First Edition: Thursday, Jan. 30, 2025

KFF Health News: Trump Administration’s Halt Of CDC’s Weekly Scientific Report Stalls Bird Flu Studies 
The Trump administration has intervened in the release of important studies on the bird flu, as an outbreak escalates across the United States. One of the studies would reveal whether veterinarians who treat cattle have been unknowingly infected by the bird flu virus. Another report documents cases in which people carrying the virus might have infected their pet cats. The studies were slated to appear in the official journal of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report. The distinguished journal has been published without interruption since 1952. (Maxmen, 1/30)

KFF Health News: Telehealth Companies Boost Ad Spending While Taking On More Complex Medicine
Shannon Sharpe was having one of those 15-minutes-of-internet-infamy moments. Social media blew up in September after the retired Denver Broncos tight end — accidentally, he later said — broadcast some of his intimate activities online. One of his sponsors took advantage of the moment: the telehealth company Ro, which sells a variety of prescription medicines for erectile dysfunction and hair and weight loss. The company revved up a social media campaign on the social platform X for an ad in which Sharpe boasted about his experience with the company’s erectile dysfunction medications, a company spokesperson confirmed. (Tahir, 1/30)

KFF Health News: KFF Health News’ ‘Letters To The Editor’: Readers Offer Their Takes On The Opioid Crisis, Family Doctor Shortage, And Vaccine Policies
KFF Health News gives readers a chance to comment on a recent batch of stories. (1/30)

The New York Times: RFK Jr. Appears Unfamiliar With Key Elements Of Medicare And Medicaid
In a tense exchange with Senator Bill Cassidy, Republican of Louisiana, Robert F. Kennedy Jr. displayed a surprising lack of familiarity with Medicare and Medicaid, the government programs responsible for covering more than 150 million Americans. At times, Mr. Kennedy seemed to confuse the two programs. Medicare is a federal program that provides coverage to older and disabled Americans, while Medicaid is a state-federal program that covers low-income people. (Kliff and Abelson, 1/29)

The 19th: RFK Jr. Confirmation Hearing: Access To Abortion Medication Could Be In Jeopardy
Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. suggested he is open to significantly limiting access to mifepristone if confirmed to head the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), citing “safety issues” to a drug that is used in most abortions and that research has shown is very safe and effective. (Luthra and Rodriguez, 1/29)

NBC News: RFK Jr. Tries (Again) To Distance Himself From The Anti-Vaccine Movement
Facing mounting criticism from public health officials, doctors’ groups and Democrats (along with some skepticism from some Republicans), Kennedy attempted a delicate balancing act: defending and denying his controversial past as a prominent anti-vaccine lawyer while pledging to be a responsible steward for an agency with 80,000 employees, a $1.8 trillion budget and the nation’s health at stake. (Zadrozny, 1/29)

The New York Times: Kennedy Is Keeping His Stake In Vaccine Litigation
Lawmakers quizzed Robert F. Kennedy Jr. Wednesday during a Senate Finance hearing about his decision to keep a financial stake in litigation against a major vaccine maker. Ethics records released in advance of the hearing said that Mr. Kennedy planned to receive fees on cases with the personal injury law firm Wisner Baum. ... Mr. Kennedy said in his ethics filings that he would end his referral agreement with the law firm but would collect fees related to cases in the continuing cases. (Jewett, 1/29)

Stat: At Hearing, RFK Jr. Diagnoses Problems But Prescribes Few Remedies
In his first confirmation hearing before senators as President Trump’s health secretary nominee, Robert F. Kennedy Jr. on Wednesday tried to distance himself from his past statements on abortion and vaccines, but offered no concrete details on how he would tackle the nation’s chronic disease epidemic. (Cueto, 1/29)

The New York Times: R.F.K. Jr.’s Fate Rests In Hands Of A Small Group Of Republicans
Like all nominees, Mr. Kennedy can afford to lose no more than three Republican votes if all Democrats are united in their opposition to him. It is also not clear whether Democrats will unanimously oppose him. Senator John Fetterman, Democrat of Pennsylvania, met with Mr. Kennedy and has said that he is not reflexively opposed to his nomination. Some Republicans have said they have questions or harbor reservations about Mr. Kennedy’s position on abortion and his opposition to vaccines. But the confirmation of Pete Hegseth, the defense secretary, underscored that at the dawn of the Trump era, questions and reservations from G.O.P. senators sometimes give way to a “yes” vote in the end. (Karni, 1/29)

