First Edition: Tuesday, June 10, 2025

KFF HEALTH NEWS ORIGINAL STORIES

KFF Health News: As Federal Health Grants Shrink, Memory Cafes Help Dementia Patients And Their Caregivers
Rob Kennedy mingled with about a dozen other people in a community space in Clarks Summit, Pennsylvania. The room, decorated with an under-the-sea theme, had a balloon arch decked out with streamers meant to look like jellyfish and a cloud of clear balloons mimicking ocean bubbles. Kennedy comes to this memory cafe twice a month since being diagnosed with early onset Alzheimer’s disease in his late 50s. (McFarlane, 6/10)

VACCINES

FUNDING FREEZE AND DEI

AP: Judge Blocks Trump Administration From Enforcing Anti-DEI Executive Orders
A federal judge in California has blocked the Trump administration from enforcing anti-diversity and anti-transgender executive orders in grant funding requirements that LGBTQ+ organizations say are unconstitutional. U.S. District Judge Jon Tigar said Monday that the federal government cannot force recipients to halt programs that promote diversity, equity and inclusion or acknowledge the existence of transgender people in order to receive grant funding. The order will remain in effect while the legal case continues, although government lawyers will likely appeal. (Har, 6/9)

Stat: NIH Rescinds, At Least For Now, Its DEI Ban On Grants To Institutions 
The National Institutes of Health has, for now, walked back a policy requiring universities and other research institutes to certify that they do not have unlawful diversity, equity, and inclusion programs or boycotts of Israel in order to receive research dollars. (Oza, 6/9) 

The Boston Globe: Williams College To Pause Receipt Of New NIH, NSF Grants
Leaders at Williams College have temporarily paused accepting federal research grants while they review recent ultimatums put forth by the Trump administration about diversity, equity, and inclusion bans, a spokesperson confirmed Monday. The elite college in Western Massachusetts is seemingly the first college or university to make such a move since the Trump administration imposed new restrictions this spring pertaining to the perceived promotion or advancement of DEI initiatives, in violation of federal antidiscrimination laws. (Alanez, 6/9)

Minnesota Public Radio: MDH Cancels Some Layoffs After Lawsuit To Block Funding Cuts 
In late March, the Minnesota Department of Health announced layoffs and reductions in public health services due to cuts to federal grants made by the Trump administration. Now, some layoff notices have since been rescinded. Health officials said that only current staff members have retained their jobs. The rescission of layoff notices does not apply to temporary staff or contractors who were laid off in the spring. (Zurek, 6/9)

Politico: ‘It’s Made Up’: Democrats Say Rubio Isn’t Playing It Straight About Foreign Aid Cuts
Democrats are accusing the Trump administration of lying about the state of America’s top global health program following massive cuts to foreign aid led by Elon Musk and his Department of Government Efficiency. ... President Donald Trump has shut down the agency that signed off on most PEPFAR spending and fired other staffers who supported it. But Secretary of State Marco Rubio suggested Democrats’ concerns are overblown, considering that PEPFAR remains “85 percent operative.” (Paun, Friedman and King, 6/9)

MEDICAID AND TRUMP'S ECONOMIC POLICY

Bloomberg: Senate Republicans Plan To Release Major Revisions To Trump’s Tax Bill
Senate Republicans intend to propose revised tax and health-care provisions to President Donald Trump’s $3 trillion signature economic package this week, shrugging off condemnations of the legislation by Elon Musk as they rush to enact it before July 4. The Senate Finance Committee’s plan to extract savings from the Medicaid and — perhaps — Medicare health insurance programs could depart in key respects from the version of the giant bill that narrowly passed the US House in May. The release of the panel’s draft will likely touch off a new round of wrangling between fiscal conservatives and moderates. (Wasson, 6/9)

The Hill: Senate Republicans Tip-Toe Around 'Medicaid Cuts'
When is a Medicaid cut not actually a cut?  That’s the $800 billion question facing Senate Republicans as they write their own version of the sweeping House-passed tax and spending bill. Administration officials and senators defending against attacks on the bill have coalesced around a message that there will be no cuts to benefits, and the only people who will lose coverage are the ones who never deserved it to begin with: namely immigrants without legal status and “able-bodied” individuals who shouldn’t be on Medicaid. (Weixel, 6/9)

The New York Times: Trump Bill’s Caps On Grad School Loans Could Worsen Doctor Shortage
President Trump’s policy agenda would make deep cuts in government health plans and medical research, and, critics say, could also make finding a doctor more difficult. The Republicans’ major domestic policy bill restricts loans that students rely on to pursue professional graduate degrees, making the path to becoming a physician harder even as doctor shortages loom and the American population is graying. (Caryn Rabin, 6/9)

