First Edition: Wednesday, Oct. 22, 2025

KFF HEALTH NEWS ORIGINAL STORIES

KFF Health News: A New Car Vs. Health Insurance? Average Family Job-Based Coverage Hits $27K
With the federal shutdown entering its fourth week, spurred by a stalemate over the cost of health insurance for 22 million Americans on Affordable Care Act plans, a new report shows that over 154 million people with coverage through an employer also face steep price hikes — and that the situation is likely to get worse. Premiums for job-based health insurance rose 6% in 2025 to an average of $26,993 a year for family coverage, according to an annual survey of employers released Oct. 22 by KFF, a health information nonprofit that includes KFF Health News. (Galewitz, 10/22)

KFF Health News: Despite The Hoopla, Vaccines Should Be In Reach This Cough-And-Cold Season
For people whose autumn agenda includes getting vaccinated against respiratory diseases — covid, flu, and, for some, RSV — this year may be surprisingly routine. Following several confusing months this summer when federal officials announced and then retreated from changes to covid vaccine recommendations, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on Oct. 6 announced updated fall immunization schedules that are not that different from last year’s. That should clear the way for most people who want shots this fall to get them, public health experts say. (Andrews, 10/22)

SURGEON GENERAL NOMINEE

Bloomberg: Senate Plans Confirmation Hearing For Surgeon General Nominee
A Senate confirmation hearing is being planned next week for Casey Means, President Donald Trump’s nominee for surgeon general who has faced criticism over her experience and views, according to people familiar with the matter. The hearing is tentatively scheduled for Thursday but isn’t yet finalized and could change, the people said. Means plans to appear virtually due to her pregnancy, the people said. (Muller and Cohrs Zhang, 10/21)

FEDERAL GOVERNMENT SHUTDOWN

The Hill: Moderate Republicans Push For Extension Of Health Subsidies
A group of front-line House Republicans on Tuesday called on Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) to “immediately” address the expiring enhanced ObamaCare tax credits once the government shutdown ends. Led by Reps. Jeff Van Drew (R-N.J.) and Jen Kiggans (R-Va.), 13 lawmakers told Johnson that millions of their constituents would face a massive spike in health premiums without an extension of the subsidies before their expiration at the end of the year. (Weixel, 10/21)

ABC News: Some Americans Fear High Health Insurance Premiums If ACA Enhanced Subsidies Expire: 'Very Much A Worry'
As the federal government shutdown enters its third week, some Americans are worried about the future of the Affordable Care Act (ACA) subsidies. The subsidies, or premium tax credits, help lower or eliminate the out-of-pocket cost of monthly premiums for those who purchase insurance through the health insurance marketplace. They were enhanced during the COVID-19 pandemic and are currently set to expire at the end of 2025. (Kekatos, 10/21)

Modern Healthcare: Government Shutdown Opens Opportunity For Telehealth Lobbyists
The government may be shut down but it’s no vacation for healthcare lobbyists. The standoff between the Republican congressional majority and the Democratic minority that triggered the shutdown at the start of fiscal 2026 on Oct. 1 is centered around a battle over health insurance exchange subsidies, but there’s much more on the line for the healthcare sector. (McAuliff, 10/21)

Stat: Institutions Move To Provide Data Now Found In CDC MMWR Journal 
In the latest bid to plug gaps in the federal government’s public health infrastructure, two institutions are coming together to create an alternative to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s vaunted Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report — often called “the voice of the CDC.” (Oza, 10/21)

'MAKE AMERICA HEALTHY AGAIN'

Axios: Trump Adviser Threatens Regulation Over RFK Food Dye Policy
The Trump administration may move to impose new regulations on food companies that don't follow through on promises to remove artificial colorants from their products, White House adviser Calley Means said at a health industry conference on Tuesday. Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy has so far focused on getting voluntary commitments from companies like Kraft Heinz and Walmart on varying timelines. (Goldman, 10/21)

AP: How Leaders Of The MAHA Movement Benefit From Anti-Science Advocacy
Two advisers to U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. sat on a stage in California this spring, addressing an audience at a natural products industry trade show that drew tens of thousands of people from food brands, investment banks, supplement sellers and other companies. Their message: The goals of the Make America Healthy Again movement will help your bottom lines. (Smith and Ungar, 10/21)

