Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
First Edition: Thursday, Dec. 18, 2025
KFF HEALTH NEWS ORIGINAL STORIES
KFF Health News: Call 911 Or Risk Losing The Baby? Raids Force Some Immigrants To Avoid Care
As immigrants in southeastern Louisiana and Mississippi braced for this month’s U.S. Homeland Security operation, Cristiane Rosales-Fajardo received a panicked phone call from a friend. The friend’s Guatemalan tenant, who didn’t know she was pregnant, had just delivered a premature baby in the New Orleans house. The parents lacked legal residency, and the mother refused to go to a hospital for fear of being detained by federal immigration officers. (Parker, 12/18)
KFF Health News: Washington’s Homeless Hide In Plain Sight, Growing Sicker And Costing Taxpayers More
Every night, Abdullah Ibrahim retreats from the streets into a wooded stretch along the Potomac River. As night falls and temperatures drop, he erects a tent and builds a fire beneath a canopy of pine, hemlock, and cedar trees. He evades authorities by rotating use of three tents of different colors at three campsites. As day breaks, he dismantles his shelter, rolls up his belongings, and hides them for the next night. (Hart, 12/18)
KFF Health News: Worried About Health Insurance Costs? There May Be Cheaper Options — But With Trade-Offs
For the millions of Americans who buy Affordable Care Act insurance, there’s still time left to enroll for 2026. But premium increases and the expiration of enhanced tax subsidies have led to larger-than-expected costs. Concerned shoppers, wondering if there’s anything they can do, are consulting insurance brokers or talking to representatives at ACA marketplace call centers. (Appleby, 12/18)
THE LATEST FROM HHS
The Washington Post: American Academy Of Pediatrics Loses HHS Funding After Criticizing RFK Jr.
The Department of Health and Human Services has terminated seven grants totaling millions of dollars to the American Academy of Pediatrics, including for initiatives on reducing sudden infant deaths, improving adolescent health, preventing fetal alcohol syndrome and identifying autism early, according to documents obtained by The Washington Post. The abrupt loss of funds this week surprised the professional pediatrician association, which has been one of the harshest critics of Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s changes to federal vaccine policy. (Sun and Cunningham, 12/17)
HEALTHCARE COSTS AND COVERAGE
Fierce Healthcare: House Passes Healthcare Bill Without Subsidy Extension
The House of Representatives passed a Republican-led package that seeks to address the affordability of healthcare without an extension of the soon-to-expire ACA subsidies. The 216-211 vote averted a last-ditch effort from Democrats and several moderate Republicans to force a vote on a subsidy extension. All Democrats voted against the measure, as did one Republican representative, Thomas Massey of Kentucky, the Hill reported. (Minemyer, 12/17)
Axios: ACA Markets Prepare For Chaos As Subsidy Talks Drag On
Affordable Care Act exchanges could face a new round of administrative upheaval if Congress finds common ground on extending enhanced ACA subsidies next month. Retroactively reinstating the enhanced subsidies after their expiration at year's end would require reprocessing millions of consumers' personal information and setting up special enrollment periods. (Goldman, 12/18)
Modern Healthcare: Kaiser Foundation Health Plan Pulls Exchange Plans In Georgia
Georgia has withdrawn Kaiser Foundation Health Plan policies from the state health insurance exchange. “Based on marketplace conditions and existing commitments to group contract holders and enrollees, Kaiser may not have sufficient capacity to provide services to additional individuals or groups if enrollment continues across all of its qualified health plans on the state-based exchange,” Georgia Insurance Commissioner John King (R) wrote in an order to the company on Monday. (Tepper, 12/17)
The New York Times: A Bellicose Trump Points Fingers In Defending His Record On The Economy
In an 18-minute address, President Trump said the economy was booming despite the public’s consistent concerns about prices. When he turned to health care, where for years he has promised a comprehensive plan to improve Obamacare, the solution he endorsed was a $2,000, one-time check for all Americans below a yet-undermined income level. They could use it to buy insurance — or not, though the increases in premiums coming in just days would, for many, outstrip that payment many times. (Sanger, 12/18)
The New York Times: Full Transcript Of President Trump’s Speech On The Economy
The president sharply attacked his predecessor while insisting that his own record contained nothing but victories. (12/17)
PRESCRIPTION DRUG COSTS
Stat: Next White House Drug Pricing Deals Expected On Friday
Several drugmakers are expected to sign pricing agreements with the Trump administration on Friday, according to four people familiar with the plans, who were not authorized to speak publicly. (Payne, 12/17)
Stat: Employers Drop Obesity Drug Coverage As Cash-Pay Programs Grow
When HCA Healthcare, one of the largest hospital systems in the U.S., recently told employees it would stop covering blockbuster obesity drugs Zepbound and Wegovy next year, it pointed them to an alternative way to get the treatments: Buy them themselves. (Chen, 12/18)
Bloomberg: Cost Of Cancer Treatment Can Be Marked Up 10,000%
