First Edition: Thursday, June 12, 2025

KFF HEALTH NEWS ORIGINAL STORIES

KFF Health News: KFF Health News’ ‘Letters To The Editor’: Readers Endorse Doctor Migration And Shun 'Elderspeak'
KFF Health News gives readers a chance to comment on a recent batch of stories. (6/12)

KFF Health News: Listen: With Vital Health Research Defunded, Who’s Losing Out?
An analysis by KFF Health News found that the Trump administration’s cuts to the National Institutes of Health have been felt in both red and blue states, across political and geographic lines. Scientists warn these cuts will stall progress on urgent health issues and could set back care for vulnerable communities. More reductions in health research spending could be ahead. The Trump administration’s budget proposal for next year calls on Congress to slash the NIH budget more than 40%. (Bichell, 6/12)

VACCINE POLICY AND COVID

Roll Call: Kennedy's Vaccine Panel Contains Skeptics, Nonspecialists 
Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. on Wednesday announced eight members of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices, populated mainly by critics of the nation’s COVID-19 vaccine policies or those who don’t specialize in vaccine science. (DeGroot, Raman and Hellmann, 6/11)

Stat: A Closer Look At The New Members Of The CDC Vaccine Advisory Panel 
For more than a half-century, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has relied on outside experts to guide the agency’s recommendations on how vaccines should be used to prevent the spread of infectious disease. That task will now fall to a panel that includes several individuals who’ve either been openly critical of vaccines or who have scant infectious disease expertise. (Lawrence, Herper, Cueto, Cooney, Joseph, Payne and Branswell, 6/11)

The Colorado Sun: Colorado Doctor Fired From Federal Vaccine Committee Speaks Out
Dr. Edwin Asturias found out Monday he had been fired from his volunteer position on a federal vaccine advisory committee the way the rest of the country did: He read about it in an op-ed written by U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. The official notice — a two-sentence email, he said — arrived later in the afternoon. (Ingold, 6/12)

Bloomberg: Moderna Seeks Outside Investors To Fund Select Vaccine Trials
Moderna Inc. is in discussions with large drugmakers and financial firms to get funding for some late-stage vaccine trials as it works to develop its product portfolio while cutting costs. ... The biotech company is seeking outside deals as it navigates major changes to vaccine policy under Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and declining sales of its Covid shot. (Smith, 6/11)

San Francisco Chronicle: New COVID Variant Linked To Painful ‘Razor Blade Throat’ Symptom
As summer brings another rise in COVID-19 infections, patients across Asia, Europe and North America are reporting a searing sore throat so intense it has earned a dramatic nickname: “razor blade throat.” Though not a new symptom, the phenomenon has gained fresh attention amid the spread of a fast-moving Omicron subvariant, formally known as NB.1.8.1 and colloquially as “Nimbus.” Patients in China and elsewhere describe the pain as akin to “swallowing shattered glass,” with some saying they’ve been left unable to speak, eat, or even stay hydrated. (Vaziri, 6/11)

San Francisco Chronicle: COVID Mental Recovery Can Take 9 Months, Study Finds
A new study from UCLA researchers has found that while people with COVID-19 symptoms typically recovered physically within three months, many continued to struggle with mental well-being for up to nine months. Even a year later, 1 in 5 participants still reported poor overall health. Published Tuesday in Open Forum Infectious Diseases, the study tracked more than 1,400 individuals who experienced COVID-like symptoms between December 2020 and August 2022. About 75% of the participants tested positive for the virus. Over a year, researchers surveyed them every three months on key aspects of health-related quality of life, including sleep, fatigue, cognitive function and social engagement. (Vaziri, 6/10)

CDC LAYOFFS

Politico: CDC Backtracks On Layoffs, Rehires More Than 400 People
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is reinstating more than 400 people who had received layoff notices, according to an email from CDC leadership to employees seen by POLITICO. The rehiring, announced internally Wednesday, marks the largest number of employees that the agency has asked back to date. (Gardner, 6/11)

NBC News: How CDC Cuts Affect Women With Chronic Diseases Like Sickle Cell
For D’Asia Jackson, every day is a guessing game over whether excruciating pain will upend her life. The 28-year-old medical assistant was born with sickle cell disease, an inherited condition that causes red blood cells to be shaped like a crescent moon. ... The guidelines, called the U.S. Medical Eligibility Criteria for Contraceptive Use, provided the latest research for doctors, including an app that recommended which contraceptive methods were safe. The app has been downloaded more than 440,000 times, according to the CDC. Now, the work of that team has been halted as part of the reduction of the Women’s Health and Fertility Branch of the Division of Reproductive Health. (Brooks and Essamuah, 6/11)

