Morning Briefing for Thursday, December 18, 2025
December 18, 2025
Morning Briefing
Each month, KFF Health News’ Rural Dispatch newsletter covers health issues in places where accessing care can be more challenging. Check out our Montana, Colorado, Georgia, and California newsletters, too. Sign up here!
HHS Rescinds Millions In Grants Given To American Academy Of Pediatrics
December 18, 2025
Morning Briefing
The Trump administration said it is clawing back grants that “no longer align with the department’s mission or priorities.” The academy has been critical of how the Department of Health and Human Services under Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has approached vaccine policy.
House OKs GOP Health Care Bill Without Extending ACA Subsidies
December 18, 2025
Morning Briefing
The vote was 216-211, but four Republicans have joined with Democrats in trying to force a vote on an extension of the ACA subsidies. Meanwhile, Affordable Care Act exchanges brace for chaos.
Anti-Transgender Bill Passes House; RFK Jr. Announces Restrictions
December 18, 2025
Morning Briefing
Meanwhile in Texas, the Department of Public Safety is amassing a list of transgender Texans using data from their driver’s licenses, and the state has opened a public tip line designed to help enforce the state’s “bathroom bill.”
Las personas sin hogar de DC se esconden a la intemperie, se enferman más y le cuestan más al sistema
By Angela Hart
December 18, 2025
KFF Health News Original
Hay aproximadamente 5.100 personas sin hogar en Washington, D.C., incluyendo aquellas en albergues temporales, según un conteo realizado a inicios de 2025.
¿Llamar al 911 o arriesgarse a perder al bebé? Redadas obligan a algunos inmigrantes a evitar la atención médica
By Halle Parker, Verite News
December 18, 2025
KFF Health News Original
A casi dos semanas de iniciada la operación llamada Catahoula Crunch, que comenzó el 3 de diciembre, profesionales de salud y defensores comunitarios en Louisiana y Mississippi reportan un aumento inusual de pacientes inmigrantes que se han salteado citas médicas.
First Edition: Thursday, Dec. 18, 2025
December 18, 2025
Morning Briefing
Today’s early morning highlights from the major news organizations.
Call 911 or Risk Losing the Baby? Raids Force Some Immigrants To Avoid Care
By Halle Parker, Verite News
December 18, 2025
KFF Health News Original
More immigrants in New Orleans and Mississippi are skipping important health care appointments and experiencing heightened stress amid federal immigration raids.
Washington’s Homeless Hide in Plain Sight, Growing Sicker and Costing Taxpayers More
By Angela Hart
December 18, 2025
KFF Health News Original
The White House says encampment sweeps have enhanced the capital, but city leaders estimate nearly 700 homeless people roam by day and bed down outdoors by night. Some have scattered to the suburbs while others avoid detection, making it hard for medical providers to care for them.
Worried About Health Insurance Costs? There May Be Cheaper Options — But With Trade-Offs
By Julie Appleby
December 18, 2025
KFF Health News Original
As the clock ticks down on the 2026 Obamacare open enrollment season, frustrated consumers may have to make sacrifices on coverage to get a price they can stomach. But cheaper alternatives come with risks.
NY Health System, Union Strike Deal To Bypass Insurers, Reduce Red Tape
December 17, 2025
Morning Briefing
Members of the 32BJ Health Fund will receive more favorable pricing from the nonprofit Northwell Health system, which will become the preferred provider. This strategy bypasses an insurer’s role in administering the plan. Plus, the latest on the Brown University shooting.
Dana-Farber Cancer Institute Will Pay $15M To Settle Case Over Flawed Data
December 17, 2025
Morning Briefing
Dana-Farber has admitted that scientists, working under inadequate supervision, used federal grant money to conduct research that led to papers with duplicated or manipulated images, Stat reported. But the agreement doesn’t include an admission of intentional fraud, Stat noted.
House To Vote On Gender-Affirming Care For Kids, Including Penalties
December 17, 2025
Morning Briefing
The two bills up for a vote include one that would criminalize providing certain gender-affirming procedures or medications, and one that would prohibit Medicaid funding for gender-affirming care, Axios reports. Also: House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) blocks a vote on ACA subsidies.
CDC Makes It Official, Drops Hep B Shot Recommendation For Newborns
December 17, 2025
Morning Briefing
Babies whose mothers test positive for the virus, or whose status is unknown, should still get the birth dose, the CDC says, but others may delay the first shot until the child is at least 2 months old. However, doctors and hospital systems are likely to continue following the decades-old policy.
Dismantling Of USAID In Bangladesh Has Led To Surge In Child Prostitution
December 17, 2025
Morning Briefing
The sudden funding cuts in multiple countries forced the closure of thousands of schools and child protection programs. Without them, AP reported, many children as young as 10 have been forced into unwanted marriages and manual labor, and girls as young as 12 have been forced into prostitution.
FDA Will Put Brain Tumor Warning On Depo-Provera Birth Control Shot
December 17, 2025
Morning Briefing
Pfizer, which makes the shot, is fighting a lawsuit from more than 1,000 women who claim the company knew about the risk of meningiomas but failed to warn patients. Meanwhile, former Vice President Mike Pence’s organization Advancing American Freedom has called for HHS Secretary RFK Jr.’s removal from office over his refusal to review the abortion pill mifepristone.
First Edition: Wednesday, Dec. 17, 2025
December 17, 2025
Morning Briefing
Today’s early morning highlights from the major news organizations.
Oregon Hospital Races To Build a Tsunami Shelter as FEMA Fights To Cut Its Funding
By Hannah Norman Daniel Chang
December 17, 2025
KFF Health News Original
Columbia Memorial Hospital near Oregon’s coastline planned to add a tsunami shelter, counting on a FEMA grant. After the Trump administration cut the funding, hospital officials are building anyway, saying waiting is too risky. A judge ruled Dec. 11 that the administration unlawfully ended the program without congressional approval.