HIV/AIDS

Stat: Gilead Agrees Not To Raise Prices On HIV Medicines For State AIDS Drug Programs 
After months of tense negotiations, Gilead Sciences has agreed not to boost prices next year for HIV medicines that are sold to state AIDS Drug Assistance Programs, an outcome that lessens the financial strains for agencies that are relied on by many low-income people. (Silverman, 10/21)

MORE ON THE TRUMP ADMINISTRATION

The Washington Post: Trump Administration Seeks To Move Special Education Program To New Agency 
The Trump administration is exploring moving the $15 billion program that supports students with disabilities to a different agency within the federal government as it works to close the Education Department altogether, a department official said Tuesday. The effort comes on the heels of the agency’s decision this month to lay off the vast majority of employees working on special-education services and months after Education Secretary Linda McMahon talked about moving the program to the Department of Health and Human Services. Her goal is to fulfill President Donald Trump’s promise to close the Education Department and move its functions to other parts of the government. (Meckler, 10/21)

Bloomberg: US Taps Ex-Defense Official To Run Health Tech Moonshot Agency
The Trump administration chose a new leader for a federal health research funding organization that focuses on high-risk, high-reward programs, after firing its previous head in February. Alicia Jackson, a health technology entrepreneur who used to work for the Defense Department, was appointed director of the Advanced Research Projects Agency for Health, according to the Department of Health and Human Services, confirming an earlier Bloomberg News report. (Griffin and Swetlitz, 10/21)

Chicago Tribune: ICE Arrests Chicago Man Whose Teenage Daughter Is Fighting Cancer
Ofelia Torres has spent almost every day of the past month at Lurie Children’s Hospital, where the 16-year-old Lake View High School student is fighting cancer. After a tough few weeks where the disease spread through her body and doctors inserted a drain in her abdomen to relieve fluid, the Torres family worked with her oncologist to arrange a short getaway over the weekend, where she and three of her closest friends could enjoy a Saturday of simple pleasures and normalcy before a scheduled return to the hospital and chemotherapy. (Pratt, 10/21)

HEALTH CARE INDUSTRY

AP: Blackstone, TPG Plan To Take Hologic Private In A Deal Worth More Than $13 Billion
Private equity firms Blackstone and TPG will spend more than $13 billion to buy women’s health specialist Hologic. The companies said Tuesday they will pay up to $79 for each Hologic share in a deal that takes the company private. (10/21)

Modern Healthcare: Why Home Infusion Is Attracting Health Systems, Private Equity
Health systems are rethinking how to deliver infusion therapies, as payers and patients increasingly prefer care at home over clinical settings. The changing dynamics have led some health systems to expand existing home infusion businesses, while others are partnering with vendors to deliver some or all infused drugs to patients where they live. The shift is sparking consolidation of the highly fragmented home infusion industry as private equity-backed companies expand into the space and compete for patients. (Eastabrook, 10/21)

CBS News: Maimonides Medical Center Opens Brooklyn's Largest Children's Emergency Department 
A packed crowd of community leaders gathered Tuesday to celebrate the ribbon-cutting of Maimonides Health's newly expanded pediatric emergency department. Hospital leaders said the state-of-the-art space is four times bigger than the previous facility, reflecting the growing need for specialized pediatric care. "There are 600,000 children in this borough and only one children's hospital -- let that sink in for a minute," said Dr. Jeffrey R. Avner, chairman of pediatrics at Maimonides Health. (Kliger, 10/21)

Chicago Tribune: Unionized Nurses Never Received COVID Bonus Pay, Lawsuit Alleges
Unionized nurses at St. Joseph Medical Center in Joliet never received a promised pandemic-era bonus, the Illinois Nurses Association alleges in a lawsuit filed in federal court Monday. The petition seeks to compel the hospital, its owner Prime Healthcare and former owner Ascension to go to arbitration over the matter. (Schencker, 10/21)

The Baltimore Sun: Medical Assistants Are In Short Supply. Now Luminis Trains Its Own.
Medical assistants — who take measurements, draw blood and fill out documentation before a patient sees a doctor — are in high demand nationally and short supply locally. To remedy its shortage, Luminis Health, the company that runs the Anne Arundel Medical Center in Annapolis, is offering free training to employees from other areas of the business, like reception. (Rothstein, 10/22)

