First Edition: Wednesday, March 26, 2025

KFF Health News: ‘I Am Going Through Hell’: Job Loss, Mental Health, And The Fate Of Federal Workers
The National Institutes of Health employee said she knew things would be difficult for federal workers after Donald Trump was elected. But she never imagined it would be like this. Focused on Alzheimer’s and other dementia research, the worker is among thousands who abruptly lost their jobs in the Trump administration’s federal workforce purge. The way she was terminated — in February through a boilerplate notice alleging poor performance, something she pointedly said was “not true” — made her feel she was “losing hope in humans.” (Pradhan and Pattani, 3/26)

KFF Health News: Montana Examines Ways To Ease Health Care Workforce Shortages
Mark Nay’s first client had lost the van she was living in and was struggling with substance use and medical conditions that had led to multiple emergency room visits. Nay helped her apply for Medicaid and food assistance and obtain copies of her birth certificate and other identification documents needed to apply for housing assistance. He also advocated for her in the housing process and in the health care system, helping her find a provider and get to appointments. (O'Connell, 3/26)

KFF Health News: Listen To The Latest 'KFF Health News Minute'
Jackie Fortiér reads this week’s news: Recent firings at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention could make it harder to control infectious disease outbreaks, and hoarding disorder can be especially dangerous for older people. Sam Whitehead reads this week’s news: Trump voters may favor government regulation to cut health care costs, and health workers are being trained on the law to deal with possible raids by Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers in health care settings. (3/25)

The New York Times: Senate Confirms Bhattacharya And Makary To H.H.S. Posts
The Senate on Tuesday confirmed Dr. Martin A. Makary as commissioner of the Food and Drug Administration and Dr. Jay Bhattacharya as director of the National Institutes of Health, installing two critics of the medical establishment to influential posts amid a Trump administration campaign to cut spending at health agencies. (Mueller, 3/25)

Modern Healthcare: Trump Taps Controversial GOP Aide For Chief HHS Watchdog
President Donald Trump's pick to be the top official investigating waste, fraud and abuse at the Health and Human Services Department has firsthand experience with improper payments at government agencies. Attorney March Bell, whom Trump nominated to be HHS inspector general on Monday, lost his job as deputy director of the Virginia Department of Environmental Quality in 1997 after an audit accused him of authorizing an improper payment to a former employee. Bell was senior adviser and chief of staff at the HHS Office for Civil Rights during Trump's first term. (Early, 3/25)

The Washington Post: Vaccine Skeptic Hired To Head Federal Study Of Immunizations And Autism
A vaccine skeptic who has long promoted false claims about the connection between immunizations and autism has been tapped by the federal government to conduct a critical study of possible links between the two, according to current and former federal health officials. The Department of Health and Human Services has hired David Geier to conduct the analysis, according to the officials, who spoke on the condition of anonymity for fear of retaliation. (Sun and Nirappil, 3/25)

Bloomberg: Measles Patient Took Amtrak From New York To DC, Officials Say
A measles patient traveled from New York to Washington, DC, on an Amtrak train on the evening of March 19, exposing people along the heavily traveled route to the highly infectious disease. DC health officials confirmed the positive case on Tuesday and are alerting people who may have been exposed to the infected person. Amtrak said in a statement it was also alerting passengers. The New York Department of Health confirmed that the person came from the state. (Nix, 3/25)

CBS News: 2 Measles Cases Confirmed In Western Pennsylvania
There are confirmed cases of measles on the western side of Pennsylvania. According to multiple reports, the Erie County Department of Health confirmed two cases. The Allegheny County Health Department says there haven't been any reported cases in the Pittsburgh area. County data says since 2016, there have been eight cases in the county. Most were in 2019 when there were seven cases. The other case was in 2018. (Hoffman, 3/25)

ABC News: Texas Measles Outbreak Grows To 327 Cases With 18 Confirmed Infections Over Last 5 Days: Officials
The measles outbreak in western Texas is continuing to grow with 18 cases confirmed over the last five days, bringing the total to 327 cases, according to new data published Tuesday. Nearly all of the cases are in unvaccinated individuals or in individuals whose vaccination status is unknown, according to the Texas Department of State Health Services (DSHS). At least 40 people have been hospitalized so far. Just two cases have occurred in people fully vaccinated with the measles, mumps, rubella (MMR) vaccine, according to the data. (Kekatos, 3/25)

The New York Times: For Some Measles Patients, Vitamin A Remedy Supported By RFK Jr. Leaves Them More Ill
Doctors in West Texas are seeing measles patients whose illnesses have been complicated by an alternative therapy endorsed by vaccine skeptics including Robert F. Kennedy Jr., the health secretary. ... One of those supplements is cod liver oil containing vitamin A, which Mr. Kennedy has promoted as a near miraculous cure for measles. Physicians at Covenant Children’s Hospital in Lubbock, Texas, say they’ve now treated a handful of unvaccinated children who were given so much vitamin A that they had signs of liver damage. (Rosenbluth, 3/25)

