Seeking Spending Cuts, GOP Lawmakers Target a Tax Hospitals Love To Pay
By Phil Galewitz
May 8, 2025
KFF Health News Original
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.
Meet the Florida Group Chipping Away at Public Benefits One State at a Time
By Katheryn Houghton Samantha Liss
May 8, 2025
KFF Health News Original
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.
US Government Secures Large Order Of Freeze-Dried Mpox, Smallpox Vaccine
May 7, 2025
Morning Briefing
The freeze-dried version of the Jynneos vaccine has a longer shelf life than the liquid-frozen formula. In other news, Texas measles cases reach 700; bird flu seems to be on the decline; and more.
Morning Briefing for Wednesday, May 7, 2025
May 7, 2025
Morning Briefing
We’d like to speak with personnel from the Department of Health and Human Services or its component agencies about what’s happening within the federal health bureaucracy. Please message us on Signal at (415) 519-8778 or get in touch here.
Rite Aid Stores To Close Or Be Sold Amid Second Filing For Chapter 11
May 7, 2025
Morning Briefing
The drugstore chain intends to sell customer prescription files and inventory as it closes its distribution centers and store locations. Meanwhile, manufacturers have increased imports and are starting to stockpile as the threat of President Trump’s pharmaceutical tariffs looms.
CDC Team That Advises On Infection Control Has Ceased Operating
May 7, 2025
Morning Briefing
Hospitals and staff “will be sort of flying by the seat of their pants” without updated guidance from the Healthcare Infection Control Practices Advisory Committee, one expert notes. HICPAC was shut down in March. Separately, vaccine critic Vinay Prasad, MD, will take the helm at the FDA’s Center for Biologics Evaluation and Research, which oversees vaccine approvals.
House Republicans Nix Hundreds Of Billions In Potential Medicaid Cuts
May 7, 2025
Morning Briefing
Meanwhile, the House GOP might miss its self-imposed Memorial Day deadline for making Medicaid cuts in the budget bill. Also, Republicans have targeted a Medicaid loophole used by nearly every state to increase federal matching funds.
WeightWatchers Files For Bankruptcy Protection To Ease Shift To Telehealth
May 7, 2025
Morning Briefing
Their overall revenue has declined 10%, while their weight-loss medication revenue has increased 57% year over year. Also in the news, the Joint Commission suffers layoffs; elevated medical costs affect insurers through Q1; AI beat doctors in empathy test; and more.
Florida Set To Ban Fluoride In Public Drinking Water
May 7, 2025
Morning Briefing
Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis, who likened fluoride to “forced medication,” said he intends to sign the bill. Meanwhile in Utah, dentists brace for an influx of dental decay as the first-in-the-nation fluoride ban goes into effect. Also in the news: Nebraska, Connecticut, Tennessee, Illinois, and Hawaii.
First Edition: Wednesday, May 7, 2025
May 7, 2025
Morning Briefing
Today’s early morning highlights from the major news organizations.
Watch: How the FDA Opens the Door to Risky Chemicals in America’s Food Supply
By David Hilzenrath Hannah Norman Oona Zenda
May 7, 2025
KFF Health News Original
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.
As Republicans Eye Sweeping Medicaid Cuts, Missouri Offers a Preview
By Bram Sable-Smith
May 7, 2025
KFF Health News Original
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.
Trump Policies at Odds With ‘Make America Healthy Again’ Push
By Stephanie Armour
May 7, 2025
KFF Health News Original
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.
LA County Declares Communitywide Hepatitis A Outbreak
May 6, 2025
Morning Briefing
Last year’s numbers were triple those of the year before, and this year is on track to double the total number of cases from last year. Meanwhile, North Dakota has reported its first measles case since 2011. Other news follows a salmonella outbreak, bird flu, and covid.
Only Hospital In Middle Key, Florida, Receives Funding For Another Year
May 6, 2025
Morning Briefing
Local governments agreed to continue funding Baptist Health Fishermen’s Community Hospital in Marathon, one of three hospitals in the Florida Keys. Other states making news include North Carolina, South Carolina, and Arizona.
Morning Briefing for Tuesday, May 6, 2025
May 6, 2025
Morning Briefing
We’d like to speak with personnel from the Department of Health and Human Services or its component agencies about what’s happening within the federal health bureaucracy. Please message us on Signal at (415) 519-8778 or get in touch here.
FDA, EPA Are Tasked With Speeding Up US Pharma Manufacturing Process
May 6, 2025
Morning Briefing
President Donald Trump’s executive order limiting regulatory hurdles is intended to scale back the time it takes to get plants running. “We don’t want to be buying our pharmaceuticals from other countries because if we’re in a war, we’re in a problem, we want to be able to make our own,” he said.
FDA’s Top Drug and Food Safety Inspector Retires Amid Steep Cuts
May 6, 2025
Morning Briefing
Michael Rogers, who announced his retirement Monday, has worked at the FDA for 34 years. Also on Monday, FDA Commissioner Dr. Marty Makary announced various changes to the department. Also in the news: Labcorp, Function Health, Abbott Laboratories, and Johnson & Johnson.
