First Edition: Tuesday, Aug. 5, 2025

KFF HEALTH NEWS ORIGINAL STORIES

KFF Health News: New Medicaid Federal Work Requirements Mean Less Leeway For States
When President Donald Trump signed a law adding work requirements for some Medicaid recipients, he may have undercut lawmakers in at least 14 states who were designing their own plans, according to health industry observers. Georgia is the only state with a work requirement in place for Medicaid, but several states have been pursuing such a policy for years, only to be blocked by courts or, most recently, the Biden administration. Some seek state-specific touches to the new rules. Others aim to implement work requirements before the federal law takes effect at the end of 2026. (Houghton and Sable-Smith, 8/5)

KFF Health News: This Physician-Scientist Is Taking On Trump On Behalf Of Disadvantaged Communities
As smoke from Canadian wildfires drifted across North America, and western U.S. states girded for their annual fire siege, Neeta Thakur was well into her search for ways to offset the damage of such fumes on people’s health, especially among minority and low-income communities. For more than a decade, the University of California-San Francisco researcher relied on federal grants without incident. But Thakur, a doctor and a scientist, suddenly found herself leading the charge for public health science against President Donald Trump’s political ideology. (Thompson, 8/5)

REPRODUCTIVE HEALTH

The Washington Post: Trump Moves To Bar Nearly All Abortions At Veterans Affairs Hospitals 
Pregnant veterans would no longer be allowed to receive abortions at Department of Veterans Affairs hospitals in cases of rape, incest or when the pregnancy threatens their health under a proposed rule from the Trump administration that would revoke a Biden-era policy expanding abortion access. Months after the Supreme Court ended the constitutional right to an abortion in 2022, the Biden administration implemented a rule change allowing VA for the first time to provide abortion services for veterans and eligible family members in limited circumstances, including in states with abortion bans. (Somasundaram, 8/4)

The Colorado Sun: Federal Judges Block Colorado From Enforcing Abortion Pill Reversal Ban, Uphold Abortion “Bubble Law” 
Federal judges in Colorado issued a pair of rulings on state abortion laws last week that could have national consequences, reinforcing the state’s burgeoning status as a battleground over abortion access. (Paul, 8/5)

The 19th: How Democrats Fleeing Texas Impacts Anti-Abortion And Anti-Trans Bills
Texas Democrats fled the state over the weekend to stop a Republican proposal redrawing the state’s congressional maps. But their exit has also temporarily halted other conservative priorities for the special session — including new abortion restrictions and a “bathroom bill” that would ban transgender people from using public restrooms that match their gender. (Luthra, 8/4)

The Washington Post: White House Has No Plan To Mandate IVF Care, Despite Campaign Pledge 
The White House does not plan to require health insurers to provide coverage for in vitro fertilization services, two people with knowledge of internal discussions said, even though the idea was one of President Donald Trump’s key campaign pledges. Last year, Trump said that if he returned to office, the government would either pay for IVF services or issue rules requiring insurance companies to cover treatment for it. The pledge came as Trump faced political blowback over abortion rights after his appointees to the Supreme Court helped overturn Roe v. Wade. (Beggin and Stein, 8/3)

Stat: Arkansas Law Shifts National Debate On Infertility Treatment 
A new legislative push that started in Arkansas is taking root at the national level — and could change the face of infertility care in the United States. The Arkansas law, passed in June, requires state insurance companies to cover so-called restorative reproductive medicine (RRM) treatments. It’s the first piece of legislation in the country to endorse a new approach to treating infertility that aims to “restore” women’s ability to conceive through natural methods. (Paulus, 8/5)

The (Cleveland) Plain Dealer: Planned Parenthood Of Greater Ohio Cuts Jobs After Losing $10 Million In Federal Funding 
Planned Parenthood of Greater Ohio is reducing its workforce after losing more than $10 million in federal funding, the organization announced. The healthcare provider said it’s cutting staff positions after losing Title X funding and facing projected Medicaid losses. Without the workforce reduction, the organization could cease to exist, officials said. (McGowan, 8/4)

Stat: Gates Foundation Commits $2.5 Billion To Women’s Health 
The Gates Foundation said Monday that it would commit $2.5 billion through 2030 to support dozens of different approaches for improving women’s health, from new medicines to prevent maternal mortality to vaccines to curb infections that disproportionately affect women. (Herper, 8/4)

