First Edition: Monday, Sept. 15, 2025

KFF HEALTH NEWS ORIGINAL STORIES

KFF Health News: Parents Fear Losing Disability Protections As Trump Slashes Civil Rights Office
Devon Price, a 15-year-old boy with autism, has attended the largest school district in North Carolina for 10 years, but he cannot read or write. His twin sister, Danielle, who is also autistic, was bullied by classmates and became suicidal. Under federal law, public schools must provide children with disabilities a “free appropriate public education,” to give them the same opportunity to learn as other kids. (Clasen-Kelly, 9/15)

KFF Health News: An AI Assistant Can Interpret Those Lab Results For You
When Judith Miller had routine blood work done in July, she got a phone alert the same day that her lab results were posted online. So, when her doctor messaged her the next day that her overall tests were fine, Miller wrote back to ask about the elevated carbon dioxide and low anion gap listed in the report. While the 76-year-old Milwaukee resident waited to hear back, Miller did something patients increasingly do when they can’t reach their health care team. She put her test results into Claude and asked the AI assistant to evaluate the data. (Ruder, 9/15)

KFF Health News: Why Are More Older People Dying After Falls?
For a while, walking the dog felt hazardous. Earl Vickers was accustomed to taking Molly, his shepherd-boxer-something-else mix, for strolls on the beach or around his neighborhood in Seaside, California. A few years ago, though, he started to experience problems staying upright. (Span, 9/15)

KFF Health News: Journalists Talk New ‘MAHA’ Strategy, RFK Jr.’s Tack At HHS, And Plight Of Rural Hospitals
KFF Health News correspondent Rachana Pradhan discussed Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s new “Make America Healthy Again” strategy for children’s health on CBS News’ “CBS Morning News” on Sept. 10. ... KFF Health News chief Washington correspondent Julie Rovner discussed Kennedy’s pseudoscientific approach to running HHS on WAMU’s “1A” on Sept. 8. (9/13)

AUTISM

AP: Trump Administration To Award A No-Bid Contract On Vaccines And Autism
Federal health officials intend to award a contract to Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute to investigate whether there is a link between vaccinations and autism, according to a government procurement notice. The Troy, New York, engineering school is getting the no-bid contract because of its “unique ability” to link data on children and mothers, according to the notice posted this week. Officials at the Department of Health and Human Services did not immediately respond to questions about the notice, including how much the contract is for or what exactly the researchers intend to do. (Stobbe, 9/12)

Bloomberg: Kenvue Met RFK Jr. In Bid To Keep Tylenol Off Autism List
Tylenol-maker Kenvue Inc. spoke with Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. in a bid to keep the over-the-counter painkiller off a list of autism-causing treatments. ... “We engaged in a scientific exchange with the secretary and members of his staff as it relates to the safety of our products,” Kenvue said in an emailed statement. “We continue to believe that taking acetaminophen does not cause autism, and global health regulators, independent public health organizations, and medical professionals agree.” (Brown, 9/12)

Stat: RFK Has Got To Go: Q&A With Jerome Adams, Former Surgeon General
Former surgeon general Jerome Adams has a rule for himself: focus on the policy, not the person. But last week, he broke that rule when he called for Robert F. Kennedy Jr. to be removed from his post as Health and Human Services secretary. Adams, who served as surgeon general during President Trump’s first administration, has become a prominent critic of public health policy in the president’s second term. He is particularly active on X, where he often goes toe-to-toe with science skeptics. (MacPhail, 9/15)

VACCINES

The Washington Post: Trump Officials To Link Covid Shots To Child Deaths, Alarming Scientists
Trump health officials plan to link coronavirus vaccines to the deaths of 25 children as they consider limiting which Americans should get the shots, according to four people familiar with the situation who spoke on the condition of anonymity to describe confidential information. The findings appear to be based on information submitted to the federal Vaccine Adverse Event Reporting System (VAERS), which contains unverified reports of side effects or bad experiences with vaccines submitted by anyone, including patients, doctors, pharmacists or even someone who sees a report on social media. (Sun, Roubein and Diamond, 9/12)

