Latest KFF Health News Stories
First Edition: Monday, July 28, 2025
Today’s early morning highlights from the major news organizations.
Yale New Haven Health Axes All Gender-Affirming Care For Under-19s
The news comes on the heels of the announcement by Connecticut Children’s Medical Center that it plans to end its gender-affirming care program for children. They are the two largest pediatric hospitals in Connecticut.
Longer Looks: Interesting Reads You Might Have Missed
Each week, KFF Health News finds longer stories for you to enjoy. Today’s selections are on therapy, eating disorders, AI, war amputees, and more.
Uptick in Human Tularemia Infections Detected In Minnesota
Five people have been sickened by the bacterium Francisella tularensis, which can spread by touching animals that have the disease. More news is on measles, covid, and avian flu.
Viewpoints: Medicaid Reform Will Be Disruptive And Ineffective; Are Zyn Pouches Helpful Or Harmful?
Opinion writers examine these public health issues.
Roche Weighs Direct-To-Patient Sales In Effort To Lower Its US Drug Prices
The move would bring down costs for consumers on several medicines by cutting out middlemen like PBMs and their associated costs. More stories look at surprise fees for patients, a plan to reduce animal testing, and more.
UnitedHealth Confirms It’s Being Investigated Over Medicare Billing
The insurance giant said Thursday it is cooperating with the Department of Justice and responding to both formal criminal and civil requests, The New York Times reported.
Trump Administration Plans To Torch $9.7M Worth Of Birth Control
The United Nations and some reproductive organizations were unsuccessful in their attempts to purchase the contraceptives, intended for poorer nations. Also: Five California Planned Parenthoods close; New Hampshire now requires doctors to sterilize patients if they choose; and more.
Homeless People May Be Involuntarily Hospitalized Per Trump Order
President Trump’s executive order to clear the country’s streets of people who suffer from addiction or mental illness also prioritizes funds for treatment programs, especially for municipalities that enforce laws regarding homelessness to the “maximum extent.”
First Edition: Friday, July 25, 2025
Today’s early morning highlights from the major news organizations.
Bill Would Force Hospitals To Disclose Minimal Gestational Age They Treat
The Neonatal Care Transparency Act of 2025 is set to be introduced today by Republican Sen. Tom Cotton of Arkansas. The bill would require hospitals to inform parents if they have the capacity to care for extremely premature infants.
Research Roundup: The Latest Science, Discoveries, And Breakthroughs
Each week, KFF Health News compiles a selection of the latest health research and news.
Editorial writers tackle these public health topics.
Researchers Are One Step Closer To A Universal Cancer Vaccine
University of Florida’s Dr. Elias Sayour says the vaccine would work by “waking the immune system up against something that looks dangerous, and then that response spills over to recognize and reject the tumor.” Plus: a breakthrough in the fight against pancreatic cancer.
Infection From Brain-Eating Amoeba Kills South Carolina Patient
This is the second U.S. death caused by Naegleria fowleri this year. Separately, two children are recovering from the mosquito-borne La Crosse virus in Tennessee. Plus, covid and measles cases are creeping up in some parts of the country.
EPA Aims To Bring Back Herbicide That Was Twice Banned By Federal Courts
The Environmental Protection Agency announced on Wednesday its plans to reregister the herbicide dicamba. Other environmental news is on the “boiling frog effect” of extreme climate events, FEMA flood aid in Maryland and Texas, and more.
Kaiser Permanente To Stop Gender-Affirming Surgeries For Under-19s
The nonprofit health care provider will continue to provide all other gender-affirming care. The California Nurses Association has criticized the decision as “giving in to government overreach.” Meanwhile, Connecticut Children’s Medical Center is shuttering its youth gender-affirming care program.
State Department Plans To End PEPFAR As We Know It, Documents Show
The New York Times says it has obtained planning documents detailing major changes for the President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief. The program would morph from one that provides medicines to prevent the global spread of HIV to one that focuses on the detection of outbreaks such as Ebola and the creation of new markets for American drugs, the documents say. A State Department spokeswoman said the report had not been finalized.
Some GOP Senators Hope To Extend ACA Subsidies In Next Health Bill
The broader Republican caucus isn’t focused on the subsidies, however, with House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., saying simply that “it’s on the radar.” Other legislation in the news is about private health care for veterans and foreign aid.
Thimerosal-Containing Flu Vaccines No Longer OK In US, Kennedy Decides
The change won’t affect most people seeking the flu vaccine because thimerosal is not added to single-dose vials; it’s added only to multidose vials to prevent bacteria from growing. The HHS secretary made the decision because a CDC director, who typically does so, has not been installed.
