Latest KFF Health News Stories
Nine Drugmakers Agree To Trump’s ‘Most-Favored-Nation’ Pricing Deal
The deal requires the pharmaceutical companies to match what they charge in other developed countries for newly launched medications, including in commercial and cash-pay markets, as well as Medicare and Medicaid.
With ACA Prices Set To Soar, Trump Pushes Health Insurers To Lower Costs
President Donald Trump said Friday that he would meet with insurance companies soon to pressure them to lower patients’ prices, Bloomberg reported. Insurance companies “are making so much money, and they have to make less, a lot less,” Trump said. In other news, CMS has created an Office of Rural Health Transformation to oversee the $50 billion Rural Health Transformation Program.
First Edition: Monday, Dec. 22, 2025
Today’s early morning highlights from the major news organizations.
Minnesota Fraud Inquiry Extends To 14 Medicaid-Funded Social Programs
Previously, federal prosecutors had been looking into only three safety net programs run by state agencies. Other news comes from Connecticut, Massachusetts, New York, Iowa, Wyoming, Rhode Island, Hawaii, and Pennsylvania.
California Hospital To Shutter Pediatric Unit, Creating Care Desert For Kids
Providence Santa Rosa Memorial Hospital will stop admitting patients on March 27. Other health industry news is about remote patient monitoring, no deal in the Virtua Health-ChristianaCare merger, a nursing home bankruptcy, and more.
Wildfire Fighters Who Develop Cancer Eligible For One-Time $450,000 Payout
The law signed by President Trump on Thursday also provides college tuition for their family if they die or become debilitated from a smoke-related cancer. Plus: The “warrior dividend” announced for troops will be paid out of the military housing stipend already approved by Congress.
Editorial writers discuss these public health issues.
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 bioethics, surrogacy, football helmets, obesity, and California’s CARE Court.
ACA Subsidies, Funding Bill Punted To Next Year As Congress Takes A Break
The enhanced tax credits that millions of Americans rely on to pay for health insurance on the Obamacare marketplace will expire Dec. 31, meaning premiums could soar. When Congress meets again, it’ll have mere weeks to pass funding legislation to avoid another government shutdown.
With Cannabis Reclassification, CBD Will Be Covered For Medicare Patients
President Donald Trump’s executive order effectively speeds up the process to reclassify marijuana as a Schedule III substance, a move that opens up access to Americans who want it and for researchers studying its medical use. Marijuana is still illegal under federal law.
CMS’ Attempt To Strip Hospital Funds Over Trans Care Could Take A While
On Thursday, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services unveiled two rules to withhold federal funds from facilities that provide gender-affirming care for trans minors, but the public will have 60 days to comment on the proposals. With a large number of comments expected, it could take months or even a year to finalize the rules, one attorney told STAT.
First Edition: Friday, Dec. 19, 2025
Today’s early morning highlights from the major news organizations.
Research Roundup: The Latest Science, Discoveries, And Breakthroughs
Each week, KFF Health News compiles a selection of health policy studies and briefs.
NEJM Evidence, CIDRAP Issue First ‘Public Health Alerts’ To Fill Data Gaps
The joint report discussed mpox and H3N2 influenza. The collaboration aims to provide “timely, evidence-based alerts that can help local and state health leaders act quickly to protect the health of people in their communities,” said Michael Osterholm, director of the Center for Infectious Disease Research and Policy (CIDRAP) at the University of Minnesota.
Nebraska Medicaid Work Requirements Will Start May 1, Ahead Of Schedule
The Cornhusker State will be the first to fall in line with the Trump administration’s law that mandates 80 hours of work or community service each month, or part-time school enrollment for people 19 to 64 who have Medicaid coverage. States have until 2027 to implement that policy.
Study Shows High-Fat Cheese, Cream May Help Lower Dementia Risk
The researchers note that no difference was seen for low-fat milk products, or whole milk, and that what the cows eat is also important. Other lifestyle and health news looks at warning signs of dementia; blood tests for Alzheimer’s; “holiday heart syndrome;” and more.
Opinion writers discuss these public health issues.
Anti-Transgender Bill Passes House; RFK Jr. Announces Restrictions
Meanwhile in Texas, the Department of Public Safety is amassing a list of transgender Texans using data from their driver’s licenses, and the state has opened a public tip line designed to help enforce the state’s “bathroom bill.”
House OKs GOP Health Care Bill Without Extending ACA Subsidies
The vote was 216-211, but four Republicans have joined with Democrats in trying to force a vote on an extension of the ACA subsidies. Meanwhile, Affordable Care Act exchanges brace for chaos.
HHS Rescinds Millions In Grants Given To American Academy Of Pediatrics
The Trump administration said it is clawing back grants that “no longer align with the department’s mission or priorities.” The academy has been critical of how the Department of Health and Human Services under Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has approached vaccine policy.