Politico: Fear Over RFK Jr. Vaccine Panel’s Looming Decisions On Childhood Shots
Vaccine advisers for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention are expected this week to consider softening or eliminating recommendations for some routine childhood immunizations — which doctors say could significantly depress vaccination rates and trigger more infectious disease outbreaks. Any decisions by the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices — now mainly composed of members who share Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s vaccine skepticism — will be closely scrutinized, given the dramatic events at the Department of Health and Human Services and in Congress in recent weeks. (Gardner, 9/14)

Modern Healthcare: Vaccine Coverage May Shift As Insurers, Employers Weigh Options
Insurers and employers are considering the financial implications of covering — or not covering — vaccines as guidance from federal and state authorities shifts. Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has radically reshaped the country’s approach toward public health. His controversial actions have provoked uncertainty for providers, patients and health insurance companies. Support for shots among insurers appears to be resolute, however. (Tong, 9/12)

CIDRAP: Illinois, Arizona, Virginia Issue Orders To Improve COVID Vaccine Access
Health officials in three more states—Illinois, Arizona, and Virginia—announced steps to ease access to updated COVID-19 vaccines in light of barriers and confusion linked to recent federal policy changes and recommendations. (Schnirring, 9/12)

Bloomberg: Senator Calls For RFK. Jr. To Back Whooping Cough Vaccines
Louisiana Republican Senator Bill Cassidy called on Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. to urge vaccination against whooping cough, as a nationwide outbreak is on track to hit a record. The leader of the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions sent a letter to Kennedy on Friday asking him to make a public statement about the vaccine’s ability to protect children from the bacterial infection. (Nix, 9/12)

The Washington Post: ‘Can We Talk About RFK Jr.?’ A Dark Cloud Hangs Over Vaccine Makers
Vaxcyte had high hopes for a vaccine in early stages of development that could stem the scourge of school-age children and their parents: the bacterial infection that causes strep throat. “There’s a profound amount of disease that’s generated in primary schoolchildren as they congregate,” Grant Pickering, the vaccine maker’s CEO, said at an investment conference in June. Less than two months later, Vaxcyte announced that it would hold off starting human trials for its strep vaccine, citing a need to conserve cash for its most advanced vaccine and a “dynamic macro environment.” (Gilbert and Johnson, 9/14)

The New York Times: Rare But Serious Complication Shows Flu’s Potential Harm
Olivia Yanxi Li was entirely typical for a girl her age and yet extraordinary. She liked gymnastics, dressing up as Elsa from the movie “Frozen” and watching the animated television series Peppa Pig. She was fluent in Mandarin and English, switching effortlessly between the two. On Dec. 18, Olivia Li turned 4. Barely five weeks later, she slipped into unconsciousness, a rare and unexpected consequence of a flu infection. (Mandavilli, 9/12)

THE TRUMP ADMINISTRATION

The Hill: Trump Admin Takes Back Statement That Contraceptives Destroyed In Belgium
USAID has retracted a statement to The New York Times claiming that nearly $10 million in contraceptives, paid for by the United States government but held in a warehouse in Belgium, were destroyed this week. “There was a miscommunication with international staff and no destruction has yet happened but we are reviewing the matter,” a USAID spokesperson said in a statement on Friday. (O’Connell-Domenech, 9/12)

The Hill: Reproductive Rights Groups Urge Trump Officials To Save Birth Control Stockpile In Belgium
More than 70 reproductive groups are asking the Trump administration to call off the planned destruction of roughly $10 million of usable birth control products. Planned Parenthood is leading the most recent charge to save the contraceptives and sent a letter Friday to Secretary of State Marco Rubio with 77 co-signers. In the letter, the groups write that they “strongly oppose” the administration’s “cruel and wasteful” decision to incinerate the commodities. (O’Connell-Domenech, 9/12)

The Hill: Court Halts Trump Ban On Undocumented Kids In Head Start
A federal judge on Thursday issued a nationwide preliminary injunction against a directive from the Trump administration banning children who lack permanent legal status from enrolling in Head Start. The ruling came after Head Start associations in multiple states sued over the Trump change from this spring. (Lonas Cochran, 9/12)