REPRODUCTIVE HEALTH

AP: Can $1,000 At Birth Change A Child’s Future? A Republican Proposal Aims To Find Out
When children of wealthy families reach adulthood, they often benefit from the largesse of parents in the form of a trust fund. It’s another way they get a leg up on less affluent peers, who may receive nothing at all — or even be expected to support their families. But what if all children — regardless of their family’s circumstances — could get a financial boost when they turn 18? That’s the idea behind a House GOP proposal backed by President Donald Trump. (Balingit, 6/9)

The Washington Post: Mothers Report Worse Mental Health In New Report
More American mothers reported worse mental health in 2023 than in 2016 in a national survey, though many said they were in good health, according to a study in JAMA Internal Medicine. ... In 2023, 26 percent of the mothers who responded said their mental health was “excellent,” compared with 38 percent of mothers in 2016. While 19 percent of mothers reported good mental health in 2016, some 26 percent said the same in 2023. (Docter-Loeb, 6/9)

The Guardian: Women And Men Diverge More Than Ever On Support For Abortion Rights, Poll Shows
Three years after the fall of Roe v Wade and months after an election that heavily focused on the fight over abortion rights, men and women have never diverged more on their support for access to the procedure, according to new polling from Gallup released Monday. Sixty-one percent of women now identify as “pro-choice”, but only 41% of men say the same, Gallup found. The same percentage of women identified as “pro-choice” in 2022, just after the decision to overturn Roe was leaked, but at the time, 48% of men also did so. (Sherman, 6/9)

GUN VIOLENCE AND MENTAL HEALTH

The 19th: Trump Proposal Could Make It Easier For Domestic Abusers To Get Gun Rights Back
The Trump administration is proposing a change to how people convicted of crimes can have their gun rights restored, raising concerns over what this means for victims of domestic violence. (Gerson, 6/9)

The New York Times: Gun Deaths Of Children Rose In States That Loosened Gun Laws, Study Finds
Firearm deaths of children and teenagers rose significantly in states that enacted more permissive gun laws after the Supreme Court in 2010 limited local governments’ ability to restrict gun ownership, a new study has found. In states that maintained stricter laws, firearm deaths were stable after the ruling, the researchers reported, and in some, they even declined. (Caryn Rabin, 6/9)

Wyoming Public Radio: ‘A Gun Deemed Too Dangerous For Cops, But Fine For Civilians’ 
A new report from Mother Jones and The Trace found the Wyoming Highway Patrol, along with almost a dozen other law enforcement departments across the country, traded in a gun known to be faulty for resale to the public, after choosing to stop using it themselves. The particular gun is one of the most popular in America. But lawsuits claim it unintentionally caused injuries to law enforcement officers and civilians nationwide and at least one death. (Ouellet, 6/9)

OUTBREAKS AND HEALTH THREATS

CIDRAP: Kentucky Announces Two Pertussis Deaths In Infants This Year
On Friday, Kentucky announced two pertussis deaths in infants over the past 6 months, and neither the infants nor their mothers had been vaccinated against the highly contagious bacterial infection also known as whooping cough. According to the Kentucky Department for Public Health (KDPH), these are the first whooping cough deaths in the state since 2018. (Soucheray, 6/9)

The Colorado Sun: Two More Measles Cases Reported In Colorado
Colorado reported two more cases of measles Monday and warned that people who visited the emergency rooms at three hospitals last week may have been exposed. (Ingold, 6/9)

MedPage Today: FDA OKs Another Monoclonal Antibody To Protect Against RSV In Infants
The FDA approved clesrovimab (Enflonsia) to prevent lower respiratory tract disease from respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) in infants born during or entering their first RSV season, drugmaker Merck announced on Monday. The long-acting monoclonal antibody is designed to provide "rapid and durable protection" through 5 months -- the typical length of an RSV season -- with a 105-mg dose, regardless of weight, the company said. (Henderson, 6/9)

CIDRAP: 1 In 5 COVID Survivors Still Have Symptoms 3 Years After Severe Infection, Analysis Estimates
A meta-analysis of 11 studies suggests that 20% of patients, most with severe COVID-19, had at least one symptom 3 years after infection, primarily fatigue, sleep disturbances, and shortness of breath. Researchers in Europe, Asia, and Australia assessed the pooled prevalence of persistent COVID-19 symptoms 3 years after infection in observational studies published in 2023 and 2024. The studies, which reported data from 142,171 long-COVID patients aged 36 to 86 years (87% men), were conducted in Bulgaria, China, Japan, Italy, Romania, and the United States. (Van Beusekom, 6/9)

