The Week in Brief: Friday, Jan. 9, 2026
To Knock Down Health-System Hurdles Between You and HIV Prevention, Try These 6 Things
Zach Dyer and Oona Zenda
It’s been more than 10 years since the FDA first approved an HIV prevention drug. Today, people who could benefit from preexposure prophylaxis often struggle to access the lifesaving medicine or run into doctors without the education or empathy to offer affirming care. And those lapses can produce billing headaches.
After Outpatient Cosmetic Surgery, They Wound Up in the Hospital or Alone at a Recovery House
Fred Schulte
Some patients who had liposuction or other surgeries later required emergency hospital care — and some died, court records show.
Advertisements Promising Patients a ‘Dream Body’ With Minimal Risk Get Little Scrutiny
Fred Schulte
While federal officials say they are cracking down on misleading drug ads, cosmetic surgery remains a “buyer beware” market.
Baltimore Drove Down Gun Deaths. Now Trump Has Slashed Funding for That Work.
Renuka Rayasam
A spike in shootings during the covid pandemic propelled community violence intervention, a field that aims to stop gun deaths at the root. Baltimore used federal funds to launch a violence prevention office. But President Donald Trump has throttled such funds and instead is sending troops into cities.
Medical Bills Can Be Vexing and Perplexing. Here’s This Year’s Best Advice for Patients.
Emmarie Huetteman
As the crowdsourced investigative series from KFF Health News approaches its eighth anniversary, “Bill of the Month” offers its top takeaways of 2025 to help patients manage, decipher, and even fight their medical bills.
Criminally Ill: Systemic Failures Turn State Mental Hospitals Into Prisons
Sarah Jane Tribble and Doug Livingston, The Marshall Project - Cleveland
There has been a steep rise in the share of people with severe mental illnesses being sent to state psychiatric hospitals on court orders after being accused of serious crimes. The shift has all but halted patients’ ability to get care before they have a catastrophic crisis.
Inside the Battle for the Future of Addiction Medicine
Aneri Pattani
The experiences of one doctor in Louisiana reveal the tensions around trying to get people to engage in addiction treatment, even if they’re not ready to stop using drugs.
Thrift Store. Clinic. Roller Rink. Center Becomes ‘Radical’ Lifeline Amid Homelessness, Drug Crises.
Aneri Pattani
Located in the Lower 9th Ward, this abandoned building has become a community sanctuary and resource.
In Lodge Grass, Montana, a Crow Community Works To Rebuild From Meth’s Destruction
Katheryn Houghton
Meth is a problem most everywhere, but particularly in Indian Country. On the Crow Indian Reservation in Montana, new buildings serve as symbols of a town trying to rebuild after being devastated by addiction.
Homeless Shelters for Seniors Pop Up, Catering to Older Adults’ Medical Needs
Aaron Bolton, MTPR
Seniors are the fastest-growing segment of homeless Americans. Shelters are struggling to take in people with mobility issues and other chronic health conditions that can make living in a shelter nearly impossible. But specialized shelters for seniors are cropping up around the country to fill the gap.
Solving the Home Care Quandary
Paula Span
Paid home care is buckling under the surging demands of an aging population. But there are alternatives that could upgrade jobs and improve patient care.
Older Americans Quit Weight Loss Drugs in Droves
Paula Span
In some studies, half of patients stopped taking GLP-1s within a year despite the benefits, citing the expense and side effects.
It’s the ‘Gold Standard’ in Autism Care. Why Are States Reining It In?
Bram Sable-Smith and Andrew Jones
States facing yawning budget shortfalls have begun cutting Medicaid reimbursements for a wide variety of services. In some states, dramatic cuts are targeting therapies that many families of autistic people say are essential to caring for their loved ones.
Medicaid Health Plans Step Up Outreach Efforts Ahead of GOP Changes
Claudia Boyd-Barrett
Even as President Donald Trump and GOP lawmakers say the One Big Beautiful Bill Act targets waste, fraud, and abuse, Medicaid health plans are hosting events across the U.S. to prevent low-income families from losing health insurance and food benefits next year.
California Ends Medicaid Coverage of Weight Loss Drugs Despite TrumpRx Plan
Don Thompson
Low-income Californians who use Wegovy and similar medications for weight loss lost their coverage at the start of the new year, with officials advising diet and exercise instead. California and other states say the drugs are too costly, even as the Trump administration announces plans to lower prices.
New Year, Same Health Fight
Congress returned from its break facing a familiar question: whether to extend the expanded subsidies for Affordable Care Act health plans that expired at the end of 2025. Meanwhile, HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. broke a promise to Bill Cassidy, the chairman of Senate health committee, by overhauling the federal government’s childhood vaccine schedule to reduce the number of diseases for which vaccines will be recommended. Sarah Karlin-Smith of Pink Sheet, Alice Miranda Ollstein of Politico, and Lauren Weber of The Washington Post join KFF Health News’ Julie Rovner to discuss those stories and more.
On the Hook for Uninsured Residents, Counties Now Wonder How They’ll Pay
Christine Mai-Duc and Claudia Boyd-Barrett
Millions of people gained health coverage under the Affordable Care Act, reducing pressure on counties in states that fund care for the uninsured. With federal policies expected to reverse that trend, county officials wonder how they will fill the gap — and who will pay for it.
Iowa Doesn’t Have Enough OB-GYNs. The State’s Abortion Ban Might Be Making It Worse.
Natalie Krebs, Iowa Public Radio
Abortion bans like Iowa’s have put OB-GYNs under increasing strain and surveillance, complicating the standard medical treatments for miscarriage, ectopic pregnancy, premature membrane rupture, and other pregnancy problems. As many rural areas face worsening maternity care deserts, some physicians fear these laws could drive much-needed doctors out of state and dissuade others from moving in and establishing a practice.
A Few More Good Things From 2025
Dan Weissmann
"An Arm and a Leg" looks back on state laws passed in 2025 aimed at removing medical debts from credit reports and reining in corporate influence on medicine.