The New York Times: Targeting Hims & Hers, F.D.A. Takes On A New Type Of Drug Advertiser
The Food and Drug Administration has warned Hims & Hers, a major telehealth purveyor of widely popular obesity drugs, to stop “false or misleading” marketing, according to a copy of a letter sent to the company and obtained by The New York Times. The F.D.A.’s letter was one of about 100 warning letters sent to drug advertisers this week. (Jewett, Robbins and Blum, 9/12)

The New York Times: Trump Is Shutting Down The War On Cancer
Rachael Sirianni first learned her lab might be in trouble just a few weeks into the new year. A professor at the University of Massachusetts Chan Medical School, in Worcester, Sirianni focuses primarily on an aggressive form of pediatric brain cancer known as medulloblastoma. Researchers have made great strides in treating these tumors, but they are still often fatal, and even successful treatments can come with devastating side effects. Sirianni had spent the last several years working on a potentially transformative approach to treating the most malignant type of medulloblastoma and was making real progress. (Mahler, 9/14)

AP: FBI Drug Burn Smokes Up Montana Animal Shelter
A cloud of smoke from two pounds of methamphetamine seized by the FBI and incinerated inside a Montana animal shelter sent its workers to the hospital, city officials in Billings said. The smoke started to fill the building during a drug burn on Wednesday, apparently because of negative pressure that sucked it back inside, Billings Assistant City Administrator Kevin Iffland said Friday. A fan was supposed to be on hand in such situations to reverse the pressure so smoke would flow out of the building, but Iffland said it wasn’t readily available. (Brown, 9/13)

HEALTH CARE COSTS AND COVERAGE

The Washington Post: Long-Term Unemployment Hits Post-Pandemic High, Straining Workers And The Economy
More Americans are facing stretches of unemployment of six months or more, a worrisome sign for the U.S. economy. More than 1 in 4 workers without jobs have been unemployed for at least half a year, new data shows. That number is a post-pandemic high and a level typically only seen during periods of economic turmoil. (Bhattarai, 9/15)

The Motley Fool: Social Security Will Permanently Change On Sept. 30, With 5 Additional Changes A Near-Certainty On Jan. 1
For the more than 53 million retired workers currently receiving a Social Security benefit each month, this payout isn't a luxury. According to 24 years of polling from Gallup, between 80% and 90% of retirees lean on their Social Security income, to some varied degree, to cover their expenses. For nine decades, Social Security has laid a financial foundation for aging workers who could no longer provide for themselves. It's also expanded its coverage to include workers with disabilities and survivors of deceased workers. (Williams, 9/13)

AP: Millions Face Skyrocketing Health Insurance Costs Unless Congress Acts
There’s bipartisan support in Congress for extending tax credits that have made health insurance more affordable for millions of people since the COVID-19 pandemic. But the credits are in danger of expiring as Republicans and Democrats clash over how to do it. Democrats are threatening to vote to shut down the government at the end of the month if Republicans don’t extend the subsidies, which were first put in place in 2021 and extended a year later when they controlled Congress and the White House. (Jalonick and Seitz, 9/13)

NBC News: Families On Obamacare Brace For Higher Health Care Premiums Next Year
Leighanne Safford and her husband, Lorry, pay just $278 a month for health insurance. But starting Jan. 1, their monthly premium could jump to as much as $1,800. Safford’s family is among the millions who could be forced to pay hundreds of dollars more for their health insurance premiums next year as enhanced Affordable Care Act subsidies expire at the end of December. The enhanced subsidies were put into place under the 2021 American Rescue Plan, which made ACA plans affordable for many middle-class families. The Inflation Reduction Act of 2022 extended the subsidies through 2025. (Lovelace Jr., 9/13)

SOCIAL MEDIA AND MENTAL HEALTH

The Hill: Utah Gov. Cox: Social Media Is A Societal Cancer
Utah Gov. Spencer Cox (R) on Friday urged people to turn away from social media, calling it a “cancer on our society” after announcing that the suspected gunman in the killing of Charlie Kirk is in custody. At the end of his press conference announcing 22-year-old Tyler Robinson as the suspected gunman in the shooting at Utah Valley University, Cox urged people to log off of social media, citing the violent imagery that proliferates through the medium. (Choi, 9/12)

