First Edition: Wednesday, May 7, 2025

KFF HEALTH NEWS ORIGINAL STORIES

KFF Health News: As Republicans Eye Sweeping Medicaid Cuts, Missouri Offers A Preview
The prospect of sweeping federal cuts to Medicaid is alarming to some Missourians who remember the last time the public medical insurance program for those with low incomes or disabilities was pressed for cash in the state. In 2005, Missouri adopted some of the strictest eligibility standards in the nation, reduced benefits, and increased patients’ copayments for the joint federal-state program due to state budget shortfalls totaling about $2.4 billion over several prior years. (Sable-Smith, 5/7)

KFF Health News: Trump Policies At Odds With ‘Make America Healthy Again’ Push
In his March address to Congress, President Donald Trump honored a Texas boy diagnosed with brain cancer. Amid bipartisan applause, he vowed to drive down childhood cancer rates through his “Make America Healthy Again” initiative. A few days later, the administration quietly dropped a lawsuit to cut emissions from a Louisiana chemical plant linked to cancer. (Armour, 5/7)

KFF Health News: Watch: How The FDA Opens The Door To Risky Chemicals In America's Food Supply
To a great extent, the FDA leaves it to food companies to determine whether their ingredients and additives are safe. Some chemicals and additives are tied to health risks while others are absent from product labels. Watch this video explainer to learn more. (Hilzenrath, Norman and Zenda, 5/7)

KFF Health News: Listen To The Latest 'KFF Health News Minute'
Katheryn Houghton delivers the week’s news: A new survey finds that more Americans are hearing false claims about measles and the vaccine that prevents it, and changes to federal health funding have advocates worried the White House is deprioritizing fighting addiction. (Dall, 5/6)

CDC AND FDA

NBC News: Trump Administration Has Shut Down CDC's Infection Control Committee
The Trump administration has terminated a federal advisory committee that issued guidance about preventing the spread of infections in health care facilities. The Healthcare Infection Control Practices Advisory Committee (HICPAC) crafted national standards for hand-washing, mask-wearing and isolating sick patients that most U.S. hospitals follow. Four committee members said the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention delivered the news about HICPAC’s termination to members Friday. (Bendix, 5/7)

MedPage Today: Vinay Prasad, Critic Of COVID Measures, Picked As FDA's Top Vaccine Official
Vinay Prasad, MD, MPH, a frequent critic of the FDA and COVID-19 lockdowns and vaccination policies, will be the next director of FDA's Center for Biologics Evaluation and Research (CBER), the center that oversees vaccine approvals. FDA Commissioner Marty Makary, MD, MPH, announced the selection Tuesday on X, saying Prasad "brings the kind of scientific rigor, independence, and transparency we need at CBER." (Clark, 5/6)

Stat: Vinay Prasad In His Own Words: How He Might Exert Influence At The FDA
People seeking roles in government are often careful about what they say in public, or at least somewhat hesitant to freely share their opinions. It’s difficult to know exactly what’s going on in their heads. Not Vinay Prasad. The new top regulator of vaccines and gene therapies at the Food and Drug Administration has never shied away from speaking his mind — whether in academic papers, on social media, or on a diary-esque Substack called “Vinay Prasad’s Observations and Thoughts.” (Lawrence, Herper, Branswell, Chen, Mast, Silverman, Feuerstein and Tracer, 5/6)

Bloomberg: Top FDA Inspector Michael Rogers Asks Staff To ‘Persevere’ In Resignation Note
The US Food and Drug Administration’s top inspection official asked colleagues to persevere in a resignation letter Monday, amid efforts by President Donald Trump’s administration to squeeze more work out of the agency as it cuts staff. “Persevere through challenges and adversity, and use your strengths and versatility to support each other as the frontline of the FDA,” Associate Commissioner for Inspections and Investigations Michael Rogers wrote to colleagues, according to a copy of the email seen by Bloomberg News. (Edney, 5/6)

Politico: FDA Names First-Ever AI Chief
Jeremy Walsh is now heading up artificial intelligence and information technology in a newly created position at the FDA. He announced the move on LinkedIn. Walsh comes from the government contractor Booz Allen Hamilton, where he worked for 14 years and was chief technologist, building out cloud networks and data analytics systems for the agencies the firm works with, Ruth reports. ... This is the first time the FDA has appointed a chief AI officer. Former chief information officer Vid Desai managed IT for the agency. (Lim, 5/6)

CBS News: HHS Revokes Some Layoff Notices, Including To 9/11 Program
The Department of Health and Human Services formally revoked some layoff notices on Tuesday, multiple federal health officials told CBS News, restoring some staff at the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the Food and Drug Administration. Tuesday's letters to laid-off workers notifying them that their employment was being restored went a step further from some previous reinstatements touted by department officials, which often amounted only to a request for civil servants to continue working for a few more weeks to wind down or prepare to hand off their assignments. (Tin, 5/6)

