First Edition: Tuesday, Oct. 28, 2025

KFF HEALTH NEWS ORIGINAL STORIES

KFF Health News: A Ticking Clock: How States Are Preparing For A Last-Minute Obamacare Deal
One family in Virginia Beach, Virginia, just found out their health plan’s deductible will jump from $800 to $20,000 next year. About 200 miles north, in Maryland, another household learned they’ll pay $500 more monthly to insure their brood in 2026. And thousands of people in Idaho were greeted with insurance rates that’ll cost, on average, $100 more every month. As shopping season opens for Affordable Care Act plans in some states, customers are confronting staggering costs for their health insurance next year. The extra federal subsidies put in place in 2021 that made coverage more affordable for millions of people will expire at the end of this year unless a gridlocked and idle Congress acts. (Seitz and Appleby, 10/28)

KFF Health News: Many Fear Federal Loan Caps Will Deter Aspiring Doctors And Worsen MD Shortage
Medical educators and health professionals warn that new federal student loan caps in President Donald Trump’s tax cut law could make it more expensive for many people to become doctors and could exacerbate physician shortages nationwide. And, they warn, the economic burden will steer many medical students to lucrative specialties in more affluent, urban areas rather than lower-paying primary care jobs in underserved and rural communities, where doctors are in shortest supply. (Wolfson, 10/28)

KFF Health News: KFF Health News’ ‘An Arm and a Leg’: A Listener's DIY Project Helps Others Deal With High Medical Bills
In April, Thomas Sanford, a medical student who regularly listens to “An Arm and a Leg,” set out to create a resource he could easily share with patients to help them deal with unaffordable medical bills. In this mini-episode, host Dan Weissmann talks with Sanford about how handing out charity care information on tiny cards snowballed into an ever-growing list of resources to erase medical debt. They discuss the inspiration behind his project, the role “An Arm and a Leg” listeners played in building it, and how others can contribute. (Weissmann, 10/28)

The Hill: Speaker Mike Johnson: GOP Working On Republican Health Care Plan Amid Shutdown
Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) on Monday said House Majority Leader Steve Scalise (R-La.) is working with the chairs of three House committees to compile a Republican health care plan as the government shutdown nears the one-month mark and Democrats demand action on expiring ObamaCare subsidies. “Republicans have been working on a fix for health care, we’ve been doing this for years,” Johnson said in a press conference on Monday when asked about the coming “health care cliff.” (Brooks, 10/27)

The New York Times: Top Federal Workers’ Union Breaks With Democrats on Shutdown
The largest union of federal workers called on Monday for Congress to pass a spending bill to immediately end the government shutdown, effectively siding with President Trump and Republicans who have opposed Democratic efforts to restore health care spending. “Both political parties have made their point, and still there is no clear end in sight,” Everett Kelley, the president of the American Federation of Government Employees, said in the statement. He added, “It’s time to pass a clean continuing resolution and end this shutdown today. No half measures, and no gamesmanship.” (Cameron, 0/27)

Politico: Here's Where The 7 Most Vulnerable House Republicans Stand On An ACA Extension
House Republicans in the toughest races in the country aren’t on board to extend expiring Obamacare subsidies yet. The Cook Political Report, a nonpartisan election handicapper, detailed seven House Republican races in the “toss up” category ahead of the 2026 midterms. The races are likely to be close next year and even a small shift could decide the House majority. Republicans currently hold a six-seat margin that’s slated to shrink to five when a newly elected Democrat is sworn in. (King, 10/27)

Politico: New Jerseyans Expected To Pay Nearly 175 Percent More For Health Insurance On Exchange
New Jerseyans who purchase health insurance through the state’s exchange will see an average increase of nearly 175 percent in their premiums next year, the Murphy administration announced Monday. The state’s Department of Banking and Insurance said the sticker shock is attributed to the expiration of enhanced federal health insurance subsidies — which have been the key sticking point of the federal government shutdown. (Han, 10/27)

Chicago Tribune: Illinoisans May See 78% Average Hike For ACA Health Insurance
Illinois residents will pay an average of 78% more across the state for health insurance through the Affordable Care Act exchange if Congress does not extend enhanced premium tax credits — the issue at the heart of the current government shutdown — state regulators said Monday. (Schencker, 10/27)

The Colorado Sun: Colorado Health Insurance Prices Set For Significant Increase In 2026
The average person in Colorado who buys health insurance without help from an employer will see what they pay more than double next year, as the state released final prices before open enrollment begins next week. (Ingold, 10/28)

