afraid” from health care, reiterating his belief that major federal health programs must be reformed “top to bottom.” Roy, who is running to replace Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton (R), spoke with the libertarian outlet Reason magazine to discuss his views and recent votes in Congress. (Choi, 10/9)

Fierce Healthcare: Hospital At Home Providers Navigate Complexities During Shutdown
When the government entered a partial shutdown Oct. 1, hospitals across the country faced a major task: discharging, relocating or shifting care programs for the thousands of patients in hospital at home programs. With Congress at a standoff over healthcare cuts and Affordable Care Act premium tax subsidies, the body failed to reauthorize the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services’ (CMS') pandemic-era Acute Hospital Care at Home program, along with Medicare telehealth services. (Beavins, 10/9)

NBC News: Emergency Medicaid Spending Accounts For Less Than 1% Of Program's Expenses, Study Finds
Emergency Medicaid spending, an issue partly fueling the federal government's ongoing shutdown, accounts for less than 1% of the federal health insurance program's total expenses, according to a study published Thursday in the Journal of the American Medical Association. The study analyzed data from Washington, D.C., and 38 states that reported their emergency Medicaid expenditures for fiscal year 2022. (Acevedo, 10/9)

Newsweek: Judge Denies Trump Admin Attempt To Pause Medicaid Case Amid Shutdown
A district court judge on Wednesday denied the Trump administration's request to halt a lawsuit over its proposed Medicaid cuts to Planned Parenthood during the current shutdown of the federal government. The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services sought a motion for a stay in the proceedings because the Appropriations Act funding the Department of Justice and the majority of other executive agencies lapsed when the government shut down on September 30. (Giella, 10/9)

REPRODUCTIVE HEALTH

The Hill: GOP Senators Urge RFK Jr. To Crack Down On Medication Abortion
Almost every Senate Republican on Thursday urged the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to “reevaluate” whether a newly approved generic version of the abortion drug mifepristone should stay on the market. The letter to Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and FDA Commissioner Marty Makary from 51 of 53 Republican senators adds to the pressure the Trump administration is facing from conservatives to restrict access to medication abortion. (Weixel, 10/9)

ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE

Stat: Top Democrat Demands Medicare Insurers Disclose Uses Of AI In Care
Sen. Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.) is pressing the nation’s largest Medicare Advantage insurers to provide more detail about their use of artificial intelligence tools amid reports that these companies are rapidly increasing their reliance on the technology to help make decisions about patients’ care and coverage. (Ross, 10/9)

SUPREME COURT

MedPage Today: SCOTUS Hears Oral Arguments In Case Involving A Medical Malpractice Lawsuit
Should federal courts be required to abide by state laws when they consider interstate malpractice cases? The Supreme Court mulled that exact issue in a case it heard earlier this week. The case, known as Berk v. Choy, involves a Florida man, Harold Berk, who injured his foot and ankle while in Delaware. He then sued the physician who treated him in Delaware state court, arguing that the treatment made his condition worse. (Frieden, 10/9)

CALIFORNIA

San Francisco Chronicle: Kaiser Permanente Cuts Hundreds Of Jobs Across California
Kaiser Permanente has announced another round of layoffs affecting hundreds of employees across California, deepening tensions with workers as thousands prepare to strike next week. According to state filings, the nonprofit health care provider will cut more than 200 positions across 15 hospitals and clinics. The layoffs took effect Sept. 17 and were disclosed in WARN notices filed Monday with the California Employment Development Department. (Vaziri, 10/9)

Becker's Hospital Review: ‘Never Seen Before’: Why Are California Hospitals Taking A Hit?
As hospitals across the U.S. continue to feel financial strain from tightened margins, rising costs and workforce shortages, California has emerged as a hot spot, with rural facilities grappling with bankruptcies, emergency department shutdowns and increased uncertainty regarding their long-term survival. “Hospitals throughout California — and across the country — are facing financial headwinds the likes of which have never been seen before,” a spokesperson for the California Hospital Association said in an Oct. 9 statement shared with Becker’s. (Ashley, 10/9)

Fierce Healthcare: Newly Passed California Laws Tackle Prior Authorization, Private Equity In Care And More
Changes to prior authorization, charity care screening and corporate influence in medicine are on the way for Californian healthcare organizations. Among the dozens of bills signed this week by Gov. Gavin Newsom ahead of an Oct. 12 deadline were several outlining new requirements or broader enforcement of healthcare practices. (Muoio, 10/9)

San Francisco Chronicle: Elon Musk Is Quietly Expanding In The Bay Area Again, Starting With Neuralink
Elon Musk’s brain-implant startup Neuralink has leased a vacant building in South San Francisco, marking a fresh sign of the billionaire’s renewed interest in the Bay Area tech scene. The 144,000-square-foot property at 499 Forbes Boulevard had been vacant since 2023, after biotech firm InterVenn Biosciences pulled out of its lease amid an industry downturn, according to a report by the Business Times. The lease adds to a growing Bay Area presence for Musk, who moved several of his companies to Texas after criticizing California’s business climate during the pandemic. (Vaziri, 10/9)

