Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
From KFF Health News - Latest Stories:
KFF Health News Original Stories
Medicare Advantage Company Pays $342M to Government in Midst of Billing Probe
The payment by Elevance Health to the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services comes as the agency threatened to bar new enrollments in the company’s plans.
Efforts To End School Vaccine Mandates Hit a Wall in Florida
The state’s campaign to end school vaccine requirements is dead for now. The reasons could offer insights into similar efforts’ chances in other states.
Trouble Getting Weight Loss Drugs Covered by Insurance? Here’s What To Know
If your doctor prescribes a GLP-1 medication for weight loss but your insurance won’t cover it, you have options.
What the Health? From KFF Health News: Trump Officials Still Delaying Funds
With the fiscal year mostly over, hundreds of millions of dollars in health-related grants approved by Congress still have not reached their designated recipients, with the Trump administration again delaying distribution. Meanwhile, on the fourth anniversary of the Supreme Court decision that allowed states to ban abortion, the number of abortions in the U.S. is actually rising. Maya Goldman of Axios, Joanne Kenen of the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health and Politico Magazine, and Rachana Pradhan of KFF Health News join KFF Health News’ Julie Rovner to discuss these stories and more.
Here's today's health policy haiku:
WHAT'S AILING US
American health?
— Anonymous
Prevention is up in smoke.
What a cruel joke.
If you have a health policy haiku to share, please Contact Us and let us know if we can include your name. Haikus follow the format of 5-7-5 syllables. We give extra brownie points if you link back to an original story.
Opinions expressed in haikus and cartoons are solely the author's and do not reflect the opinions of KFF Health News or KFF.
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Summaries Of The News:
Supreme Court
Hospitals, Hospices, Nursing Homes Brace For Loss Of Thousands Of Immigrant Workers After Supreme Court Ruling
The New York Times: How the Supreme Court Decision Upends Life for Thousands of Migrants
Employers — including hospitals and hospices, construction companies and retail stores — will have to fire Haitian and Syrian workers whose sole authority to work comes through the program. ... The Supreme Court’s decision will fall most heavily in the health care industry, where Haitians in particular have been concentrated, especially in elder care facilities. Health care has been the American economy’s fastest-growing industry for years now, and the vacancy rate is substantially higher than it is for others, so finding new workers on short notice will be very difficult. (Ulloa, DePillis and Jordan, 6/25)
The Washington Post: Nursing Homes, Factory Owners And Immigrants Brace For Fallout From Supreme Court Ruling
Immigrants began making plans to sell or rent their homes, secure bank accounts and figure out thorny issues like child custody arrangements. Business owners started calculating how many days they can continue to employ workers whose legal status is set to expire. And nursing home leaders warned they would have fewer beds to offer if health aides are forced to leave the country. Panic rippled through communities from Florida to Ohio and beyond in the hours after the Supreme Court cleared the Trump administration Thursday to strip humanitarian protections from Haitians and Syrians — and potentially all 1.3 million immigrants from over a dozen countries who had been previously shielded from deportation. (Sacchetti and Gurley, 6/26)
Fox News: House Republican Breaks With Trump, Says Ending Haitian TPS Risks US Healthcare 'Crisis'
Rep. Mike Lawler, R-N.Y., criticized the U.S. Supreme Court's Thursday decision in Mullin v. Doe. ... Lawler pointed to the large number of Haitians on TPS working in the U.S. healthcare system. "Of the 350,000+ lawful Haitian TPS holders, roughly 1/3rd work in our healthcare system. Immediately shutting off TPS will create a crisis in our hospitals, nursing homes, and in the I/DD [intellectual and developmental disabilities] community," he said in a post on X. (McGreevy, 6/25)