FOOD AID AND SNAP

Politico: Democrats Plan To Sue Over Food Aid As GOP Splits On Legislative Patch 
Dozens of Democratic attorneys general and governors are planning to sue President Donald Trump’s administration Tuesday over its decision to not tap emergency funds amid the government shutdown to keep food aid flowing to 42 million Americans next month, according to three people granted anonymity to discuss the matter ahead of a public announcement. (Hill, 10/27)

Stat: SNAP Benefit Cut-Off Dangerous For People With Chronic Illness
Millions of Americans are set to lose access to food benefits starting Saturday because of the government shutdown, with at least 25 states telling recipients they won’t receive checks for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) in November. Health care experts warn that families will be forced to go hungry or make impossible choices between groceries and other basic needs like rent and medication, with potentially dire consequences. (Todd, 10/27)

NBC 5 Dallas-Fort Worth: H-E-B Donates Millions As SNAP Benefits Risk Disruption
H-E-B is donating $5 million to Texas food banks and $1 million to Meals on Wheels programs statewide. The San Antonio-based grocer announced the donations on Friday, days before federal SNAP programs were expected to go unfunded due to the ongoing government shutdown. WIC, TANF, Medicaid and CHIP are not currently affected by the shutdown, but the Texas Health and Human Services Commission said they are monitoring those programs for any changes. Approximately 3.5 million Texans relying on monthly SNAP benefits to help pay for groceries will not receive any assistance in November. (10/27)

The CT Mirror: Facing Loss Of SNAP, CT Increases Funding For Foodshare
Connecticut’s first steps to mitigate the fast-approaching suspension of a federally funded food assistance program will be a $3 million emergency grant to nonprofit Connecticut Foodshare and an outreach campaign informing recipients of their nearest food pantry, Gov. Ned Lamont said Monday. (Pazniokas, 10/27)

The Washington Post: Beans And Rice, Foods That Won’t Go Bad: Creators Give Advice On Staying Fed If SNAP Benefits Stop
With a possible pause in SNAP benefits this weekend, content creators are giving advice on how to keep from going hungry by using pantry staples. (Kelly, 10/28)

HEALTH CARE COSTS AND COVERAGE

MedPage Today: Medicare To Spend $15B On Treatment Linked To Fraud, Patient Harm
Medicare is expected to spend more than $15 billion by year's end on pricey wound care products linked to waste, fraud, and abuse, according to an analysis of data by the National Association of ACOs (NAACOS) and the Institute for Accountable Care. Spending on skin substitutes climbed to $7.7 billion through July, and is projected to reach as much as $15.4 billion by the end of 2025 -- 55% more than was spent in 2024, the groups said. (Firth, 10/27)

Bloomberg: Cigna Will End Drug Rebates In Many Private Health Plans
Cigna Group will eliminate prescription drug rebates in many of its commercial health plans in 2027, upending an opaque, controversial practice that’s drawn the ire of President Donald Trump. The insurer will expand the rebate-free model to clients of its pharmacy benefits business starting in 2028. The plan to eventually phase out rebates more broadly portends a seismic shift in the flow of billions of dollars among drugmakers, insurers and employers. (Tozzi, 10/27)

The Hill: Many Voters Say Health Care Unaffordable, Are Open To New Insurance System: Poll
New polling has found that the majority of voters say health care in the U.S. is unaffordable and are open to a health insurance system that doesn’t tie coverage to employment. Undue Medical Debt, a nonprofit that works to eliminate medical debt and supports policies to prevent new debt, sponsored the poll, which was led by the nonpartisan research firm PerryUndem. Along with a national survey, focus groups were also asked for their opinions on health care. (Choi, 10/27)

IMMIGRATION CRISIS

Politico: Another Shutdown Consequence: Democrats Can’t Visit ICE Detention Facilities
Federal immigration authorities say they no longer have to provide on-demand access to detention facilities for members of Congress. The reason? The government shutdown. Immigration and Customs Enforcement officials, who have been fighting a lawsuit brought by Democratic lawmakers over prior denied visit attempts, have informed lawmakers that they simply don’t have the staff or funding to support those visits. Lawmakers have previously been legally allowed to demand them as part of their oversight duties, which includes monitoring conditions and communicating with detainees facing deportation. (Cheney and Ward, 10/27)

The New York Times: Tear Gas Can Be Dangerous. The Rules On How To Use It Vary. 
The repeated use of tear gas by federal immigration officers in Chicago has renewed a debate about how chemical irritants should be used by law enforcement personnel. (Smith, 10/28)

