Latest KFF Health News Stories
First Edition: Tuesday, June 17, 2025
Today’s early morning highlights from the major news organizations.
A Dose Of Upbeat And Inspiring News
Today’s stories are on family medicine, limb regeneration, weight loss, and more.
As Doctors Suss Out Ovarian Cancer Cause, More Advise Salpingectomy
Since the 1990s, pathologists have been zeroing in on the fallopian tubes as the potential place where some female cancers start. Now, tube removal is on the rise. Other health and wellness news is about dementia risk in men, loneliness, joy, and more.
23andMe Co-Founder’s Nonprofit Wins Bidding War To Buy Most Of Its Assets
TTAM Research Institute, the nonprofit led by 23andMe’s former CEO Anne Wojcicki, has won back 23andMe’s core assets: its Personal Genome Service, Research Services, and telehealth subsidiary Lemonaid Health. Other industry news includes gene therapy, layoffs, nurse shortages, and more.
Editorial writers discuss these public health topics.
Slain Minnesota Lawmaker Played Key Role In Safeguarding Health Care
Democratic state Rep. Melissa Hortman and her husband were shot and killed Saturday morning at their home. Democratic state Sen. John Hoffman, who was also shot at his home Saturday, is in stable condition after “many surgeries,” his wife said. The suspect in the slayings has been captured.
CDC To Summer Camps: Check For Documentation Of Measles Immunity
The directive comes as measles cases so far this year have hit 1,197 infections, which is fewer than 100 cases from surpassing the record 1,274 cases that were confirmed for all of 2019. Related news is on measles exposures in Boston, Washington, D.C., and Boulder, Colorado.
Research Groups Propose Alternatives To Ensure NIH Funding Still Flows
Stat reports that the Joint Associations Group offered two options: award payments that would vary depending on the type of institution and the type of research funded in a particular grant; or provide a detailed accounting of administrative and facility costs as line items in each grant proposal. Lawmakers and NIH Director Jay Bhattacharya appear open to the policy proposals.
Trump Administration Gives Personal Data Of Medicaid Enrollees To DHS
The AP, which obtained an internal memo and emails, reports that the information provided to deportation officials on Medicaid enrollees included immigration status. The effect on Medicaid in the GOP’s megabill is also in the news.
First Edition: Monday, June 16, 2025
Today’s early morning highlights from the major news organizations.
Opinion writers tackle 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 malaria, abortion, smoking, pesticides, aging, and more.
Average Age Of First-Time Moms Rises To Nearly 28; Teen Pregnancies Decline
A CDC study shows that the average age of all mothers giving birth in the U.S. is at 29.6 as of 2023. Other news is on SIDS prevention, the popularity of Zyn with women, and more.
Illinois Lawmakers Vote To Strengthen Law That Helps Sexual Abuse Survivors
The changes come after an investigation showing dozens of hospitals violated the 49-year-old law. It’s unclear whether Democratic Gov. JB Pritzker will sign the bill.
AMA Seeks More Reliable AI Tools, Proposes Third-Party Verification
In order for doctors to trust AI in a clinical setting, artificial intelligence must explain its clinical decisions and cite sources, according to an association report.
Ousted ACIP Adviser Says Physicians Should Now Seek Guidance Elsewhere
Helen Chu, MD, urged doctors to find “science-based recommendations” from the American Academy of Pediatrics, the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, and the American Academy of Family Physicians. Chu noted, “It puts us in a very dangerous place if we can’t trust the national recommendations made by ACIP.”
Trump Team Pressures Pharma Companies To Voluntarily Lower Prices
The administration issued an order in May directing companies to begin negotiating drug pricing to bring them in line with other economically comparable nations, but pharmaceutical executives note that the order was light on details. Plus: RFK Jr.’s threat to yank medical school funding.
Bipartisan HALT Fentanyl Act Clears House, Heads To President Trump
The legislation makes permanent an emergency rule issued in 2018 that classifies copycats of fentanyl as Schedule I controlled substances. However, it does not add funding for public health or anti-drug-trafficking efforts to combat addiction and deaths. Another bill advancing in the House would legalize for-profit VA claims consultants, a measure veterans’ advocates have fought against.
Teen Wins Supreme Court Case Over Disability Accommodations At School
In Thursday’s ruling, justices unanimously agreed that the burden placed on students to prove their school is not meeting their disability accommodations is too high. In other news: “Wheelchair rules” for airlines will not be enforced until August.
First Edition: Friday, June 13, 2025
Today’s early morning highlights from the major news organizations.