Axios: Most New Moms Skip Vital Postpartum Checkups
More than half of new mothers in the U.S. are missing critical postpartum checkups, new data shows. Postpartum visits save lives. The risk to maternal health doesn't end after an initial postpartum appointment: A recent JAMA Network Open study found that nearly one-third of pregnancy-related deaths in the U.S. occurred six weeks to one year postpartum. (Mallenbaum, 8/4)

RURAL HEALTH

Modern Healthcare: Rural Health Fund Applications Open In September: Oz
States will be able to apply in early September for a portion of a $50 billion fund designed to help rural hospitals weather federal funding cuts, Dr. Mehmet Oz, Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services administrator, said Sunday. The rural health fund was created after concerns were raised about the impact of Medicaid and Medicare cuts in President Trump’s tax law. (DeSilva, 8/4)

Fierce Healthcare: Hundreds Of Urban Hospitals Could Be Double-Dipping Into Rural Medicare Funds, Study Finds
Hundreds of urban hospitals have taken advantage of a 2016 policy change that allows them to be simultaneously classified by Medicare as rural and urban facilities for payment purposes, according to a new study. Compared to three geographically urban hospitals that picked up dual classifications in 2017, 425 existing urban hospitals had obtained both administrative designations in 2023, Johns Hopkins University and Brown University researchers wrote in Health Affairs. About three-quarters of these were nonprofits, and several were large academic medical centers located in metropolitan areas. (Muoio, 8/4)

Mother Jones: This $50 Billion Band-Aid Won’t Save Rural Health Care
Half of the $50 billion fund will be evenly distributed to states without accounting for factors like population size. In fact, this means that some of them—such as Wyoming and North Dakota—may receive more from the rural health fund than they lose in federal Medicaid funding. On the flip side, the $50 billion fund would leave other states—such as Kentucky, Washington, and Oregon—in the red. By McBride’s calculations, Wyoming is in an enviable position, potentially receiving stands to cover 1,453 percent of what the state loses in Medicaid cuts. Meanwhile, Kentucky is expected to lose $5.4 billion through the cuts and gain only $1.9 billion from the fund, covering just 36 percent of the state’s losses. Coincidentally, the states that stand to gain the most from this half of the rural health fund’s distribution are governed by Republicans, and the states that stand to lose the most are not. (Vesoulis, 8/4)

VACCINE POLICY AND COVID

The Hill: Kennedy Examines Ousting Of Task Force Members
Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. said Monday he is “reviewing” whether to remove all members of an influential advisory committee that offers guidance about preventive health services. The U.S. Preventive Services Task Force is composed of medical experts who serve four-year terms on a volunteer basis. They are appointed by the HHS secretary and are supposed to be shielded from political influence. (Weixel, 8/4)

MedPage Today: Did FDA Pick The Wrong COVID Vaccine Strain Last Season?
JN.1-targeted mRNA boosters developed for the 2024-2025 COVID-19 season were effective and safe in Danish seniors, according to two register-based cohort studies that suggested Europe may have selected the better vaccine strain. ... The U.S. took a different approach, authorizing or approving KP.2-targeted mRNA vaccines from Pfizer/BioNTech and Moderna and a JN.1-targeted vaccine from Novavax for the 2024-2025 campaign. (Rudd, 8/4)

FEDERAL FUNDING

MedPage Today: CDC Urged To Preserve Funding For Overdose Prevention
A group of public health leaders called on the CDC and its new director Susan Monarez, PhD, to protect critical overdose prevention programs across the U.S. In a media briefing Monday afternoon, the group, convened by the nonprofit Safe States Alliance, spoke out against a reported proposition to cut or freeze $140 million, about half of the $279 million in grants to states, territories, and localities administered by the Overdose Data to Action (OD2A) program. (Henderson, 8/4)

LGBTQ+ HEALTH CARE

ProPublica: The Trump Administration Is Pushing Its Anti-Trans Agenda Globally 
U.S. delegates have objected to use of the word “gender” in U.N. documents during forums on topics as varied as women’s rights, science and technology, global health, toxic pollution and chemical waste. (Song, 8/5)