MENTAL HEALTH

AP: Trump's Education Dept. Must Restore Mental Health Grants, Judge Rules
The Trump administration must release millions of dollars in grants meant to address the shortage of mental health workers in schools, a federal judge ruled Monday. Congress funded the mental health program after the 2022 school shooting in Uvalde, Texas. The grants were intended to help schools hire more counselors, psychologists and social workers, with a focus on rural and underserved areas of the country. But President Donald Trump’s administration opposed diversity considerations used to award the grants and told recipients they wouldn’t receive funding past December 2025. (10/28)

The Guardian: More Than A Million People Every Week Show Suicidal Intent When Chatting With ChatGPT, OpenAI Estimates
The finding, part of an update on how the chatbot handles sensitive conversations, is one of the most direct statements from the artificial intelligence giant on the scale of how AI can exacerbate mental health issues. (Robins-Early, 10/27)

MORE ON THE TRUMP ADMINISTRATION

Politico: House Republicans Urge Caution As HUD Proceeds With Homeless Housing Program Cuts
Congressional Republicans are pushing the Trump administration to renew grants for a program the White House has targeted for dramatic cuts that helps provide permanent housing to people experiencing homelessness, according to a draft letter obtained by POLITICO. The lawmakers warn that the substantive changes to the Department of Housing and Urban Development program “should be implemented carefully to avoid destabilizing programs that serve individuals with severe disabilities related to mental illness, chronic health conditions, or substance use disorders, as well as seniors with disabilities.” (Hapgood, 10/27)

CNN: Trump Administration Delays Release Of New Dietary Guidelines Amid Shutdown 
The Trump administration is delaying the release of new national dietary guidelines after the government shutdown disrupted efforts to finalize the overhaul by the end of October, officials said. (Cancryn and Owermohle, 10/27)

Axios: Pepsi, Kraft Team With Strategists To Fight Kennedy's Food Dye Plan
Big food companies are working with conservative strategists to build support for national standards that would preempt the state bans on dyes and additives that Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. is promoting. (Goldman, 10/28)

VACCINES

Bloomberg: Flu Vaccination Decline Raises Fears Of A Deadlier US Winter
Americans are heading into winter less protected against one of the season’s deadliest viruses, with flu vaccination rates forecast to fall more than 10% this year, according to CSL Ltd., the world’s second-biggest maker of the shots. CSL expects US vaccination rates for the 2025-2026 season to drop 12% overall and 14% among people ages 65 and older compared with last year, Chief Executive Officer Paul McKenzie told the company’s annual meeting in Melbourne on Tuesday, citing insurance-claims data. (Tong, 10/28)

The New York Times: Vaccine Skepticism Comes For Pet Owners, Too
Anti-vaccine sentiment is spilling over into veterinary medicine, making some owners hesitant to vaccinate their pets, even for fatal diseases like rabies. (Anthes and Rosenbluth, 10/27)

REPRODUCTIVE HEALTH

The Washington Post: U.S. Stillbirth Rates Higher Than Reported, With Black Families At More Risk
Despite advances in prenatal care, stillbirths in the United States are far more common than previously reported, with a significant number of them striking without warning. A sweeping analysis of nearly 2.8 million pregnancies finds that nearly 19,000 stillbirths occurred between 2016 and 2022, a rate higher than recorded in federal data. The study published Monday shows that nearly 30 percent of stillbirths occurred in pregnancies that did not appear linked to any previously identified health or clinical risks. (Malhi, 10/27)

AP: Wisconsin Planned Parenthood Resumes Offering Abortions After Pausing Them Due To Federal Law
Planned Parenthood of Wisconsin resumed scheduling abortions on Monday after a nearly monthlong pause due to federal Medicaid funding cuts in President Donald Trump’s tax and spending bill that took effect at the beginning of October. Planned Parenthood of Wisconsin said it was able to resume scheduling abortions as of noon on Monday because it no longer fits the definition of a “prohibited entity” under the new federal law that took effect this month and can receive Medicaid funds. (Bauer, 10/27)

CBS News: The Quiet Collapse Of America's Reproductive Health Safety Net
In late October, Maine Family Planning announced three rural clinics in northern Maine would close by month's end. These primary care and reproductive health clinics served about 800 patients, many uninsured or on Medicaid. "People don't realize how much these clinics hold together the local health system until they're gone," George Hill, the group's president and CEO, told CBS News. "For thousands of patients, that was their doctor, their lab, and their lifeline." (Gounder, 10/27)

HEALTH CARE INDUSTRY

Modern Healthcare: CVS Health To Close 16 Oak Street Health Clinics
CVS Health plans to close 16 Oak Street Health sites by the end of February due to financial challenges, including higher medical costs. The company, which is in the midst of a $2 billion cost-cutting strategy, said Monday it will continue to operate 230 centers across 27 states following the closures. “The move positions Oak Street Health for sustainable, long-term growth as we continue to navigate external challenges, such as elevated medical costs, [Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services] risk adjustment model changes, and health plan payer dynamics,” CVS Health said in a statement. (DeSilva, 10/27)

