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A Dec. 30 letter from CMS says states are no longer required to report the percentage of patients on Medicaid and the Children's Health Insurance Plan who are immunized. Also: Canadian officials warn that American health and science institutions may no longer be dependable for accurate information, especially regarding vaccinations.
Republican lawmakers are still split over whether to extend the subsidies as the Senate returns from the holiday break, while some Democrats are calling for another shutdown if no compromise can be settled on the Affordable Care Act issue. More news looks at issues central to the congressional midterm elections.
Texas received the most ($2.8 million for fiscal year 2026), while New Jersey received the least ($1.5 million for 2026). Even so, the funds can be clawed back if states don't implement changes according to Trump administration priorities. And some states, such as Vermont, worry that the funds won't make up for what they're losing in Medicaid funding cuts from the Big Beautiful Bill.
Today's early morning highlights from the major news organizations.
Editorial writers examine these public health issues.
Today's stories are about a paraplegic's trip to space, notable health care wins of 2025, philanthropy after loss, and a secret Santa's mission to boost the spirits of people in need.
An end-of-year deadline sets up a potential work stoppage for about 20,000 nurses working at private hospitals in New York City. Other state health news is reported from North Carolina, Maine, Indiana, Illinois, Montana, and elsewhere.
The small study suggests that the drug, tofersen, might even be able to slow muscle degeneration and reverse ALS symptoms by targeting a specific mutation — SOD1 mRNA — which affects 2% of people with ALS. Plus: HIV drugs, a Nipah virus vaccine, hydroxychloroquine, and more.
MedPage Today reports that the slots will be spread across 135 hospitals in 37 states, with almost two-thirds of them in primary care and psychiatry residency programs. Other health industry news is on medtech, CVS Health, outpatient cosmetic surgery, and more.
The lawsuit has been brought against the infant formula maker on behalf of families whose babies were hospitalized with botulism. The plan to add the grocery store chains where the formula was sold to the lawsuits was announced on Sunday.
U.S. District Judge Haywood Gilliam, Jr. approved the agreement. Aetna will now cover IVF treatment for same-sex couples in the same way as heterosexual couples. This policy change will be applied nationally, and will benefit an estimated 2.8 million members.
The Wegovy pill has also been approved for reducing cardiovascular risks. Novo plans to launch the drug in January. Also in the news: the U.S. strikes health funding deals with nine African countries; Trump wants fewer guardrails on AI in health; and more.
Today's early morning highlights from the major news organizations. NOTE TO READERS
The First Edition will not be published Dec. 24 through Jan. 2. Look for it again in your inbox on Jan. 5. Happy holidays from all of us at KFF Health News!
As one of the busiest travel weeks begins, cases of flu, norovirus, and covid are on the upswing nationwide. Also: The CDC has reported two new flu-related deaths in children and nearly 5 million cases of influenza across the U.S.
The research, published in JAMA Oncology, found that the rate of precancerous vulvar or vaginal lesions was 37% lower in those who'd gotten at least one dose of HPV vaccine. Also: proton beam radiation therapy, mpox, and more.
Florida lawmakers unanimously passed the expansion two years ago, but an ongoing lawsuit Florida filed against CMS stands in its way. Other news from around the nation comes from Minnesota, Maryland, Colorado, California, and Louisiana.
Opinion writers tackle these public health topics.
UnitedHealth has pledged to take close to two dozen specific actions across the areas in which the report found it lacking, including unresolved issues regarding patient care management, and prior authorizations. Plus, several Illinois hospitals with religious ties spurn medical aid-in-dying law.
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.
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.
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