Storm Quiets DC, But Vote Certification Will Go On; J6 Victims Feel ‘Betrayed’
January 6, 2025
Morning Briefing
Vice President Kamala Harris will preside over today’s election certification process, which was changed in 2022 to prevent attempts to overturn the results. Even so, those who were severely injured during the attack on the Capitol four years ago say they feel forgotten.
Trump’s FDA Transition Team Staffs Up As Commissioner Pick Awaits Approval
January 6, 2025
Morning Briefing
Meanwhile, newly installed Senate Majority Leader John Thune signals the president-elect’s Cabinet nominees might not cruise to confirmation when hearings begin. Also, U.S. ethics director David Huitema has begun the standard practice of looking into conflicts of interest for incoming officials.
Trump Might Consider ‘Most Favored Nation’ Status To Lower Drug Prices
January 6, 2025
Morning Briefing
Forbes explains how the strategy would work. Meanwhile, Aetna has accused several drugmakers of conspiring to overcharge the company, consumers, and the federal government for generic drugs.
Biden Signs Into Law A Social Security Payment Boost For Public Employees
January 6, 2025
Morning Briefing
The AP reports the law affects nearly 3 million people, including those receiving pensions after time spent as teachers, firefighters, and police officers. Also in the news: the “crisis” of potential Medicaid cuts, alcohol labels, digital mental health, and more.
EPA Report: Formaldehyde Presents Unreasonable Human Health Risk
January 6, 2025
Morning Briefing
Yet ProPublica reports that the EPA “downplayed the threat the chemical poses to people living near industrial plants.” Separately, the post-holiday sick season is in full swing, as CDC data show that 40 states are reporting high or very high levels of illness. Also: early physical therapy for concussions; hydration; and more.
Morning Briefing for Monday, January 6, 2025
January 6, 2025
Morning Briefing
KFF Health News is on Instagram and TikTok ! Watch our videos and follow along as we break down health care headlines and policy.
First Edition: Monday, Jan. 6, 2024
January 6, 2025
Morning Briefing
Today’s early morning highlights from the major news organizations.
Listen: NPR and KFF Health News Explore How Racism and Violence Hurt Health
By Cara Anthony
January 6, 2025
KFF Health News Original
KFF Health News Midwest correspondent Cara Anthony and Emily Kwong, host of NPR’s podcast “Shortwave,” talk about Black families living in the aftermath of lynchings and police killings.
Health Insurers Limit Coverage of Prosthetic Limbs, Questioning Their Medical Necessity
By Michelle Andrews
January 6, 2025
KFF Health News Original
Advocates say it is discrimination and are arguing for “insurance fairness” on the grounds that people who have joints surgically replaced typically don’t face the same kinds of coverage challenges.
Habitat Health’s PACE Center Is Ready To Receive Participants In Sacramento
January 3, 2025
Morning Briefing
The Medicare-Medicaid program provides health care services, meals, and social interaction for older adults. Habitat Health also plans to open a facility in Los Angeles in 2026. More news comes from New Hampshire, Florida, North Carolina, and elsewhere.
Morning Briefing for Friday, January 3, 2025
January 3, 2025
Morning Briefing
Cancer warning on alcohol, opioid epidemic’s ‘fourth wave,’ bird flu, weight loss drugs, health care startups, kidney stones in kids, and more.
Surgeon General Wants Alcohol To Carry Cancer Warning Labels
January 3, 2025
Morning Briefing
Surgeon General Vivek Murthy issued an advisory Friday that warns that alcohol consumption is the third leading preventable cause of cancer and cancer deaths in the U.S., after tobacco and obesity.
Safety Measures Added For Farmers Seeking Bird Flu Reimbursement
January 3, 2025
Morning Briefing
Farmers will now have to prove that they did everything possible to prevent outbreaks before they can receive governmental indemnity payments. Also in the news: President Joe Biden nearly doubles funds to fend off H5N1; Norovirus cases surge; and more.
Eli Lilly Wants to Join Lawsuit Over Compounded Weight-Loss Drugs
January 3, 2025
Morning Briefing
The lawsuit was brought against the FDA after the agency declared an end to the shortage that allowed pharmacies to sell compound versions of the popular weight loss drugs, but Eli Lilly said it cannot rely on the FDA to protect its interests. Other news is on the surge of GLP-1 use; insurance coverage of obesity medicine; and more.
States Enact Laws To Protect Reproductive Health Data
January 3, 2025
Morning Briefing
Many laws have been put in place to protect individuals’ reproductive health data and to keep it from being used to incriminate patients or target providers. Reuters explores the concern about the use of data obtained through “geofencing.”
Certificate-Of-Need Law Hampers Health Care Start-Ups
January 3, 2025
Morning Briefing
The law is supposed to prevent market saturation by requiring proof of need for the services in a community, but it also allows competitors to challenge newcomers and prevent them from entering the market. A lawsuit in Nebraska is challenging that law.
‘Speckles’ Within Cancerous Tumors Can Determine Best Treatments
January 3, 2025
Morning Briefing
Meanwhile, increased rates of cancer in the under 50 crowd may be caused by gut issues; certain foods, including licorice, may help covid patients; Neumora Therapeutics depression treatment fails trials; and more.
DNA Or Diet? Maybe Both. Number Of Kids With Kidney Stones Is Up
January 3, 2025
Morning Briefing
Medical experts have seen a significant increase in the number of children suffering from kidney stones. Some doctors think a diet full of over-processed and sodium-rich foods might be to blame.
First Edition: Friday, Jan. 3, 2025
January 3, 2025
Morning Briefing
Today’s early morning highlights from the major news organizations.
