Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
First Edition: Thursday, July 10, 2025
KFF HEALTH NEWS ORIGINAL STORIES
KFF Health News: Doulas, Once A Luxury, Are Increasingly Covered By Medicaid — Even In GOP States
As a postpartum doula, Dawn Oliver does her best work in the middle of the night. During a typical shift, she shows up at her clients’ home at 10 p.m. She answers questions they may have about basic infant care and keeps an eye out for signs of postpartum depression. ... Doulas are trained to offer critical support for families — before delivery, during childbirth, and in those daunting early days when parents are desperate for sleep and infants still wake up around the clock. (Sausser and Houghton, 7/10)
KFF Health News: Watch: She’s At High Risk Of Breast Cancer. She Moved, And Her Screening Costs Soared
Kelli Reardon undergoes an MRI twice a year to screen for breast cancer, a measure she said she must take to protect her health. Her mother died of the disease at age 48, putting Reardon at higher risk, and Reardon has dense breast tissue, which makes it harder to detect a growth through a mammogram. When Reardon moved from Alabama to North Carolina, she had little choice but to switch from having the screening done at an imaging center to having it done at a hospital. (Jackman and Grey, 7/10)
CLIMATE AND HEALTH
AP: Flood Takes A Toll On Texas First Responders' Mental Health
Riding on horseback through brush and over numerous dead turkeys, Margo Mellon spent Tuesday scanning the flood-ravaged ground of Texas’ Hill Country for dead bodies. ... The triumphs of finding people alive ended days ago, while the mission of recovering bodies that might include even more children is far from over. The grim undertaking has prompted questions about how first responders and rescue teams are able to mentally reckon with the work ahead. (Finley and Lathan, 7/9)
CBS News: Triple-Digit Heat Wave In Southern California Valleys, Deserts Increases Health Concerns
A triple-digit heat wave arrives in Southern California on Wednesday, affecting inland communities, increasing health concerns. A KCAL News Next Weather Alert is in effect through Friday for the Inland Empire, valleys and high deserts. The alert was issued to warn communities about the weather event that will likely alter daily life. The National Weather Service has also issued a heat advisory, which will go into effect at 10 a.m. and remain until 8 p.m. Thursday for parts of San Bernardino and Riverside counties. (Hylton, 7/9)
The Hill: Synthetic Dyes Are Under Fire, But M&Ms And Skittles Will Still Use Them
Major American brands have vowed to remove synthetic food dyes from their products, but M&M’s and Skittles, made by Mars, remain colorful holdouts. Mars has continued to use synthetic dyes in its candies after backing off a 2016 plan to remove all artificial colors from its food portfolio. (Dorn, 7/9)
Bloomberg: Natural Dye Maker Oterra Says There’s Enough To Meet US Demand
There’s plenty of natural food coloring for US companies leaving synthetic dyes behind, but they will have to plan ahead, according to the chief executive officer of one of the world’s largest providers of the ingredient. “You need a year’s heads-up,” Martin Sonntag, CEO of Oterra A/S, said Wednesday in an interview. Most of the crops only grow once a year, he said. (Peterson and Kubzansky, 7/9)
MORE ON THE TRUMP ADMINISTRATION
Politico: Supreme Court Disabuses Federal Workers Who Thought Their Jobs Were Safe
Tens of thousands of workers across the federal government are hoping their unions and allies in local governments and nonprofit groups have a Plan B — a day after the Supreme Court said the Trump administration could proceed with firing them. The hope hangs on the ruling’s suggestion that lower courts could still consider direct challenges to agencies’ reorganization plans. But that will require plaintiffs to bring more detailed cases quickly and convince judges to stop the layoffs before they become a fait accompli. (Schumaker, 7/9)
MedPage Today: NIDDK Director Fields Questions About Cuts During Senate Committee Hearing
During a Senate Appropriations Committee hearing on Wednesday, senators questioned Griffin Rodgers, MD, director of the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIDDK), about recent NIH funding cuts. Sen. Jeanne Shaheen (D-N.H.), who co-chairs the Senate Diabetes Caucus, expressed concerns that the Trump administration had terminated or frozen NIDDK grants and that the institute could be merged with others amid restructuring efforts. (Henderson, 7/9)
MedPage Today: Tensions Flare Between Senators At Health Cybersecurity Hearing
Tensions ran high between the two leaders of the Senate Health, Education, Labor & Pensions (HELP) Committee at a committee hearing Wednesday. The hearing was entitled "Securing the Future of Health Care: Enhancing Cybersecurity and Protecting Americans' Privacy," but Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), the committee's ranking member, said that although cybersecurity in healthcare is an important issue, that's not what he would be speaking with witnesses about. (Frieden, 7/9)
MedPage Today: FDA Approves Label Change For Alzheimer's Amyloid Drug