HEALTH INDUSTRY AND PHARMACEUTICALS

Modern Healthcare: Prime Healthcare Layoffs To Affect More Than 100 Employees
Ontario, California-based Prime Healthcare is consolidating positions at eight of its hospitals formerly owned by Ascension as it navigates financial challenges at the facilities. The consolidation will affect more than 100 positions, or less than 1% of nearly 1,000 newly created roles and nearly 13,000 employees retained from Ascension when Prime acquired the Illinois hospitals in March. Most cuts took effect Friday, with the remainder expected to occur in July. (DeSilva, 6/9)

Modern Healthcare: Bayada Home Health Care Layoffs Hit 100 Employees Bayada Home Health Care Axes 10% Of Headquarter Staff
Bayada Home Health Care will cut 100 administrative and operational jobs due to increased costs and low insurer reimbursements. The layoffs were announced last Friday and are set to take effect Tuesday. They represent 10% of Bayada’s staff at its Moorestown, New Jersey, headquarters, a spokesperson said in an email. She said the reductions would not affect care delivery to Bayada’s approximately 170,000 patients across 22 states. (Eastabrook, 6/9)

Modern Healthcare: Virginia Mason Franciscan Health Layoffs To Hit 116 Employees
Virginia Mason Franciscan Health is laying off more than 100 employees this summer. The layoffs will affect 116 workers in virtual health services and will begin July 28, according to a Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification filed Thursday. (Hudson, 6/9)

St. Louis Public Radio: Affinia Healthcare Starting New Family Medicine Residency Program
Affinia Healthcare is now fully accredited for its new family medicine residency program. That means medical school graduates can soon provide care at a clinic that primarily serves those who are uninsured or have other barriers to receiving health care. Affinia Family Medicine Residency will be based at the provider’s Ferguson clinic in north St. Louis County, where Dr. Kenneth Hemba, the program director, said about 75% of low-income residents do not have a primary care provider. (Mizelle, 6/10)

Becker's Hospital Review: How Health Systems Are Future-Proofing Their Workforce
With AI becoming a cornerstone of healthcare strategy, hospitals and health systems are moving quickly to prepare their workforces for a tech-enabled future. St. Louis-based Mercy began its workforce preparation several years ago. Through “AI Dev Days” — collaborative innovation sessions involving nurses, engineers, clinicians and change managers — cross-functional teams gained hands-on experience with real-world use cases. (Diaz, 6/9)

Chicago Tribune: AI Used To Guide Seniors To Medicare Programs
Does the concept of artificial intelligence intimidate you? Or do you figure it won’t have much impact on your life, so why bother learning about it? Well, AI is definitely entering — and improving — your life, whether you choose it or not. (Savage, 6/9)

Stat: National Resilience, Startup Hoping To Reinvent Drug Manufacturing, Retrenches
National Resilience, a startup that has raised over $2 billion by promising to transform drug manufacturing, said Monday that it would “wind down” many of its facilities. But what remains of the firm has raised an additional $250 million from existing investors to continue to build its business and seek more capital. (Herper, Mast and DeAngelis, 6/9)

Stat: Avidity, FDA Reach Agreement On Accelerated Filing Of Rare Disease Drug
Avidity Biosciences reached an agreement with the Food and Drug Administration to seek accelerated approval of a new treatment for an inherited muscle-weakening disease, the company said Monday. (Feuerstein, 6/9)

STATE WATCH

AP: Terminally Ill New Yorkers Could Soon Be Allowed To End Their Own Lives
Terminally ill New Yorkers would have the legal ability to end their own lives with pharmaceutical drugs under a bill passed Monday in the state Legislature. The proposal, which now moves to the governor’s office, would allow a person with an incurable illness to be prescribed life-ending drugs if he or she requests the medication and gets approval from two physicians. A spokesperson for New York Gov. Kathy Hochul said she would review the legislation. The New York Senate gave final approval to the bill Monday night after hours of debate during which supporters said it would let terminally ill people die on their own terms. (6/10)

AP: Dozens Of States Sue To Block The Sale Of 23andMe Personal Genetic Data Without Customer Consent
Twenty-seven states and the District of Columbia on Monday filed a lawsuit in bankruptcy court seeking to block the sale of personal genetic data by 23andMe without customer consent. The lawsuit comes as a biotechnology company seeks the court’s approval to buy the struggling firm. Biological samples, DNA data, health-related traits and medical records are too sensitive to be sold without each person’s express, informed consent, Oregon Attorney General Dan Rayfield said in a news release about the lawsuit. (6/10)

