The Week in Brief: Friday, May 2, 2025
Montana Lawmakers Approve $124M To Revamp Behavioral Health System
By Sue O'Connell
The legislation calls for a new mental health facility in eastern Montana, upgrades to existing state facilities, expansion of community services, and revisions to commitment procedures.
Government Watchdog Expects Medicaid Work Requirement Analysis by Fall
By Sam Whitehead and Renuka Rayasam
This fall, the U.S. Government Accountability Office expects to release a report on how much it costs to run Georgia Pathways to Coverage — the country’s only active Medicaid work requirement program — as other states and Congress consider similar programs.
Covered California Pushes for Better Health Care as Federal Spending Cuts Loom
By Bernard J. Wolfson
Monica Soni, Covered California’s chief medical officer, oversees an effort to hold health plans financially accountable for the quality of care they provide, including childhood vaccination rates, which have fallen in California and nationwide. She worries federal spending cuts could soon bring turbulence to the state’s Affordable Care Act marketplace.
100 Days of Health Policy Upheaval
Members of Congress are back in Washington, and Republicans are struggling to find ways to reduce Medicaid spending without cutting benefits. Meanwhile, confusion continues to reign at the Department of Health and Human Services. Joanne Kenen of the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Alice Miranda Ollstein of Politico, and Margot Sanger-Katz of The New York Times join KFF Health News’ Julie Rovner to discuss these stories and more.
Federal Cuts Gut Food Banks as They Face Record Demand
By Jazmin Orozco Rodriguez
Food banks nationwide are being pinched by record demand, high food prices, and hundreds of millions of dollars in federal budget cuts. As the economy plods onto shaky ground, food bank leaders hope Congress patches the holes by passing a new farm bill.
California’s Primary Care Shortage Persists Despite Ambitious Moves To Close Gap
By Bernard J. Wolfson and Vanessa G. Sánchez
The state has in recent years embraced several initiatives recommended in an influential health care workforce report, including alternative payment arrangements for primary care doctors to earn more. Despite increasing residency programs, student debt forgiveness, and tuition-free medical school, California is unlikely to meet patient demand, observers say.
Fast Action From Bystanders Can Improve Cardiac Arrest Survival. Many Don’t Know What To Do.
By Michelle Andrews
In 9 of 10 cases, a person in cardiac arrest will die because help doesn’t arrive quickly enough. With CPR and, possibly, a shock from an automated external defibrillator, survival odds double. But Americans lack confidence and know-how to handle these interventions.
The Patient Expected a Free Checkup. The Bill Was $1,430.
By Samantha Liss and Lauren Sausser
Carmen Aiken of Chicago thought their medical appointment would be covered because the Affordable Care Act requires insurers to pay for a long list of preventive services. But after the appointment, Aiken received a bill for more than $1,400.
Trump Restores Title X Funding for Two Anti-Abortion States — While Wiping It Out Elsewhere
By Rachana Pradhan
The Biden administration shut off federal family planning grants to Tennessee and Oklahoma after the states directed clinics not to provide abortion counseling. The Trump administration restored the money, claiming two lawsuits were settled. They weren’t.
In a Broken Mental Health System, a Tiny Jail Cell Becomes an Institution of Last Resort
By Katheryn Houghton
Like local jails nationwide, Montana’s small holding facilities have become institutions of last resort as patients in mental health crisis stall in backlogs, waiting for beds at the state-run mental hospital.
As a Diversity Grant Dies, Young Scientists Fear It Will Haunt Their Careers
By Brett Kelman
The Trump administration defunded the National Institutes of Health’s MOSAIC grant program, which launched the careers of scientists from diverse backgrounds.
Trump Administration Retreats From 100% Withholding on Social Security Clawbacks
By David Hilzenrath and Jodie Fleischer, Cox Media Group
The Social Security Administration will now withhold 50% of many recipients’ monthly benefits to claw back alleged overpayments — down from the 100% it announced in March, but way up from the 10% cap imposed under former President Joe Biden.
When They Don’t Recognize You Anymore
By Paula Span
People with dementia often forget even close family members as the disease advances. “It can throw people into an existential crisis,” an expert said.
RFK Jr. Exaggerates Share of Autistic Population With Severe Limitations
By Louis Jacobson, PolitiFact
HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. said this month that "autism destroys families,” adding that “most cases are now severe” and describing children who will never work, play baseball, write poetry, or go on a date. Medical experts and people on the autism spectrum say Kennedy’s portrayal was skewed.
When Hospitals Ditch Medicare Advantage Plans, Thousands of Members Get To Leave, Too
By Susan Jaffe
Breakups between health providers and Advantage plans are increasingly common. The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services has allowed whole groups of patients to leave their plans.