The FDA approved a label update with a new titration schedule for donanemab (Kisunla), an anti-amyloid drug approved to treat early symptomatic Alzheimer's disease, drugmaker Eli Lilly said. The move was designed to reduce the risk of a potentially serious or fatal adverse event -- known as amyloid-related imaging abnormalities with edema and effusion (ARIA-E) -- while maintaining sufficient amyloid reduction. (George, 7/9)
PUBLIC HEALTH
CNN: The Diseases That Could Return As Vaccination Rates Decline — And Why You Should Care
Measles have surged to a record high, with more cases reported this year than any year since the disease was declared eliminated in the United States in 2000. This disappointing record comes amid falling childhood vaccination rates: Coverage against measles, mumps, rubella, chickenpox, polio and pertussis is declining in more than 30 states, according to data from the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (Hetter, 7/9)
The Hill: Two Summer COVID Strains – Nimbus And Stratus – Less Severe Than Earlier Strains: Doctor
While you are soaking up the summer sun, doctors say you can still get sick, including from two new COVID strains that are going around. Dr. Paul Richardson at Conway Medical Center in Conway, South Carolina, told Nexstar’s WBTW that even though the nimbus and stratus strains are now out there, he has not seen a major increase in COVID cases or hospitalizations so far this summer. He also said the two new strains are less severe than earlier strains. (Musick, 7/9)
CBS News: Ritz Peanut Butter Crackers Recalled Nationwide Due To Labeling Error On Some Packages
Mondelēz Global LLC, the parent company of Ritz crackers, is recalling four carton sizes of Ritz Peanut Butter Cracker Sandwiches due to incorrect labeling that could lead to allergic reactions. The affected cartons, which were manufactured in the United States and sold nationwide, include individually wrapped packs that may be incorrectly labeled as "cheese" even though they may be a peanut butter variety, according to federal health officials. (Moniuszko, 7/9)
SCIENCE AND INNOVATIONS
MedPage Today: Oral Antibiotics Eliminated UTI After Robotic Cystectomy
The risk of infection, especially urinary tract infection (UTI), after robot-assisted radical cystectomy (RARC) almost disappeared in patients who received extended oral antibiotic prophylaxis, according to a small randomized trial. No patient developed a UTI within 90 days of RARC with prophylactic antibiotics -- with 14% having any kind of infection, a third as many compared with patients who received standard of care (SOC), which did not include oral antibiotics. (Bankhead, 7/9)
NBC News: Fungal Infections Are Getting Harder To Treat
Fungal infections are getting harder to treat as they grow more resistant to available drugs, according to research published Wednesday in The Lancet Microbe. The study focused on infections caused by Aspergillus fumigatus, a fungus that is ubiquitous in soil and decaying matter around the world. Aspergillus spores are inhaled all the time, usually without causing any problems. But in people who are immunocompromised or who have underlying lung conditions, Aspergillus can be dangerous. (Sullivan, 7/9)
CIDRAP: Chagas Disease–Carrying Kissing Bugs Establish New Base In Florida Homes
Kissing bugs that carry the parasite for Chagas disease, a potentially serious tropical condition, have established a base in Florida, researchers say. Chagas disease, which is rare in the United States, can cause a brief illness or remain latent for years before causing symptoms. If untreated, it can become a chronic condition that damages the heart, brain, and other organs. (Van Beusekom, 7/9)
HEALTHCARE INDUSTRY
The Wall Street Journal: Health Insurers Are Becoming Chronically Uninvestable
Health insurance has never been a flashy, high-growth business. But for many years it offered something nearly as good: steady, dependable returns, fueled by the expansion of government programs such as Medicare, Medicaid and the Obamacare exchanges. Lately, though, Wall Street has a problem with America’s health insurers: They keep missing their numbers. What began as trouble in Medicare Advantage has now spread across nearly all government-backed plans, signaling deeper issues in the model itself. (Wainer, 7/10)
Modern Healthcare: Centene, Molina, Elevance Face Unexpected ACA Market Pressures
Over the past four years, the health insurance exchange market seemed immune from the higher expenses and systemic changes that bedeviled other government-sponsored health programs. Until now. Signs of trouble in the marketplace business have been bubbling up for months. ... The growing gap between premium revenue and medical expenses amid a foreboding political and regulatory climate is making managed-care investors wary of insurers with large exposure to the exchanges, Langston said. (Tepper, 7/9)
Modern Healthcare: Medicaid Cuts Force Children's Hospitals To Make Tough Choices
Children’s hospitals say the trickle-down effects of reduced Medicaid funding due to the recently passed healthcare cuts will hit one of the most vulnerable populations the program was built to protect. Medicaid changes in the law President Donald Trump signed Friday weren’t aimed directly at children enrolled in the program. However, leaders at children’s hospitals say new limitations on state-directed payments and provider taxes will put a dent in revenue and could force them to cut services. (Hudson, 7/9)