MORE FROM THE TRUMP ADMINISTRATION

Newsweek: U.S. Mortality Rate Compared To Europe As Dr. Oz Blames Health Care
Dr. Mehmet Oz, administrator for the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, said Tuesday that U.S. health care has dropped in quality but increased in expense compared to other developed countries, notably in Europe. Oz, the celebrity heart surgeon and former talk show host, was confirmed in April by the U.S. Senate to oversee health care access for nearly half the U.S. population—helming a $1.4 trillion budget that exceeds the Department of Defense and administers Medicare for seniors, people with disabilities, and survivors, as well as Medicaid, which serves low-income Americans. (Mordowanec, 5/6)

The Washington Post: As RFK Jr. Pledges Food Victories, He Faces The Realities Of Governing
Robert F. Kennedy Jr. took the stage inside his massive health department recently and declared artificial food colorings would soon be phased out of the U.S. food supply, drawing cheers from supporters holding signs reading “MAHA Moms” and “Better Food, Brighter Futures.” The Department of Health and Human Services had reached an “understanding” with the powerful food industry, said Kennedy, the nation’s top health official, to voluntarily remove six synthetic dyes by the end of 2026. (Roubein and Weber, 5/6)

Politico: Nuclear Radiation Survivors See Hope In MAHA
Victims of radiation exposure are putting their hopes in the Trump administration to push through a long-stalled $60 billion bill to compensate people sickened by nuclear waste. Despite President Donald Trump’s efforts to gut environmental and public health regulations and agencies, the bill’s supporters are encouraged by the administration’s “Make America Healthy Again” initiative, writes Andres Picon. (Skibell, 5/6)

AP: UNAIDS To Slash Workforce By More Than Half As Funding By US And Other Big Donors Disappears
The U.N. agency that fights HIV plans to slash its workforce by more than half and move many posts to cheaper locations as a result of drastic funding cuts from longtime donors in the United States, Asia and Europe, the agency and staffers told The Associated Press on Tuesday. UNAIDS said “the overall global AIDS response is facing a severe shock and many of the gains made in the past few decades are at risk of being reversed.” (Keaten, 5/6)

ON CAPITOL HILL

Roll Call: House GOP Drops Some Medicaid Cuts From Reconciliation Plan
Republicans will have to come up with alternative savings to make up for hundreds of billions of dollars in potential Medicaid cuts that GOP leaders appeared to rule out after meeting with moderates in Speaker Mike Johnson’s office Tuesday evening. Johnson, R-La., said leadership had ruled out two Medicaid policies that could go a long way toward meeting the Energy and Commerce Committee’s $880 billion, 10-year savings target but faced strong pushback from blue-state GOP centrists. (Hellmann, Raman and Bridges, 5/6)

Modern Healthcare: Medicaid Cuts In Budget Bill Could Be Delayed To July
House Republicans may miss their self-imposed deadline to advance legislation that extends tax cuts from President Donald Trump's first term and takes up to $880 billion out of Medicaid, Rep. Buddy Carter (R-La.) said at the American Hospital Association annual membership meeting in Washington on Tuesday. Carter, who chairs the Energy and Commerce Committee's Health Subcommittee, said lawmakers are not on track to finish the sweeping bill before Memorial Day as House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) intended. The House is scheduled to recess from May 26-June 2. (McAuliff, 5/6)

Military.com: VA Secretary Defends Staffing Cuts, Contract Cancellations In Heated Senate Hearing
Secretary Doug Collins defended his efforts to restructure the Department of Veterans Affairs, describing a broken bureaucracy badly in need of reform, in his first appearance before Congress since his confirmation hearing in January. Members of the Senate Veterans Affairs Committee largely agreed that the VA needs improvement, but Democrats expressed fury over how Collins is handling the reforms, saying he has not given them the necessary details on issues such as staffing cuts, contract cancellations, workplace accommodations and more. (Kime, 5/6)

Axios: Senators Say HHS Cuts Imperil Indian Health Services
A bipartisan group of senators warned Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. on Tuesday that cuts to the federal health care workforce are threatening Native Americans and other beneficiaries of Indian Health Services care. (Goldman, 5/7)

AP: Congress Sends Trump A Resolution Ending Biden-Era Emissions Cleanup Rule
Congress has voted to kill a Biden-era rule requiring rubber tire makers to clean up planet-warming emissions from their manufacturing processes in the U.S. The Environmental Protection Agency finalized rules for the rubber tire industry, specifically previously unregulated rubber processing, last November through amendments to the National Emission Standards for Hazardous Air Pollutants. Tires are made of chemicals, compounds and materials that release greenhouse gases, heavy metals and volatile organic compounds, experts say. (St. John, 5/6)