Ida Martin’s first chemotherapy treatment at Rush University Medical Center cost her health plan $13,560. When she went down the street to a clinic for her next infusion three weeks later, the price dropped to $134. “Same drug, different prices,” said Martin, a 62-year-old cook with colon cancer. The clinic was even still within the Rush system. “It’s ridiculous.” (Tozzi, Meghjani and Benhamou, 12/17)
MORE ON THE TRUMP ADMINISTRATION
The Washington Post: Trump Selects Doctor Who Promoted Unproven Covid Treatment To Helm U.S. Cancer Initiative
Harvey Risch, a Yale epidemiologist long respected for his work in cancer research but who has faced controversy for promoting an unproven covid-19 treatment, has been selected by President Donald Trump to lead the nation’s cancer initiative. Over the course of his career, Risch published 400 original peer-reviewed research papers most notably on cancer prevention and early detection, and has studied a wide array of malignancies including ovarian, pancreatic, lung, bladder, esophageal and stomach cancers. He has also served as an editor at several of the field’s leading journals. (Eunjung Cha, 12/17)
ProPublica, The Salt Lake Tribune: Pam Bondi Drops Surgeon’s COVID-19 Fraud Charges, Emboldens Others With Similar Cases
Dr. Kirk Moore had been on trial for five days, accused of falsifying COVID-19 vaccination cards and throwing away the government-supplied doses. The Utah plastic surgeon faced up to 35 years in prison if the jury found him guilty on charges that included conspiracy to defraud the United States. Testimony had paused for the weekend when Moore’s lawyer called him early one Saturday this July with what felt to him like unbelievable news. (Schreifels, 12/17)
The Washington Post: Trump Set To Explore Expanding CBD Access For Seniors
President Donald Trump’s planned executive order to loosen federal restrictions on marijuana, expected as soon as Thursday, also will announce a pilot program to pay for Medicare patients to use CBD, according to six people familiar with the plans. (Diamond, Ovalle and Bogage, 12/18)
The Washington Post: Brendan Carr Said The FCC Isn’t Independent. Its Website Quickly Updated
In the course of an otherwise anodyne Senate committee hearing where its commissioners were testifying, the Federal Communications Commission removed the word “independent” from a description of the agency on its own website to line up with its chairman’s live remarks. (Nover and Duncan, 12/17)
TRANSGENDER CARE
The Washington Post: Marjorie Taylor Greene’s Sweeping Anti-Trans Care Bill Passes House
In the waning days of her stormy tenure in Congress, Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene achieved a legislative victory Wednesday that has eluded her for years — House approval of a sweeping ban on gender transition treatment for minors. The House passed the Protect Children’s Innocence Act largely along party lines (216-211). The bill, if it becomes law, would open health care providers to felony charges — and up to 10 years in prison — if they treat young people under the age of 18 with puberty blockers, hormones and surgeries. The legislation would also punish anyone — including parents — who consents to or transports a minor to the care. (Parks, 12/17)
AP: Court Blocks Michigan Ban On Conversion Therapy For Minors
A federal appeals court on Wednesday blocked Michigan’s ban on conversion therapy for minors who are LGBTQ+, declaring it violates the First Amendment rights of therapists and counselors. In a 2-1 opinion, the court said the law illegally restricts speech that reflects the moral beliefs of therapists. It set aside a lower court’s ruling and granted a preliminary injunction sought by Catholic Charities of Jackson, Lenawee and Hillsdale Counties. (White, 12/17)
HEALTHCARE INDUSTRY
WFSU: FSU, Tallahassee Reach Tentative Agreement TMH Sale Price
Florida State University and the city of Tallahassee say they've reached a deal on the sale of Tallahassee Memorial Healthcare. The Tallahassee City Commission voted 3-2 in October for city staff to enter negotiations, though talks had been ongoing at the time. FSU president Richard McCullough announced the tentative terms Tuesday. (Wood, 12/17)
STATE WATCH
AP: Nebraska Plans To Be The First State To Implement New Medicaid Work Requirements
Nebraska will become the first state to implement new work requirements for some people with Medicaid health insurance under a law President Donald Trump signed last year. Gov. Jim Pillen, a Republican, announced Wednesday that the requirement would take effect in the state May 1 and could impact about 30,000 people who have slightly higher incomes than traditional Medicaid beneficiaries. (Mulvihill, 12/17)
AP: New York To Legalize Medically Assisted Suicide, Gov. Hochul Says
New York is set to become the latest state to legalize medically assisted suicide for the terminally ill under a deal reached between the governor and state legislative leaders announced Wednesday. Democratic Gov. Kathy Hochul plans to sign the proposal next year after pushing to add a series of “guardrails” in the bill, she announced in an op-ed in the Albany Times Union. (Izaguirre and Hill, 12/18)
Stat: Meta Urged By State AGs To Regulate Weight Loss Drug Ads
More than three dozen state attorneys general are urging Meta to better enforce its policies to thwart a “surge of misleading” pharmaceutical and wellness ads for weight loss drugs on Instagram and Facebook. And the state officials also want the company to take additional measures to prevent artificial intelligence-generated content in the ads. (Silverman, 12/17)
