First Edition: Thursday, Jan. 23, 2025
January 23, 2025
Morning Briefing
Today’s early morning highlights from the major news organizations.
Covered California Hits Record Enrollment, but Key Subsidies in Jeopardy
By Claudia Boyd-Barrett
January 23, 2025
KFF Health News Original
Enhanced federal subsidies and more state aid for out-of-pocket costs have made health insurance purchased through California’s marketplace more affordable. It’s unclear if the incoming Republican Congress will extend the enhanced subsidies beyond 2025.
As States Diverge on Immigration, Hospitals Say They Won’t Turn Patients Away
By Vanessa G. Sánchez Daniel Chang
January 23, 2025
KFF Health News Original
California and Massachusetts are teaching immigrants their rights while Florida and Texas are collecting patients’ immigration status. As states offer differing guidelines for interacting with immigrant patients, hospitals around the U.S. say they won’t turn people away for care because of their immigration status.
Trump’s Early Health Moves Signal Intent To Erase Biden’s Legacy. What’s Next is Unclear.
By Julie Appleby Stephanie Armour
January 23, 2025
KFF Health News Original
President Donald Trump issued a flurry of executive orders and other actions on health care soon after reentering office. Other than signaling he intends to reverse many of Joe Biden’s moves, the orders will have little immediate impact.
What To Know About Trump’s Executive Orders on US Health Care
By Tarena Lofton
January 22, 2025
KFF Health News Original
From rolling back drug pricing policies to limiting gender-affirming care, President Donald Trump signed several health-related executive orders in the first hours of his second presidency. Here’s a roundup of the changes and what they mean.
Study: Recreational Ketamine Outpaces Therapeutic Use For Depression
January 22, 2025
Morning Briefing
Also in the news, “renal denervation” shows promise as a treatment for high blood pressure; an estimated 17 million U.S. adults struggle with long-covid with no new treatments in sight; inequality grows in life expectancies among Americans; and more.
Blue Cross Blue Shield Of Michigan Offers Buyouts To Nonunion Staff
January 22, 2025
Morning Briefing
The company points to the increasing costs of prescription and specialty drugs as a reason for its loss of more than $1 billion in insurance business over the past two years and for its need to cut costs dramatically. Other health and pharma news is on Eli Lilly’s work on an oral weight loss drug; how fitness and weight training can halve the risk of cancer patients dying; and more.
Morning Briefing for Wednesday, January 22, 2025
January 22, 2025
Morning Briefing
Stay tuned for our new weekly edition, The Week in Brief, coming this Friday. Each week, we’ll give you a fresh take on one of our top stories. Plus, we’ll recap our social media coverage and our award-winning KFF Health News journalism. Don’t miss out — sign up here !
Federal Health Agencies Ordered To Halt External Communications
January 22, 2025
Morning Briefing
The Trump administration moved swiftly to block communications from HHS, the FDA, the CDC, and the NIH. It is not clear whether Americans can still receive urgent notifications regarding foodborne disease outbreaks, drug approvals, and new bird flu cases. Meanwhile, new restrictions mean immigrant domestic abuse victims are no longer safe from ICE in women’s shelters.
Health Tech Industry Is Just Fine With Repeal Of Biden’s AI Regulating Order
January 22, 2025
Morning Briefing
Among the executive order’s directives, companies were required to report details of their technology to federal regulators. Separately, Doctors Without Borders, physicians, and industry top brass weigh in on President Donald Trump’s executive orders and policy proposals.
Democrats Aim To Shield Medicaid From Potential Cuts Under Trump
January 22, 2025
Morning Briefing
Axios reports that some Republicans are avoiding answering whether they’re willing to cut Medicaid in order to help pay for an extension of President Donald Trump’s tax cuts. More news on Medicaid comes from South Carolina and South Dakota.
VA Secretary Nominee Faces Grilling Over Abortion, Project 2025 Stances
January 22, 2025
Morning Briefing
On reproductive rights for veterans, Doug Collins said, “We will look at this rule.” On proposed Veterans Affairs cost-cutting measures, he said “We’re not going to balance budgets on the back of veterans’ benefits.” Outside the Beltway, lawmakers in Virginia, Nebraska, Kentucky, and North Carolina consider abortion-related measures.
At Least 9 Dead As Frigid Temps, Snow Thrash South; Power Outages Possible
January 22, 2025
Morning Briefing
Several people were thought to have died from hypothermia or exposure to the cold in Texas and Georgia, authorities said. Meanwhile, the Louisiana governor is warning residents not to use gas or electric stoves or ovens to heat homes because of the risk of carbon monoxide poisoning or fire.
First Edition: Wednesday, Jan. 22, 2025
January 22, 2025
Morning Briefing
Today’s early morning highlights from the major news organizations.
La creciente desigualdad en la expectativa de vida entre los estadounidenses
By Amy Maxmen
January 22, 2025
KFF Health News Original
La salud de los estadounidenses ha sido desigual durante mucho tiempo, pero un nuevo estudio muestra que la disparidad entre las expectativas de vida de diferentes grupos poblacionales casi se ha duplicado desde el año 2000.
The Growing Inequality in Life Expectancy Among Americans
By Amy Maxmen
January 22, 2025
KFF Health News Original
To deliver on pledges from the new Trump administration to make America healthy again, policymakers will need to close gaps in longevity among racial and ethnic groups.
Long-Covid Patients Are Frustrated That Federal Research Hasn’t Found New Treatments
By Sarah Boden
January 22, 2025
KFF Health News Original
The federal government has allocated $1.15 billion to long-covid research without any new treatments yet brought to market. Patients and scientists say it’s time to push harder for breakthroughs.
Listen to the Latest ‘KFF Health News Minute’
January 21, 2025
KFF Health News Original
“Health Minute” brings original health care and health policy reporting from the KFF Health News newsroom to the airwaves each week.
Trump Pulls US Out Of Paris Climate Agreement — Again
January 21, 2025
Morning Briefing
President Donald Trump has argued that the accord, first negotiated in 2015, is unfair to American businesses and the U.S. economy. In other news, Trump also took action on lethal injections and police chokeholds.