The Hill: John Fetterman: RFK Jr.’s Nomination To Lead HHS In Trouble After Rocky Hearing
Sen. John Fetterman (D-Pa.), who was thought to be open to voting for Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s nomination to head the Department of Health and Human Services, now says the nominee is in serious trouble after his rocky confirmation hearing. “I don’t think it went well for him today. I don’t think that was a good one,” he said after Kennedy sparred with Democrats on the Senate Finance Committee over his past statements and stance on vaccines. Fetterman said after the bruising hearing that he thinks Kennedy’s nomination may be “moot.” (Bolton, 1/29)

CNN: Spasmodic Dysphonia Robbed Robert F. Kennedy Jr. Of His Strong Speaking Voice 
Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s halting, gruff speaking voice, which at times can make him hard to understand, has been front and center during his confirmation hearing Wednesday as President Donald Trump’s nominee to lead the US Department of Health and Human Services. Kennedy’s vocal rasp is not caused by an infection or respiratory condition. Instead, he has spasmodic dysphonia, a rare neurological condition in which the muscles that open and close his vocal cords spasm involuntarily, creating a strained or strangled quality to his speech. (LaMotte, 1/29)

MedPage Today: Who Are The Acting Heads Of Federal Health Agencies?
As President Donald Trump's picks to lead federal health agencies await confirmation hearings, there are now acting directors in place at HHS and its key sub-agencies. Here is what is known about who is currently running the show at these sprawling and influential entities. (Henderson, 1/29)

The Hill: Lisa Murkowski, Jeanne Shaheen Introduce Bill To Repeal Donald Trump's Reinstated Mexico City Policy
Sens. Jeanne Shaheen (D-N.H.) and Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska) on Wednesday reintroduced a bill that would permanently repeal a policy that restricts sending federal foreign aid to groups providing abortion services after President Trump reinstated it last week. The lawmakers’ move comes just days after Trump issued an executive order reinstating the policy, known as the Mexico City Policy or as the “global gag rule” by opponents. (Zehra, 1/29)

The New York Times: Trump Calls Canada A Big Player In The Fentanyl Trade. Is It?
Standing behind heaping piles of drugs stacked in clear plastic bags and storage boxes, Toronto’s police chief last week announced the force’s largest-ever cocaine seizure, intercepted at the border in a truck entering from the United States. A few hours later, President Trump also addressed cross-border drug trafficking — but in his case to lay blame on Canada, at least in part, for a deadly fentanyl scourge. “The fentanyl coming through Canada is massive,” Mr. Trump told reporters the day after his inauguration. “The fentanyl coming through Mexico is massive. And people are getting killed and families are being destroyed.” (Isai, 1/30)

MedPage Today: Trump Firing Of HHS Inspector General Just The Latest In An Ongoing Conflict
President Trump's firing of HHS Inspector General Christi Grimm late last week was not the first time that Grimm had come under the president's critical eye. Back in 2020, Trump sought to replace Grimm -- who was running the inspector general's office -- after her office issued a report detailing shortages of personal protective equipment, ventilators, and other supplies in hospitals nationwide during the beginning of the COVID pandemic. (Frieden, 1/29)

Bloomberg: Cigna Plans To Limit Out-Of-Pocket Drug Costs For US Patients
Cigna Group plans to limit patients’ out-of-pocket expenses for medications as the insurer faces pressure from Washington over its role in prescription costs. The changes aim to ensure that patients don’t pay the drug company’s list price for medications and don’t pay more out-of-pocket for their medications than the amount that their employer contributes, a top executive said in an interview with Bloomberg News. (Tozzi, 1/29)

Fierce Healthcare: Express Scripts Takes New Steps On Transparency, Affordability
Pharmacy benefit management giant Express Scripts unveiled several steps it's taking to boost transparency and mitigate high costs members may face. The PBM said in an announcement that about 80% of its members pay less than $100 per year on their medications, but the remaining 20% are at times exposed to higher costs, a trend that's particularly true for people who may be in high-deductible plans. (Minemyer, 1/30)

Modern Healthcare: Amazon One Medical, Montefiore Health To Open Primary Care Sites
Amazon One Medical is planning to open primary care offices with Montefiore Health System in New York in 2026. The primary care offices will offer same- and next-day appointments, onsite lab services and virtual care support, according to a Wednesday news release. Amazon One Medical and Montefiore plan to open multiple locations over the next several years and will work together to pick them, a One Medical spokesperson said. (Hudson, 1/29)

WGCU: Lee Health Celebrates Groundbreaking For A State-Of-Art Hospital Campus
Lee Health broke ground Monday on a new hospital that will add to the medical services available to care for Southwest Florida's growing population. The state-of-the-art health care facility will go up on a 53-acre site at Colonial and Challenger boulevards in the eastern part of Lee County. (1/29)

