27-Hour Markup On GOP Megabill Ends With Billions In Medicaid Cuts
May 15, 2025
Morning Briefing
News reports have varying estimates of the exact number of billions in Medicaid cuts. And Politico reports that some Republicans were caught by surprise by some of the provisions in the bill. Also: The House Agriculture Committee greenlights as much as $300 billion in food aid spending cuts.
Overdose Deaths Plummeted In 2024 But Still Higher Than Pre-Covid: CDC
May 15, 2025
Morning Briefing
Experts fear federal funding cuts could stymie strategies that are working, AP reports. Other news is on mental health, broken heart syndrome, toxic chemicals detected in rice, and more.
Six-Week ‘Fetal Heartbeat’ Abortion Law Will Stand In South Carolina
May 15, 2025
Morning Briefing
Per state law, the state Supreme Court ruled, abortions may be banned as soon as cardiac activity can be detected. Meanwhile in Missouri, GOP lawmakers plan to put forth a constitutional amendment to overturn voters’ support of abortion access.
Against Wishes of Voters, Missouri GOP Votes To Repeal Paid Sick Leave Law
May 15, 2025
Morning Briefing
Proposition A — approved in November by 57.6% of voters — allows workers to earn one hour of paid sick leave for every 30 hours worked, St. Louis Public Radio reported. Democrats slammed the state Senate’s repeal, which doesn’t need voter approval and now heads to Republican Gov. Mike Kehoe.
First Edition: Thursday, May 15, 2025
May 15, 2025
Morning Briefing
Today’s early morning highlights from the major news organizations.
Prisons Routinely Ignore Guidelines on Dying Inmates’ End-of-Life Choices
By Renuka Rayasam
May 15, 2025
KFF Health News Original
Correctional officers often dictate end-of-life care for incarcerated people who are terminally ill. Most states either don’t have a formal policy or are given leeway — a big concern for families and advocates, as the incarcerated population rapidly ages.
Newsom’s Pitch as He Seeks To Pare Down Immigrant Health Care: ‘We Have To Adjust’
By Christine Mai-Duc Vanessa G. Sánchez
May 15, 2025
KFF Health News Original
Gov. Gavin Newsom said that he’s proud his state expanded health care to all low-income residents regardless of immigration status but that tough budget times call for some adjustments. The Democrat’s new budget proposes scaling back benefits to adults living in the country illegally, as well as charging them a $100 monthly premium.
Mental Health and Substance Misuse Treatment Is Increasingly a Video Chat or Phone Call Away
By Phillip Reese
Illustration by Oona Zenda
Updated May 22, 2025
Originally Published May 15, 2025
KFF Health News Original
More Californians are getting mental health or substance use disorder treatment online or over the phone than in person, according to a KFF Health News analysis of UCLA’s latest California Health Interview Survey. But the telehealth experience isn’t always positive.
RFK Jr.’s Hearing With Senate HELP Committee: A Live Discussion
May 14, 2025
KFF Health News Original
KFF Health News’ Julie Rovner, Stephanie Armour, and Darius Tahir and KFF’s Jennifer Kates break down the biggest takeaways from Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s first hearing before the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee as HHS secretary — and answer your questions.
The GOP’s Trying Again To Cut Medicaid. It’s Only Gotten Harder Since 2017.
By Phil Galewitz
May 14, 2025
KFF Health News Original
Donald Trump is back in the White House, the GOP controls Congress, and Republicans have dusted off their 2017 plans to reshape Medicaid, the government health program for those with low incomes or disabilities.
Overwork Could Change The Structure Of Your Brain, Study Suggests
May 14, 2025
Morning Briefing
Working 52 or more hours a week changed the brain regions associated with executive function and emotional regulation, researchers found. Meanwhile, another study shows that more sitting and lying down is linked to neurodegeneration in older adults, irrespective of physical activity levels.
EPA Plans To Rescind Biden-Era Limits On PFAS In Drinking Water
May 14, 2025
Morning Briefing
The rollback would apply to four of the six “forever chemicals” that have been linked to various illnesses. Related news is on a 3M PFAS settlement, uncertainty around a Texas PFAS bill, and more.
HHS Has 20 Days To Bring Back Staff Who Examine Miners For Lung Disease
May 14, 2025
Morning Briefing
Almost 200 workers in NIOSH’s respiratory health division were let go last month, a move that the Department of Health and Human Services doesn’t have “the authority to unilaterally cancel,” U.S. District Judge Irene Berger ruled. Also: some workers have received notices rescinding their layoffs.
Under GOP’s Medicaid Plan, 10 Million People Would Lose Coverage By 2034
May 14, 2025
Morning Briefing
A Congressional Budget Office estimate says 7.6 million Americans would go uninsured, the Hill reports. Meanwhile on Capitol Hill, 26 protesters were arrested Tuesday after they interrupted House Energy and Commerce Committee proceedings discussing Medicaid cuts.
Michiganders Shouldn’t Have To Wait For Abortion Care, Judge Rules
May 14, 2025
Morning Briefing
Noting voters approved enshrining abortion rights in the state constitution, Judge Sima Patel also blocked a requirement that providers offer information about alternatives and another that said only doctors may perform the procedure. Also in the news: abortion pills, a burgeoning maternity center, pregnancy risks, and more.
UnitedHealth Group CEO Resigns ‘For Personal Reasons’; Shares Keep Falling
May 14, 2025
Morning Briefing
Chief executive Andrew Witty vowed to help fix the health care industry in the wake of CEO Brian Thompson’s 2024 killing. Other industry news is on Atrium Health’s pay raises; a strike among doctors and health care workers at PeaceHealth; and more.
Morning Briefing for Wednesday, May 14, 2025
May 14, 2025
Morning Briefing
RFK Jr.’s Hearing With Senate HELP Committee: A Live Discussion : HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. is set to testify before the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions. Tune in today at 4 p.m. ET for a post-hearing discussion with KFF Health News correspondents Julie Rovner, Stephanie Armour, and Darius Tahir and KFF’s Jennifer Kates, a senior vice president and the director of Global Health & HIV Policy. Register for the webinar here!
FDA Aims To Remove Fluoride Supplements For Kids From Market
May 14, 2025
Morning Briefing
The move contradicts the advice from the CDC and professional medical associations that recommend low doses of fluoride supplements for children who live in areas without fluoridated water. HHS also takes on deregulation, infant formula, mental health care, and more.
