The Week in Brief: Friday, Oct. 3, 2025
Shutdown Halts Some Health Services as Political Risks Test Parties’ Resolve
Stephanie Armour and Julie Rovner and Amanda Seitz and Arielle Zionts and Rachana Pradhan
Congressional Democrats and Republicans are at an impasse in negotiations. Which side will blink first?
Democrats Make This Shutdown About the ACA
The foreshadowed federal shutdown came after Congress failed to pass required spending bills, with Democrats demanding Republicans renew the expiring Affordable Care Act subsidies in exchange for their votes. While a shutdown does not affect Medicare and Medicaid, it could eventually hinder activities from every corner of the Department of Health and Human Services. Meanwhile, as Democrats and Republicans point fingers, HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. pursues policies and personnel that would undermine vaccines. Lauren Weber of The Washington Post, Shefali Luthra of The 19th, and Rachel Cohrs Zhang of Bloomberg News join KFF Health News’ Julie Rovner to discuss the news. Also this week, Rovner interviews KFF Health News’ Cara Anthony, who wrote a recent “Bill of the Month” feature about an out-of-network eye surgery that left one kindergartner’s family with a big bill.
Doctors With Troubled Pasts Are Performing Cosmetic Surgeries Tied to Crippling Pain and Injury
Fred Schulte
Some injured patients say they wish they had tried harder to check the backgrounds of doctors and clinics they trusted, but those records are hard to find.
How To Pick the Right Cosmetic Surgeon
Fred Schulte
While surgeons argue over who gets the best results, patients may struggle to make sense of credentials.
At Least 170 US Hospitals Face Major Flood Risk. Experts Say Trump Is Making It Worse.
Holly K. Hacker and Brett Kelman and Daniel Chang and Hannah Norman and Lydia Zuraw
As a warming climate intensifies storms, KFF Health News has identified more than 170 U.S. hospitals at risk of significant and potentially dangerous flooding. Climate experts warn that the Trump administration’s cuts leave the nation less prepared.
Workers’ Wages Siphoned To Pay Medical Bills, Despite Consumer Protections
Rae Ellen Bichell
Health care providers and debt collectors are biting from people’s paychecks to cover old medical bills. A KFF Health News investigation in Colorado shows that this aggressive collection practice is widespread even in a state considered to have strong consumer protections.
Where Jobs Are Scarce, Over 1 Million People Could Dodge Trump’s Medicaid Work Rules
Phil Galewitz
Under a new law, many Americans will have to meet a work requirement to obtain and keep their Medicaid coverage. But due to an exemption, millions living in areas of high unemployment could be spared.
The Struggle To Afford Insurance in 2026 Hits Home
Dan Weissmann
The senior producer of “An Arm and a Leg” starts planning for health insurance in 2026, and — like millions of others signing up during this year’s open enrollment — faces a steep price increase.
‘Demon Copperhead’ Author Lays Foundation for Women in Appalachia To Beat Addiction
Taylor Sisk
Barbara Kingsolver won a Pulitzer Prize for her bestselling novel about Appalachia’s drug crisis. She invested some of the proceeds into a home for women trying to beat substance use disorders.
In Hepatitis B Vaccine Debate, CDC Panel Sidesteps Key Exposure Risk
Jackie Fortiér
At a recent meeting of a key vaccine advisory panel, members debated changes to the timing of hepatitis B vaccination, while largely ignoring the risk of early childhood transmission from day care or household contact. A few days later, President Donald Trump did the same.
Nuclear Missile Workers Are Contracting Cancer. They Blame the Bases.
Patricia Kime
People who maintained the nation’s land-based nuclear missile arsenal are coming down with similar cancers. The Air Force is wrapping up a large study of the health risks they may have faced.
Health Centers Face Risks as Government Funding Lapses
Paula Andalo
Community health centers are key to delivering care in underserved communities around the country, but their services could be disrupted or scaled back after governments did not renew their funding.
States Target Ultraprocessed Foods in Bipartisan Push
Claudia Boyd-Barrett
States are taking aim at chemicals and additives in foods as Republicans and Democrats alike embrace at least one aspect of the Trump administration’s “Make America Healthy Again” push. It’s a shift for Republicans, who had vilified past Democratic efforts to impose government will on what people eat and drink.
Health Care’s Employment Growth Clouded by Immigration Crackdown, Medicaid Cuts
Phillip Reese
The health care sector has accounted for nearly half of this year’s U.S. job growth. But economists say immigration crackdowns and Medicaid cuts could create a drag on the sector just as more workers are needed to support a growing population of older Americans.
Journalists Recap Coverage on Organ Harvesting, Obamacare, and Medicaid Cuts
KFF Health News journalists made the rounds on national and local media recently to discuss topical stories. Here’s a collection of their appearances.
Readers Speak Up for Patients Who Can’t, and for Kids With Disabilities
KFF Health News gives readers a chance to comment on a recent batch of stories.
Summon Your Spookiest Halloween Health Care Haikus
KFF Health News Staff and Oona Zenda
Submissions are open for KFF Health News’ seventh annual Halloween haiku competition. Conjure your most chilling verses — if you dare.