McKnight's Senior Living: ‘Confounding And Heartbreaking’: Provider Groups Decry Supreme Court Decision That Could See The Departure Of Immigrant Workers
LeadingAge said the decision puts older adults and senior living and care providers in an “untenable position.” “Staff and caregivers who support older adults every day — legal employees who in some of our communities represent 8% or more of the entire workforce — can now lose their jobs overnight,” LeadingAge President and CEO Katie Smith Sloan said in a statement. “There is no workforce waiting in the wings." ... The American Seniors Housing Association said that the decision creates “immediate workforce uncertainty” as many TPS holders are legally authorized employees in healthcare and long-term care roles. (Bonvissuto, 6/26)
Related news on the immigration crisis —
The Hill: Trump Plans Deportation Of 500 Migrant Children: Sen. Ron Wyden
The Trump administration is planning to bypass legal protections and hastily deport more than 500 unaccompanied migrant children, a top Democratic senator warned Thursday. Sen. Ron Wyden (D-Ore.) told Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. in a letter that he “obtained credible information” that the Trump administration had a list of more than 500 migrant children currently in the care and custody of the agency’s Office of Refugee Resettlement (ORR) who were being targeted for fast-track removal in a matter of days. The children have been in ORR custody, primarily in long-term foster care, for at least six months and do not have any relative or guardian in the U.S. to act as a sponsor. (Weixel, 6/25)
AP: Judge Blocks Tennessee From Reporting Sick Children To Immigration Authorities, For Now
A judge temporarily ordered the Tennessee Department of Health not to give immigration authorities information about roughly 400 seriously sick and disabled immigrant children who are enrolled in a healthcare assistance program. The restraining order was issued Wednesday at the request of three Nashville doctors who treat some of those children and who sued after state officials sent letters to providers and immigrant families saying a new law required them to share identifying information for those on the program after the end of June. (Hall, 6/26)
The Supreme Court also issued rulings about cancer lawsuits and gun laws —
NBC News: Supreme Court Ruling On Roundup Weed Killer Leaves MAHA Leaders Feeling Betrayed
Many prominent figures in the “Make America Healthy Again” movement said they felt betrayed Thursday after the Supreme Court ruled that Bayer, the manufacturer of Roundup, did not need to warn consumers of a potential cancer risk associated with its weed killer. The ruling is likely to prevent thousands of lawsuits from arguing in state courts that Roundup should come with a cancer warning. (Bendix and Tsirkin, 6/26)
The Washington Post: Supreme Court Strikes Down Hawaii Limits On Carrying Guns In Public
The Supreme Court on Thursday struck down a Hawaii law that sharply restricts where people can carry guns in public, the latest ruling by the high court in recent years rolling back firearm restrictions. In an ideologically split 6-3 ruling, the justices found a statute that requires gun owners to get consent to carry a firearm onto private property open to the public violates the Second Amendment right to bear arms. (Jouvenal, 6/25)
Administration News
Trump Sets In Motion Effort To Limit Pesticides In Nation's Food Supply
The New York Times: Trump Issues Order To Reduce Pesticides In Food As Kennedy Allies Fume
President Trump, facing a backlash from supporters of Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. for allying himself with the chemical industry, issued an executive order on Thursday aimed at reducing pesticides in the food supply and studying the health risks they pose. The order does not involve new federal funding, and does not call for new regulations or legislation. Critics contended that it did little to meaningfully address the consequences of pesticide use. Two White House officials, speaking anonymously to preview the order before it was announced, said it was timed to coincide with a dinner Mr. Trump was hosting for farmers. (Stolberg, 6/25)
More about RFK Jr. and the Trump administration —
Politico: Trump Nominates New Top Deputy To RFK Jr.
