First Edition: Wednesday, May 28, 2025

KFF HEALTH NEWS ORIGINAL STORIES

KFF Health News: Silence On E. Coli Outbreak Highlights How Trump Team’s Changes Undermine Food Safety
Colton George felt sick. The 9-year-old Indiana boy told his parents his stomach hurt. He kept running to the bathroom and felt too ill to finish a basketball game. Days later, he lay in a hospital bed, fighting for his life. He had eaten tainted salad, according to a lawsuit against the lettuce grower filed by his parents on April 17 in federal court for the Southern District of Indiana. The E. coli bacteria that ravaged Colton’s kidneys was a genetic match to the strain that killed one person and sickened nearly 90 people in 15 states last fall. Federal health agencies investigated the cases and linked them to a farm that grew romaine lettuce. (Armour, 5/28)

KFF Health News: In Arizona County That Backed Trump, Conflicted Feelings About Cutting Medicaid
Like many residents of this copper-mining town in the mountains east of Phoenix, Debbie Cox knows plenty of people on Medicaid. Cox, who is a property manager at a real estate company in Globe, has tenants who rely on the safety-net program. And at the domestic violence shelter where she volunteers as president of the board, Cox said, staff always look to enroll women and their children if they can. (Levey, 5/28)

KFF Health News: Listen To The Latest 'KFF Health News Minute'
Zach Dyer reads this week’s news: Federal funding cuts are gutting HIV prevention programs, and financial pressures are leading to the closure of clinics that provide abortion care even in states where it’s legal. Sam Whitehead reads this week’s news: Using “elderspeak” with seniors can be harmful, and independent pharmacists worry tariffs could force them to close. (5/27)

OUTBREAKS AND HEALTH THREATS

CIDRAP: Iowa, Nebraska Announce First Measles Cases
Though measles activity continues to decline in a large outbreak centered in West Texas, other states continue to report a small but steady stream of infections, including the first detections of the year from Iowa and Nebraska. Also, other states added new cases to their totals, including North Dakota, Kansas, and Virginia. (Schnirring, 5/27)

ABC News: Measles Cases Seem To Be Slowing Down In The US. What's Behind It?
About a month ago, the rate of new measles cases was accelerating at a seemingly unprecedented rate with more than 100 infections being confirmed every week. However, over the last couple of weeks, the rate of newly confirmed cases appears to be slowing. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) confirmed an average of 22 weekly cases over the last two weeks. Even in western Texas, which had been driving most new cases in the U.S., about 11 cases have been confirmed since May 23. (Kekatos, 5/27)

CIDRAP: Routine Rubella Vaccination In 19 Countries Could Avert 1 Million Cases By 2055, Data Suggest
A modeling study of vaccination in the 19 low- and middle-income countries that have not introduced rubella-containing vaccines (RCVs) estimates that rolling out these vaccines could prevent 986,000 cases of congenital rubella syndrome (CRS) in the next 30 years. As of 2023, 175 of the 194 World Health Organization (WHO) member countries (90%) had included an RCV in their routine immunization programs. In 2024, the WHO recommended universal RCV for the remaining 19 countries, which saw an estimated 28,000 CRS cases—78% of all cases worldwide—in 2023 alone. (Van Beusekom, 5/27)

REPRODUCTIVE HEALTH

AP: Abortions Canceled Again In Missouri After Ruling From State Supreme Court
Planned Parenthood halted abortions in Missouri on Tuesday after the state’s top court ordered new rulings in the tumultuous legal saga over a ban that voters struck down last November. The state’s top court ruled that a district judge applied the wrong standard in rulings in December and February that allowed abortions to resume in the state. Nearly all abortions were halted under a ban that took effect after the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade in 2022. In Tuesday’s two-page ruling, the court ordered Judge Jerri Zhang to vacate her earlier orders and reevaluate the case using the standards the court laid out. (Lieb, Fingerhut and Mulvihill, 5/27)

The 19th: A Texas Bill To Block Abortion Pills Has Died For Now 
A major Texas bill that was poised to offer a blueprint for abortion restrictions has likely died in the state legislature. (Luthra, 5/27)

The CT Mirror: CT Lawmakers Ensure Contraceptive, Pregnancy Care For Minors
Connecticut lawmakers on Tuesday gave full passage to House Bill 7213, a proposal to codify into state law a guarantee that minors in Connecticut may receive contraceptive and pregnancy-related care without permission from their parents. (Golvala, 5/27)

