Biotech Industry Wary After Top FDA Vaccine Official Forced To Resign
March 31, 2025
Morning Briefing
In a statement Saturday, John Crowley of the Biotechnology Innovation Organization (BIO) said the loss of Dr. Peter Marks would “erode scientific standards,” The Guardian reported. In his resignation letter, Marks wrote that “misinformation and lies” from HHS led him to tender his resignation.
Fox News Reporter Nominated To Lead Office Of National Drug Control Policy
March 31, 2025
Morning Briefing
Sara Carter, who is no longer listed on the network’s website, has worked on border issues in her career as a journalist but has never worked in government nor dealt with drug policy, public health, or law enforcement, Stat reports.
CDC Withholds Measles Risk Analysis, Makes Vaccine A ‘Personal Choice’
March 31, 2025
Morning Briefing
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention appears to be shifting its message from promoting vaccines to one that is less certain about its benefits, ProPublica reports. Meanwhile, the Texas outbreak has now afflicted 400 people as more counties report cases.
Health Systems Eye Microhospitals In Effort To Increase Access At Lower Cost
March 31, 2025
Morning Briefing
Modern Healthcare reports that many health systems, including Baylor Scott & White, Intermountain Health, and CommonSpirit Health, have invested in microhospitals, which tend to fall somewhere between urgent care centers and full-size traditional hospitals in terms of services. Other health industry news is on Solventum, Corewell Health, nonprofit hospital margins, and more.
Colorado Triumphs In Drug Affordability Case
March 31, 2025
Morning Briefing
In the case filed by Amgen last year, U.S. District Court Judge Nina Wang ruled that a Colorado state board can proceed with plans to limit the costs for medications. This is the first court decision allowing a state control over prescription drug costs, Stat reported. Other states making news include Minnesota, Montana, Florida, Georgia, North Carolina, and Missouri.
First Edition: Monday, March 31, 2025
March 31, 2025
Morning Briefing
Today’s early morning highlights from the major news organizations.
Readers Shop for Nutritional Information and Weigh Radiation and Cancer Risks
March 31, 2025
KFF Health News Original
KFF Health News gives readers a chance to comment on a recent batch of stories.
‘They Won’t Help Me’: Sickest Patients Face Insurance Denials Despite Policy Fixes
By Lauren Sausser
March 31, 2025
KFF Health News Original
The fatal shooting of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson prompted both grief and public outrage about the ways insurers deny treatment. Republicans and Democrats agree prior authorization needs fixing, but patients are growing impatient.
Montana’s Small Pharmacies Behind Bill To Corral Pharmacy Benefit Managers
By Mike Dennison
March 31, 2025
KFF Health News Original
A bill designed to force PBMs to pay higher fees to independent drugstores sailed through the state House, but lobbyists are marshaling their forces to kill the measure in the Senate.
Journalists Talk Public Health Data Under Trump, Therapists’ Discontent With Insurers
March 29, 2025
KFF Health News Original
KFF Health News journalists made the rounds on national and local media this week to discuss topical stories. Here’s a collection of their appearances.
Treatment Tops Housing in Trump Homeless Policy
By Angela Hart
March 28, 2025
KFF Health News Original
Get our weekly newsletter, The Week in Brief, featuring a roundup of our original coverage, Fridays at 2 p.m. ET.
The Nearly Eradicated Murine Typhus Is Making A Comeback, CDC Says
March 28, 2025
Morning Briefing
Most cases of the flea-borne disease are cropping up in Texas and California, and it may be due to cat fleas finding a new host — possums. Other outbreak news includes new genetic identifiers for measles cases; a rise in yellow fever cases in the Americas; and more.
Longer Looks: Interesting Reads You Might Have Missed
March 28, 2025
Morning Briefing
Each week, KFF Health News finds longer stories for you to enjoy. Today’s selections are on sludge, covid, nutrition, sneezing, beard transplants, and more.
New Utah Law Aims To Rein In Unqualified Life Coaches
March 28, 2025
Morning Briefing
Life coaching requires no mental health education, and it sometimes attracts former therapists who have lost their license to practice, reports ProPublica. Other states making news are New York, Iowa, California, and North Carolina.
Morning Briefing for Friday, March 28, 2025
March 28, 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.
Stunned HHS Employees Reel From Massive Job Cuts
March 28, 2025
Morning Briefing
The announcement that as many as 10,000 people will lose their jobs came as a shock to staff, some finding out through news reports. Including those who have already been cut with early retirement and buyouts, the total will reach 20,000 jobs lost, according to Politico.
Crisis Line Call-Takers Overwhelmed By Crush Of Veterans’ Calls, Trump Cuts
March 28, 2025
Morning Briefing
The Department of Veterans Affairs hotline has been a beacon of hope in troubling moments for veterans. As it fields more calls about benefits and other services, operators themselves are coping with “a very hostile, very anxiety-producing work environment.”
GOP Reportedly Working On Tax Plan That Scales Back Medicaid Cuts
March 28, 2025
Morning Briefing
Some Senate Republicans are worried about the political backlash, Bloomberg reports. Meanwhile, a new analysis has found that the proposed cuts would lead to 1 million job losses.
Anti-Abortion Groups Press Congress To Defund Planned Parenthood
March 28, 2025
Morning Briefing
The women’s health organization counters that stripping away funding would hurt people in need of care other than abortion, which accounts for less than 5% of its services. Meanwhile, Kentucky and Texas attempt to clarify when it’s OK for doctors to perform abortions.