President Donald Trump said Thursday he was nominating Chris Klomp to be Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s second-in-command at the Department of Health and Human Services. If the Senate confirms him, the 45-year-old tech entrepreneur would become deputy secretary overseeing the vast department’s operations. “Everywhere Chris goes, he earns TRUST. He is a person of principle, and is deeply committed to serving the AMERICAN People — and fixing our broken Healthcare System,” Trump wrote on his Truth Social website. (Paun, 6/25)
The Washington Post: RFK Jr. Urged Iowa Libertarian To Quit House Race, Recording Shows
Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. urged a Libertarian congressional candidate in Iowa to drop out of a competitive House race to help Republicans keep control of Congress, according to an audio recording of the conversation obtained by The Washington Post. During the call, Kennedy said he was acting as a “liaison” with the White House, argued that a Democratic takeover of the House would undermine President Donald Trump’s agenda and suggested that he could help the candidate if he left the race. He also suggested that the candidate could “make an agreement” that would accomplish more than a “symbolic run” for office. (Diamond and Arnsdorf, 6/25)
Stat: Proposed CDC Science Office Could Tighten Political Control At Agency
Political appointees appear poised to gain more control over information coming out of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention under a proposal to add a separate science office atop the agency. (Cirruzzo, 6/25)
Bloomberg: FDA Commissioner Shortlist Includes New York Cancer Practice CEO
Jeff Vacirca, a physician and leader of a prominent New York oncology group, is among the final candidates the Trump administration is considering to lead the Food and Drug Administration, according to people familiar with the matter. Several candidates are under consideration and the decision hasn’t been made, said the people, who asked not to be named discussing private information. (Cohrs Zhang, 6/25)
AP: DEA Asks Justice Department Watchdog To Review Fentanyl Pill Strategy In New Mexico
The federal Drug Enforcement Administration on Thursday asked the U.S. Justice Department’s internal watchdog to investigate a whistleblower’s claims that DEA agents permitted hundreds of thousands of fentanyl pills to hit the streets of New Mexico. The request came days after an Associated Press investigation found agents repeatedly monitored — but did not seize — major shipments of the synthetic opioid in a bid to build bigger criminal cases between 2023 and 2025. (Mustian, 6/25)
KFF Health News: KFF Health News’ ‘What The Health?’: Trump Officials Still Delaying Funds
For the second year in a row, Trump administration officials are delaying the distribution of hundreds of millions of dollars in health-related grant funding as political appointees seek to ensure the funding adheres to the administration’s priorities — despite promises to Congress that the money would be spent as directed. (Rovner, 6/25)
From Capitol Hill —
Becker's Hospital Review: Lawmakers Pitch Cap On Medicare Beneficiary Out-Of-Pocket Costs
Democratic senators introduced legislation June 25 that would cap out-of-pocket costs for traditional Medicare beneficiaries. The Medicare Cost Cap Act would install a $5,000 annual cap for Parts A and B cost-sharing — including deductibles, copays and coinsurance — beginning in 2028. Once the cap is hit, Medicare would pay 100% of covered costs for the rest of the year. The cap would change each year based on per capita Medicare spending growth. (Casolo, 6/25)
Stat: Cassidy Proposes New Rules For 340B Drug Discount Program
The chair of the Senate health committee introduced a bill to restrict a federal drug discount program known as 340B that has been lucrative for nonprofit hospitals. (Wilkerson, 6/25)
Military.com: 47 Senate Lawmakers Oppose VA Disability Rule On Sleep Apnea, Tinnitus
Nearly 50 lawmakers in Congress are urging reconsideration of a Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) draft rule in a major proposed legislative package that they claim will negatively impact disabled veterans who suffer from sleep apnea and tinnitus. The rule, entitled "Schedule for Rating Disabilities—Ear, Nose, Throat, and Audiology Disabilities; Special Provisions Regarding Evaluation of Respiratory Conditions; Respiratory System," is currently contained within the comprehensive bill package called the Take Care of America's Veterans Act (TCAVA) that was introduced last week and includes more than 60 veterans' bills, such as the Major Richard Star Act, the Love Lives On Act, caregiver reforms, VA modernization initiatives, combat-injured veteran expansions, more support for military spouses and more. (Mordowanec, 6/25)
The New York Times: Johnson Says He Will Send Housing Bill To Trump