Los Angeles Times: SoCal Woman Convicted Of Murder For Delivering Fatal Butt Implants 
A Riverside County woman known as “the butt lady” has been convicted of murder after a second client — a TV actor living in Malibu — died from silicone injections she administered, authorities said. Last year, Libby Adame was convicted of involuntary manslaughter and practicing medicine without a certification for giving 26-year-old Karissa Rajpaul a fatal silicone butt injection in Sherman Oaks in 2019. But the conviction did not stop her from continuing to perform unauthorized procedures in California, prosecutors said. (Harter, 10/9)

San Francisco Chronicle: Family Of Teen Who Died After Surgery Sues John Muir, Stanford
The helicopter carrying Amin Noroozi landed at John Muir Medical Center in Walnut Creek less than an hour after the 17-year-old broke his neck while swimming in the ocean. Amin, a varsity football player, track and field athlete and wrestler at Acalanes High School, had lost feeling below his chest. But after an emergency surgery to stabilize his spine on April 13, his parents and younger sister said he moved a finger, and indicated he could sense a touch on his leg. (Gafni and Dizikes, 10/9)

AP: Palisades Fire Suspect To Remain Jailed Because Of Mental Health Concerns 
A federal judge in Florida ordered the man charged in California’s deadly Palisades Fire to remain jailed Thursday after a prosecutor said he had traits of an arsonist and his family had worried about his declining mental state. In ordering Jonathan Rinderknecht to be kept in detention, U.S. Magistrate Judge Nathan Hill said he had concerns about the suspect’s mental health and his ability to get to California for future court hearings. (Schneider and Weber, 10/9)

HEALTH CARE INDUSTRY

Montana Free Press: Western Montana City Losing Labor And Delivery Services At One Of Its Two Hospitals
After a decade during which both of Missoula’s two hospitals delivered babies, only one will continue to do so after Friday, part of a nationwide trend of declining maternity care. Providence St. Patrick Hospital will close its Family Maternity Center, effective Oct. 10, because of “external challenges” including a declining number of births at the hospital and workforce shortages, hospital officials said in announcing the decision. (Fairbanks, 10/9)

Modern Healthcare: BCBS Massachusetts Buyouts Offered To Over 750 Employees
Blue Cross Blue Shield of Massachusetts is offering voluntary separation packages to roughly 18% of its workforce due to ongoing financial challenges. The buyout is available to members of its staff who are 55 years or older with at least a decade of service, a spokesperson for the insurance company said Thursday. BCBSMA employs about 4,200 people. (DeSilva, 10/9)

Modern Healthcare: Humana, Aetna Fall In 2026 Medicare Advantage Ratings
Medicare Advantage insurers suffered another disappointing year under the Star Ratings quality measurement program. The average Medicare Advantage star rating for 2026 is essentially flat at 3.66, compared with 3.65 for 2025, according to data the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services released Thursday. (Tepper and Broderick, 10/9)

The 19th: 7 In 10 Women Are Worried About The Cost Of Medical Bills
Two-thirds of Americans, including more than 7 in 10 women, are worried about their ability to pay medical bills, according to polling from The 19th and SurveyMonkey. It’s not just medical bills: Women are also more worried than men about paying for groceries, child care, housing and retirement, the polling finds. But the stress that medical bills place on Americans is particularly relevant as the fight over health care costs keeps the government shuttered. (Rupar, 10/9)

SCIENCE AND INNOVATIONS

Full Measure: How One Man Invented A New Drug To Save His Own Life
In December 2009, Bradley Burnam woke up to see a horrifying sight in the mirror. “This whole side of my head was black, and my ear was like twice its normal size and hot because it was infected,” he said. “Obviously terrifying.” Burnam had picked up a deadly superbug, Carbapenem-resistant Enterobacteriaceae, or CRE for short. It’s 70% fatal once it enters the bloodstream. (Attkisson, 10/9)

The Wall Street Journal: Thomas Brown, ADHD Pioneer Who Busted Myths And Prejudices, Dies At 83
In the early 1980s, Thomas Brown was working as a psychologist in Hamden, Conn., when he was asked if he would consider working with students at a tony preparatory school called Hamden Hall Country Day School. Each student was assigned an adviser, but there were a few who needed extra support. There was no money in the part-time job, but in exchange, Brown could send his two children to the school free. As he settled into the position, Brown began to notice a pattern among some of the students sent his way. Particularly the boys. There was a cohort who had a hard time sitting still at their desks. If they were passionate about a topic, they could focus on it intensely. If they weren’t, their minds drifted. They forgot to do assignments and fell behind in class, even though many of them were bright. (Kornelis, 10/9)

STATE WATCH

AP: Judge Upholds North Dakota's Ban On Gender-Affirming Care For Kids
A North Dakota judge has upheld the state’s ban on gender-affirming care for children, in a blow to families who have had to travel out of state to obtain the medical treatments they said are crucial for their kids’ well-being. District Judge Jackson Lofgren said in his decision Wednesday that the law discriminates based on age and medical purpose, not sex, and that there’s little evidence the Legislature passed the law for “an invidious discriminatory purpose.” He also noted various concerns and ongoing debates over the medical treatments involved. (Dura, 10/9)