The Hill: New Hampshire Bans Transgender Care For Minors, A First In Northeast
New Hampshire is the first Northeastern state to ban gender-affirming health care for minors after its Republican governor gave final approval to bills that will ban the use of certain prescription medications and surgeries to treat gender dysphoria beginning next year. Gov. Kelly Ayotte, a former U.S. senator who won New Hampshire’s gubernatorial election in November, signed two bills Friday restricting access to transition-related care in the state, which already prohibits rare genital surgeries for minors to transition. (Migdon, 8/4)

MENTAL HEALTH

NPR: Teen Suicide Is On The Decline, New Federal Data Shows
A new federal report finds that the percentage of adults with suicidal thoughts and attempts remained about the same between 2021 and 2024. But the analysis of the National Survey on Drug Use and Health did offer some good news: Over that same time period, depression and suicidal thoughts and behaviors in teens declined. (Chatterjee, 8/4)

NBC News: ChatGPT Adds Mental Health Guardrails After Bot 'Fell Short In Recognizing Signs Of Delusion'
OpenAI wants ChatGPT to stop enabling its users’ unhealthy behaviors. Starting Monday, the popular chatbot app will prompt users to take breaks from lengthy conversations. The tool will also soon shy away from giving direct advice about personal challenges, instead aiming to help users decide for themselves by asking questions or weighing pros and cons. (Yang, 8/4)

HEALTH CARE INDUSTRY

Becker's Hospital Review: AAMC Backs Bill To Protect 340B Access
The Association of American Medical Colleges endorsed the 340B Pharmaceutical Access to Invest in Essential, Needed Treatments and Support Act, legislation that would amend the 340B statute to confirm that covered entities can use contract pharmacies to dispense outpatient drugs. The AAMC on July 31 sent a letter to Sen. Peter Welch and Rep. Doris Matsui supporting the bill, outlining the importance of contract pharmacy arrangements. The legislation also has drawn support from the American Hospital Association and 340B Health, according to an Aug. 1 news release from the AAMC. (Murphy, 8/4)

Politico: National Health Coordinator Wants To Certify How Data Moves
On the same day last week that the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services rolled out plans to ease the flow of health information, the Office of the National Coordinator for Health IT made two fairly significant announcements at an event in the Eisenhower building. “The first was that we were going to continue our work on certification, and that this was going to include certification of APIs to improve interoperability,” Tom Keane told Ruth. “The other thing I talked about is how we were going to enforce the information blocking.” (Reader, 8/4)

The Wall Street Journal: The Medicare Pullback Is Here
Many seniors enjoy the perks that come with Medicare Advantage. But those extras—like dental coverage and free gym memberships—are being scaled back. Insurers are cutting benefits and exiting from unprofitable markets, and Wall Street is cheering them on. Once rewarded by investors for rapid expansion in the lucrative privatized Medicare program, companies are now being applauded for showing restraint amid rising medical costs and lower government payments. (Wainer, 8/5)

Modern Healthcare: Mass General Brigham, Intermountain Work To Expand Health Plans
A tumultuous insurance market could provide expansion opportunities for integrated health systems. Some national insurers are scaling back as they manage rising costs and face Medicaid funding cuts, tougher federal oversight and a potential spike in the uninsured population. Their retrenching could allow integrated health systems to grow insurance businesses and brace for the looming cuts, health system executives and merger and acquisition advisers said — if they’re willing to take on risk. (Kacik, 8/4)

PHARMA AND TECH

MedPage Today: Novel T1D Therapy Opens The Door To Cell Transplants Sans Immunosuppressants
For the first time, a man with type 1 diabetes (T1D) is making his own insulin after undergoing islet cell transplantation and without any use of immunosuppression, researchers reported. This was made possible with the genetic modification of allogeneic donor islet cells to avoid rejection, via CRISPR-associated protein 12b (Cas12b) editing and lentiviral transduction, according to the case report and proof-of-concept study from Per-Ola Carlsson, MD, PhD, of Uppsala University in Sweden, and colleagues. (Lou, 8/4)

Stat: Stealth BioTherapeutics Contemplates Closure After 'Conflicting' FDA Signals
In the latest twist over the fate of an ultra-rare disease drug, Stealth BioTherapeutics said it received “conflicting” signals from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration about information needed to approve its therapy and, consequently, is making contingency plans to close the company. (Silverman, 8/5)

