Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
First Edition: Tuesday, Oct. 21, 2025
KFF HEALTH NEWS ORIGINAL STORIES
KFF Health News: ‘Cancer Doesn’t Care’: Citizen Lobbyists Unite To Push Past Washington’s Ugly Politics
Mary Catherine Johnson is a retired small-business owner from outside Rochester, New York. She voted for Donald Trump three times. Lexy Mealing, who used to work in a physician’s office, is from Long Island. She’s a Democrat. But the women share a common bond. They both survived breast cancer. And when the American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network organized its annual citizen lobby day in Washington last month, Johnson and Mealing were among the more than 500 volunteers pushing Congress to keep cancer research and support for cancer patients at the top of the nation’s health care agenda. (Levey, 10/21)
AP: CDC Experts Skip Infectious Disease Meeting In Atlanta
CDC researchers are being forced to skip a pivotal conference on infectious disease this week due to the government shutdown, missing out on high-level discussions not long after surges in measles and whooping cough hit the U.S. IDWeek, the largest annual meeting of infectious disease experts in the nation, is the leading venue for experts to trade information about diagnosing, treating and preventing threats including bird flu, superbugs and HIV, among many other topics. (Stobbe, 10/20)
Fierce Healthcare: How The Shutdown Impacts Healthcare: Judge Asserts Her Temporary Restraining Order Includes HHS Workers
After administration officials wrote in court filings that nearly 1,000 fired Health and Human Services employees were not subject to a Wednesday block, a federal judge held an emergency meeting to specify her intent to the contrary. The judge's initial temporary restraining order required federal agencies to temporarily halt reductions in force (RIFs) affecting workers represented by bargaining units that first filed on Sept. 30 to block any cuts attributed to the government shutdown. The administration, in filings, said that many of those to whom it had issued RIFs were unaffected by the order, as many departments and agencies had stopped recognizing those collective bargaining units over the summer in compliance with a March executive order. (Beavins, Minemyer and Muoio, 10/20)
AP: Head Start Centers Face Funding Cutoff Under Shutdown
Head Start programs that serve tens of thousands of the nation’s neediest preschoolers are facing a cutoff of federal funding at the end of the month because of the government shutdown, leaving many scrambling to figure out how to keep their doors open. The early education initiative is funded almost entirely by the federal government, making it particularly vulnerable to funding disruptions. The programs — which are run by schools, local governments and nonprofits — receive new grants annually and are not allowed to carry over unspent money. (Balingit, 10/20)
AP: Nuclear Security Agency Starts Furloughing Workers
The federal agency tasked with overseeing the U.S. nuclear stockpile has begun furloughing employees as part of the ongoing federal government shutdown, Energy Secretary Chris Wright said Monday. In a visit to Nevada, Wright said the National Nuclear Security Administration is furloughing 1,400 federal workers as part of the shutdown, which began Oct. 1. Nearly 400 federal workers will remain on the job, along with thousands of NNSA contractors, the Energy Department said. The NNSA, a semi-autonomous branch of the Energy Department, also works to secure nuclear materials around the world. (Daly, 10/20)
CNN: What’s Happening To End The Government Shutdown? Nothing
No end is in sight to a government shutdown now tied for the second-longest ahead of President Donald Trump’s expected departure for Asia at the end of the week for summits. There’s no sign he’ll emulate his first predecessor, President Barack Obama, who canceled a tour of the region in 2013 because of a similar stalemate. (Collinson, 10/20)
IMMIGRATION CRISIS
Politico: ICE Is Hiring Dozens Of Health Workers As Lawsuits, Deaths In Custody Mount
The Trump administration is expanding its ranks of health care providers who work in immigration detention centers around the country as deaths in custody mount and federal oversight is weakened by layoffs. The push by the Department of Homeland Security to hire more than 40 doctors, nurses, psychiatrists, pharmacists and health administrators follows the revelation that nearly as many immigrants have died in custody so far this year than over the course of the Biden administration, according to government records. (Ollstein and Reader, 10/20)
The 19th: ICE Keeps Detaining Pregnant Immigrants — Against Federal Policy
Cary López Alvarado, of Hawthorne, California, was nine months pregnant when she was arrested by immigration officials alongside her husband, an immigrant from Guatemala. Alvarado was held overnight but was never sent to a detention facility: After taking her into custody, Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) learned she was a U.S. citizen. Immediately after her release, she began to experience sharp pains in her stomach, according to a claim she filed against the federal government. She gave birth a few days later. (Luthra and Barclay, 10/20)