The Hill: Ciattarelli To Sue Sherrill For Defamation Over Opioid Claims
New Jersey GOP gubernatorial candidate Jack Ciattarelli’s campaign announced on Thursday that he would be filing a lawsuit against Democratic opponent Rep. Mikie Sherrill (N.J.) for defamation following comments she made during a debate on Wednesday about him, his business and the opioid crisis. (Vakil, 10/9)

The Baltimore Sun: Mayor Scott Touts $2M Opioid Response Grant Day After Penn North Mass Overdose
Baltimore Mayor Brandon Scott announced Thursday that applications for $2 million in community grants to address the city’s opioid crisis will open Oct. 23, a day after another mass overdose in West Baltimore. (Ibrahim, 10/9)

AP: Maine Faces Shortage Of Dentists As Doctors Tackle Early Tooth Decay
Maine is grappling with such a shortage of dentists that some doctors are adapting to treat early tooth decay themselves. Most children in Maine don’t get an annual checkup and cleaning from a dentist. Even having dental insurance doesn’t guarantee access: Only a third of children with any type of insurance get both a checkup and a cleaning each year, according to a study last year from the University of Southern Maine Muskie School of Public Service and Catherine E. Cutler Institute. (Lundy, 10/9)

St. Pete Catalyst: St. Petersburg Invests $50,000 In Children’s Dental Health Program 
St. Petersburg is expanding access to preventative dental care for children through fluoride varnish applications. Officials allocated $50,000 to partner with Evara Health and establish the city's Fluoride for Families program, which includes providing on-site fluoride varnish application during community events. (10/10)

Chicago Tribune: Elmhurst University’s New $30 Million Health Sciences Building Offers ‘Hands-On’ Clinic, Community Services 
The new 45,000-square-foot Health Sciences Building at Elmhurst University opened Oct. 3 amid ribbon-cutting pomp. The state-of-the-art facility now houses the Departments of Nursing, Public Health, Occupational Therapy, and Communication Sciences and Disorders. (Petlicki, 10/9)

Mountain State Spotlight: Gov. Patrick Morrisey Walking Mountaineer Miles To Encourage West Virginians To Lose Weight
Gov. Patrick Morrisey gripped the microphone and hyped up a crowd of parents and children in front of a concession stand at the West Virginia State Fair in August. “Who’s ready to walk a Mountaineer Mile?” ... The Mountaineer Mile is part of a health initiative the governor announced in March, during an event in Martinsburg with Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. (Culvyhouse, 10/9)

OUTBREAKS AND HEALTH THREATS

Fox News: Bottled Water Drinkers Ingest 90,000 More Microplastics Than Tap Users: Research
Microplastics are a known threat to overall health — and eating and drinking from plastic containers, like water bottles, could be a great offender, researchers suggest. A new study published in the Journal of Hazardous Materials analyzed 141 existing scientific papers on microplastics and nanoplastics from single-use plastic water bottles to gauge how much plastic people may be ingesting. (Stabile, 10/9)

St. Louis Post-Dispatch: West Nile Virus Is 'Serious Public Health Concern' In Missouri, State Health Officials Warn
Three Missourians have died from West Nile virus so far this year as state health officials warn they are seeing a big rise in cases of the mosquito-borne virus. The Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services issued a warning late Thursday, urging residents to take precautions, such as wearing insect repellant with DEET and eliminating standing water around homes, which is where mosquitoes breed. (Munz, 10/9)

Central Florida Public Media: Mosquito Experts Ask Why Brevard County Had So Much Dengue
Following last weekend's heavy showers, Brevard County Mosquito Control is working to eliminate possible watery breeding grounds and reduce the chances of any more dengue cases buzzing up. "I'm hoping at this point that the spike is behind us," said Joseph Faella, director of Brevard mosquito control. "We're optimistic that it's slowing down, although with this extra water, yeah, we may see a little bit of an influx in water-holding containers." (Pedersen, 10/9)

CIDRAP: Flurry Of H5N1 Activity Noted In Commercial Poultry, Wild Birds
The US Department of Agriculture (USDA) Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) has noted several new H5N1 outbreaks and detections in commercial poultry flocks, backyard flocks, and wild migrating birds. The uptick in H5N1 activity signals that the avian influenza season is fully under way, with states in the Midwest and the South mostly affected in the new reports. (Soucheray, 10/9)

CIDRAP: Researchers: Live H5N1 Avian Flu Can Survive In Raw-Milk Cheese For Up To 6 Months
Infectious H5N1 avian influenza virus can persist in raw-milk cheeses while they are being made and for up to 120 days of aging, depending on the milk's acidity (pH) level, according to a report published yesterday in Nature Medicine. "Highly pathogenic avian influenza H5N1 viruses have recently spread to dairy cattle, with high levels of virus detected in milk from affected animals, raising concern about the risk posed by unpasteurized dairy products consumed by humans," wrote the Cornell University–led research team. (Van Beusekom, 10/9)