ON CAPITOL HILL

Modern Healthcare: One Big Beautiful Bill Ends 'Silver Loading' For ACA Plans
The Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee is out with its contributions to the "One Big Beautiful Bill," which include provisions reviving cost-sharing reduction payments to health insurance exchange carriers. The draft legislation, which the panel released late Tuesday, mirrors language in the House-passed version of the measure to extend tax cuts President Donald Trump enacted during his first term. The nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office estimates this aspect of the House bill would reduce gross Silver plan premiums by 12% but cause 300,000 people to lose health coverage. (McAuliff, 6/11)

The Hill: Cramer: Medicare Advantage Unlikely To Be Changed
Senate Republicans appear less likely to try to make changes to Medicare Advantage as part of their massive tax and spending bill, Sen. Kevin Cramer (R-N.D.) said Wednesday. Cramer raised the idea of targeting Medicare Advantage for additional savings last week after a closed-door caucus meeting, saying the program is ideal for reform because it is rife with waste, fraud and abuse. (Weixel, 6/11)

MedPage Today: Oncology Community Rallies, Rails Against 'Draconian' Budget Cuts For NIH, NCI
The oncology community has sounded the alarm over the Trump administration's 2026 budget proposal, which includes near-40% cuts in funding for the NIH and National Cancer Institute (NCI). Released in early May, the proposal calls for reducing the NIH budget allocation from $46 billion to $28 billion (~39%) and NCI funding from $7.2 billion to $4.45 billion (~38%). The reductions far exceed those for the overall budget, which would trim 22.6% from all non-military spending, as compared with the current funding levels. (Bankhead, 6/11)

Stat: Cassidy Working On Most-Favored Nations Bill To Lower Drug Prices
Senate health committee Chair Bill Cassidy (La.) is the latest Republican to take an interest in legislation that would tie U.S. brand drug prices to lower prices in other wealthy countries, according to seven people following the issue. (Wilkerson, 6/11)

AUTISM

Stat: NIH Autism Research Initiative Met With Skepticism From Researchers
On the surface, the National Institutes of Health’s brand new autism research initiative is alluring: $50 million to study autism’s causes and services for autistic people, and access to data from existing public and private databases. But the opportunity’s nontraditional funding mechanism, accelerated timeline, and lack of transparency around who will review the applications are casting a shadow over the initiative, which many scientists and potential applicants worry could fuel false claims about the condition. (Broderick, 6/12)

REPRODUCTIVE HEALTH

The Guardian: Democrats Introduce Bill That Aims To Protect Reproductive Health Data
Three Democratic members of Congress have introduced a bill to limit companies’ ability to hoover up data about people’s reproductive health – a measure, they say, that is necessary to protect women from persecution in the post-Roe v Wade era. Representative Sara Jacobs of California, Senator Mazie Hirono of Hawaii and Senator Ron Wyden of Oregon on Wednesday filed the “my body, my data” bill in both the US House and Senate. The bill aims to block companies from collecting, using, retaining or disclosing information about someone’s reproductive health unless that data is essential to providing a requested service. (Sherman, 6/11)

HEALTH INDUSTRY AND PHARMACEUTICALS

Modern Healthcare: UnitedHealth Credit Outlook Downgraded By Moody's, S&P Global
UnitedHealth Group’s financial outlook has been downgraded to “negative,” from “stable,” by two credit rating agencies. In a report published Monday, Moody’s Ratings cited numerous factors — Medicare Advantage costs exceeding expectations, a rise in debt after the Change Healthcare cyberattack, a decline in risk-based capital this year, reduced interest coverage and news reports about Justice Department civil and criminal investigations into its Medicare billing — as growing credit risks for UnitedHealth. (Tepper, 6/11)

San Francisco Chronicle: UC Health, Blue Shield Contract Dispute May Impact Thousands In Calif.
Thousands of Californians who get medical care at UC Health through Blue Shield of California — including many in the Bay Area who go to UCSF and One Medical, a UCSF affiliate — may need to find a different health insurer or pay out-of-network rates for services if the parties cannot reach a new contract by July 10. UC Health and Blue Shield, two of California’s largest health care industry players, are renegotiating contracts to establish how much Blue Shield will reimburse for services provided by UC Health hospitals, clinics and other facilities. One Medical is an affiliate of UCSF Health, one of the six UC Health academic health centers. (Ho, 6/11)