AP: Her Miscarriage Showed The Limits Of California’s Abortion Protections. Where You Live Matters
Anna Nusslock never wanted to be the face of a new kind of reproductive rights battle in California, but when a small Catholic hospital refused to provide an abortion that would end her miscarriage, Nusslock girded herself for a long and difficult conflict. Nusslock felt her civil rights were being violated, she said, even as she lay in the hospital bed curled in on herself, bleeding and mourning the loss of her twin girls. The doctor had said that her pregnancy needed to be terminated immediately to protect her from infection and other serious complications but hospital policy prohibited it, according to two lawsuits filed by Nusslock and California Attorney General Rob Bonta. (Hwang, 5/27)

CBS News: Pregnant Mothers With Lupus Face Risks But Have Better Outlooks Than Ever Before, Doctor Says
Kiana Cornejo has been living with lupus since she was just 11 years old — and after an unplanned pregnancy, she learned the challenges of having the autoimmune disease while expecting her first child. ... Lupus can affect many parts of the body, with a range of symptoms that can include fever, rashes, hair loss, joint pain, swelling and sensitivity to sunlight. According to the Lupus Foundation of America, while its exact cause is not known, scientists believe lupus occurs due to a combination of genes, hormones and environmental factors. The organization says 9 out of 10 people with lupus are women. (Moniuszko, Carullo and Blackburn, 5/27)

CBS News: Moms In The U.S. Report Large Decline In Mental Health In Recent Years, Study Finds
Only about a fourth of moms in the United States say they have "excellent" physical and mental health, according to a new study. The study, published Tuesday in JAMA Internal Medicine, looked at 198, 417 mothers with children age 17 and under, finding large declines in self-reported maternal mental health and small declines in physical health from 2016 to 2023. The health outcomes were measured on a four-point scale, including excellent, very good, good and fair/poor. (Moniuszko, 5/27)

ON CAPITOL HILL

FiercePharma: CDC Pulls COVID Vaccine Recommendation For Pregnant Women, Healthy Children: RFK Jr.
Just a week after the FDA updated its stance on new COVID-19 vaccine approvals, U.S. recommendations around the use of existing COVID shots are changing. As of Tuesday, COVID vaccines are no longer on the list of immunizations recommended by the CDC for pregnant women and "healthy" children, HHS secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. announced in a video posted on his X account on Tuesday. (Becker, 5/27)

The Hill: US And Argentina Launch Alternative Health Body To WHO
The top health authorities of the U.S. and Argentina are launching what they call an “alternative international health system” separate from the World Health Organization (WHO). On the first day of his second term, President Trump signed an executive starting the yearlong process of withdrawing the U.S. from the WHO. In February, Argentinian President Javier Milei followed suit. (Choi, 5/27)

The Hill: 'Big, Beautiful Bill' Raises Concerns For Millions Of Americans
Much of the savings in the legislation come from Medicaid. The bill would cut nearly $800 billion from the program through a combination of provisions including work requirements on “able-bodied adults” through age 64 without dependents, a freeze on provider taxes, more frequent checks of people’s eligibility, and reducing federal Medicaid payments to states that provide health care coverage for migrants without legal status. (Lane, Folley, Weixel and Frazin, 5/27)

The Washington Post: One Of The Biggest Trump Administration Personnel Cuts Almost Went Unnoticed
When Florenzo Cribbs walked into the Perry Family Free Clinic each week in Madison, Wisconsin, Parker Kuehni and his colleagues erupted in applause. It is a tradition there. Every patient who shows up is cheered for keeping their appointment. Kuehni, a 25-year-old AmeriCorps member, scheduled Cribbs’s medical, dental and mental health visits, prepped his exam room, took his health history and handed him off to the clinic’s volunteer doctors. He also greeted Cribbs, asked about his week and talked with him in the waiting room, before seeing him out. He followed up later with resources for food, housing or insurance. (Malhi, 5/27)

Politico: RFK Jr. Threatens To Bar Government Scientists From Publishing In Leading Medical Journals
HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. threatened to stop government scientists from publishing their work in major medical journals on a podcast Tuesday as part of his escalating war on institutions he says are influenced by pharmaceutical companies. Speaking on the “Ultimate Human” podcast, Kennedy said the New England Journal of Medicine, the Journal of the American Medical Association and The Lancet, three of the most influential medical journals in the world, were “corrupt” and publish studies funded and approved by pharmaceutical companies. (Cirruzzo, 5/27)