AP: Advice For Parents On Shepherding Kids Through Intense Online Imagery
In hardly any time at all, the footage of the horrifying moment when a bullet hit conservative activist Charlie Kirk in the neck cascaded across the internet. ... And, of course, among those seeing it were kids, teens and other young people — those who live with their phones practically attached and are often far more chronically online than their parents. It raises a question that modern-day parents are sadly having to ask more frequently: How do you talk to your kids about what’s going on, what they’re seeing and hearing? (Hajela, 9/12)

NBC News: Roblox, Discord Sued After 15-Year-Old Boy Was Allegedly Groomed Online Before He Died By Suicide
The mother of a 15-year-old California boy who took his own life is now suing Roblox and Discord over his death, alleging her son was groomed and coerced to send explicit images on the apps. Rebecca Dallas filed the lawsuit Friday in San Francisco County Superior Court, accusing the companies of “recklessly and deceptively operating their business in a way that led to the sexual exploitation and suicide” of Ethan Dallas. (Lenthang and Mullen, 9/14)

Medical Xpress: Study Finds AR/VR Sports Games Boost Mental Health And Social Connection
Published in the International Journal of Human-Computer Interaction, the study shows that playing AR/VR sports games can promote psychological well-being by helping players feel connected to others and engage in real-time communication. More interestingly, the positive effects of feeling socially present were even stronger for those experiencing loneliness. (Knapp, 9/14)

HEALTH CARE INDUSTRY

Stat: Hospital 'War Rooms' Are Bracing For Impact Of GOP Medicaid Cuts
In the war rooms hospitals have stood up to respond to the historic Medicaid cuts enacted by Republicans earlier this year, leaders are planning substantial financial moves and innovative solutions as they brace for revenue dips. The reactions are split between the haves and have-nots, according to hospital leaders and their advisers, nearly a dozen of whom spoke to STAT for this story since the cuts were signed into law in July. (Payne, 9/15)

Crains Chicago Business: AMA CEO John Whyte Seeks To Restore The Doc Group’s Lost 'Luster'
The new CEO of the American Medical Association says the nation’s largest physicians advocate can have a bigger impact on the practice of medicine and take a greater leadership role in the health of the United States. Just over two months into the job, Whyte sat down with Crain’s to discuss his plans for the chief executive role, following 14 years under the stewardship of Dr. James Madara. (Asplund, 9/12)

Modern Healthcare: How Epic's Community Connect Program Brings EHRs To Rural Areas
Epic is bringing its electronic health record system to rural America through a program that highlights the company’s larger ambitions. Its Community Connect program, which allows smaller providers to link to Epic through a larger “host” health system, has emerged as a key tool as the company seeks to expand its fortunes beyond large health systems. It also is courting payers, digital health players, life science companies and international health systems. (Perna, 9/12)

Deadline: Noah Wyle Thanks Doctors Coming Off Shift For First Emmy Win: “Thank You For Being In That Job, This Is For You”
After seven nominations, Sunday marked Noah Wyle's first Emmy win in the Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series category for his work on The Pitt. “What a dream this has been,” he said as he accepted the award. ... After all of his thanks, Wyle ended his speech with a nod to hospital workers. “Mostly, to anyone who is going on shift tonight or coming off shift tonight, thank you for being in that job,” he says. “This is for you.” (Fleming, 9/14)

PHARMA AND TECH

Medical Xpress: Higher Doses Of Semaglutide Can Safely Enhance Weight Loss For Adults Living With Obesity, Clinical Trials Confirm
A higher weekly dose of semaglutide (7.2 mg) can significantly improve weight loss and related health outcomes in adults living with obesity, including those with type 2 diabetes (T2D), according to the results of two large-scale, international phase 3 clinical trials. The findings, published in The Lancet Diabetes & Endocrinology journal, suggest that a higher dose of semaglutide offers a promising new option for people with obesity, including those with T2D, who have not achieved sufficient weight loss with existing treatments. (9/14)