Mississippi Today: Leader Of Greenwood Hospital Says Dispute With Mississippi Medicaid Could Lead To Reduced Services
Greenwood Leflore Hospital, plagued by financial hardship for years, saw a bright spot this spring when it was selected for a new federal payment status. But a dispute with Mississippi Medicaid could jeopardize the Greenwood public hospital’s ability to keep services open if a resolution is not reached, its leader says. “Access to services will be reduced for residents of the central Delta region,” Interim CEO Gary Marchand told Mississippi Today. He said no decisions about service changes have been made yet. (Dilworth, 10/27)

PHARMA AND TECH

NPR: GLP-1 Drugs Are Making A Dent In The High Obesity Rate In The U.S.
The number of people using injectable obesity treatments is increasing rapidly, and it is leading to declines in obesity, according to a new survey by the Gallup National Health and Well-Being Index. The obesity rate dropped to 37% of U.S. adults this year, down from a high of 39.9% three years ago, according to the survey. (Noguchi, 10/28)

CIDRAP: Analysis Suggests Cigarette Butts Are A Vector For Antibiotic-Resistance Genes
A new study suggests cigarette butts are an "overlooked yet potent" vector for antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs), Chinese researchers reported today in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. For the study, scientists from the Chinese Academy of Sciences collected cigarette butts, plant litter, and soil from 105 urban green spaces and 35 cities across China and analyzed them for the presence of ARGs and bacterial pathogens using shotgun metagenomic sequencing. (Dall, 10/27)

STATE WATCH

CIDRAP: First West Nile Death Of 2025 Confirmed In LA County
The Los Angeles County Department of Public Health late last week confirmed the first West Nile Virus death of the year in a resident of San Fernando Valley, who was hospitalized and died from neurologic illness following a severe West Nile virus infection. This tragic loss reminds us how dangerous mosquito-borne diseases like West Nile virus and dengue can be,” said Muntu Davis, MD, MPH, Los Angeles County Health Officer in a press release. (Soucheray, 10/27)

CIDRAP: Measles Outbreak In South Carolina Grows; Canada’s Elimination Status Threatened
The Upstate South Carolina measles outbreak has grown by 2 more cases, raising the state total to 25. Health officials said both infections were linked to close contacts of known cases, who had been under quarantine at home following exposures at two schools with a high percentage of unvaccinated students. Of the state’s 25 cases, 22 have occurred as part of the Upstate outbreak. (Soucheray, 10/27)

LIFESTYLE AND HEALTH

CNN: Nighttime Light Exposure May Harm Heart Health 
Turning off the lights at night has long been known to support restful sleep, but new research suggests it may have another significant benefit. Sleeping in total darkness may lower the risk for cardiovascular disease, the top cause of death worldwide. (Rogers, 10/27)

ABC News: Women Reach Heart Health Goals With Less Exercise Than Men, New Study Suggests
Women may need less exercise than men to gain similar protection against coronary heart disease, according to a new study published in Nature Cardiovascular Research. The findings come from an observational study of more than 85,000 adults in the United Kingdom who were followed for about seven years. Researchers used data from a one-time “snapshot” — a weeklong period of wrist-worn fitness tracker measurements — to examine how physical activity relates to heart disease risk and death rates. The study found that women who got around four hours of moderate exercise each week lowered their risk of coronary heart disease by about 30%. (Mowdawalla, 10/27)

CLIMATE AND HEALTH

The Washington Post: Decade After Paris Accord, Only A Third Of Countries Submit Required Climate Update
Most of the nations that signed the Paris agreement a decade ago have failed to carry out one of the accord’s fundamental duties: submit new plans for reducing greenhouse gas emissions. So many have missed both the original and extended deadlines that a United Nations assessment released Tuesday could offer nothing more than a “limited” picture without “global-level conclusions” about the planet’s trajectory. (Harlan, 10/28)

The New York Times: Bill Gates Says Climate Change ‘Will Not Lead To Humanity’s Demise’ 
Bill Gates, the Microsoft co-founder who has spent billions of his own money to raise the alarm about the dangers of climate change, is now pushing back against what he calls a “doomsday outlook” and appears to have shifted his stance on the risks posed by a warming planet. In a lengthy memo released Tuesday, Mr. Gates sought to tamp down the alarmism he said many people use to describe the effects of rising temperatures. Instead, he called for redirecting efforts toward improving lives in the developing world. (Gelles, 10/28)