Fierce Healthcare: Blue Shield Of California Teams Up With Zocdoc For Provider Scheduling
Blue Shield of California has teamed up with Zocdoc for members to more easily schedule in-person appointments with providers in their health plan network, the companies announced on Wednesday. Zocdoc connects consumers with primary care providers and specialists and to see their schedules and book appointments digitally. Blue Shield of California is bringing that seamless digital experience to its members to facilitate access to covered providers. (Beavins, 6/11)

Modern Healthcare: CommonSpirit, Henry Ford Health Talk Long-Term Strategy
Healthcare providers, payers and other companies are facing an uncertain regulatory and political environment — one that could compound existing staffing, revenue and care-delivery challenges. But leaders shouldn't let such unpredictability keep them from investing in long-term strategy or putting resources toward technology, executives say. (Eastabrook, Hudson and Tepper, 6/11)

Newsweek: Map Shows States With The Worst Hospital Ratings
New data has revealed the states where hospital care is the worst ranked by patients. The study, led from the University of Utah, analyzed 3,286 hospitals across the country, using data from the Hospital Consumer Assessment of Healthcare Providers and Systems (HCAHPS) survey, which ran from July 1, 2021 to June 30, 2022. (O'Connor, 6/11)

PHARMACEUTICALS

The Hill: Lawmakers Seek Action On Illicit Compounded GLP-1 Products
A bipartisan group of congressional lawmakers is calling on the Trump administration to address the continued sale of illicit, compounded GLP-1 products, warning that consumers may be accessing these drugs without knowing the product could be fraudulent. North Carolina Reps. Brad Knott (R) and Deborah Ross (D) wrote to Food and Drug Administration (FDA) Commissioner Marty Makary, Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem and Attorney General Pam Bondi, imploring them to end the sale of “counterfeit, research-grade and illegal copycats” of popular GLP-1 medications. (Choi, 6/11)

Bloomberg: Cannabis Rescheduling To Ease Rules Faces Opposition From Experts
A Harvard addiction scientist and a former government lawyer are urging the US Department of Justice to reject a plan that would ease federal restrictions on cannabis, which the industry has been counting on to grow their businesses. In a new paper published Wednesday in JAMA Psychiatry, the authors argue that the Biden administration’s push to reclassify cannabis relied on flawed reasoning and downplayed health risks, including cannabis-use disorder and links to psychosis. (Rutherford, 6/11)

STATE WATCH

Military.Com: As National Guard Arrived In Los Angeles, VA Docs Scrambled To Make Sure Veteran Patients Received Care
As protests in Los Angeles became more widespread and some turned violent over the weekend, leaders of the Veterans Affairs L.A. Ambulatory Care Center made the tough call to close the facility, which serves thousands of patients a week. The center is one of four federal buildings in a block in Los Angeles' Little Tokyo neighborhood, the focus of demonstrations against Immigration and Customs Enforcement raids and the center of ongoing operations by the Los Angeles Police Department and Army National Guard. (Kime, 6/11)

The (Cleveland) Plain Dealer: Ohio Bill Would Let ICE Make Arrests In Hospitals That Take Public Dollars 
Hospitals across Ohio could soon face a choice: Let federal immigration agents inside to arrest patients or lose access to state funding. That’s the ultimatum behind House Bill 281, a bill from Rep. Josh Williams, a Toledo-area Republican. (Staver, 6/11)

NBC News: Democratic Governors Seek To Roll Back State-Funded Health Care For Undocumented Immigrants
A trio of states with Democratic governors viewed as potential 2028 presidential candidates have taken steps in recent weeks to freeze or cut government-funded health care coverage for undocumented immigrants. Democratic Govs. Gavin Newsom of California, JB Pritzker of Illinois and Tim Walz of Minnesota have largely attributed the proposals to budget shortfalls stemming from original plans to expand health care to immigrants without legal status. (Edelman, 6/11)