WJCT: Baptist Health Unveils Details Of A New $190 Million Emergency Tower In Jacksonville
Baptist Health unveiled plans Tuesday for a new $190 million, four-story, 123,000-square-foot emergency center in Jacksonville. The facility design shows an expanded capacity to care for chest pain, stroke, behavioral health crises, complex illnesses or injuries, pediatric trauma and more. (Scanlan, 1/29)

Modern Healthcare: Advocate Health To Close Walgreens Clinics In Illinois, Wisconsin
Advocate Health is shuttering 55 clinics inside Walgreens stores in Illinois and Wisconsin, effective Feb. 6. Advocate owns and operates 47 in-store clinics in Illinois and eight in Wisconsin. An Advocate spokesperson said Wednesday the health system is working with Walgreens to navigate the transition and will try to find other roles for affected employees. Each clinic employs one or two medical office assistants and other clinicians who support virtual care services. (Hudson, 1/29)

Modern Healthcare: PBGH To Combine Employer, Hospital, Insurer Price Data
A big-business coalition is using hospital, insurer and employer healthcare cost information to help companies negotiate the price of services and coverage for employees. The Purchaser Business Group on Health will combine healthcare price transparency data and other information from providers and insurers with claims data from five large employers to analyze the cost and quality of care across 10 markets, the group said in a Wednesday news release. (Tepper, 1/29)

Modern Healthcare: Samsung Medison Launches AI-Enabled Ob-Gyn Ultrasound Scanner
Samsung Medison launched an artificial intelligence-powered ultrasound scanner Wednesday for advanced obstetrics and gynecology applications. The Samsung Z20 scanner, which has received 510(k) clearance from the Food and Drug Administration, includes a deep learning tool called Live ViewAssist that can automatically identify 39 views, label up to 47 anatomic structures and perform 46 types of measurements. (Dubinsky, 1/29)

Modern Healthcare: State Public Option Plans Face Pushback From Providers
Promising signs for "public option" health plans sold on state health insurance exchanges spell bad news for providers, who say they're squeezed by low reimbursements. Colorado and Washington are the only states that have government-sponsored — but privately administered — public options on their marketplaces. Nevada is set to join them soon and other states may follow. Public option enrollment climbed on Connect for Health Colorado and Washington Healthplanfinder during the open enrollment period that ended Jan. 15, the states reported. (Tepper, 1/29)

The Texas Tribune: Many New Moms In Texas Don’t Know They Qualify For A Year Of Medicaid, Doctors Say
The number of pregnant and postpartum Texans enrolled in Medicaid has almost doubled since before the pandemic, to more than 265,000. But many patients are unaware that they are still covered for an additional 10 months, according to a survey from Texans Care for Children, a health advocacy group. New moms report being unable to access the physical and mental health services covered by Medicaid, and doctors say changes are needed to ensure the workforce, reimbursement rates and coverage can keep up with a full year of need. (Klibanoff, 1/30)

Stat: Study: Since 988 Launch, Mental Health Crisis Services Have Faltered 
In July 2022, 988 launched as the number anyone across the country could dial in a mental health crisis. It’s one entryway to a sprawling system of mental health care options, but new research shows that since then, critical crisis services have not become more available — a key objective of the nationwide rollout, designed to strengthen an underfunded, patchwork system that left many people alone in times of crisis. (Gaffney, 1/29) 

San Francisco Chronicle: Smooth Sailing So Far For S.F. Mayor Daniel Lurie’s Fentanyl Proposal
Mayor Daniel Lurie’s proposal to speed up San Francisco’s response to the fentanyl crisis was broadly embraced Wednesday at City Hall and appears likely to pass next week. Lurie’s ordinance, his first major legislative effort since he took office three weeks ago, was advanced unanimously by a Board of Supervisors committee. A majority of the entire 11-member board has indicated support for the measure, which would cut red tape in an effort to more quickly address public drug use and homelessness. (Morris, 1/29)

The Boston Globe: In Boston, Older Black Men Are Dying Of Drug Overdoses At Alarming Rates
Anthony James is the first to admit that for most of his adult life, he lived under the illusion that he was invincible. He was just 14 and attending South Boston High School when he was attacked by a mob of white students during the city’s busing crisis. A few years later, he took his first euphoric hit of cocaine, which sent him down a decades-long spiral of addiction that frequently put him in harm’s way. Seared into his memory is the metallic click-click of a drug dealer’s gun pointed at his head. (Serres and Jung, 1/30)