Speaker Mike Johnson said on Thursday that he would send to President Trump a bipartisan housing bill cleared by Congress, despite the president’s decision a day earlier to scrap a much-anticipated signing ceremony for the measure. Mr. Trump has yet to commit to signing the legislation, which he has diminished as being “of minor importance” even as members of his own party have celebrated it as a crucial victory that can lower housing costs. (Gold, 6/25)
MedPage Today: Democrats Press Trump Admin On Special Access To Obesity Drug
Democratic lawmakers are pressing the Trump administration to disclose who received special access to Eli Lilly's investigational obesity drug retatrutide. Sen. Maggie Hassan (D-N.H.) sent a letter to HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. asking who the lone patient was, after STAT reported earlier this week that a request for compassionate use was made to the FDA in April for a "well connected" 79-year-old man with refractory obesity, obstructive sleep apnea, and pulmonary hypertension. (Fiore, 6/25)
Vaccines
New ACIP Charter Allows RFK Jr. To Keep Vaccine Critics He Put In Place
Stat: New ACIP Charter Widens Member Criteria, Focuses On Vaccine Alternatives
A new charter for the panel that advises the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on vaccine use substantially refocuses the responsibilities of the committee, downplaying its role in recommending the use of new vaccines and giving it responsibility to assess alternatives for disease prevention. (Branswell and Oza, 6/25)
The Hill: Sanders Releases Emails Showing RFK Jr.'s Vaccine Influence
Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) on Thursday released a tranche of Health and Human Services (HHS) emails that appear to show HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. pressuring the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) over its vaccine messaging. Emails indicate that Kennedy directed the CDC’s vaccine advisory panel to restrict access to vaccines, allowed researchers to access “confidential data” to indicate the disproven claim that vaccines cause autism and changed recommendations for the public to receive COVID-19 shots without input from the CDC. (Mancini, 6/25)
KFF Health News: Efforts To End School Vaccine Mandates Hit A Wall In Florida
Every state, along with Washington, D.C., requires children to obtain certain vaccinations before they can attend school or childcare. These mandates date back decades, and many public health experts consider them a foundational defense against infectious disease. Since the summer of 2025, Florida leaders have aimed to make the state the first to drop some of those vaccine mandates. The anti-vaccine rhetoric has often been positioned as a push for “medical freedom.” Related efforts to revise laws and regulations rumbled along at the state health department and in the legislature for months. (Sheridan, 6/26)
The Washington Post: Dating Apps For Unvaccinated People Are Successfully Matching Anti-Vaxxers
Dating apps are pairing unvaccinated people across the country — and in some cases hosting controversial in-person events. (Battle, 6/26)
Related news about flu and measles —
The New York Times: Military Leaders Sought Flu Vaccination Program Weeks Before Outbreak Hit Base
On May 5, several weeks before a major flu outbreak at an Air Force basic training in Texas, the leaders of the Army, Navy, Marine Corps and Air Force asked the secretary of defense’s office for permission to vaccinate trainees for the flu, military officials said. ... But the permission did not come until June 16, according to Pentagon officials. By that point the flu was already racing through an Air Force Basic Military Training wing in San Antonio. (Jaffe, 6/25)
CIDRAP: Two New Reports Highlight Obstacles To Containing US Measles Outbreaks
Two new reports examining recent US measles outbreaks highlight the challenges of containing the spread of the disease in certain communities. (Bergeson, 6/25)
The latest on the Ebola outbreak —
Bloomberg: Bundibugyo Ebola Outbreak Offers New Insights As Recoveries Double In Congo
As more patients recover from the world’s largest recorded Bundibugyo Ebola outbreak, doctors are beginning to piece together how the rare virus behaves — offering the clearest picture yet of one of the disease’s least-studied strains. The number of recoveries reported by Congolese health authorities more than doubled in eight days, rising to 138 on Wednesday from 67 on June 16, even as treatment centers admit dozens of patients daily. (Gale, 6/26)
MedPage Today: Hemorrhage May Be 'Infrequent' Feature In Latest Ebola Outbreak
In a departure from past Ebola outbreaks, roughly 90% of the patients testing positive for Bundibugyo virus disease (BVD) had no hemorrhagic signs or bleeding at presentation, according to a preliminary report. (Rudd, 6/25)
The New York Times: Congo Ebola Crisis: Contact Tracing Is Dangerously Behind, Officials Warn