Medical Xpress: A Pathological Partnership Between Salmonella And Yeast In The Gut
University of Illinois Chicago-led researchers have found that a common gut yeast, Candida albicans, can help Salmonella Typhimurium take hold in the intestine and spread through the body. When interacting, a Salmonella protein called SopB prompts the yeast to release arginine, which turns on Salmonella's invasion machinery and quiets the body's inflammation signals. (Jackson, 9/13)

Modern Healthcare: Siemens Healthineers, Cook Medical Partnering On IMRI
Imaging company Siemens Healthineers and minimally invasive medical device maker Cook Medical announced a partnership Saturday to offer one of the first turnkey interventional MRI suite solutions. The solution comprises Siemens Healthineers’ MRI technologies and services like its interventional planning software along with Cook Medical‘s medical devices designed for MRI, including catheters, guidewires and sheaths. Both companies will provide specialized training and ongoing clinical support. (Dubinsky, 9/13)

Phys.org: Mini Microscope Enables Real-Time 3D Brain Imaging In Freely Moving Mice
Researchers at the University of California, Davis, have created a miniaturized microscope for real-time, high-resolution, noninvasive imaging of brain activity in mice. The device is a significant step toward revolutionizing how neuroscientists study the brain. (Marcure, 9/13)

STATE WATCH

The CT Mirror: Drug Overdoses In CT Prisons Raising Alarms
On July 21, Tracy Ciccone got a call from the warden at Garner Correctional Institution in Newtown. Her son, 32-year-old Tyler Cole, was being held in the facility awaiting trial. She said she expected the call to be about some kind of “little ruckus” that her son had caused at the facility. Instead, the warden told her that, hours earlier, Cole had been found dead. She said she barely remembers what happened after that. “I must have yelled or something, because I remember [my husband] Jason running down the hall and picking me up off the ground,” she said. Cole is one of 15 people who have died from overdoses while in custody of the Department of Correction since 2023, according to information from the state’s Office of the Chief Medical Examiner. (Otte, 9/14)

North Carolina Health News: HealthySteps, Which Supports Families In Pediatric Clinics, Looks To Expand In NC
Jamestown resident Ashley Robinson’s third child arrived three months early. A micro-preemie, Milo weighed just 1 pound, 2.7 ounces, smaller than an average woman’s shoe. At 3 weeks old, he had his first surgery. Since then, he’s had at least seven others, including for repairs to his intestines and for glaucoma, a condition where the optic nerve is damaged, usually by pressure in the eye. (Fernandez, 9/15)

AP: West Virginia Approves More Coal Mining In Area Residents Say Is Already Contaminated
In 2023, dirty mine water gushed out of the ground behind James Christian’s home, flooding his yard in Wyoming County, West Virginia. ... Residents have blamed the mine for contaminating their creek and making some of their neighbors sick. Since then, a lawsuit by state regulators sparked a court battle between three coal companies over the incident. Now, the state is responsible for cleaning up the mine and the damage it caused through a program that has historically been underfunded. Meanwhile, state regulators have also approved a new mine expansion over the objections of local residents. (Elbeshbishi, 9/12)

AP: Maui Students Face Ongoing Mental Health Battle After Wildfires
Mia Palacio felt like she lost a piece of herself when wildfires destroyed her hometown of Lahaina. ... Moving between high schools, she never felt welcome, Palacio said, and the pain only intensified as the months wore on. Finally, near the first anniversary of the fires, Palacio reached out for help. Hundreds of students like Palacio have struggled mentally since the fires – and not all have received the help they need. (Tagami, Jones and Díaz Ramos, 9/15)

GLOBAL WATCH

AP: Gender Testing Returns To Track And With It Harsh Memories And Doubts That Date To The 1980s 
The woman whose genetic test in the 1980s led sports leaders to conclude it was too intrusive, not definitive enough and, ultimately, not worth keeping, said she was faced with “a sadness that I could not share” after results from that test upended her life. The man who discovered the gene that led to that test being developed called it “surprising that, 25 years later, there is a misguided effort to bring the test back.” (Pells, 9/13)