Bipartisan HALT Fentanyl Act Clears House, Heads To President Trump
June 13, 2025
Morning Briefing
The legislation makes permanent an emergency rule issued in 2018 that classifies copycats of fentanyl as Schedule I controlled substances. However, it does not add funding for public health or anti-drug-trafficking efforts to combat addiction and deaths. Another bill advancing in the House would legalize for-profit VA claims consultants, a measure veterans’ advocates have fought against.
Morning Briefing for Friday, June 13, 2025
June 13, 2025
Morning Briefing
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First Edition: Friday, June 13, 2025
June 13, 2025
Morning Briefing
Today’s early morning highlights from the major news organizations.
Expertos dicen que el secretario de Salud envió “ciencia basura” a congresistas para defender cambios en las vacunas contra covid
By Jackie Fortiér
June 13, 2025
KFF Health News Original
Para apoyar el cambio en la política nacional sobre las vacunas contra covid-19, el HHS envió a legisladores un documento que cita estudios controversiales, y tergiversa otros.
Kennedy’s HHS Sent Congress ‘Junk Science’ To Defend Vaccine Changes, Experts Say
By Jackie Fortiér
June 13, 2025
KFF Health News Original
A look inside the Department of Health and Human Services document citing vaccine misinformation that could influence congressional perceptions.
KFF Health News' 'What the Health?': RFK Jr. Upends Vaccine Policy, After Promising He Wouldn’t
June 12, 2025
Podcast
Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. this week did something he had promised not to do: He fired every member of the scientific advisory committee that recommends which vaccines should be given to whom. And he replaced them, in some cases, with vaccine skeptics. Meanwhile, hundreds of employees of the National Institutes of Health sent an open letter to the agency’s director, accusing the Trump administration of policies that “undermine the NIH mission.” Anna Edney of Bloomberg News, Sarah Karlin-Smith of the Pink Sheet, and Joanne Kenen of the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health and Politico Magazine join KFF Health News’ Julie Rovner to discuss these stories and more.
‘One Big Beautiful Bill’ Would Batter Rural Hospital Finances, Researchers Say
By Jazmin Orozco Rodriguez
Updated June 12, 2025
Originally Published June 12, 2025
KFF Health News Original
Rural hospitals would take an outsize hit from Republicans’ proposed cuts to Medicaid and other federal health programs. Researchers say the financial erosion would trigger hospital closures and service cuts, especially in communities where large shares of patients are enrolled in Medicaid.
CDC Rehires More Than 400 People Who Had Received Layoff Notices
June 12, 2025
Morning Briefing
Politico reports that roughly half of those rehired work for the National Center for HIV, Viral Hepatitis, STD, and Tuberculosis Prevention. Also: the effect of CDC cuts on women with chronic diseases; the oncology community sounds the alarm over budget cuts; and more.
Megabill Scraps ‘Silver Loading,’ Potentially Disrupting ACA Plans
June 12, 2025
Morning Briefing
Although the measure would reduce Silver plan premiums, an estimated 300,000 people would lose health coverage, experts say. Meanwhile, Senate Republicans won’t be targeting Medicare Advantage changes after all.
UnitedHealth Group’s Credit Rating Downgraded From ‘Stable’ To ‘Negative’
June 12, 2025
Morning Briefing
Moody’s and S&P Global noted their downgrades were unusual for the insurance giant and expressed optimism that the company will overcome multiple operational difficulties, Modern Healthcare reported.
Democratic Governors Scale Back State-Funded Health Care For Immigrants
June 12, 2025
Morning Briefing
The cuts, which would freeze or pare down funded health care for undocumented immigrants, have been largely attributed to budget restraints. The governors in question come from California, Illinois, and Minnesota. Other news comes out of Ohio, Texas, Illinois, North Carolina, and Colorado.
Study: Alcohol-Related Liver Disease Deaths Doubled Between 1999-2022
June 12, 2025
Morning Briefing
The report in JAMA Network Open noted that the pandemic “further exacerbated these trends.” Also in the news: recalls due to fungal contamination and mold, climate disasters and their effects on babies’ brains, and more.
Research Roundup: The Latest Science, Discoveries, And Breakthroughs
June 12, 2025
Morning Briefing
Each week, KFF Health News compiles a selection of the latest health research and news.
RFK Jr. Picks Covid Skeptics For CDC Vaccine Advisory Panel
June 12, 2025
Morning Briefing
News outlets dig into the histories of the new members of the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices and find immunization skeptics and nonspecialists among the group. One has experience in epidemiology. One promoted hydroxychloroquine and ivermectin to treat covid-19.
First Edition: Thursday, June 12, 2025
June 12, 2025
Morning Briefing
Today’s early morning highlights from the major news organizations.
Readers Endorse Doctor Migration and Shun ‘Elderspeak’
June 12, 2025
KFF Health News Original
KFF Health News gives readers a chance to comment on a recent batch of stories.
Listen: With Vital Health Research Defunded, Who’s Losing Out?
By Rae Ellen Bichell
June 12, 2025
KFF Health News Original
From Florida to California, National Institutes of Health grant cuts have halted research studies on HIV, vaccines, and health equity — affecting red and blue states alike.
Proposed PFAS Reclassification Isn’t Backed By Science, Experts Warn
June 11, 2025
Morning Briefing
A group of 20 scientists has warned that narrowing the definition of what constitutes “forever chemicals” could be detrimental, lead to more lax laws, and is entirely politically and economically motivated. Also in the news: climate mandate reversals, “dirty dozen” list, and more.