PHARMACEUTICALS
Stat: CBO Says Revised Cost Of Orphan Drug Exemptions Will Add $3.9B To Medicare
The Congressional Budget Office has revised its forecast showing the recently enacted One Big Beautiful Bill Act will cost taxpayers as much as $8.8 billion — up from earlier estimates of $4.9 billion — over 10 years thanks to provisions that will exempt or delay certain drugs from Medicare pricing negotiations. (Silverman, 10/20)
Stat: FDA Approved Fewer Drugs In Third Quarter, Analysis Finds
The upheaval at the Food and Drug Administration appears to be taking a toll on the pharmaceutical industry, according to a new analysis of key agency metrics. (Silverman, 10/20)
Fierce Healthcare: WeightWatchers Teams With Amazon Pharmacy
WeightWatchers is joining forces with Amazon Pharmacy to make it easier for members to access weight management medications. The company announced Monday that through the partnership its members will be able to access information on real-time medication availability, automated coupon savings and home delivery for key medications they use to manage their weight. (Minemyer, 10/20)
Axios: Walmart To Sell Abbott Lingo OTC Glucose Monitor In Retail First
Walmart will become the first U.S. retailer to sell an over-the-counter continuous glucose monitor in physical stores, as Abbott's Lingo rolls out to more than 3,500 locations and online, the health care company told Axios exclusively Tuesday. (Tyko, 10/21)
AUTISM
Bloomberg: Tylenol Autism Warning Should Be Rejected, Kenvue Tells US Regulators
Kenvue Inc. urged US regulators to deny a request warning against Tylenol’s use during pregnancy, laying out the most detailed defense of its biggest product after Trump administration officials tied its use to autism. A citizen petition filed last month asked for changes to the label “that are unsupported by the scientific evidence and legally and procedurally improper,” the company said in an Oct. 17 submission to the US Food and Drug Administration. The “overwhelming weight of the evidence” contradicts any claim that the nonprescription medicine used to treat pain and reduce fevers is a risk for neurodevelopmental disorders, the company said. (Brown, 10/20)
The Hill: RFK Jr. To Unveil New Guidance Encouraging More Saturated Fats
U.S. dietary guidelines could soon undergo another overhaul under the Trump administration’s “Make America Healthy Again” initiative, and the proposal has already drawn criticism. Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. is set to unveil new guidance encouraging the consumption of more foods previously considered unhealthy, including those high in saturated fats. (Smith, 10/20)
The Washington Post: RFK Jr. Ordered A Review Of Infant Formula. What It Means For Your Baby
In the seven months since Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. announced that the Food and Drug Administration would review infant formula ingredients and nutrition for the first time in nearly 30 years, hundreds have submitted public comments demanding more rigorous testing for heavy metals and contaminants and urging that any assessment be based on science. The initiative, dubbed “Operation Stork Speed,” has unleashed comments from parents who have expressed concerns about the sugar content in formula and complained about the seed oils used to deliver essential fatty acids to infants. (Malhi, 10/20)
The Hill: Local Health Leaders Rebuke Federal Vaccine Policy
A group of two dozen public health leaders for major U.S. municipalities signed a letter published Monday, stating their united stance on supporting vaccinations and denouncing “repeated false claims” coming from federal officials. Published by the Big Cities Health Coalition, the letter was signed by the public health directors, commissioners and chief public health officers of places including Chicago, Los Angeles County, Boston, Seattle, Baltimore and Cleveland. (Choi, 10/20)
SUPREME COURT
AP: Supreme Court Considers Gun Ownership For Marijuana Smokers
The Supreme Court said on Monday that it will consider whether people who regularly smoke marijuana can legally own guns, the latest firearm case to come before the court since its 2022 decision expanding gun rights. President Donald Trump’s administration asked the justices to revive a case against a Texas man charged with a felony because he allegedly had a gun in his home and acknowledged being a regular pot user. The Justice Department appealed after a lower court largely struck down a law that bars people who use any illegal drugs from having guns. (Whitehurst, 10/20)
PRESIDENTIAL HEALTH
AP: Biden Completes A Round Of Radiation Therapy
Former President Joe Biden on Monday completed a round of radiation therapy treatment for the aggressive form of prostate cancer he was diagnosed with after leaving office, a spokesperson said. Biden had been receiving treatment at Penn Medicine Radiation Oncology in Philadelphia, said aide Kelly Scully. (Superville, 10/21)
