Morning Briefing for Monday, June 16, 2025
June 16, 2025
Morning Briefing
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Trump Administration Gives Personal Data Of Medicaid Enrollees To DHS
June 16, 2025
Morning Briefing
The AP, which obtained an internal memo and emails, reports that the information provided to deportation officials on Medicaid enrollees included immigration status. The effect on Medicaid in the GOP’s megabill is also in the news.
Research Groups Propose Alternatives To Ensure NIH Funding Still Flows
June 16, 2025
Morning Briefing
Stat reports that the Joint Associations Group offered two options: award payments that would vary depending on the type of institution and the type of research funded in a particular grant; or provide a detailed accounting of administrative and facility costs as line items in each grant proposal. Lawmakers and NIH Director Jay Bhattacharya appear open to the policy proposals.
Slain Minnesota Lawmaker Played Key Role In Safeguarding Health Care
June 16, 2025
Morning Briefing
Democratic state Rep. Melissa Hortman and her husband were shot and killed Saturday morning at their home. Democratic state Sen. John Hoffman, who was also shot at his home Saturday, is in stable condition after “many surgeries,” his wife said. The suspect in the slayings has been captured.
CDC To Summer Camps: Check For Documentation Of Measles Immunity
June 16, 2025
Morning Briefing
The directive comes as measles cases so far this year have hit 1,197 infections, which is fewer than 100 cases from surpassing the record 1,274 cases that were confirmed for all of 2019. Related news is on measles exposures in Boston, Washington, D.C., and Boulder, Colorado.
First Edition: Monday, June 16, 2025
June 16, 2025
Morning Briefing
Today’s early morning highlights from the major news organizations.
A Revolutionary Drug for Extreme Hunger Offers Clues to Obesity’s Complexity
By Claire Sibonney
June 16, 2025
KFF Health News Original
A new drug is helping families who’ve spent years padlocking fridges, chaining garbage cans, and hiding food as their children with Prader-Willi syndrome deal with unrelenting hunger. But additional progress — and a broader understanding of obesity — is now under threat as the government dismantles the pipeline for promising new research.
‘Not Accountable to Anyone’: As Insurers Issue Denials, Some Patients Run Out of Options
By Lauren Sausser
June 16, 2025
KFF Health News Original
Health insurers issue millions of prior authorization denials every year, leaving many patients stuck in a convoluted appeals process, with little hope of meaningful policy change ahead. For doctors, these denials are frustrating and time-consuming. For patients, they can be devastating.
Journalists Assess RFK Jr.’s Remaking of Vaccine Committee and Trend of Kids Caring for Elders
June 14, 2025
KFF Health News Original
KFF Health News journalists made the rounds on national or local media recently to discuss topical stories. Here’s a collection of their appearances.
NIH Workers Risk Retaliation by Openly Protesting Trump Policies
By Rachana Pradhan
June 13, 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.
CDC Staffing Upheaval Disrupts HIV Projects and Wastes Money, Researchers Say
By Amy Maxmen
June 13, 2025
KFF Health News Original
Researchers laid off in April were putting the finishing touches on in-depth HIV surveys that guide treatment and prevention. Some staff have been reinstated, but data remains in limbo.
Inestabilidad de la planta profesional en los CDC altera proyectos de VIH y desperdicia dinero, dicen investigadores
By Amy Maxmen
June 13, 2025
KFF Health News Original
Decenas de investigadores fueron despedidos justo antes de terminar de recopilar datos de la encuesta nacional sobre el VIH que aporta información clave.
Ousted ACIP Adviser Says Physicians Should Now Seek Guidance Elsewhere
June 13, 2025
Morning Briefing
Helen Chu, MD, urged doctors to find “science-based recommendations” from the American Academy of Pediatrics, the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, and the American Academy of Family Physicians. Chu noted, “It puts us in a very dangerous place if we can’t trust the national recommendations made by ACIP.”
Trump Team Pressures Pharma Companies To Voluntarily Lower Prices
June 13, 2025
Morning Briefing
The administration issued an order in May directing companies to begin negotiating drug pricing to bring them in line with other economically comparable nations, but pharmaceutical executives note that the order was light on details. Plus: RFK Jr.’s threat to yank medical school funding.
AMA Seeks More Reliable AI Tools, Proposes Third-Party Verification
June 13, 2025
Morning Briefing
In order for doctors to trust AI in a clinical setting, artificial intelligence must explain its clinical decisions and cite sources, according to an association report.
Average Age Of First-Time Moms Rises To Nearly 28; Teen Pregnancies Decline
June 13, 2025
Morning Briefing
A CDC study shows that the average age of all mothers giving birth in the U.S. is at 29.6 as of 2023. Other news is on SIDS prevention, the popularity of Zyn with women, and more.
Illinois Lawmakers Vote To Strengthen Law That Helps Sexual Abuse Survivors
June 13, 2025
Morning Briefing
The changes come after an investigation showing dozens of hospitals violated the 49-year-old law. It’s unclear whether Democratic Gov. JB Pritzker will sign the bill.
Longer Looks: Interesting Reads You Might Have Missed
June 13, 2025
Morning Briefing
Each week, KFF Health News finds longer stories for you to enjoy. Today’s selections are on malaria, abortion, smoking, pesticides, aging, and more.
Teen Wins Supreme Court Case Over Disability Accommodations At School
June 13, 2025
Morning Briefing
In Thursday’s ruling, justices unanimously agreed that the burden placed on students to prove their school is not meeting their disability accommodations is too high. In other news: “Wheelchair rules” for airlines will not be enforced until August.