AP: 5 High-Level CDC Officials Are Leaving In The Latest Turmoil For The Public Health Agency
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention was rocked by five high-level departures on Tuesday in the latest turmoil for the nation’s top public health agency. The departures were announced at a meeting of agency senior leaders. The Atlanta-based CDC has two dozen centers and offices. The heads of five of them are stepping down, and that follows three other departures in recent weeks. This means close to a third of the agency’s top management is leaving or left recently. (Stobbe, 3/25)

NBC News: CDC Is Pulling Back $11B In Covid Funding Sent To Health Departments Across The U.S.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is pulling back $11.4 billion in funds allocated in response to the pandemic to state and community health departments, nongovernment organizations and international recipients, the Department of Health and Human Services confirmed Tuesday. "The COVID-19 pandemic is over, and HHS will no longer waste billions of taxpayer dollars responding to a non-existent pandemic that Americans moved on from years ago," HHS Director of Communications Andrew Nixon said in a statement. (Zadrozny, 3/25)

Modern Healthcare: CMS Ramping Up Price Transparency Rule Enforcement
The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services has taken more enforcement actions in the first two months against health systems for not complying with price transparency rules than in all of 2024, but the size of the penalties is dropping. CMS issued seven notices of monetary penalties during January and February, compared with three for all of 2024. In late February, President Donald Trump signed an executive order bolstering oversight of price transparency requirements that were enacted in 2021. (Broderick, 3/25)

Stat: Net Prices For Drugs Inched Up In The Fourth Quarter After Falling A Year Ago
The net prices that health plans paid for medicines — after subtracting rebates, discounts, and fees — rose a modest 0.4% in last year’s fourth quarter, but that compared unfavorably with a 3% decline in the same period a year earlier, according to the latest data from SSR Health, a research firm that tracks the pharmaceutical industry and its pricing trends. (Silverman, 3/25)

Military.Com: Veterans Fear Trump Administration Plans To Privatize VA Health Care
Over six decades, Mark Foreman has turned to the Department of Veterans Affairs to recover from the consequences of a bullet wound to the hip sustained fighting as a Marine in Vietnam. It took endlessly long, infectious days for him to get out of deep, cavernous mountains after getting shot, three weeks straight of surgeries in Japan, and years of medical care to try to move on from his wound. Foreman was only 20 when he suffered the injury that would end his military career, and he was discharged after two years of service in 1968. Ever since, the VA has been providing the medical care he needs, as well as helping with the cost of art school that led to a career as a teacher. (Wu, 3/25)

Modern Healthcare: FDA Warns Dexcom Over G6, G7 Continuous Glucose Monitor Testing
The Food and Drug Administration on Tuesday released a warning letter that it sent to medical device company Dexcom on March 4 citing quality issues at the facilities responsible for testing its G6 and G7 continuous glucose monitors. Agency investigators observed the violations, including inadequate process monitoring and test validation, when they inspected the company’s facilities in San Diego from Oct. 21 through Nov. 7, and Mesa, Arizona, June 10-14. (Dubinsky, 3/25)

Bloomberg: 23andMe Says Website ‘Delays’ Resolved After Users Rushed To Delete Data
23andMe Inc. said Tuesday that it experienced website delays, after a wave of customers sought to delete their genetic data before it can be sold through a planned bankruptcy auction. A company spokesperson said the site “experienced some issues and delays due to increased traffic” on Monday, in response to Bloomberg News questions about whether users were facing issues trying to close their accounts. Those problems have since been resolved, the spokesperson said, advising users to contact customer support if they continue to encounter trouble deleting their data. (Randles, 3/25)

CBS News: Vulture Carcasses From Confirmed Bird Flu Closes Portion Of Harford County Hiking Trail
Part of a hiking trail near Fisherman's Park in Harford County was shut down Tuesday after officials found dead vultures with confirmed bird flu. Constellation, the company that operates the Conowingo Dam, said the carcasses of black vultures were found on a property near Fisherman's Park. According to the company, the animals were tested for bird flu by the Maryland Department of Natural Resources (MDNR). (Moodee Lockman and Paul, 3/25)

CBS News: With Allergy Season Starting Earlier And Lasting Longer, Pittsburgh Doctors Share Their Tips
If it feels like you have to grab the antihistamines and nasal sprays earlier than in years past, you're correct. Data from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services says allergy season is starting earlier and lasting longer. The data shows that over the past three decades, pollen nationwide has been up 21%. It's not expected to go down anytime soon. The Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America says 1 in 4 adults and 1 in 5 children have seasonal allergies. (Hoffman, 3/25)