Africa’s top health agency offered a grim outlook on the Ebola crisis raging in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo on Thursday, warning that contact tracing was dangerously behind where it needed to be to end the spread. “If we don’t stop this outbreak now,” Dr. Jean Kaseya, the director general of the Africa Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, said on Thursday, “for sure it will be the largest Ebola outbreak ever.” (Mpoke Bigg and Nolen, 6/25)
CIDRAP: Africa CDC Triples Amount Needed To Fight Ebola
Today during a press conference, Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention Director-General Jean Kaseya, MD, MPH, said the Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) would require $1.4 billion in funding to contain, almost triple the $518 million Africa CDC estimated it needed at the beginning of the month. "If we don't have this $1.4 billion and if we don't resolve the humanitarian issue, we will not stop this outbreak,” Kaseya said. So far, about $910 million has been pledged for the outbreak, but only 13% of that had been released. (Soucheray, 6/25)
Health Industry
Judge Blocks Loan Caps For Some Students Planning To Work In Health Sector
Modern Healthcare: Education Department's Loan Cap Rule Partially Paused By Judge
A federal judge temporarily blocked part of an Education Department rule that would affect borrowing limits for aspiring clinicians, days before it was scheduled to go into effect. The rule, which was finalized in April, would cap federal loans for graduate students, with higher borrowing limits for those pursuing “professional degrees” such as an M.D. The Wednesday order pauses the implementation of the regulatory definition of “professional degree” that excludes those granted to students such as would-be nurse practitioners or physician assistants. (DeSilva, 6/25)
Modern Healthcare: Where Physician Assistant Shortages May Deepen By 2038
Physician assistants and other advanced practice providers have helped offset the exit of physicians from the workforce, but the additions are unlikely to meet demands for care well into the next decade. A shortage of physicians persists in rural and urban areas alike and is compounded by recent changes to H-1B visas and federal tuition borrowing rates that are expected to make it more challenging for physicians to join the workforce. (DeSilva and Broderick, 6/25)
In other healthcare industry updates —
San Francisco Chronicle: A Major Bay Area Hospital Is Eyeing A Billion-Dollar Rebuild
El Camino Health has proposed building a new hospital in Los Gatos that would replace its current 64-year-old hospital by 2032, the health care provider announced. The $1 billion rebuild, adjacent to the current facility at Pollard Road and Knowles Drive, would create the first all-electric hospital in Los Gatos. The proposed hospital would be more than double the size of the current facility — 340,000 square feet compared with 138,000. (Ho, 6/25)
St. Louis Post-Dispatch: Eureka Nursing Home Set For Sale, Could Trigger Layoffs
The proposed sale of a financially beleaguered nursing home in Eureka could see dozens of employees laid off from the site — at least temporarily — before any new owner takes over. (Bauman, 6/25)
Fierce Healthcare: Kaiser To Pay Hospital $82M Over Insufficient OON Reimbursement
Kaiser Permanente must pay millions to Pomona Valley Hospital Medical Center over the years of underpayments for out-of-network emergency medical care, according to a Tuesday final judgment ending a battle of appeals between the two. (Muoio, 6/24)
St. Louis Post-Dispatch: SSM Health, Feds Strike $1M Deal To Settle Medicare Overbilling Claims
SM Health has agreed to pay nearly $1.1 million in total to settle claims that its pharmacy improperly waived patient copays and, in turn, overbilled Medicare for prescriptions. (Bauman, 6/25)
KFF Health News: Medicare Advantage Company Pays $342M To Government In Midst Of Billing Probe
A major Medicare Advantage company has paid the government more than $342 million to help settle allegations that it overcharged the federal healthcare program for years. Elevance Health, which covers about 2 million people on Medicare, sent the money to the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services via wire transfer on May 27, court records show. Government lawyers disclosed the payment in a June 22 court filing. (Schulte, 6/26)
Also —
Modern Healthcare: Health Systems Race To Expand Outpatient Services As Rivals Grow
Health systems are racing to scale outpatient services, both to expand their reach and protect their turf. Efficiency and expansion have become paramount as they take on for-profit competitors in surgeries, infusions, cardiac care, imaging and physical therapy. Hospital systems are also competing against their peers, accelerating plans to fund growth initiatives through their balance sheets and joint ventures. (Kacik, 6/25)
NBC News: This Autism Therapy Is Covered By Many Insurers. Why Does The Military’s Plan Restrict It?
