Morning Briefing for Wednesday, February 19, 2025
February 19, 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.
USDA Mistakenly Fires Officials Working On Bird Flu Response
February 19, 2025
Morning Briefing
The Department of Agriculture is scrambling to reverse the terminations. Meanwhile, many CDC scientists who worked in a lab program created to address embarrassing lab-safety failures, and improve outbreak responses, have been let go.
White House Backs Off Plan To Shut Down Covid Website, Discard Tests
February 19, 2025
Morning Briefing
The federal government will keep its stockpile of tests, and people may still order them through COVIDtests.gov. In other news, more Americans are skipping covid vaccines, complicating the path to herd immunity.
First Edition: Wednesday, Feb. 19, 2025
February 19, 2025
Morning Briefing
Today’s early morning highlights from the major news organizations.
The Covid ‘Contrarians’ Are in Power. We Still Haven’t Hashed Out Whether They Were Right.
By Arthur Allen
February 19, 2025
KFF Health News Original
Jay Bhattacharya, nominated to lead the National Institutes of Health, opposed most covid mandates. Without an honest public debate about what worked and what didn’t, public health experts say, we’re even less prepared for the next pandemic.
Republicans Are Eyeing Cuts to Medicaid. What’s Medicaid, Again?
By Renuka Rayasam Sam Whitehead
February 19, 2025
KFF Health News Original
Republicans in Congress have suggested big cuts to Medicaid, the state-federal health insurance program for people with low incomes or disabilities. The complex, multifaceted program touches millions of Americans and has become deeply woven into state budgets and the U.S. health care system.
Los republicanos están considerando recortes a Medicaid. De nuevo, ¿qué es Medicaid?
By Renuka Rayasam Sam Whitehead
February 19, 2025
KFF Health News Original
Más de 79 millones de personas reciben servicios de Medicaid o del relacionado Programa de Seguro de Salud Infantil (CHIP). Esto representa aproximadamente el 20% de la población total de Estados Unidos.
Deny and Delay? California Seeks Penalties for Insurers That Repeatedly Get It Wrong
By Christine Mai-Duc
February 18, 2025
KFF Health News Original
A state lawmaker wants health insurers to disclose denial rates and explain those denials as anger grows over rising costs and uncovered medical care. If the bill is signed into law, health experts say, it could be one of the boldest attempts in the nation to rein in denials.
Covid Vaccine Requirements Will Cost Schools Federal Funds, Per Trump Rule
February 18, 2025
Morning Briefing
Fifteen colleges would be affected by the executive order; K-12 schools nationwide no longer have such a requirement. Meanwhile, hospitals and medical providers are feeling the strain of the nation’s worst flu season in 15 years.
White House Chops Funding For ACA Health Insurance Navigators By 90%
February 18, 2025
Morning Briefing
Explaining the cuts, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services said the higher funding did not represent “a reasonable return on investment.” But The Hill reports that navigators were particularly effective in helping people enroll in Medicaid and the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP).
As ‘Disease Detectives’ Lose Their Jobs, Worry Escalates Over Bird Flu, Measles
February 18, 2025
Morning Briefing
“We’re heading in the wrong direction,” Caitlin Rivers, a senior scholar at the Johns Hopkins Center for Health Security, told The Washington Post. Meanwhile, a measles outbreak in Texas has doubled in size, and a fourth American was hospitalized in Wyoming with human bird flu.
Uncertain Times Delay Private Equity Investments In Home Care
February 18, 2025
Morning Briefing
Concerns about the economy and federal policy are causing investors to take a beat on investing in companies that provide in-home care. Also, states remove mental health questions from licensure forms so doctors won’t fear getting help. Other industry news: a medical oxygen shortage, medical delivery drones, and more.
Missouri Judge Clears Way For Abortions To Restart
February 18, 2025
Morning Briefing
In November, voters approved enshrining abortion rights into the state constitution, but regulations on health centers were so strict that most didn’t meet them, AP reported. The latest ruling blocks those regulations. In other news, New Jersey has broadened elderly care outside of nursing homes.
More People Search For Gambling Addiction Help As Sports Betting Grows
February 18, 2025
Morning Briefing
A new study suggests that the growing number of states legalizing sports gambling is cause for concern. Meanwhile, heart failure deaths are up, partly due to medical successes that enable people to live longer. Other news is on cancer treatments, the Senate Aging Committee, and more.
HHS Purges Thousands Of Public Health Experts, Inspectors, And Others
February 18, 2025
Morning Briefing
Practically every Department of Health and Human Services agency lost workers, who were told via email that their jobs have been eliminated. The mass firings prompted the head of the FDA food division to resign in protest.
First Edition: Tuesday, Feb. 18, 2025
February 18, 2025
Morning Briefing
Today’s early morning highlights from the major news organizations.
Iowa Medicaid Sends $4M Bills to Two Families Grieving Deaths of Loved Ones With Disabilities
By Tony Leys
February 18, 2025
KFF Health News Original
States are required to claw back health care costs from the estates of many Medicaid recipients. Some, including Iowa, are particularly aggressive in their pursuit.