HEALTHCARE WORKERS
The Wall Street Journal: U.S. Narrows Who Pays $100,000 H-1B Visa Fee
President Trump’s $100,000 H-1B visa fee will only apply to new visa applicants outside the country, the government confirmed in new guidance on Monday. That means that under the new policy, employers won’t need to pay the fee for anyone already living in the U.S., such as international students. (Hackman, 10/20)
MedPage Today: Physician Exits From Medicare Increased In Vulnerable Areas
The number of physicians serving Medicare patients grew from 2013 to 2023, but program exit rates in rural and underserved areas increased, according to an analysis of Medicare claims data.While the proportion of physicians in the Medicare program grew by 6.3% from 2013 to 2023, physicians living in nonmetropolitan counties were more likely to exit the program compared with those in metropolitan counties (2.71% vs 2.58%). (Firth, 10/20)
WUSF: USF Launches Dashboard Showing Mental Health Worker Shortage
The University of South Florida launched an interactive dashboard that visualizes the shortage of behavioral health professionals in the state. Florida ranks slightly above average (21 out of 51) in overall prevalence of mental health issues and access to care, according to a 2024 report by Mental Health America. (Neira, 10/21)
MedPage Today: Primary Care Docs Spend This Many Hours Per Week Caring For Patients
Primary care physicians (PCPs) clocked more than 60 hours a week caring for their patient panel, a cross-sectional study suggested. ... The finding translated to a median of 1.7 hours per patient per year, they wrote in the Annals of Internal Medicine. Patient panel characteristics and patient message volume also were associated with physician time expenditure. (Henderson, 10/20)
Chicago Tribune: Lawsuit Alleges OB-GYN Sexually Assaulted Patient
A new lawsuit alleges that a Skokie OB-GYN and leader at St. Francis Hospital in Evanston sexually assaulted a patient at his private practice. The lawsuit, filed anonymously under the name Jane Doe, contends that Dr. Riley Perry Lloyd sexually assaulted the patient in late October 2023 while she was visiting Lloyd’s practice for medical issues. (Schencker, 10/20)
HEALTHCARE INDUSTRY
Modern Healthcare: Hartford HealthCare To Buy 2 Hospitals From Prospect Medical
Hartford HealthCare said Monday it won a bid to purchase two Connecticut hospitals from bankrupt Prospect Medical Holdings. The deal, which is subject to court approval, involves Manchester Memorial Hospital and Rockville General Hospital. (Hudson, 10/20)
Stat: Kaiser Nears Medicare Advantage Fraud Settlement With DOJ
The Justice Department and Kaiser Permanente are nearing a deal in their behind-the-scenes negotiations over the government’s claim that the California health care giant bilked Medicare out of $1 billion. (Bannow, 10/20)
Jacksonville Today / WJCT: Ascension Florida Awarded $7.8 Million Grant To Expand Maternal Telehealth
Ascension Florida will expand its telehealth services for pregnant people after the award of a $7.8 million grant from the Florida Department of Health. The program will be fully operational in early 2026, according to Ascension Florida chief clinical officer Dr. Syed Jafri. (Brown, 10/20)
Concord Monitor: With Winter Looming, Long-Stalled Psychiatric Hospital In Concord Shows No Progress
Almost six months after work virtually stopped on a new psychiatric forensic hospital on Clinton Street, the construction site remains quiet due to issues with the foundation, and it is unclear when work will continue. (Brooks, 10/20)
Stat: Addiction Advocates Win Landmark ADA Victory In N.C. Settlement
Two skilled nursing facilities in North Carolina reached a settlement this month that bars them from discriminating against people with a history of substance use — potentially setting a precedent for how long-term care facilities nationwide treat people with addiction. (Facher, 10/21)
ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE
Stat: AMA Moves Into AI Regulation Debate With Digital Health Center
The American Medical Association on Monday announced a new Center for Digital Health and AI to influence how novel technology is used and regulated in health care. The center is one of the first major initiatives from CEO John Whyte, who took the helm of the physician lobbying group earlier this year after seven years as the chief medical officer of WebMD. (Aguilar, 10/21)
Modern Healthcare: Humata Prior Authorization Tool Coming To Microsoft AI Assistant
Humata Health will provide its prior authorization automation tool through Microsoft’s generative artificial intelligence assistant, Dragon Copilot. Microsoft launched Dragon Copilot in March to assist clinicians with documentation, revenue cycle management, patient engagement and decision support. (DeSilva, 10/20)
STATE WATCH
Bridge Michigan: Michigan To Limit Medicaid Coverage For Weight Loss Drugs To People With Diabetes, Morbid Obesity
