USDA Says 15 More States Have Signed Up For National Milk Testing Program
January 9, 2025
Morning Briefing
The program, which began Dec. 6 in the wake of ongoing H5N1 outbreaks at dairy farms, now includes 28 states covering 65% of the country’s milk production. Other public health news is on chronic wasting disease, Guillain-Barre label warnings for two RSV vaccines, and more.
First Edition: Thursday, Jan. 9, 2025
January 9, 2025
Morning Briefing
Today’s early morning highlights from the major news organizations.
Climate Change Threatens the Mental Well-Being of Youths. Here’s How To Help Them Cope.
By Bernard J. Wolfson
January 9, 2025
KFF Health News Original
The growing toll of climate-related disasters is a risk to the emotional well-being of young people. An Orange County, California, pediatric emergency doctor wants to add questions about climate change to standard mental health screenings conducted in pediatricians’ offices and other settings where kids seek care.
Johnson: No Social Security, Medicare Cuts To Fund Trump’s Priorities
January 8, 2025
Morning Briefing
“The Republican Party will not cut benefits,” Republican House Speaker Mike Johnson said. Also in the news: Medicare drug price negotiations, the House transgender bathroom ban, and more.
Jury Nullification A Real Concern In UnitedHealthcare Case, Experts Say
January 8, 2025
Morning Briefing
The suspect in the shooting death of CEO Brian Thompson has garnered sympathy and financial support as he awaits trial, a sign that public support could sway the jury, legal analysts contend. More health industry news is about IU Health, Allumia Ventures, Tricare, and more.
Florida Covid Vaccine Probe Yields Zero Evidence Of Criminal Wrongdoing
January 8, 2025
Morning Briefing
In its report, the grand jury did recommend greater transparency in clinical trials and a ban on pharmaceutical ads. The CDC maintains the vaccines are safe. Also, it’s not too late to get seasonal covid and flu shots as cases of those respiratory viruses are skyrocketing after holiday gatherings.
To Guard Against Health Care Cuts, Proposed Calif. Budget Has No Deficit
January 8, 2025
Morning Briefing
But Gov. Gavin Newsom, a Democrat, warned that steep cuts threatened by incoming President Donald Trump could throw his fiscal plans into disarray. In other news, Ohio’s former health director, a Democrat who guided the state in the early days of the pandemic, is running for governor.
Departing FDA Head Defends Agency’s Record, Looks Warily Ahead
January 8, 2025
Morning Briefing
Speaking with Stat ahead of his exit, Robert Califf expressed concern about the potential for brain drain in government. Other news is on promising drugs for lung cancer patients, the upcoming J.P. Morgan Healthcare Conference, and more.
Outgoing Surgeon General Vivek Murthy’s Advice: ‘Choose Community’
January 8, 2025
Morning Briefing
Scroll down to our “Editorials and Opinions” section to read his full “parting prescription.” Meanwhile, links are found between herpes, concussions, and Alzheimer’s disease; drinking milk may cut bowel cancer risk; and the timing of coffee consumption affects health benefits.
ACA Hits Record Enrollment Yet Again, Fulfilling A Promise From Biden
January 8, 2025
Morning Briefing
Twenty-four million people have signed up for health insurance through the government marketplace. The deadline to sign up, in all but a handful of states, is Jan. 15. President-elect Donald Trump tried to dismantle Obamacare during his first term.
Meta Ditches Fact Checks That Had Helped Curb Health Misinformation
January 8, 2025
Morning Briefing
One of the reasons the industry had doubled down on policing speech was because of falsehoods about covid, The Washington Post noted. Meanwhile, mis- and disinformation shows no sign of slowing on the internet, and doctors are often targets.
First Edition: Wednesday, Jan. 8, 2025
January 8, 2025
Morning Briefing
Today’s early morning highlights from the major news organizations.
Indiana State Senator Moves To Scrap Hospital Monopoly Law He Helped Create
By Samantha Liss
January 8, 2025
KFF Health News Original
After rival hospitals in Terre Haute scuttled plans to merge, a state senator has introduced a bill to forbid similar mergers by repealing a state law he helped write.
Medicaid Expansion Debate Will Affect Other Health Policy Issues Before Montana Legislature
By Mike Dennison Sue O'Connell
January 8, 2025
KFF Health News Original
Legislative leaders say the decision whether to renew Montana’s Medicaid expansion program this year will loom over behavioral health spending and hospital regulation, among other topics.
Listen to the Latest ‘KFF Health News Minute’
January 7, 2025
KFF Health News Original
“Health Minute” brings original health care and health policy reporting from the KFF Health News newsroom to the airwaves each week.
Puberty Blockers Prescribed To Less Than 0.1% Of US Children, Study Finds
January 7, 2025
Morning Briefing
Researchers say among those with private insurance, not one transgender person under 12 was prescribed gender-affirming hormones. “There’s not some massive wave of folks accessing care,” the report’s lead author says. Separately, more than 30,000 veterans who were dismissed over sexuality might get their discharge status upgraded, opening the door to benefits they’ve been denied.
Texas Needs More Funding To Properly Staff 988 Suicide Hotline
January 7, 2025
Morning Briefing
Also in the news: A Tennessee judge largely blocks a law requiring porn site age verification; Indiana death row inmates reject Biden’s commutation; and Donald Trump brings a new wrinkle to California Gov. Gavin Newsom’s unfinished project of health care.
Study: Prescription Drugs Release ‘Forever Chemicals’ Into Wastewater
January 7, 2025
Morning Briefing
The research, published Monday in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, also concluded that large municipal wastewater treatment plants are unable to fully remove the chemicals during treatment. Separately, dancing may help with depression among those with Parkinson’s disease, concussions rise among female athletes, and more.