Logan Cabiao has a severe form of autism and is nonverbal. At 10 years old, his parents say, he needs round-the-clock support and supervision. Logan cannot brush his teeth or use the bathroom on his own. Routine doctor’s appointments can become so overwhelming that his parents sometimes need to sedate him. In crowded places he may run off without warning, they say. (Lovelace Jr., Kane and McLaughlin, 6/25)
HealthDay: Few Men Discuss Prostate Cancer Screening With Doctors, Study Finds
Very few middle-aged men are discussing prostate cancer screening with their doctor, even though they face a decision whether or not to be tested, a new study says. Only about 6% of men have had a documented discussion with their primary care doctor about prostate cancer screening, even though guidelines recommend this talk for all men between 55 and 69 years of age, researchers reported recently in the Southern Medical Journal. (Thompson, 6/25)
Pharmaceuticals
Semaglutide Use Has Prompted 'Staggering' Number Of GLP-1 Poison Control Calls
HealthDay: GLP-1 Weight-Loss Boom Linked To Surge In Poison Control Calls
Prior to approval, U.S. poison control centers recorded roughly 1,000 to 1,500 cases annually. After mid-2021, call volumes nearly doubled. And by 2023, poison centers logged more than 8,000 GLP-1-related calls. When researchers examined the increase by specific medication, semaglutide accounted for 64% of all GLP-1-related calls, according to the results. (6/25)
KFF Health News: Trouble Getting Weight Loss Drugs Covered By Insurance? Here’s What To Know
A professional in-home caregiver lost her coverage for Zepbound. She soon realized getting it back was not straightforward. Deborah Finley, 50, of Lodi, California, said her weight started to worry her during the early days of covid. That’s when she noticed a lot of the people who were on ventilators or dying had something in common: obesity. (Lupkin, 6/26)
Stat: What Is Pulmonary Hypertension, And Could GLP-1s Help?
On Tuesday STAT reported on a mystery patient with obesity, sleep apnea, and pulmonary hypertension who’d received an obesity drug not yet approved by federal drug regulators. The identity of the 79-year-old who won access in April to the Eli Lilly experimental drug retatrutide under a compassionate use program — typically reserved for people who are terminally ill — is still unknown. But the report has raised interest in pulmonary hypertension. (Cooney, 6/26)
In other pharmaceutical news —
The New York Times: Medical Journal Retracts Study Claiming Cancer Therapy Is More Effective When Given In The Morning
Early this year, a medical journal article caught the attention of cancer patients and doctors worldwide because of its extraordinary conclusion. Simply changing the time of day that immunotherapy was administered appeared to produce a stunning benefit for lung cancer patients. Those who received IV infusions in the morning had their cancer kept at bay for twice as long as those who got it in the afternoon, according to the results from a clinical trial in China and published in the journal Nature Medicine in February. The study also reported that the patients lived nearly twice as long. (Robbins, 6/25)
FiercePharma: AstraZeneca Spells Out A Community Cancer Screening Strategy With The YMCA
Over the first two years of their partnership, AstraZeneca and Y-USA aim to reach 175,000 people across 75 communities in the U.S. The partners plan to raise awareness of cancer screening and early detection using “tailored, community-driven solutions.” (Taylor, 6/25)
NBC News: Serious Statin Side Effects On Muscles Are Extremely Rare, New Research Confirms
People are more worried about severe muscular problems when taking statins than they should be: Such side effects are exceedingly rare, research published Thursday in the journal The Lancet Digital Health reaffirms. Heart disease is the leading cause of death worldwide, and statins can lower LDL cholesterol levels by as much as 60%, reducing a person’s risk of a heart attack or stroke. But despite more than 50 years of data showing the cholesterol-lowering medications are safe, many people are still hesitant to take statins, fearing side effects. (Sullivan, 6/25)
The 19th: No, Your Drinking Water Isn’t Contaminated By Abortion Pills
Anti-abortion advocates, including Republican lawmakers and state officials, want the EPA to review mifepristone as a water contaminant. Scientists say there’s no evidence it harms the environment or people. (Barnes, 6/25)
Stat: Medetomidine: New Hidden Danger In Opioid Withdrawal For Inmates
When Lillian was booked into a rural Pennsylvania jail, she couldn’t stop vomiting. As she showered and changed into her jail uniform, “brain zaps” kept destabilizing her. “The corrections officer watching me kept having to grab me steady or I would have dropped and hit the floor,” Lillian recalled. (Green, 6/26)
MedPage Today: We Have Antiretrovirals And PrEP. So Why Hasn't The HIV Epidemic Ended?
