The Week in Brief: May 9, 2025
HIV Testing and Outreach Falter as Trump Funding Cuts Sweep the South
By Amy Maxmen
A disruption in federal funds has jeopardized HIV testing and outreach in Mississippi, and researchers warn of a resurgence of the epidemic in the South.
At Social Security, These Are the Days of the Living Dead
By Darius Tahir
In recent weeks, Social Security has been plagued by problems related to technology, system errors, and even the marking of living people as dead.
Trump Policies at Odds With ‘Make America Healthy Again’ Push
By Stephanie Armour
On the surface, President Donald Trump embraced the MAHA movement with a pledge to end the nation’s high rates of chronic disease. But the broader Trump agenda may prove to be the biggest barrier this effort confronts.
Meet the Florida Group Chipping Away at Public Benefits One State at a Time
By Katheryn Houghton and Samantha Liss
The Trump administration’s “Make America Healthy Again” platform has boosted the agenda of a conservative think tank that’s been working for more than a decade to reshape the nation’s public assistance programs.
Trump Team’s $500 Million Bet on Old Vaccine Technology Puzzles Scientists
By Arthur Allen
Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s HHS said an enormous, noncompetitive flu vaccine development grant to two favored NIH leaders would ensure “transparency, effectiveness, and comprehensive preparedness.” But their vaccine is in early stages, relies on old technology, and is just one of scores of similar efforts.
In Reversal, FDA Rehires Staff Tasked With Releasing Public Records
By Rachana Pradhan
At least some workers who process public records in response to Freedom of Information Act requests have been reinstated, agency employees say.
Sen. Ron Wyden Seeks Answers on RFK Jr.’s Purge of FOIA Staff
By Rachana Pradhan
“Citizen oversight is a cornerstone of a functioning democracy,” Oregon Sen. Ron Wyden wrote to Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., demanding answers to more than two dozen questions, including who was involved in decisions to fire staff who handled Freedom of Information Act requests.
Seeking Spending Cuts, GOP Lawmakers Target a Tax Hospitals Love To Pay
By Phil Galewitz
Republicans, on the hunt for spending cuts, are eyeing a special kind of Medicaid tax that nearly every state uses to boost funding for hospitals, nursing homes, and other providers.
As Republicans Eye Sweeping Medicaid Cuts, Missouri Offers a Preview
By Bram Sable-Smith
Congressional Republicans are looking to cut at least $880 billion from a pool of federal funding that includes Medicaid — and the program is likely to take a major hit. A previous budget crunch in Missouri offers a window into how cuts ripple through people’s lives.
Cutting Medicaid Is Hard — Even for the GOP
Republicans on Capitol Hill are struggling to reach consensus on cutting the Medicaid program as they search for nearly a trillion dollars in savings over the next decade — as many observers predicted. Meanwhile, turmoil continues at the Department of Health and Human Services, with more controversial cuts and personnel moves, including the sudden nomination of Casey Means, an ally of Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s, to become surgeon general. Anna Edney of Bloomberg News, Maya Goldman of Axios, and Sandhya Raman of CQ Roll Call join KFF Health News’ Julie Rovner to discuss these stories and more. Also this week, Rovner interviews KFF Health News’ Lauren Sausser, who co-reported the latest “Bill of the Month” feature, about an unexpected bill for what seemed like preventive care.
Honey, Sweetie, Dearie: The Perils of Elderspeak
By Paula Span
A new training program teaches workers to stop the baby talk and address older people as adults.
Watch: How the FDA Opens the Door to Risky Chemicals in America’s Food Supply
By David Hilzenrath and Hannah Norman and Oona Zenda
To a great extent, the FDA leaves it to food companies to determine whether their ingredients and additives are safe. Some chemicals and additives are tied to health risks while others are absent from product labels. Watch this video explainer to learn more.
Despite Historic Indictment, Doctors Will Keep Mailing Abortion Pills Across State Lines
By Rosemary Westwood, WWNO
When a New York physician was indicted for shipping abortion medications to a woman in Louisiana, it stoked fear across the network of doctors and medical clinics who engage in similar work. But some physicians vowed not to stop.
Alabama Can’t Prosecute Groups Helping Patients Get Abortions Elsewhere, Judge Rules
By Drew Hawkins, Gulf States Newsroom
Although most abortions remain illegal in Alabama, a judge’s decision in early April allows doctors and advocacy groups to tell patients about abortion options in other states, and help with travel and other costs.
Trump Team Faces Key Legal Decision That Could Put Mental Health Parity in Peril
By Aneri Pattani
The administration is facing a May 12 deadline to declare if it will defend Biden-era regulations that aim to enforce laws requiring parity in insurance coverage of mental and physical health care.
A California Lawmaker Leans Into Her Medical Training in Fight for Health Safety Net
By Christine Mai-Duc
As California’s budget deadline looms, state Sen. Akilah Weber Pierson, a physician-turned-lawmaker, says state leaders may soon have to make some tough decisions on health care spending. With the state’s Medi-Cal program billions of dollars short, California’s health care safety net is at risk — even without federal cuts to Medicaid.
Why ‘The Pitt’ Is Our Fave New Drama
By Dan Weissmann
An emergency room doctor says what the TV show “The Pitt” gets right about hospitals, including why they’re so crowded and the bills so high.
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Journalists Explore Medicaid Work Rules, CDC Layoffs, and RFK Jr.’s ‘MAHA’ Mission
KFF Health News journalists made the rounds on national or local media recently to discuss topical stories. Here’s a collection of their appearances.