Latest KFF Health News Stories
First Edition: Tuesday, Aug. 19, 2025
Today’s early morning highlights from the major news organizations.
Opinion writers discuss public health topics.
Cencora Will Pay $111M To Resolve Claims It Ignored Red Flags On Opioids
The company — known as AmerisourceBergen Corp. until 2023 — has reaped billions from opioid sales. Also in opioid-related news: overdose rates of older, Black men in Minnesota. Other public health news is on human hair’s role in dental care, air pollution from EV charging stations, and more.
Federal Deficit Increase Could Trigger $491B In Medicare Cuts, CBO Warns
A report Friday from the Congressional Budget Office showed that the tax and spending law signed by President Donald Trump last month could trigger automatic cuts to Medicare if Congress does not act to curb a 2010 law that forces across-the-board cuts once legislation increases the federal deficit.
Now Available Online: AstraZeneca’s At-Home Flu Vaccine Nasal Spray
This new option, known as FluMist, was released Friday and is the same vaccine formulation that has been available in doctors’ offices for decades. Also in the news: covid, measles, and rabies.
With VA Union Contracts Voided, Staff Lose Extra Time Off After Baby Comes
Roughly 400,000 Veterans Affairs employees have lost the four extra weeks of unpaid maternity and paternity leave that the union contracts provided. Those affected include people giving birth this week, and those already on leave. Most VA employees are women.
Judge Again Rejects Ending Protections For Immigrant Minors In US Custody
Both Trump administrations have sought to end the Flores Settlement Agreement, which outlined care standards for children in detention facilities. “There is nothing new under the sun regarding the facts or the law,” said U.S. District Judge Dolly Gee in Los Angeles. Plus: D.C.’s homeless struggle with new order; aid groups seek a full appeals court review over funding block; and more.
Leaked MAHA Report Largely Dodges Policy Proposals, Seeks More Studies
Stat unpacks key parts of the “Make Our Children Healthy Again Strategy,” which mentions “addressing vaccine injuries.” It stops short of tackling HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s priorities (such as banning prescription drug marketing), hardly mentions ultraprocessed foods, and softens his tone on pesticides. Plus, Kennedy rules out another run for president.
First Edition: Monday, Aug. 18, 2025
Today’s early morning highlights from the major news organizations.
Opinion writers delve into these public health topics.
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 the presidential fitness test, Amtrak, 7Up, nurdles, and more.
Berkshire Hathaway Gobbles Up $1.6B In Shares Of UnitedHealth Group
The disclosure in a filing Thursday gave a much-needed boost to the beleaguered health insurance giant, which saw shares jump as much as 9.6% in post-market trading. In other news: Nike co-founder Phil Knight and his wife are giving $2 billion to Oregon Health & Science University’s Knight Cancer Institute — the largest known single gift to a U.S. university, The Wall Street Journal reported.
Updated Blood Pressure Guidelines Frown On Alcohol Consumption
The guidelines, released Thursday, encourage doctors to recommend healthy lifestyle changes as a first course of action for the first three to six months before prescribing medication. Meanwhile, a study in China shows a link between lower blood pressure and a 15% lower risk of dementia.
Fourth Person Dies From Legionnaires’ Disease In New York Outbreak
The bacteria has been found in 12 cooling towers on 10 buildings, including a city-run hospital and a sexual health clinic. Also, New York is seeing a rise in congenital syphilis cases, with three infant deaths this year alone. Other news comes out of Mississippi, Texas, Colorado, Idaho, Massachusetts, Connecticut, Pennsylvania, and Maryland.
Caregivers Bring Lawsuit Against Department Of Veterans Affairs
The lawsuit addresses the practice of dropping family caregiver application appeals once a veteran dies from military-related illnesses. The caregivers want to receive compensation for the time they provided care. Plus: Medicaid cuts, insurance denials, and more.
To Align Drug Prices With Trump’s Priorities, Eli Lilly Raises Them Abroad
This list price for the highest dose of Mounjaro, for example, would go from roughly $165 to $447 in the United Kingdom. The drugmaker says this in effect would then “make them lower in the U.S.” Plus, a look at how President Trump’s tariffs would affect drug manufacturers that rely on Ireland.
Trump’s Wide Birth Control Mandate Exemptions Went Too Far, Judge Finds
The moral and religious carve-outs to contraceptive coverage under the Affordable Care Act were deemed arbitrary, capricious, and an overreach of the administration’s authority, The Hill reports. Separately, scientists want to study mifepristone’s potential for breast cancer prevention but can’t.
HHS Reinstates Defunct Task Force on Safer Childhood Vaccines
In an effort to satisfy the demands of anti-vaccine activists, HHS announced Thursday that the Task Force on Safer Childhood Vaccines will be restored. Experts are worried this move will undermine confidence in childhood vaccines.
First Edition: Friday, Aug. 15, 2025
Today’s early morning highlights from the major news organizations.
Brain-Eating Amoeba Case Reported In Missouri; West Nile Spikes In Chicago
The rare and mostly fatal amebic infection happens when a parasite enters the body of someone swimming in warm water. Also, the stratus covid variant is surging in 12 states.