Michigan’s new bipartisan state budget will limit Medicaid coverage of a group of weight loss drugs whose use has exploded in popularity in recent years. GLP-1 receptor agonists like Wegovy, Saxenda and Zepbound will be restricted in Michigan “exclusively to individuals classified as morbidly obese” under the new budget, with coverage contingent on the failure of other weight loss interventions to prevent higher-cost bariatric surgery. (Newman, 10/20)
The Colorado Sun: Two Members Of A Colorado Drug Board Don't Live In The State
The home addresses of 40% of the members of a groundbreaking prescription drug price-capping board raise a surprising question: Does it matter if the people serving on boards setting policy for Colorado actually live in Colorado? Two of the five members of Colorado’s Prescription Drug Affordability Board now live outside the state, though they lived in Colorado when first appointed. State regulators say there’s nothing wrong with them continuing to serve on the influential board. (Ingold, 10/21)
Wyoming Public Radio: Wyoming Might Ask Feds For Permission To Ban Candy And Soda From SNAP Purchases
Wyoming lawmakers on the interim Joint Labor, Health and Social Services Committee voted to sponsor a draft bill on Oct. 17 that would ask the feds for permission to ban candy and soda from SNAP purchases, formerly called food stamps. (Clements, 10/20)
Iowa Public Radio: Domestic Violence Deaths Are On The Rise In Iowa — And Guns Are Being Used Most Of The Time
Domestic violence homicide has gone up in Iowa, according to the latest crime data analyzed by the Iowa Coalition Against Domestic Violence. The group's study gathered data from all homicides that were a result of domestic violence, which is defined as violence in personal relationships, including romantic and family relationships. (McKinney, 10/20)
WUSF: Pasco 'Memory Kits' Help Jog Memories Of Dementia Patients
Sean McGarvey, library director of the Pasco County Library System, snaps open the small, clear plastic tote containing one of the Land O' Lakes library's memory kits. McGarvey said they're designed to help jog the memories of patients with Alzheimer’s disease and other forms of dementia. (Miller, 10/21)
The New York Times: A Newborn Girl Is Abandoned At A Penn Station Subway Stop
A newborn girl was found abandoned at the bottom of a staircase in a busy subway station in Midtown on Monday morning, according to the police and an internal police document. The police received an anonymous 911 call around 9:30 a.m. about the baby, who was discovered at the base of the staircase in a subway passageway at the 34th Street-Penn Station stop, according to the report and investigators inside the station. Her umbilical cord was still attached, according to a state official with knowledge of the matter. (Marcius and Cohen, 10/20)
PUBLIC HEALTH
The New York Times: Vision Restored Using Prosthetic Retinal Implant
For the first time, researchers restored some vision to people with a common type of eye disease by using a prosthetic retinal implant. If approved for broader use in the future, the treatment could improve the lives of an estimated one million, mostly older, people in the United States who lose their vision to the condition. The patients’ blindness occurs when cells in the center of the retina start to die, what is known as geographic atrophy resulting from age-related macular degeneration. (Kolata, 10/20)
MedPage Today: Global Study Reports Rise In Several Cancers Among Adults Of All Ages
Incidence of several cancers increased among adults of all ages in the past two decades, a global surveillance study found. From 2003-2017, incidence rates for six of 13 cancers assessed rose among younger adults (ages 20-49) in over 75% of the countries studied, reported Amy Berrington de Gonzalez, DPhil, of the Institute of Cancer in Sutton, England, and colleagues in Annals of Internal Medicine. (Monaco, 10/20)
CBS News: Nearly 90% Of Adults Are At Risk For This Condition, But Most Have Never Heard Of It, Survey Finds
About 9 in 10 adults in the United States have not heard of cardiovascular-kidney-metabolic syndrome despite nearly 90% of adults being at risk for the condition, according to a recent survey from the American Heart Association. Cardiovascular-kidney-metabolic syndrome, or CKM syndrome, is a disorder caused by the connections between heart disease, kidney disease, diabetes and obesity. The syndrome, which was defined by the AHA for the first time in October 2023, reflects how these conditions can influence or worsen each other. (Moniuszko, 10/20)
Rewire News Group: More People Are Freezing Their Eggs — But Most Will Never Use Them
The largest known study on elective fertility preservation has found that more women in the United States are freezing their eggs than ever before. However, only a small proportion of patients return to thaw those eggs in hopes of getting pregnant. (Narang, 10/20)
CIDRAP: Shingles Vaccine Tied To Significant Reductions In Risk Of Dementia, Heart Disease, And Death
Vaccination against herpes zoster (shingles) may reduce the risk of heart disease, dementia, and death in adults aged 50 and older, according to Case Western University research presented yesterday at IDWeek 2025 in Atlanta. (Van Beusekom, 10/20)