Bloomberg: RFK Jr. Draws Ire For Tobacco Cuts Amid War On Chronic Disease
Recent cutbacks at the Department of Health and Human Services will hurt, or even reverse, decades of progress in reducing the use of addictive tobacco products, more than 80 public health organizations and advocacy groups warned in a letter to Robert F. Kennedy Jr. ... In the letter, the group said the agencies are already stretched thin, and further layoffs would derail efforts to remove unauthorized products and hold tobacco companies accountable. (Rutherford, 5/27)

PUBLIC HEALTH

Bloomberg: Skittles Removes Titanium Dioxide, Additive Targeted By RFK Jr.
Mars Inc.’s Skittles candies are no longer being made with titanium dioxide, a chemical that whitens foods, brightens colors and makes candy appear shiny, the company confirmed to Bloomberg News. The additive was banned in the European Union in 2022 over concerns that nanoparticles of the substance might accumulate in the body and damage DNA. It has also come under scrutiny by the Department of Health and Human Services in recent months under Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. (Shanker and Kubzansky, 5/27)

The Hill: Can Type 2 Diabetes Be Reversed?
Type 2 diabetes is preventable, but is it reversible? Doctors say yes. Studies have shown that, with diet and exercise changes, some people may be able to return to normal blood sugar levels without medication, entering remission. “The best way to reverse type 2 diabetes is to decrease your body’s resistance to the actions of the insulin made by the pancreas,” said Dr. Patricia Peter, an assistant professor of medicine at the Yale School of Medicine, in a news release. “For most people, this means trying to attain a healthy weight, exercising regularly, and minimizing sugars and excessive carbohydrates in your diet,” Peter added. (Soriano, 5/27)

AP: Get Ready For Several Years Of Killer Heat, Top Weather Forecasters Warn
Get ready for several years of even more record-breaking heat that pushes Earth to more deadly, fiery and uncomfortable extremes, two of the world’s top weather agencies forecast. There’s an 80% chance the world will break another annual temperature record in the next five years, and it’s even more probable that the world will again exceed the international temperature threshold set 10 years ago, according to a five-year forecast released Wednesday by the World Meteorological Organization and the U.K. Meteorological Office. (Borenstein, 5/28)

PHARMA AND TECH

Modern Healthcare: Augmented Reality Headsets Offer Alternative To Robotic Systems
Major health systems are turning to augmented reality headsets to make surgery more efficient and more precise while reducing costs. The headsets could eliminate the need for operating room monitors, 3D-printed anatomical models, surgical navigation systems and robotic systems, resulting in significant cost savings. Although surgeons are optimistic about the technology's future, health systems are likely not ready to alter their purchasing plans, as further procedures and studies on efficacy are needed. (Dubinsky, 5/27)

Modern Healthcare: AI-Enabled RCM Tools Speed Up Billing For Sentara, Oregon Health
Healthcare providers are leaning into artificial intelligence to get paid faster by insurers. Investments into AI for revenue cycle management have picked up as algorithms become more adept at coding, managing prior authorization, appealing claims denials and verifying insurance eligibility. Major tech vendors such as Epic, Salesforce and Waystar offer tools and Optum, a division of UnitedHealth Group, unveiled a revenue cycle management platform enabled by AI for providers earlier this month. (Perna, 5/27)

Modern Healthcare: Connected Care Barriers Divide Providers, Medtech Executives
Medtech leaders misunderstand the main barriers providers face in adopting connected care devices such as robotic surgery systems, imaging machines and bed sensors, according to a new survey. Executives at medtech companies said a lack of interoperability with electronic health records and concerns over data privacy and security were key challenges for providers, according to the survey by the Deloitte Center for Health Solutions. Providers, meanwhile, said proving end-user value and budget constraints were the primary obstacles. Both groups said integrating connected care technologies with existing workflows was a major difficulty. (Dubinsky and Broderick, 5/27)

SCIENCE AND INNOVATIONS

MedPage Today: Autism Tied To Early-Onset Parkinson's Disease
People with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) had a higher risk of developing Parkinson's disease early in life, a nationwide population-based study in Sweden showed. After controlling for birth year, age, and sex, the risk of Parkinson's disease was four times higher in people with versus without autism (relative risk [RR] 4.43, 95% CI 2.92-6.72), reported Weiyao Yin, MD, PhD, of the Karolinska Institute in Stockholm, and co-authors, in JAMA Neurology. (George, 5/27)