CIDRAP: More US Measles Activity In Iowa, Montana
Iowa has announced its second measles case, an adult male from the eastern part of the state who was vaccinated and whose travel history is still under investigation. This is the third measles case in Iowa this year. Iowa last identified measles in 2019. Health officials in Montana's Gallatin County also confirmed two more measles cases, including one person who was exposed to an earlier case and another who likely acquired the virus through community transmission. ... The county now has 12 cases of measles this year. (Soucheray, 6/11)

The Colorado Sun: The 12 Gun Bills Passed By The Colorado Legislature This Year And Signed Into Law 
Democrats in the Colorado legislature this year passed a dozen bills imposing new gun regulations, all of which were signed into law by Gov. Jared Polis. They included measures limiting who can purchase most semiautomatic rifles on the market today, raising the minimum age to buy ammunition and aiming to improve Colorado’s response to mass shootings. (Paul, 6/12)

KUNC: You Could Be Prescribed Guitar Lessons, Drawing Classes In Steamboat Springs
When 11-year-old Sam plays the small, bright blue guitar she got for her birthday, she feels happy. “Because the music is like, calm,” she said. Sam sat facing her teacher, Adam Petty, in a darkened theater that has been converted into a practice room at the Wildhorse Cinema + Arts in Steamboat Springs. (Paterson, 6/12)

ENVIRONMENT AND HEALTH

AP: Scientists: EPA's Carbon Emissions Proposal Is Scientifically Wrong
The Associated Press asked 30 different scientists, experts in climate, health and economics, about the scientific reality behind this proposal. Nineteen of them responded, all saying that the proposal was scientifically wrong and many of them called it disinformation. Here’s what eight of them said. “This is the scientific equivalent to saying that smoking doesn’t cause lung cancer,” said climate scientist Zeke Hausfather of the tech firm Stripe and the temperature monitoring group Berkeley Earth. (Borenstein, 6/12)

AP: Tulane Scientist Resigns Citing University Censorship Of Pollution And Racial Disparity Research
A Tulane University researcher resigned Wednesday, citing censorship from university leaders who had warned that her advocacy and research exposing the Louisiana petrochemical industry’s health impacts and racial disparities in hiring had triggered blowback from donors and elected officials. In her resignation letter, Kimberly Terrell accused the university of sacrificing academic freedom to appease Louisiana’s Republican Gov. Jeff Landry. (Brook, 6/12)

Bloomberg: How Natural Disasters May Be Shaping Babies’ Brains
Climate disasters are known for damaging homes, disrupting power and displacing residents. But even after the lights come back on and people return to their homes, their effects can linger — including in the brains of children born afterwards, a new study suggests. Climate stressors, and the effect they have on pregnant people, appear to affect the brain development of their babies, according to the study published in PLOS One on Wednesday, which relied on brain imaging conducted years after 2012’s Superstorm Sandy hit the New York City metro area. (Court, 6/11)

PUBLIC HEALTH

Axios: Alcohol-Related Liver Disease Deaths Double In Two Decades
The U.S. death rate from alcohol-related liver disease roughly doubled over two decades and was exacerbated by the pandemic, with women, young adults and Indigenous people experiencing the sharpest rise, a study in JAMA Network Open found. (Reed, 6/12)

CIDRAP: Survey: Only 45% Of US Campus Clinicians Routinely Screen Most Women For HPV Vaccination
A 2022 survey of more than 1,000 healthcare providers (HCPs) at US college medical centers reveals that less than half routinely check the human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccination histories of most female patients. Last week in BMC Public Health, University of Rhode Island-led researchers described their survey of 1,159 nurse practitioners (NPs), physicians, and physician assistants about their HPV screening practices for women. (Van Beusekom, 6/11)

CBS News: Zicam Nasal Swabs, Orajel Teething Swabs Recalled Nationwide Over Potential Fungal Contamination
Check your medicine cabinet — Zicam nasal swabs and Orajel baby teething swabs are being recalled due to potential microbial contamination, according to federal health officials. In an alert from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, Church & Dwight Co., Inc., the brands' manufacturer, voluntarily issued the recall after the potential contamination was discovered, which was identified as fungi in the cotton swab components of the products. (Moniuszko, 6/11)

Bloomberg: David Murdock, Former CEO Of Dole Food, Dies At 102
David Murdock, a high school dropout who became a billionaire as proprietor of one of the biggest private corporate empires in the US, has died. He was 102. He died on June 9, according to William Goldfield, a spokesman for Dole Food Co., which Murdock led from 1985 to 2021. (Arnold, 6/11)