Latest KFF Health News Stories
Health Employers In Arkansas Banned From Using Physician Noncompetes
Arkansas is the latest state to limit noncompete agreements, Modern Healthcare reports, after Republican Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders signed a bill voiding such provisions in physician contracts. Other news is from Maryland, Missouri, Connecticut, Michigan, North Carolina, Massachusetts, and California.
Texas Tech Med School Says It Won’t Consider Race For Admissions
Settling a lawsuit brought by a former applicant who alleged Texas Tech Medical School rejected him in favor of lower-performing students of color, the school said it wouldn’t consider a student’s race in future applications, and says it never did so. Also: calls for increased Medicare doctors’ pay.
Health Experts Say Covid Now Acts Like An Endemic Disease, Akin To Flu
Covid is now less deadly but is expected to continue experiencing waves, experts told The Washington Post. Separately, scientists suggest that the development of MIS-C complications in kids following a covid infection may be linked to reactivation of a latent Epstein-Barr virus.
Opinion writers examine these public health issues.
FDA Gives 2025-26 Flu Shot Guidance, Minus Input From Advisory Committee
After studying this year’s influenza information, the recommendation is that flu vaccines for next year be trivalent, reports CNN. Also in the news, Vermont reports its first measles case in a school-aged child; disease detectives search airplanes for pathogens; and more.
Dr. Oz’s Tax Payments For Medicare, Social Security Come Under Scrutiny
Senate Finance Committee Democratic staff allege the CMS nominee relied on a chancy tax exemption that allowed him to avoid paying $440,000 in taxes for the programs. That issue and his ties to the insurance industry are likely to come up today at his confirmation hearing.
HHS Girds For More Budget Cuts, Staff Reductions, Revised Policy Priorities
The Trump administration is planning sweeping changes in its effort to shrink the federal government, Politico reports. Disclosure of possible changes at the Department of Health and Human Services comes as separate federal judges ruled the Office of Personnel Management lacked legal authority to direct mass firings across government agencies.
First Edition: Friday, March 14, 2025
Today’s early morning highlights from the major news organizations.
Viewpoints: Cuts To NIH Will Have Long-Lasting Implications; Why Are So Few Getting The HPV Vaccine?
Editorial writers tackle these public health issues.
Research Roundup: The Latest Science, Discoveries, And Breakthroughs
Each week, KFF Health News compiles a selection of the latest health research and news.
Nearly 26 Years After Columbine High Massacre, Death Toll Rises By One
A coroner has determined that the cause of death for Anne Marie Hochhalter, who was paralyzed in the 1999 Colorado school shooting and died last month, was “best classified as homicide.” Hochhalter, 43, had sepsis related to the two gunshots she suffered. Her death raises the victim toll to 14, not including the two shooters.
Montana Judge Voids 2 Abortion Laws, Ruling They Added Unneeded Hardship
The laws, passed in 2023 and immediately halted by the courts, required those who use Medicaid to submit to unnecessary steps before receiving care, a district court judge determined. More abortion-related news comes from Wyoming, Kentucky, and Missouri.
North Dakota Might Ask Supreme Court To End Same-Sex Marriage
The resolution passed the Republican-led House last month but still needs Senate approval, which is not assured, AP reported. In other LGBTQ+ news, a federal judge questions the Pentagon’s transgender ban; President Donald Trump shares a link that included an image associated with the persecution of gay people during the Nazi regime; and more.
MRNA Research Might Be Next On List Of NIH Grant Cuts
NPR reports on the National Institutes of Health funding cuts with insight from two NIH staffers and one person familiar with NIH’s activities who requested anonymity because they were not authorized to speak publicly. Also in research-related news, a lawsuit over the removal of two research papers from a government website, stranded Fulbright Scholars, and more.
EPA To Reassess Whether Greenhouse Gases Truly Do Damage Public Health
The agency in 2009 determined that six greenhouse gases posed health risks and put regulations in place to mitigate any harm. The Trump administration intends to revisit 31 of those environmental regulations. Plus, news outlets examine the effects of budget cuts, layoffs, and reduced services.
CMS Pulls Plug On Projects Aimed At Improving Care, Saving On Costs
One initiative that has been scrapped would have offered some generic drugs to Medicare enrollees for $2. Meanwhile, the Trump administration has backed off hospice oversight.
First Edition: Thursday, March 13, 2025
Today’s early morning highlights from the major news organizations.
Abortion Reporting Requirements Are Now Too Risky, Advocacy Group Says
Guttmacher data scientist Isaac Maddow-Zimet worries some of the information could be used to identify patients, AP reports. In other news, an Idaho health system is fighting the state’s abortion ban; a Louisiana mother in a cross-state abortion pill case pleads not guilty; and more.
Viewpoints: Women’s Health Sector Has Seen Tremendous Growth But Needs Investors, Leaders To Expand
Opinion writers discuss the following public health topics.
RFK Jr. Wants Artificial Food Dyes Removed From Foods Quickly
HHS Secretary Robert Kennedy Jr. reportedly wants them gone before he leaves office. In related news, The Wall Street Journal reported that Kennedy also told the FDA to consider changes to a rule governing food additives deemed “generally recognized as safe,” or GRAS.