AP: Minnesota Budget Deal Cuts Health Care For Adults Who Entered The US Illegally
Adults living in the U.S. illegally will be excluded from a state-run health care program under an overall budget deal that the closely divided Minnesota Legislature convened to pass in a special session Monday. Repealing a 2023 state law that made those immigrants eligible for the MinnesotaCare program for the working poor was a priority for Republicans in the negotiations that produced the budget agreement. The Legislature is split 101-100, with the House tied and Democrats holding just a one-seat majority in the Senate, and the health care compromise was a bitter pill for Democrats to accept. (Karnowski, 6/9)

NBC News: More States Are Allowing Ivermectin To Be Sold Without A Prescription
Boise, Idaho, pharmacist Matt Murray has no choice but to disappoint the handful of people who call him every day asking for a drug used to treat parasitic worms. He could give them the medication, called ivermectin, but only with a doctor’s note. The callers aren’t in the throes of an active intestinal worm infestation, Murray said. They simply want access to the pills without having to see a doctor first. (Edwards, 6/9)

WFSU: Families Of Kids With Autism Hail New Florida Law That Increases Early Detection, Intervention
Gov. Ron DeSantis recently signed a major bill aimed at increasing early detection and intervention for children with autism. It also works to fill in the gaps in children's education with specialized programs. (Menzel, 6/8)

The Washington Post: Why Texas Is Spending Millions To Research An Illegal Psychedelic
For years, people have flown to clinics in Mexico to take ibogaine, the extract of an ancient African shrub that induces mind-bending hallucinations. Under medical supervision, patients undergo psychedelic trips that can last more than a dozen hours in hopes of alleviating their struggles with addiction or brain trauma. And while ibogaine is illegal in the United States, Texas is on the verge of spending up to $50 million to jump-start clinical trials, which advocates hope could hasten federal approval for using ibogaine as medication. (Ovalle, 6/9)

Chicago Tribune: Nitrate Contamination Prompts Water Warning
Customers of Aqua Illinois complained Monday about the quality of water they receive from the utility and the company’s response to nitrate contamination affecting University Park and other communities. Aqua Illinois is advising customers not to use tap water for infants under 6 months old after recent testing showed elevated nitrate levels in drinking water systems. (Nolan, 6/9)

PUBLIC HEALTH

NBC News: Appendix Cancers On The Rise In Younger Generations, Study Finds
Although they are very rare, cancers of the appendix are on the rise, a new study finds. An analysis of a National Cancer Institute database found that compared with older generations, rates of appendix cancer have tripled among Gen X and quadrupled among millennials, according to the report, published Monday in the Annals of Internal Medicine. “There is a disproportionate burden of appendix cancer among young individuals,” said the study’s lead author, Andreana Holowatyj, an assistant professor of hematology and oncology at the Vanderbilt University Medical Center and Vanderbilt Ingram Cancer Center. (Carroll, 6/9)

NPR: Drug Deaths Among People In The U.S. Under 35 Are Plummeting
When Justin Carlyle, 23, began experimenting with drugs a decade ago, he found himself part of a generation of young Americans caught in the devastating wave of harm caused by fentanyl addiction and overdose. "I use fentanyl, cocaine, crack cocaine, yeah, all of it," Carlyle said, speaking to NPR on the streets of Kensington, a working class neighborhood in Philadelphia where dealers sell drugs openly. "I was real young. I was 13 or 14 when I tried cocaine, crack cocaine, for the first time." (Mann, 6/10)

San Francisco Chronicle: UCSF Study Finds Dementia Risk Varies By Region
In a major national study led by UCSF researchers, dementia rates among older Americans were found to vary sharply by region, with the Southeast facing the greatest burden and the Bay Area’s broader region faring somewhat better. Published Monday in JAMA Neurology, the study drew on health records from more than 1.2 million veterans age 65 and older, served by the Veterans Health Administration, the largest integrated health system in the U.S. (Vaziri, 6/9)

MedPage Today: Cycling In Midlife Tied To Lower Risk Of Dementia
Using physically active transportation modes in midlife -- particularly cycling -- was tied to lower dementia risk and greater hippocampal volume, a large U.K. Biobank study suggested. Compared with non-active travel like driving or public transportation, travel that incorporated cycling was associated with a lower adjusted risk of all-cause dementia over 13 years (HR 0.81, 95% CI 0.73-0.91), reported Liangkai Chen, PhD, of Huazhong University of Science and Technology in Wuhan, China, and co-authors. (George, 6/9)

The Wall Street Journal: GOOD NEWS//New Polycythemia Vera Treatment Offers Hope For Patients Who Make Too Many Red Blood Cells
For patients with a rare type of blood cancer, treatment might finally be coming out of the Dark Ages. People with the chronic condition polycythemia vera make too many red blood cells, thickening their blood and increasing the risk for clots, heart attacks or strokes. The main treatment consists of regular blood draws—essentially bloodletting—to keep the disease in check. (Abbott, 6/9)