Last week, the United Nations (UN) issued a declaration renewing its call to eliminate of HIV/AIDS by 2030, to be accomplished in part by boosting spending on eradicating the disease in lower- and middle-income countries. The U.S. was one of eight countries that didn't sign the declaration. The UN action was the latest in a string of efforts to end an epidemic that began 47 years ago, in 1981. (Frieden, 6/25)
State Watch
California Hospitals, Labor Union Broker Ballot Deal To Reshape Healthcare Funding
CalMatters: California Unions, Hospitals Strike Deal — But Billionaire Tax Heads To Ballot
California hospitals and the state’s largest health workers union reached an agreement Thursday to pull two competing initiatives from the November ballot hours before a state deadline. But a separate measure to impose a one-time tax on billionaires remains headed toward voters, potentially reshaping how California funds healthcare. That measure would levy a one-time 5% tax on California billionaires if approved by voters. Supporters estimate the tax would bring in $100 billion to replace recent state and federal healthcare cuts. The union accused Gov. Gavin Newsom, who tried to strike a last-minute deal to kill the ballot measure, of having “no plan” to prevent cuts projected to lose jobs and leave millions of Californians uninsured, according to recent projections. (Hwang, 6/25)
The Washington Post: NYC Passes Rent Freeze, In Line With Mamdani Campaign Promise
A city board voted Thursday to freeze rents for up to two years for about 1 million rent-stabilized apartments, delivering on a key piece of Mayor Zohran Mamdani’s agenda while rattling the real estate industry. (Craig, 6/25)
The New York Times: Colorado Brothers Hid Decaying Bodies In Their Funeral Home, Authorities Say
Two brothers who own a Colorado funeral home where two dozen bodies were found in various stages of decay were arrested on Thursday, nearly a year after state inspectors followed the smell of decomposition to a room hidden behind a cardboard display, according to investigators and state records. The owners, Brian and Christopher Cotter, face more than 125 counts of state charges, including abuse of a corpse, forgery and theft, the 10th Judicial District Attorney’s Office said on Thursday. (Walker, 6/25)
AP: Man, 74, Becomes Oldest Inmate Executed In Florida's Modern History
A 74-year-old man convicted of fatally stabbing his wife became the oldest person executed in Florida’s modern history on Thursday, and the state is scheduled to execute another 74-year-old inmate next month. Dusty Ray Spencer was pronounced dead at 6:10 p.m. following a three-drug injection at Florida State Prison near Starke. Spencer was convicted of the 1992 stabbing death of his wife Karen. (Fischer and Collins, 6/26)
Verite News: New Orleans Could Start Replacing Lead Pipes If Louisiana Amendment Passes
Louisiana voters will decide in November whether to ensure local water utilities can use federal funding to pay to replace residents’ lead pipes. The Louisiana Legislature also passed a framework to reduce other barriers to local lead pipe replacements that became law on June 21. In New Orleans, the Sewerage & Water Board has been awarded $152 million in federal dollars to start replacing lead lines. Lead, a toxic heavy metal, is common in water across the city, and the water utility predicts that at least half of its service lines contain lead. It’s unclear how many of the service lines on private property contain lead. (Parker, 6/24)
Cardinal News: Training Tomorrow's First Responders: How Rockbridge County Is Trying To Build An EMS And Firefighting Pipeline In High School
Matthew Lantz always wanted to be a firefighter. At 15, he started volunteering with the Timberville Volunteer Fire Department and plans to work for Rockingham County full-time when he graduates high school early and turns 18 this December. Getting that job will likely be easier because Lantz is already a certified EMT and firefighter, in part thanks to a program he had access to in high school. (Mangrum, 6/26)
Environmental news from the U.S. and Europe —
The Wall Street Journal: The Ticks That Cause Red-Meat Allergies Are Spreading Across The U.S.