HEALTH CARE INDUSTRY

AP: WeightWatchers Files For Bankruptcy Protection To Eliminate Debt Burden
WeightWatchers said Tuesday it is filing for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection to eliminate $1.15 billion in debt and focus on its transition into a telehealth services provider. Parent WW International Inc. said it has the support of nearly three-quarters of its debt holders. It expects to emerge from bankruptcy within 45 days, if not sooner. (5/7)

Modern Healthcare: The Joint Commission Lays Off 55 Administrative Employees
The Joint Commission said Tuesday it laid off 55 administrative employees last week as the organization navigates structural changes to improve its operational efficiency. All affected employees worked at the organization’s central office in Oakbrook Terrace, Illinois. The Joint Commission declined to say whether those employees could apply for other roles or if additional cuts are planned. (DeSilva, 5/6)

AP: A Philadelphia Woman Is The 8th Person To Die From The January Crash Of A Medical Plane
An eighth person has died months after the crash of a medical transport plane in Philadelphia, city officials said Tuesday. Dominique Goods-Burke, who was in a vehicle hit by debris when the plane crashed in northeast Philadelphia, died on April 27, the city Medical Examiner’s Office confirmed. ... Goods-Burke died at Jefferson Einstein Philadelphia Hospital, a spokesperson for the Medical Examiner’s Office said. She was 34. (Dale, 5/6)

AP: Columbia, New York-Presbyterian Hospital Settle Hundreds Of Sex Abuse Claims Involving Ex-Doctor
Columbia University and New York-Presbyterian Hospital have agreed to a $750 million settlement of hundreds of sexual abuse claims by patients of disgraced and imprisoned former gynecologist Robert Hadden, bringing total legal payouts in civil cases involving the ex-doctor to over $1 billion, according to the plaintiffs’ lawyer. Hadden, now 66, was accused of molesting patients during a decades-long career at prestigious New York City hospitals including Columbia University Irving Medical Center and New York-Presbyterian. (Collins, 5/6)

The Hill: Luigi Mangione's Fundraiser Exceeds $1 Million
The fundraiser for Luigi Mangione, the man who is accused of killing UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson late last year, has topped $1 million. The GiveGoSend fundraiser has brought in more than $1,042,000 as of Tuesday afternoon, with the goal of raising $1,500,000. The fund has received funding from more than 28,000 individual donors. The average donation is around $20, according to the organizers, who said the money will be used for expenses related to all three of Mangione’s criminal cases. (Timotija, 5/6)

AP: Bill Gates Meets Indonesian Leader To Discuss Health And Sustainable Development Initiatives
Bill Gates arrived in Indonesia on Wednesday to discuss health and sustainable development initiatives with the leader of the world’s fourth most populous country. ... On Monday, Subianto said his meeting with Gates would focus on Gates’ support for Indonesia’s Free Nutritious Meals, known in Indonesia as the MBG program, a flagship initiative of his administration aimed at improving child nutrition and reducing poverty. (Karmini and Ibrahim, 5/7)

PHARMACEUTICALS

Axios: Pharma Shipments Surge As Trump Tariff Threat Looms
President Trump's threat of pharmaceutical tariffs is driving a surge of exports of drugs and medical products from Europe to the U.S. as manufacturers look to build up stockpiles before duties hit. (Reed, 5/7)

AP: What Customers Can Expect As Rite Aid Closes Or Sells All Its Drugstores
Rite Aid customers can expect their local store to close or change ownership in the next few months, as the struggling drugstore chain goes through another bankruptcy filing. The company plans to sell customer prescription files, inventory and other assets as it closes distribution centers and unloads store locations. Stores will remain open for now, but the company isn’t buying new inventory so bare shelves are likely become more common. (Murphy, 5/6)

Stat: Few Drugmakers Use A Newer Test For Contamination, Risking Horseshoe Crabs
Many large drugmakers are still using a decades-old test — derived from horseshoe crabs — as a go-to tool for detecting contamination in medicines and vaccines, rather than switching to a cheaper and equally effective alternative, according to a survey by environmental groups. (Silverman, 5/6)

STATE WATCH

Health News Florida: DeSantis Says He Will Sign Bill Banning Fluoridation In Public Water Systems
Gov. Ron DeSantis on Tuesday said he plans to sign into law a bill that bans the use of fluoride in public water systems across the state. When it becomes law July 1, local governments are prohibited from using fluoride or other health additives to municipal water supplies, a practice that's been in place for decades to fortify dental hygiene. (Mayer, 5/6)