NPR: As Opposition To Fluoride Grows, Rural America Risks A New Surge Of Tooth Decay
In the wooded highlands of northern Arkansas, where small towns have few dentists, water officials who serve more than 20,000 people have for more than a decade openly defied state law by refusing to add fluoride to the drinking water. For its refusal, the Ozark Mountain Regional Public Water Authority has received hundreds of state fines amounting to about $130,000, which are stuffed in a cardboard box and left unpaid, said Andy Anderson, who is opposed to fluoridation and has led the water system for nearly two decades. (Kelman, 3/26)

ProPublica: TCE Is Highly Toxic. Republicans In Congress Want To Reverse A Ban On It
Although it was too late for him to benefit, Daniel Kinel felt relieved in December when the Environmental Protection Agency finally banned TCE. The compound, which has been used for dry cleaning, manufacturing and degreasing machines, can cause cancer, organ damage and a potentially fatal heart defect in babies, according to independent studies and the EPA. It has also been shown to greatly increase people’s chances of developing Parkinson’s disease. Kinel and three of his colleagues were diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease. They all worked in a law office in Rochester, New York, that sat next to a dry cleaner that had dumped TCE into the soil. (Lerner and Song, 3/26)

MedPage Today: Surprising Findings From New Research About Dementia And Marriage
Unmarried people had a lower risk of dementia than those who were married, data from an 18-year cohort study of 24,000 older adults suggested. ... All unmarried groups also had a lower risk of progression from mild cognitive impairment to dementia, the researchers wrote in Alzheimer's & Dementia. Findings were similar for men and women and were significant for Alzheimer's disease and Lewy body dementia. (George, 3/25)

The Washington Post: ‘Short Burst’ Of Stair Climbing Can Improve Leg Strength In Older Adults
Climbing stairs as fast as possible could be an effective way for older adults to strengthen their legs, a study suggests. It builds on past research showing that a staircase can be an effective source of exercise. Researchers in Belgium randomly assigned 46 healthy adults, ages 65 to 80, to either a leg-press machine workout or a stair-climbing exercise. The study showed that both the machine workout and climbing two flights of stairs a few times twice a week for 12 weeks led to gains in muscle power and functionality. (Amenabar, 3/25)

CBS News: Nearly One-Third Of Americans Diagnosed With Sleep Apnea Are Not Currently Being Treated, Study Shows
New research from the National Sleep Foundation finds that nearly 90% of Americans said sleep apnea is a serious condition, but nearly one-third diagnosed are not currently being treated. "You're at increased risk for cardiovascular events, metabolic disorders, cognitive dysfunction, emotional and mental health problems," said Joseph Dzierzewski, senior vice president of Research & Scientific Affairs at the National Sleep Foundation. (Stahl, 3/25)

MedPage Today: Nerve-Sparing Technique During Prostatectomy Helps Preserve Erectile Function
A nerve-sparing technique to guide robot-assisted radical prostatectomy (RARP) for prostate cancer eased the surgery's negative effects on erectile function, a phase III study showed. (Bassett, 3/25)

Becker's Hospital Review: MD Anderson, UT Austin Partner To Accelerate Cancer Research
Houston-based University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center and the University of Texas at Austin have launched a partnership in support of research projects designed to improve cancer prevention, diagnosis, treatment and survival. The partnership will function under a joint initiative called the Collaborative Accelerator for Transformative Research Endeavors, according to a March 25 news release from MD Anderson. (Gregerson, 3/25)

Modern Healthcare: 9/11 Cancer Patients Say Mayo Clinic Cut Off Their Treatment
The Mayo Clinic is exiting a federal program that covers medical care for people sickened from the Sept. 11, 2001, terror attacks, according to two patients and an organization that advocates for 9/11 responders and survivors. The cancer patients had been getting treatment at the Mayo Clinic in Phoenix and Scottsdale, Arizona, for years through the World Trade Center Health Program, which pays providers to treat people who contracted cancer, respiratory illnesses, injuries and other ailments during or in the aftermath of the 9/11 attacks in New York, Virginia and Pennsylvania. (McAuliff, 3/25)

Crain's Chicago Business: Walgreens Settles Illinois Medicaid Fraud Lawsuit
Walgreens Boots Alliance will pay $5 million to settle allegations that it violated U.S. and Illinois false claims statutes by improperly billing Medicaid and Medicare. The settlement, disclosed in court filings yesterday, marks the end of the dispute, which began 11 years ago when two whistleblowers claimed Walgreens’ practices violated statutes. (Davis, 3/25)

