CVS Chooses Novo Over Lilly, As Top GLP-1 Drugs Face Off Over Prices
May 2, 2025
Morning Briefing
Eli Lilly & Co. and Novo Nordisk A/S are competing for drug contracts in the aftermath of drug price scrutiny. Novo has managed to secure a contract with CVS, beating out its competitor. Other news is on cost-cutting; the fallout of tariffs; the quality of compounding pharmacies; and more.
Child Safety Net Research Faces HHS Cuts, According To Divulged Document
May 2, 2025
Morning Briefing
More than 150 research projects at the Administration for Children and Families — including for studies of Head Start and the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families program — were listed for cancellation on a spreadsheet mistakenly emailed to grant recipients.
Kennedy Plans To Ask CDC To Create New Measles Treatment Guidance
May 2, 2025
Morning Briefing
According to CBS News, the new guidance he is requesting is to include existing drugs, vitamins, and other modalities. In other news: RFK Jr. renews the disproved claim of aborted fetal cells in vaccines; measles infections have reached Canada and Mexico; and more.
Delayed Medicaid Payments Force Hospitals To Make Tough Decisions
May 2, 2025
Morning Briefing
The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services has been unusually slow at processing state-directed payments, leading hospitals to withhold their own payments to medical suppliers and to trim staff. Plus, a look at the wrangling over Medicaid changes on Capitol Hill.
NY Eases Requirements To Forcibly Hospitalize Those With Mental Illness
May 2, 2025
Morning Briefing
New York state will now authorize first responders to involuntarily hospitalize New Yorkers who cannot meet their own basic needs such as food, shelter, or medical care. Other news comes from Texas, Florida, Connecticut, North Carolina, and Michigan.
New 400-Page HHS Report Condemns Gender-Affirming Care For Youths
May 2, 2025
Morning Briefing
It’s unclear who wrote the report, which snubs the advice and recommendations of top medical groups. It was immediately criticized by pediatric groups and transgender rights advocates.
Morning Briefing for Friday, May 2, 2025
May 2, 2025
Morning Briefing
Behind on your reading? Catch up on this week's KFF Health News stories with The Week in Brief, delivered every Friday to your inbox. Sign up here !
First Edition: Friday, May 2, 2025
May 2, 2025
Morning Briefing
Today’s early morning highlights from the major news organizations.
Montana Lawmakers Approve $124M To Revamp Behavioral Health System
By Sue O'Connell
May 2, 2025
KFF Health News Original
The legislation calls for a new mental health facility in eastern Montana, upgrades to existing state facilities, expansion of community services, and revisions to commitment procedures.
Government Watchdog Expects Medicaid Work Requirement Analysis by Fall
By Sam Whitehead Renuka Rayasam
May 2, 2025
KFF Health News Original
This fall, the U.S. Government Accountability Office expects to release a report on how much it costs to run Georgia Pathways to Coverage — the country’s only active Medicaid work requirement program — as other states and Congress consider similar programs.
Covered California Pushes for Better Health Care as Federal Spending Cuts Loom
By Bernard J. Wolfson
May 2, 2025
KFF Health News Original
Monica Soni, Covered California’s chief medical officer, oversees an effort to hold health plans financially accountable for the quality of care they provide, including childhood vaccination rates, which have fallen in California and nationwide. She worries federal spending cuts could soon bring turbulence to the state’s Affordable Care Act marketplace.
Preparan análisis sobre el requisito de trabajo para Medicaid
By Sam Whitehead Renuka Rayasam
May 2, 2025
KFF Health News Original
La idea de un mandato nacional que requiera que los beneficiarios de Medicaid trabajen, estudien o realicen otras actividades que cumplan los requisitos para mantener la cobertura está ganando terreno.
What the Health? From KFF Health News: 100 Days of Health Policy Upheaval
May 1, 2025
Podcast
Members of Congress are back in Washington, and Republicans are struggling to find ways to reduce Medicaid spending without cutting benefits. Meanwhile, confusion continues to reign at the Department of Health and Human Services. Joanne Kenen of the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Alice Miranda Ollstein of Politico, and Margot Sanger-Katz of The New York Times join KFF Health News’ Julie Rovner to discuss these stories and more.
Research Roundup: The Latest Science, Discoveries, And Breakthroughs
May 1, 2025
Morning Briefing
Each week, KFF Health News compiles a selection of the latest health research and news.
‘All New Vaccines’ To Undergo Placebo Testing For Approval, HHS Says
May 1, 2025
Morning Briefing
Public health experts worry the policy change would not only cast doubt on the safety and effectiveness of vaccines but would limit production and access. Separately, a decades-long pursuit of universal vaccines gets a $500 million boost.
Federal Funding Pulled From Campaign To Prevent Infant Sleep-Related Deaths
May 1, 2025
Morning Briefing
The Trump administration’s decision to end federal participation in the Safe to Sleep campaign comes as recent data show sudden infant deaths rising. Also: Education Department grant cuts, animals in federally funded research, PEPFAR cut impacts, and more.
Pa. Lawmakers Request Criminal Probe Over Crozer Health Closure
May 1, 2025
Morning Briefing
A group of state lawmakers pressed the attorney general to launch an investigation for the shuttering of Crozer Health by California-based private health company Prospect Medical Holdings. Envision Healthcare, Teladoc, Two Chairs, Epic, CareFirst BlueCross BlueShield, and the Leapfrog Group are also in the news.
LA County Offers Isolated California Hospital A $3M Lifeline
May 1, 2025
Morning Briefing
Financially struggling Catalina Island Health faces insolvency as early as July. In other news from California: today’s UC health worker strike; a probe into health data sharing with LinkedIn; the soda tax in Santa Cruz; and more.