Here’s another reason to cover up in the thick of tick season this summer: There is a bite that can leave you allergic to burgers, bacon and steak. That’s right—Lyme disease isn’t the only health threat ticks can pose. More people are learning about alpha-gal syndrome, a potentially life-changing allergy linked to the lone-star tick. (Reddy, 6/25)
AP: Study: Climate Change Is Behind Europe's High Temperatures
The record-breaking heat that’s scorching Europe day and night this month would not have been possible without climate change, according to a new study. The World Weather Attribution rapid study released Friday found that the heat would have been virtually impossible just five decades ago, and is 200 times more likely today than it would have been 20 years ago. (St. John, 6/26)
The Washington Post: Hundreds In Spain May Have Died From Record Heat, Agency Warns
More than 200 people may have died in Spain in recent days as a result of the record heat wave that has gripped much of Europe this week, according to data from a national monitoring system that estimates excess deaths. Researchers at Spain’s leading public health agency in Madrid, using models based on a decade of mortality records, and temperature and demographic data, projected the heat wave has caused 212 excess deaths since Sunday. (Crowe and Kaplan, 6/25)
Weekend Reading
Longer Looks: Interesting Reads You Might Have Missed
The Washington Post: The Deep Meaning And Mystery Of Deathbed Visions
As a physician and the chief medical officer of Hospice Buffalo, Chris Kerr has seen his patients experience end-of-life dreams and visions for nearly 30 years. But his own first encounter came when he was 12 years old, standing at the bedside of his dying father. (Gibson, 6/19)
The Washington Post: Providing Dignity To Grieving Families, A Funeral Director Became A Community Pillar
At his family’s Chicago funeral home, Spencer Leak Jr. handled Jesse Jackson’s services and helped families who were unable to pay. He died in May at 56. (Smith, 6/20)
The New York Times: Why Older People Are Divorcing More Than They Used To
Rates of gray divorce have risen sharply over the past few decades — and experts have a few theories as to why. (Pearson, 6/22)
The New York Times: How Remote Work Has Helped A Generation Of Working Parents
Post-pandemic, a new openness to accommodating family needs has made it possible for more mothers and fathers to balance work and parenting — particularly mothers of young children. (Miller, 6/21)
The Washington Post: After A Brain Injury, He Found Purpose Fixing Bikes No One Else Would Bother With
Rob, 54, forgot how to do his job after a car hit him in a crosswalk, leaving him with cognitive and physical impairment. But he still remembered how to fix bicycles. (Penman, 6/24)
The New York Times: They Lost Limbs At War, But It Was The Start Of Something New
As the number of amputees in Ukraine soars, many are bonding by learning new sports, challenging both their bodies and their ideas of what they can do. (O’Grady, Sholudko and Shyvala, 6/24)
The Washington Post: Inside Japan’s Billion-Dollar Quest To Help A Sleep-Starved Nation Rest
From puffer jackets designed for power naps to homes that auto-adjust lighting and temperature, better sleep in Japan is a booming market. (Lee and Tanaka, 6/23)
Editorials And Opinions
Viewpoints: Public Perception Of Ebola Is Often Skewed; Supreme Court's Monsanto Ruling Is A Pragmatic One
Stat: What ‘The Hot Zone’ Gets Right And Wrong About Ebola
When news breaks of an Ebola case almost anywhere in the world, the public reaction is remarkably predictable. Headlines become urgent. Social media fills with anxiety. Questions arise about whether this is the beginning of another global crisis. More than 30 years after its publication, much of that reaction can be traced to a single book. (Krutika Kuppalli, 6/26)
The Washington Post: In Monsanto's Roundup Case, The Supreme Court’s Center Prevails
In a 7-2 decision (really more like 6-2-1), a cross-ideological majority of justices ruled for Monsanto. Durnell had successfully sued Monsanto in Missouri state court for not labeling its pesticide as carcinogenic. (6/25)
The Washington Post: This Law Keeps Guns Out Of The Hands Of Drug Addicts, If It's Enforced
The FBI’s background check database should include more drug addicts. (Ian Ayres and Fredrick Vars, 6/25)
The Washington Post: I Experienced Sudden Hearing Loss At 32. Emergency Treatment Could Have Helped.
The loss in one ear is permanent, and I have ongoing tinnitus as a side effect of a widely misdiagnosed condition. (Alison Karlene Hodgins, 6/25)
Stat: In Memory Of Epidemiologist And Cancer Researcher Joseph Fraumeni Jr.
When Joe Fraumeni was a pre-med student in the 1950s, he accompanied a group that visited Massachusetts General Hospital to sit in an amphitheater and watch a patient being cut open for an abdominal operation. As he told me many years later, Joe got so queasy from the sight that he had to walk out and decided not to become a surgeon. How fortunate we were that he didn’t. (Lawrence Ingrassia, 6/26)