Modern Healthcare: ACOs In Shared Savings Program Wary As CMS Halts Pay Models
Accountable care organizations and healthcare providers are closely watching for changes to Medicare’s permanent value-based payment program as the Trump administration begins putting its stamp on Medicare policy. Weeks into President Donald Trump's second term, stakeholders are assessing whether the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services is committed to the Medicare Shared Savings Program or if the agency will heed calls from conservatives to scrap or diminish the ACO initiative, which the Heritage Foundation's Project 2025 playbook for the administration says should be terminated. (Early, 3/25)

Modern Healthcare: Ambient Scribes Need More Research To Prove ROI: Peterson Health
The verdict is still out on one of the most popular early use cases of artificial intelligence in healthcare. A report published Tuesday from digital health research group Peterson Health Technology Institute found many claims by ambient AI vendors need additional research. Peterson's researchers, who spoke to around 60 providers, industry experts and vendors for the report, said while there are benefits of the technology in reducing physicians' cognitive load, some vendor claims may be overstated. (Turner, 3/25)

Modern Healthcare: Navina Lands $55M From Goldman Sachs
Navina, a clinical intelligence company, closed a $55 million Series C funding round. The round was led by a division of investment bank Goldman Sachs. Other investors in the round included venture capital firms Vertex Ventures Israel, Grove Ventures and Alive Israel HealthTech Fund. The New York City-based company develops artificial intelligence tools to help providers with chart reviews, risk adjustments and data processing. Navina said in a news release it will use the capital to help the company scale. (Turner, 3/25)

Modern Healthcare: How Easing State Oversight Spurred A Construction 'Arms Race'
Healthcare construction has ramped up in states that repealed or narrowed certificate of need laws. Health systems have built an increasing number of inpatient and outpatient facilities in states such as Florida and South Carolina that significantly limited the scope of certificate of need laws. More states are expected to follow suit, spurring building booms and increasing competition. (Kacik, 3/25)

The New York Times: A ‘Life-Changing’ Child Care Program In New York Could Soon Collapse 
For tens of thousands of New York City families, vouchers for free or discounted child care from the city’s Administration for Children’s Services have offered a lifeline as the cost of day care for infants and toddlers has skyrocketed. Those vouchers could start disappearing in a matter of weeks unless lawmakers in Albany act quickly to fund the program before an impending budget deadline. (McFadden, 3/24)

CBS News: Florida Lawmakers Target AI In Insurance Claim Denials
A Florida Senate committee has approved a bill that would prevent insurers from using artificial intelligence as the sole basis for denying claims, with the proposal saying decisions should be made by a "qualified human professional," The Senate Banking and Insurance Committee unanimously backed the proposal, which comes as other states also have looked at the use of artificial intelligence in insurance decisions. (3/25)

San Francisco Chronicle: Mayor Daniel Lurie Just Overhauled S.F.’s Street Crisis Teams
Mayor Daniel Lurie is overhauling San Francisco’s street outreach teams in an attempt to better coordinate the city’s response to people in crisis on the streets. Lurie on Tuesday announced that his administration is consolidating a disparate network of city-funded teams that try to help with people who are unhoused or struggling with addiction or mental illness. Instead of nine groups under different departments and using different approaches, San Francisco will now have five “tightly knit, neighborhood-based units,” plus a sixth roving citywide team, Lurie said at a news conference. (Morris, 3/25)

MedPage Today: Hospital Slammed For Not Telling Families About Patients' Deaths
Mercy San Juan Medical Center has for years transported numerous deceased patients to an off-site morgue without notifying next-of-kin, leaving anguished families searching for loved ones who seemed to just disappear. That's according to accusations in three California statements of deficiencies filed in the last 3 years. Investigators found the hospital failed to meet requirements for completing patients' death certificates within 15 hours, making sufficient attempts to notify family, and writing discharge summaries within 14 days. (Clark, 3/25)

AP: Kentucky Governor Vetoes GOP Abortion Bill, Says It Undermines Doctors And Endangers Pregnant Women
A Republican-backed bill touted as an attempt to bring clarity to Kentucky’s near-total abortion ban was vetoed Tuesday by Democratic Gov. Andy Beshear, who said it would do the opposite by undermining the judgment of doctors while further imperiling the lives of pregnant women in emergency situations. Beshear, an abortion-rights supporter who is seen as a potential candidate for the White House in 2028, followed the advice of abortion-rights supporters who urged the governor to reject the measure. (Schreiner, 3/26)

The CT Mirror: CT Weighs Telehealth Protections For Abortion, Gender-Affirming Care
A Connecticut legislative committee heard public testimony Monday on a bill that would expand the state’s existing “shield law,” which provides statutory protections for providers of abortion and gender-affirming care. (Golvala, 3/25)