Stat: Vertex Non-Opioid Pain Candidate Fails Phase 2 Trial 
Vertex Pharmaceuticals said Monday afternoon that its next-generation non-opioid pain reliever failed to significantly outperform placebo in a Phase 2 trial. (Mast and Wosen, 8/4)

MedPage Today: Tamiflu Findings Raise Questions About Drug Label Warning For Kids
Treatment with the antiviral oseltamivir (Tamiflu) was tied to a reduced risk of serious neuropsychiatric events in children and adolescents, an analysis of Medicaid beneficiaries in Tennessee suggested. Compared with untreated flu, the risk of serious neuropsychiatric events was lower in kids treated with oseltamivir during flu exposure periods ... and post-treatment periods ... reported James Antoon, MD, PhD, MPH, of Vanderbilt University in Nashville, Tennessee and colleagues. (George, 8/4)

MedPage Today: Nearly 17M U.S. Teens, Young Adults Eligible For GLP-1 Agonists
Though an estimated 17 million U.S. adolescents and young adults were eligible for GLP-1 receptor agonists for conditions like obesity and type 2 diabetes, many lacked insurance or a routine place for healthcare, a cross-sectional study suggested. In a sample of adolescents eligible for GLP-1 receptor agonists, 40.3% were insured by Medicaid, 40.5% were privately insured, and 7.2% were uninsured. (Henderson, 8/4)

Stat: Mayo Clinic AI Dementia Tool, StateViewer, Draws Outside Interest
Nathan Young, a community neurologist at the Mayo Clinic, recently saw a patient whose diagnosis he couldn’t quite nail down. Parkinson’s seemed a likely possibility, but Young was concerned she might instead have a rare neurological disorder called progressive supranuclear palsy, or PSP, which can progress much more rapidly. (Palmer, 8/5)

Modern Healthcare: Becton Dickinson To Invest $35M In Syringe Manufacturing
Becton Dickinson will invest more than $35 million to expand prefilled flush syringe manufacturing at its facility in Columbus, Nebraska. The company said Monday it will add BD PosiFlush prefilled flush syringe production lines and make investments in product innovation and operational efficiencies. The syringes keep catheters clear and are designed to help reduce intravenous catheter-related infections, the chance of medication errors and risk of damage to catheters. (Dubinsky, 8/4)

STATE WATCH

AP: New Jersey Secures Up To $2B Settlement From 3 Chemical Makers
DuPont and two other companies will pay New Jersey up to $2 billion to settle environmental claims stemming from PFAS, commonly referred to as “forever chemicals,” the companies announced Monday. State Environmental Commissioner Shawn LaTourette said the deal with DuPont, Chemours and Corteva is the largest such settlement in the state’s history. It calls for the companies to pay $875 million over 25 years and create a remediation fund of up $1.2 billion. The companies will split the costs under the deal, which must still be approved by the courts. (Shipkowski, 8/4)

The Hill: Colorado First Blue State To Have SNAP Waiver Approved Limiting Soda
Colorado is the first blue state to have a waiver approved for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) that limits the ability to buy soda and other sugary beverages, set to go into effect in March 2026. “Colorado is one of the healthiest states in the nation and has the lowest obesity rate of any state. Sadly, even Colorado’s lowest obesity rate of 24.9% is too high, and obesity endangers and shortens the lives of too many Coloradans,” Colorado Gov. Jared Polis (D) said in a Monday release from the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA). (Suter, 8/4)

WFSU: Florida Lawmakers Secure $3.75 Million To Advance Sickle Cell Treatment 
Two Tampa Bay lawmakers have secured nearly $4 million to improve treatment for people with sickle cell disease. State Sen. Darryl Rouson, D-St. Petersburg, and state Rep. Fentrice Driskell, D-Tampa, are touting state allocations for two major initiatives through the Foundation for Sickle Cell Disease Research. (Menzel, 8/4)