AP: Utah Dentists Prepare For The First Statewide Fluoride Ban
With Utah’s first-in-the-nation ban on fluoride in public drinking water set to take effect Wednesday, dentists who treat children and low-income patients say they’re bracing for an increase in tooth decay among the state’s most vulnerable people. Republican Gov. Spencer Cox signed the law against the recommendation of many dentists and national health experts who warn removing fluoride will harm tooth development, especially in young patients without regular access to dental care. (Schoenbaum, 5/6)

AP: A Republican Nebraska Bill Would Criminalize Hemp-Based THC
Kind Life Dispensary has been offering cannabinoid gummies, tinctures, ointments, now even canned beverages for seven years as one of the first businesses in Nebraska to offer such products. Founder and co-owner Andrea Watkins said her venture has been wildly successful, and she now has three locations in Nebraska’s capital city that employ eight people and sell to hundreds of regulars who use the products to treat everything from aches and pains to anxiety and post-traumatic stress disorder. But now, she’s worried her livelihood will crumble as a bill winding its way through the Nebraska Legislature would outlaw most of the products she sells. (Beck, 5/6)

The CT Mirror: As CT 1199 Strike Deadline Looms, Nursing Homes Face Added Costs
Though Connecticut’s largest health care workers’ union has a May 19 strike deadline at 51 nursing homes, facilities already have incurred costs to prepare for a possible work stoppage, the head of a major industry association said Tuesday. (Phaneuf, 5/6)

North Carolina Health News: Bills Affecting Transgender Kids Move At N.C. General Assembly
Republican lawmakers in the North Carolina House of Representatives considered several bills affecting transgender youth this week. House Bill 606, which passed the House on May 6, would extend the statute of limitations for medical malpractice claims for minors who underwent a gender transition. House Bill 560 would prevent abuse or neglect allegations from being based on not accepting a children’s gender identity. (Vitaglione and Crumpler, 5/7)

AP: Adults Can Still Marry Teens At 15 After Death Of Proposed Ban In Hawaii
Fifteen-year-olds can’t get a driver’s license or vote in elections, but they can get married in Hawaiʻi – one of a shrinking number of states that allows underage marriage. A bill that would’ve outlawed the practice, raising the legal age of marriage to 18 without exceptions, passed the Hawaiʻi House of Representatives this year but failed to gain traction in the Senate. It’s the seventh year in a row Hawaiʻi lawmakers have considered a child marriage ban without passing legislation despite a push by national advocacy groups to end the practice. (Jedra, 5/6)

OUTBREAKS AND HEALTH THREATS

CIDRAP: US Government Secures Production, Supply Of Freeze-Dried Jynneos Mpox Vaccine
Danish drugmaker Bavarian Nordic announced today that the US government has placed a $144 million order for a freeze-dried version of its mpox vaccine, which can also be used to prevent smallpox. The freeze-dried formulation of the Jynneos vaccine was approved by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in March. It will be easier to store and transport, and has a longer shelf life, than the liquid-frozen formulation that Bavarian Nordic has been supplying to the US government since 2010. (Dall, 5/6)

MedPage Today: H5N1 Bird Flu Cases Have Slowed In Animals And People
Detections of H5N1 avian influenza have slowed in both animals and humans, but continued surveillance is warranted, CDC researchers said. In dairy cattle, cases surged over the fall and early winter but eased in January, while cases in poultry flocks fell after February, and came down last month in backyard flocks, according to data on CDC's website that was shared during a clinician outreach and communication activity (COCA) call on Tuesday. (Fiore, 5/6)

CIDRAP: Texas Measles Total Tops 700 Cases Amid Rises In Other States
The Texas Department of State Health Services (TDSHS) today reported 19 more cases since its last update on May 2, lifting the state’s total to 702 cases. As the country’s biggest measles hot spot, the state has reported outbreak-linked cases from 29 counties, mainly in west Texas. So far 91 people have been hospitalized, reflecting an increase of 2 since the last report. Of the 702 cases, 672 involved unvaccinated people or whose immunization status was unknown. (Schnirring, 5/6)

REPRODUCTIVE HEALTH

CNN: Early Periods Are A Problem, And What Your Kid Eats May Make An Impact, Study Suggests 
The foods you pack in your kids’ lunch boxes may have an impact on whether they experience their first menstrual cycle too early, according to new research. Eating a more inflammatory diet was associated with a 15% greater chance of kids having their first period in the next month, whereas a healthier diet reduced the risk by 8%, according to a new study published Tuesday in the journal Human Reproduction. (Holcombe, 5/6)