CIDRAP: Oral Antivirals May Cut Risk Of Poor Outcomes In High-Risk Patients Infected With COVID JN.1
Oral antiviral drugs significantly lowered the risk of adverse outcomes in high-risk COVID-19 patients during the Omicron JN.1 subvariant wave in the United States, concludes a new study published in Pneumonia. JN.1 first emerged in August 2023, was dominant by early 2024, and is still circulating widely today. (Van Beusekom, 5/27)

NBC News: What Supplements To Be Wary Of As Drug-Induced Liver Injuries Rise In The U.S.
The liver is responsible for more than 500 functions in the human body, including filtering harmful substances from the blood. Some people’s livers metabolize toxins more slowly than others, but too much of certain drugs can overwhelm even the healthiest liver. When taken in excess, acetaminophen, for example, the active ingredient in Tylenol, is among the most common causes of drug-induced liver injury, also called toxic hepatitis. Pharmaceutical products aren’t solely the cause. Herbal and dietary supplements are causing liver damage with mounting prevalence. (Leake, Kopf and Ikeda, 5/27)

NBC News: As Costs Of Weight Loss Drugs Like Wegovy And Zepbound Go Down, How Low Can Prices Go?
The price of weight loss drugs is falling. Wegovy and Zepbound, which both sell for a list price of more than $1,000 a month, have long been out of reach for people without insurance or whose insurance refused to cover them. Among adults who take the medications, about half say it’s difficult to afford the cost, according to a May 2024 survey by the health policy group KFF. (Lovelace Jr., 5/27)

HEALTH CARE INDUSTRY

Modern Healthcare: PeaceHealth Layoffs To Affect 1% Of Staff
PeaceHealth, a regional health system spanning Washington, Oregon and Alaska, said Tuesday it plans to reduce its workforce by 1% and is implementing a hiring freeze through the end of 2025. A spokesperson said filled and vacant positions would be affected by the cuts. The system has 16,000 employees. The exact number of positions affected was not disclosed, and when cuts would go into effect will vary by role, the spokesperson said. The hiring freeze will not affect clinical or patient-facing roles. (DeSilva, 5/27)

Modern Healthcare: CarePoint Health Bankruptcy Launches Hudson Regional Health
CarePoint Health Systems' merger with Hudson Regional Hospital is complete after CarePoint launched its plan to exit Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection. The bankruptcy plan, which paved the way for the merger creating the four-hospital system Hudson Regional Health, became effective on May 22. According to a Tuesday news release, Hudson Regional provided more than $120 million in funding to CarePoint to support its exit from bankruptcy. CarePoint originally filed for bankruptcy in November. (DeSilva, 5/27)

Modern Healthcare: Fairview's James Hereford Boosts Revenue With Specialty Pharmacy
Fairview Health Services is looking to specialty pharmacy revenue and 340B drug discount savings to soften the blow of potential federal funding cuts. James Hereford, president and CEO of the Minneapolis-based system, said Fairview’s diversified revenue streams have shored up the organization’s finances. Specialty pharmacy revenue has been a key part of the 10-hospital system’s growth, leading to the November launch of Fairview Pharmacy Solutions. (Kacik, 5/27)

STATE WATCH

The Texas Tribune: Texas Set To Expand Medical Marijuana Program Eligibility
The Texas Senate advanced a bill Tuesday that will expand the conditions eligible for the state’s medical marijuana program, including chronic pain and Crohn’s disease, and allow for vaporized and aerosol products to be sold by prescription. (Simpson, 5/27)

The Texas Tribune: Texas Lawmakers Say State Documents Must List Biological Sex 
In the middle of the night, the Texas Senate approved a bill strictly defining man and woman based on reproductive organs on a 20-11 party line vote. The bill has already passed the House and will go now to the governor’s desk. (Klibanoff, 5/28)

Chicago Tribune: UChicago Medicine Patient Information Potentially Exposed
The personal information of about 38,000 patients of a UChicago Medicine medical group may have been exposed in a cybersecurity incident involving one of the group’s vendors. UCM Medical Group said in a news release that one of its vendors — debt collection agency Nationwide Recovery Service — notified the group that in July an unauthorized person accessed the company’s systems. The person obtained information from certain files and folders, according to the news release. (Schencker, 5/27)

AP: Boil Water Advisory Issued For Richmond, Virginia
Officials issued a boil-water advisory Tuesday in parts of Virginia’s capital city, leaving many residents without drinkable tap water following an operational issue at the city’s water treatment plant for the second time this year. Richmond officials said that the city’s water treatment plant experienced an operational hiccup as poorer-quality water flowed through the facility and clogged the plant’s filters. In the morning, the water system had been restored to full production, but reclogged roughly an hour later. (5/27)