Modern Healthcare: Medicaid Cuts In Tax Law Force Providers To Prepare For The Worst
The big bill is now the big law, and the healthcare industry is scrambling to work out how to cope with more than $1 trillion in cuts and a tangle of new red tape. In the immediate aftermath of President Donald Trump enacting his “One Big Beautiful Bill” on Friday, providers and healthcare system experts said there are three main areas of focus for the health sector: learning the new law, planning to deal with its worst impacts and doing everything possible to get Congress to mitigate the damage. (McAuliff, 7/9)
Stat: Judge Dismisses Blue Cross Blue Shield Of Louisiana Lawsuit Over Star Ratings
A federal judge has dismissed a case brought by Blue Cross Blue Shield of Louisiana, criticizing the health insurance company for potential “gamesmanship” of the federal Medicare Advantage star ratings system. The decision marks another loss for the Medicare Advantage industry, which has aggressively sued the federal government in an attempt to overturn reduced quality ratings and retain billions of dollars in taxpayer-funded bonuses. (Herman, 7/9)
Stat: How Regeneron Is Using Patent Tactics To Try To Thwart Competition
A court battle between two of the nation’s largest biotechs — Regeneron Pharmaceuticals and Amgen — is testing the legal limits of how far drugmakers can go in using patents to thwart competition. And the case is being closely watched by companies that sell biosimilar medicines amid concerns that the U.S. patent system is being gamed in ways that critics say can maintain high prices for medicines. (Silverman, 7/10)
Modern Healthcare: Ballad Health Sells Equipment Provider To Quipt Home Medical
Quipt Home Medical Corp. has acquired a durable medical equipment provider owned by Ballad Health for $1.6 million. The two organizations also entered a preferred provider agreement, according to a news release. Quipt Home Medical and Ballad Health did not immediately respond to a request for comment. (DeSilva, 7/9)
Bloomberg: UnitedHealth Names Mike Cotton New Medicaid CEO
UnitedHealth Group Inc. promoted a new leader for the company’s Medicaid insurance segment, filling a role that was vacant after recent executive changes. Longtime insurance executive Mike Cotton will lead the Medicaid unit, the company confirmed to Bloomberg News. Bobby Hunter, head of the Medicare insurance division, is taking on an expanded role as chief executive officer of government programs, overseeing both Medicaid and Medicare, the company said. (Tozzi, 7/9)
STATE WATCH
MedPage Today: These States Now Allow OTC Ivermectin, And More May Follow
A handful of states have passed legislation allowing ivermectin to be sold and purchased over-the-counter (OTC) -- and other state legislatures have their sights set on doing the same. During the pandemic, rampant misinformation drew attention to the antiparasitic as a treatment for COVID, though research continues to show it is not effective against the disease. (Robertson, 7/9)
ProPublica: TX Overhauls Wasteful Anti-Abortion Program That Has Had Little Oversight
Texas health officials are overhauling a program designed to steer people away from abortion following a ProPublica and CBS News investigation that found that the state had funneled tens of millions of taxpayer dollars into the effort while providing little oversight of the spending. The money has been flowing to a network of nonprofit organizations that are part of Thriving Texas Families, a state program that supports parenting and adoption as alternatives to abortion and provides counseling, material assistance and other services. (Jaramillo and Kohler, 7/10)
CBS News: Twin Cities Addiction Center Hopes To Remove Barriers To Treatment Through Free Program
For Minnesotans suffering from chemical addiction, there are barriers to treatment. ... An estimated 290,000 adults in Minnesota are in need of substance use disorder treatment. Barriers include cost, lack of insurance, waitlists and co-occurring disorders. Only 18% of substance use programs and 9% of mental health programs are equipped to properly treat both. (James, 7/9)
CBS News: Baltimore Residents Impacted By Opioid Overdoses Give Input On Tackling City's Crisis
Baltimore City won millions in settlements and awards after taking on pharmaceutical companies for their role in the opioid crisis. Now, the Mayor's Office of Overdose Response is looking for input from neighbors who have been affected by this crisis on how to put those funds to use and reduce overdose deaths. Dozens of residents joined city leaders on Wednesday at Cherry Hill Elementary/Middle School to discuss the Overdose Strategic Plan that was released last week. (Foreback, 7/9)
NBC News: N.J. Woman Hospitalized With Liver Damage From Turmeric Supplement After Seeing NBC News Report
Katie Mohan started taking daily turmeric pills in March after seeing a doctor on Instagram tout its benefits for inflammation and joint pain relief. A few weeks later, the 57-year-old started having stomach pain, nausea and fatigue. “I just did not feel well generally,” she said. “I also noticed that despite drinking a lot of water every day, that my urine was darker.” Mohan didn’t connect her symptoms to the herbal pills. Not until she saw an NBC News report in May on the growing rates of liver damage from herbal supplements. (Kopf and Ikeda, 7/9)