The Wall Street Journal: Heart Attacks, Lung Conditions Jumped After Los Angeles Wildfires
The Los Angeles wildfires of nearly a year ago took an unexpectedly heavy toll on residents’ health, a new study found. An unusually large number of people suffered from heart attacks, lung conditions and a perplexing rise in unexplained illnesses, according to an analysis by researchers of emergency-department data at Cedars-Sinai, the largest hospital in Los Angeles County. (McKay, 12/17)
The New York Times: With Rights And Resources Uncertain, They’re Seeking Sterilization
After Roe was overturned in 2022, more younger, child-free women opted for the consequential procedure, effectively eliminating their chances of unintended pregnancies. One study, published last April, which looked at medical records from across the country, found that from June 2022 to September 2023, 21,180 18- to 30-year-olds had tubal ligations, up from 11,480 in that age group in the four years before the decision. (Gupta, 12/17)
SUBSTANCE ABUSE
AP: Survey Finds Teen Drug Use Remains Low In US
Teen use of alcohol, nicotine and marijuana remains at record lows, according to national survey results released Wednesday. They consume a lot of energy drinks, though. And there are slight, but concerning, increases in heroin and cocaine use. But overall, the findings indicate teens are drinking, smoking and using substances at much lower rates than in the past. (Stobbe, 12/17)
The New York Times: Twelve Men Saturated East Harlem Housing Project With Drugs, U.S. Says
For more than three and a half years, officials said, the men used the Johnson Houses as “an open drug market” to sell crack cocaine and fentanyl. (Cramer, 12/17)
The New York Times: For Families Fighting Addiction, Reiner Tragedy Strikes A Nerve
Nick Reiner, 32, struggled with drug addiction for nearly two decades, something he and his family shared with the public. This week, he was charged with murder in the death of his parents, the director Rob Reiner and his wife, Michele Singer Reiner. His ordeal, and its impact on his parents and family, has resonated with millions of people, including Pattie Vargas. Her daughter isolated herself and lived on the streets while battling addiction to alcohol and drugs. Her son developed a heart condition from drug use and died of heart failure in 2017 while intoxicated, just one month shy of turning 36. (Rao, 12/18)
OUTBREAKS AND HEALTH THREATS
CIDRAP: Mpox Transmission, US Flu Surveillance Highlighted In First Public Health Alerts Reports
Today the Center for Infectious Disease Research and Policy (CIDRAP) at the University of Minnesota and NEJM Evidence launched their new Public Health Alerts initiative with reports on potential local transmission of clade 1b mpox virus (MPXV) in California and on influenza viruses circulating during the 2024-25 flu season. (Wappes, 12/17)
The Texas Tribune: Texas Measles Outbreak Hardened Mennonites Against Vaccines
When Anita Froese’s middle daughter came down with fatigue, body aches and the tell-tale sign of measles — strawberry-colored spots splattered across her skin — she waited it out. Two days later, her son developed the same symptoms. After a week, the disease finally reached her youngest daughter, who vomited all night as her fever spiked to 104. (Byman, 12/17)
NBC News: Kansas School Starts Winter Break Early After Wave Of Illnesses Wreak Havoc
A Kansas school has decided to start its holiday break early after illnesses wreaked havoc on its students and staff, with more than 40 calling out sick in one day. Dexter Schools USD 471 posted a statement on Facebook saying it would dismiss students for the semester on Monday due to a “tremendous amount of sickness right now and it seems to be spreading at a very high rate.” The school, located about 70 miles south of Wichita, wanted to avoid the continued spread as students were likely to be seeing extended families soon. (Madani, 12/17)
The Hill: Salad Dressing Recall: Foreign Objects Found In Product
Thousands of cases of salad dressing have been recalled due to the presence of “foreign objects,” the Food and Drug Administration announced. In a report, the FDA said the recall from California-based Ventura Foods was initiated on Nov. 11 and identified as a “Class II” on Dec. 4, meaning the use of or exposure to the product could lead to temporary and adverse health consequences. (Kaplan, 12/17)
DEMENTIA AND ALZHEIMER'S
ABC News: High-Fat Cheese, Cream Linked To Lower Risk Of Dementia: Study
People who regularly ate higher-fat cheese and cream had a lower risk of developing dementia over 25 years, while low-fat dairy and other dairy foods showed no clear association, according to a new study. Those who consumed 50 grams per day or more of high-fat cheese daily – roughly a third of a cup – had a lower overall risk of dementia, vascular dementia, a form of cognitive decline caused by impaired blood flow to the brain, according to the 25-year Swedish study of nearly 28,000 people published in Neurology, the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology. (Danquah, 12/17)
The Washington Post: Alzheimer's Blood Tests Show Promise But Have Limitations
Blood tests for Alzheimer’s disease are becoming more accurate, but researchers stress the need for caution and further study. (Johnson, 12/18)