Modern Healthcare: DocGo Acquires SteadyMD
DocGo, a mobile healthcare provider and medical transportation service, acquired Monday virtual care company SteadyMD. DocGo paid $12.5 million at the close of the transaction and will pay up to $12.5 million more if specific performance conditions are met, according to a Securities and Exchange Commission filing. (DeSilva, 10/21)

CBS News: Death Rates At U.S. Dialysis Clinics Among The Highest In The Industrialized World
Death rates for U.S. kidney dialysis patients are among the highest in the industrialized world. A CBS News Data Team investigation has found that one-third of the nation's dialysis clinics have failed to meet federal performance standards. In Texas, where the number of dialysis centers is higher than in any other state, the I-Team discovered that the problem is especially severe. (Allen, 10/21)

CBS News: Mass General Brigham Is Banking On AI To Help Patients Find A Doctor
If you're a patient of Mass General Brigham, AI may help connect you to a new physician. With two-year waitlists for a primary care provider, the organization is using AI to bridge the gap. (Hall, 10/21)

Bloomberg: UnitedHealth’s ‘Optum Real’ Uses AI To Speed Up Medical Claims
UnitedHealth Group Inc. is testing a new system to streamline how medical claims are processed, an early example of what the company says is the potential for artificial intelligence to smooth out friction in billing. The system, dubbed Optum Real, aims to distill health plans’ complex rules around what is covered into information that doctors and billing staff can use in real time to tell whether a claim is likely to be paid. (Tozzi, 10/21)

Modern Healthcare: Risant Health Details EHR Model To Guide Treatment At HLTH 2025 
Risant Health has reduced care variation by using hospitals’ electronic health records to guide treatment, a model it hopes to expand to other hospitals as the Kaiser Permanente-backed nonprofit venture grows, Geisinger Health, Kaiser and Risant executives said during a Tuesday panel at HLTH. (Kacik, 10/21)

PHARMA AND TECH

The New York Times: Antidepressant Side Effects Vary Widely By Drug, Study Finds 
A new large-scale analysis found that the short-term cardiovascular and metabolic side effects of antidepressants vary widely by drug, but the ones most commonly prescribed in the United States are linked to relatively mild issues. Tens of millions of U.S. adults take antidepressants for mental health conditions such as depression and anxiety. Like any medication, antidepressants have well-established side effects for some people. Researchers at institutions including King’s College London and the University of Oxford wanted to better understand just how much those side effects differed from drug to drug. (Shakin, 10/21)

Stat: ESMO 2025: CtDNA Blood Test Could Change How Cancer Is Treated
For years, scientists have held out hope that tests that look for the molecular fingerprints of a cancer’s presence could help clinicians determine which patients need further treatment after surgery, and which can be considered truly cured after an operation. Perhaps, the thinking goes, those in the latter category could be spared from unnecessary, expensive therapies that can carry serious side effects. (Joseph, 10/21)

Medical Xpress: Serotonin Produced By Gut Bacteria Provides Hope For A Novel IBS Treatment
Research from the University of Gothenburg, Sweden, clarifies the complex interaction between gut bacteria and irritable bowel syndrome (IBS). Experiments demonstrate that gut bacteria can produce the important substance serotonin. The finding may lead to future treatments. (Kubista, 10/20)

MedPage Today: Immunizing Both Mom And Baby Against RSV Appears Effective, Safe
Maternal respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) vaccination during pregnancy and infant RSV immunization -- either alone or combined -- appeared to be safe and effective at boosting neutralizing RSV antibodies, according to interim results from a randomized, open-label phase IV clinical trial. (Rudd, 10/21)

Medical Xpress: Brainwave Study Sheds Light On Cause Of 'Hearing Voices'
A new study led by psychologists from UNSW Sydney has provided the strongest evidence yet that auditory verbal hallucinations—or hearing voices—in schizophrenia may stem from a disruption in the brain's ability to recognize its own inner voice. In a paper published today in the journal Schizophrenia Bulletin, the researchers say the finding could also be an important step toward finding biological indicators that point to the presence of schizophrenia. This is significant, as there are currently no blood tests, brain scans, or lab-based biomarkers ... that are uniquely characteristic of schizophrenia. (10/21)