OUTBREAKS AND HEALTH THREATS

The New York Times: Bird Flu May Be Airborne On Dairy Farms, Scientists Report
The bird flu virus that has beset dairy farms since early last year may be spreading through the air in so-called milking parlors and through contaminated wastewater, as well as from milking equipment, scientists have found. The Department of Agriculture has said that the virus spreads primarily from milking equipment or is carried by dairy workers and vehicles traveling between farms. But in the new study, scientists found live virus in the air of milking facilities, suggesting that cows and farmworkers might have become infected by inhaling the pathogen. (Mandavilli and Anthes, 8/4)

Bloomberg: Raw Milk Linked To Florida E. Coli, Campylobacter Outbreak
Raw milk has been linked to an ongoing E. coli and campylobacter outbreak in Florida that has already sickened 21 people, including six children under the age of 10, the state department of health said. Seven people have been hospitalized and at least two developed severe infections, which can lead to kidney failure, the Florida Department of Health announced on Monday. The agency urged residents to make informed decisions about consuming raw milk, which can be tainted with the bacteria that causes both potentially deadly infections. (Nix, 8/4)

CIDRAP: New Measles Cases Reported In Wisconsin, Wyoming, New Jersey
Wisconsin health officials have confirmed the state's first measles cases this year. The Wisconsin Department of Health Services and Oconto County Public Health said in a news release last week that nine people in Oconto County, in the northeastern part of the state, were exposed to a common source of infection during out-of-state travel. One case was confirmed through testing at the Wisconsin State Laboratory of Hygiene, and the other eight cases were confirmed based on exposure and symptoms. No public points of exposure have been identified but investigation continues. (Dall, 8/4)

CIDRAP: Babesiosis Spread Linked To Changing Climate In New England
A new report in Open Forum Infectious Diseases details the significant increase of the Babesia season in New England since the 1980s, and the authors said warming trends in the region may lead to accelerating tick life cycles and increasing tick activity outside of the traditional summer months. Babesiosis is parasitic disease primarily spread by blacklegged (deer) ticks, which infects red blood cells. While some have no symptoms, many people will experience flu-like symptoms and in severe cases, the disease can lead to hemolytic anemia if not treated. (Soucheray, 8/4)

LIFESTYLE AND HEALTH

CBS News: More Early Stage Colon Cancers Found In People Aged 45-49 Due To More Screenings, Research Shows
As more people aged 45-49 are getting screened for colon cancer, more early stage diagnoses are being made, according to new research from the American Cancer Society. The research, published in two studies Monday in the Journal of the American Medical Association, showed increases in screenings among those younger than 50 is linked to rises in earlier diagnosis. One study showed an annual increase of 1.1% from 2004 to 2019 jumped to 12% from 2019 to 2022 for colorectal cancer incidence among people aged 45 to 49, while another study showed screenings among U.S. adults aged 45 to 49 increase 62% from 2019 to 2023. (Moniuszko, 8/4)

Newsweek: Bee Venom Could Help Cure A Type Of Cancer
Ongoing investigation into whether bee venom could help treat a certain type of cancer has been making "important progress," the leading researcher has told Newsweek. Experts at the Epigenetics Lab at the Harry Perkins Institute of Medical Research have been exploring since 2020 how the venom from honeybees could be used to kill aggressive breast cancer cells, without harming healthy cells. (Laws, 8/5)

The New York Times: Once a Death Sentence, This Heart Condition Is Finally Treatable
Over the past 50 years, heart failure has become one of the fastest-growing cardiac killers. It was long considered a disease of aging, caused by gradual yet unavoidable changes to the heart. But doctors are now discovering that about 15 percent of cases are caused by a rogue protein called amyloid, perhaps best known for its role in Alzheimer’s. While one type tangles neurons in the brain, others infiltrate the heart, making the muscle stiff and less able to pump blood. (Bajaj, 8/4)

The New York Times: Avoiding Ultraprocessed Foods Might Double Weight Loss
New research suggests that people can lose more weight by avoiding ultraprocessed foods, even those that are typically considered healthy. The study, published today in the journal Nature Medicine, is the largest and longest clinical trial yet to examine the effects of ultraprocessed foods on weight. Participants lost twice as much weight when they followed diets made up of minimally processed foods, like pasta, chicken, fruits and vegetables, as they did when they followed diets with ultraprocessed foods that met nutrition standards, such as ready-to-heat frozen meals, breakfast cereals, protein bars and shakes. (Callahan, 8/4)