First Edition: Tuesday, Sept. 2, 2025
September 2, 2025
Morning Briefing
Today’s early morning highlights from the major news organizations.
Cuando los pacientes quedan atrapados en medio de las peleas entre aseguradoras y hospitales
By Bram Sable-Smith
September 2, 2025
KFF Health News Original
El 18% de los hospitales no federales experimentaron al menos un caso documentado de enfrentamiento público con una aseguradora entre junio de 2021 y mayo de 2025. Lo sufren los pacientes.
When Hospitals and Insurers Fight, Patients Get Caught in the Middle
By Bram Sable-Smith
September 2, 2025
KFF Health News Original
About 90,000 people spent months in limbo as central Missouri’s major, and often only, provider fought over insurance contracts. Patients getting caught in the crossfire of disputes has become a familiar complication, as about 8% of hospitals have left an insurer network since 2021. Trump administration policies could accelerate the trend.
Social Security Praises Its New Chatbot. Ex-Officials Say It Was Tested but Shelved Under Biden.
By Darius Tahir
September 2, 2025
KFF Health News Original
Social Security, under the leadership of a tech enthusiast, rolled out an artificial intelligence-powered chatbot to answer calls. But as beneficiaries complain about glitches, lawmakers and former officials ask whether it’s a preview of a less human agency at which rushed-out AI takes the place of pushed-out government workers.
Listen: As Kids Head Back to School, Parents Sort Out Confusion Over Vaccine Access
By Jackie Fortiér
September 2, 2025
KFF Health News Original
Confusion over federal immunization policy could have major implications for how families with private insurance and Medicaid pay for routine vaccinations. Some doctors are encouraging parents not to wait and get their children shots as soon as they are eligible.
Watch: How Concerns of CDC Scientists Over Political Interference Have Grown This Year
By Amy Maxmen
August 29, 2025
KFF Health News Original
KFF Health News correspondent Amy Maxmen traces the political turmoil at the CDC under President Donald Trump.
Senior CDC Officials Resign After Monarez’s Ouster, Citing Concerns Over Scientific Independence
By Céline Gounder
August 29, 2025
KFF Health News Original
Four senior officials with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention announced their resignations in recent days, citing what they described as growing political interference in the agency’s scientific work, particularly regarding vaccines.
Judge Rebuffs Maine Family Planning’s Plea To Restore Medicaid Funding
August 26, 2025
Morning Briefing
In his ruling, U.S. District Judge Lance Walker says he does not hold sway over “Congress’s power of the purse.” The provider sued after the One Big Beautiful Bill law stripped funding from health care entities that provide abortions.
Survey: Shortage Of Qualified Doctors Expected To Worsen Over Next Decade
August 26, 2025
Morning Briefing
Two-thirds of participants surveyed say there are not enough qualified doctors to fill available positions, in part due to medical school enrollment not keeping up with demand. Qualified applicants for nurse and physician assistant positions are up from the prior three years.
Bipartisan Legislation Aims To Help US Sunscreen Market Catch Up
August 26, 2025
Morning Briefing
Lawmakers from both parties are trying to lower market barriers and catch up with other nations, who have more recently introduced new sunscreen ingredients. In related news, the Independent reports on how sunscreen became the subject of troubling conspiracy theories. Also: the first pig-to-human lung transplant, benefits of the Mediterranean diet, and more.
Higher THC Concentrations Linked To Psychosis, Schizophrenia, Addiction
August 26, 2025
Morning Briefing
Studies looking at therapeutic use linked to cancer showed mixed results in treating anxiety and depression, but over half the nontherapeutic studies showed links to unfavorable outcomes among healthy people. Plus: college students’ mental health; mental health and cellphone use; and more.
Panning MAHA Plan, Farm Action Says It’s ‘A Far Cry From The Bold Promises’
August 26, 2025
Morning Briefing
The watchdog organization supported HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. in his plan to make the nation’s food supply healthier but now says his strategy is severely lacking. Plus, the movement’s influence on food makers, MAHA boxes, supplements, birth control, and IVF.
Morning Briefing for Tuesday, August 26, 2025
August 26, 2025
Morning Briefing
The Morning Briefing will be on hiatus starting tomorrow, Aug. 27, and will return Tuesday, Sept. 2. Enjoy your Labor Day weekend!
HHS Puts Kibosh On Minority Biomedical Research Support Program
August 26, 2025
Morning Briefing
HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. says the program, which provided mentorship and lab salaries to up-and-coming scientists, doesn’t align with President Trump’s ban on DEI efforts.
First Edition: Tuesday, Aug. 26, 2025
August 26, 2025
Morning Briefing
Today’s early morning highlights from the major news organizations.
Blue States That Sued Kept Most CDC Grants, While Red States Feel Brunt of Trump Clawbacks
By Henry Larweh Rachana Pradhan Rae Ellen Bichell
August 26, 2025
KFF Health News Original
The Trump administration’s cuts of public health funds to state and local health departments had vastly uneven effects depending on the political leanings of where someone lives, a new KFF Health News analysis shows.
An Insurer Agreed To Cover Her Surgery. A Politician’s Nudge Got the Bills Paid.
By Cara Anthony
August 26, 2025
KFF Health News Original
A kindergartner in Missouri needed eye surgery. Her insurer granted approval for her to see a specialist nearby, yet her parents were confused when they still owed more than $13,000. Then her uncle, a former state senator, reached out to a colleague who contacted the hospital and the insurer.
Estos son los aumentos de precios que también deberían preocuparte
By Elisabeth Rosenthal
August 25, 2025
KFF Health News Original
Para muchas personas que tienen planes médicos creados por la Ley de Cuidado de Salud a Bajo Precio (ACA) —porque trabajan para pequeñas empresas o pagan su propia cobertura— es probable que las tarifas hayan aumentado de forma aún más drástica.