STATE WATCH

AP: AP Finds Hundreds Of Anti-Science Bills Hit Statehouses In 2025
More than 420 anti-science bills attacking longstanding public health protections – vaccines, milk safety and fluoride – have been introduced in statehouses across the U.S. this year, part of an organized, politically savvy campaign to enshrine a conspiracy theory-driven agenda into law. An Associated Press investigation found that the wave of legislation has cropped up in most states, pushed by people with close ties to Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. The effort would strip away protections that have been built over a century and are integral to American lives and society. Around 30 bills have been enacted or adopted in 12 states. (Smith and Ungar, 10/21)

North Carolina Health News: Advocates Flood NC Legislature As Medicaid Cuts Squeeze Providers
Jon D’Angelo, chair of the North Carolina Council on Disabilities, knows the consequences of cuts to Medicaid reimbursement rates. He lives with spinal muscular atrophy and relies on Medicaid, which pays for direct support workers who care for him in his home. Without those workers, he and thousands of other medically fragile people across the state would likely be forced to live in institutions. (Baxley, Fredde and Hoban, 10/22)

CBS News: UCare, Other Carriers Dropping Medicare Advantage Plans, Leaving 200K Minnesota Seniors Without Health Insurance
Nearly 200,000 Minnesota senior are scrambling to find affordable options to ensure uninterrupted health care after several carriers are either dropping or cutting back on Medicare Advantage Plans. Minneapolis-based UCare made the most significant change, gutting their program entirely. (Kaplan, 10/21)

CBS News: Camden, New Jersey, Residents Say Recurring Scrap Yard Fires Are Hurting Their Physical And Mental Health
Another fire at a Camden metal recycling yard has reignited frustration and questions about who's responsible for keeping nearby families safe. ... Residents of Camden's Waterfront South neighborhood spoke up, saying they feel their health and mental well-being have been compromised by a string of recent fires at EMR Metal Recycling. (Andersen and Jacobson, 10/21)

Montana Free Press: Why Two Montana Asbestos Victims May Never Receive An $8 Million Judgment
Long before she joined a major legal case for asbestos victims, Joyce Walder had a bold streak, according to her sister, Judith Hemphill. On a recent Monday in October, walking through the forests of northwest Montana, Hemphill recalled how she and Walder would put their ears to the railroad tracks to check for oncoming trains. If all was quiet, they’d dart across to explore the woods that surround the town of Libby, population just shy of 3,000. She remembered the way they’d dangle their legs over the edge of the swinging bridge bouncing perilously above the charging waters of the Kootenai River. (Silvers, 10/21)

EdSource: California Students Plan To Join Walkout In Support Of Climate Legislation 
Hundreds of students across more than 50 California high schools are planning to participate in walkouts on Oct. 24 to voice support for legislation that would hold oil companies accountable for damage to infrastructure and costs associated with the climate crisis, The Hechinger Report reported. (Seshadri, 10/20)

PUBLIC HEALTH

The Hill: Shrimp Recall: Another Frozen Brand Cites Possible Radiation Exposure
Another company has issued a recall of its frozen shrimp due to possible exposure to radiation levels. In a news release issued by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), Seattle-based AquaStar said its shrimp may have been exposed to “very low levels” of cesium-137 (Cs-137). (Perkins, 10/21)

CNN: Makeup, Shampoos And Hair Care Products Still Contain Toxic Chemicals. Experts Call Out Ingredients To Look For 
In an episode of “The Pitt,” a hospital drama on HBO Max, a young TikTok beauty influencer named Nandi is found roaming the streets of Pittsburgh, walking dangerously into traffic while screaming at cars and people. Nandi is experiencing severe insomnia, tremors and psychosis, and her quickly deteriorating condition bewilders the emergency room staff. Finally, an enterprising resident finds she has mercury poisoning from an unusual source — an imported facial moisturizer she promotes in her videos. (LaMotte, 10/21)

The Hill: WHO Finds 1 In 3 People Have Neurological Conditions Worldwide
More than one in three people are living with a neurological condition, the World Health Organization (WHO) found, and countries are not prepared to deal with it. The WHO’s Global status report on neurology found 40 percent of the global population is affected by neurological issues. That amounts to more than three billion people and results in 11 million deaths globally each year. (Whiteside, 10/21)