HHS Report Lays Out Health Priorities For Kids, Omits Biggest Cause Of Death
September 10, 2025
Morning Briefing
HHS Chief Robert F. Kennedy Jr. on Tuesday released the “Make Our Children Healthy Again” plan, which mentioned several dozen issues that the federal government aims to tackle, such as poor diet, chemical exposures, and excess prescription medications. But the report didn’t mention gun violence, which is the leading cause of death for people younger than 18.
US Death Rate Fell 4% In 2024; Covid No Longer A Top 10 Cause, CDC Says
September 10, 2025
Morning Briefing
Heart disease and cancer remain the leading causes of death, a report indicates, but overdoses and other unintentional injuries along with suicides ticked up last year. Plus: Another group recommends covid vaccines; HHS officials want to scour health data for ill effects of covid shots; and more.
White House Steps Up Enforcement Of Rules For Pharma Ads On TV, Online
September 10, 2025
Morning Briefing
On Tuesday, President Donald Trump signed an executive action to crack down on misleading ads. Separately, 340B Drug Pricing Program spending grew 565% from 2010 to 2021, according to a new report from the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office. Also: Novo Nordisk is cutting 9,000 jobs.
CDC Infectious-Disease Data Project Put On Hold Indefinitely
September 10, 2025
Morning Briefing
The user-friendly website would have made access to information on numerous diseases readily accessible. Also: Ex-CDC Chief Susan Monarez will testify at a Senate committee hearing on Sept. 17.
Wildfire Fighters Will Now Be Provided With Masks For Smoke Protection
September 10, 2025
Morning Briefing
The move, which reverses a decades-long ban, comes after a series of articles in The New York Times describing health crises among wildfire fighters. Also in the news: California, Ohio, New York, Colorado, Utah, Idaho, Wyoming, Arizona, Rhode Island, Maine, Alaska, and elsewhere.
Marijuana Use May Be Linked To Birth Defects, Miscarriages, Study Finds
September 10, 2025
Morning Briefing
The study, published Tuesday, links high levels of THC with changes in how eggs mature and a possible increase in chromosome malformations. Plus: a new test for HPV-linked head and neck cancer; brain iron levels linked to cognitive impairments; and more.
Morning Briefing for Wednesday, September 10, 2025
September 10, 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.
First Edition: Wednesday, Sept. 10, 2025
September 10, 2025
Morning Briefing
Today’s early morning highlights from the major news organizations.
RFK Jr. Said ‘Everybody Can Get’ a Covid Vaccine. Is That True?
By Grace Abels, PolitiFact Maria Ramirez Uribe, PolitiFact
September 10, 2025
KFF Health News Original
Although the FDA has approved the vaccines for anyone 65 or older and anyone at least 6 months old who is at risk of a severe covid infection, barriers to coverage and access persist.
Trump’s Medicaid Cuts Were Aimed at ‘Able-Bodied Adults.’ Hospitals Say Kids Will Be Hurt.
By Phil Galewitz
September 10, 2025
KFF Health News Original
The GOP said its overhaul of Medicaid was aimed at reducing fraud and getting more adult beneficiaries to work. Among the likely side effects: fewer services and doctors for treating sick children.
Lice Pose No Health Threat, Yet Some Parents Push Back on Rules To Allow Affected Kids in Class
By Blake Farmer, Nashville Public Radio
September 10, 2025
KFF Health News Original
Public health officials see lice as a nuisance, not a health threat, and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has recommended for years that students with live lice be allowed to remain in class. But as “no-nit” policies have been dropped in favor of “nonexclusion” rules, some school districts have seen parents and teachers push back.
Aunque no son una amenaza para la salud, algunos padres no quieren niños con piojos en la escuela
By Blake Farmer, Nashville Public Radio
September 10, 2025
KFF Health News Original
Padres de Massachusetts, Texas, Ohio y Georgia les están pidiendo a sus distritos escolares que vuelvan a establecer reglas estrictas sobre liendres y piojos.
Recortes de Trump a Medicaid apuntaban a “adultos sanos”, pero hospitales advierten que niños sufrirán las consecuencias
By Phil Galewitz
September 10, 2025
KFF Health News Original
Algunos hospitales infantiles podrían perder miles de millones de dólares en ingresos una vez que se aplique por completo la amplia ley fiscal y de gasto de Trump, conocida por los republicanos como la One Big Beautiful Bill.
Poison Centers See Big Rise In Calls Related To Self-Harm From Preteens
September 9, 2025
Morning Briefing
Meanwhile, a data analysis shows that nearly half of people age 15 and older living with diabetes are undiagnosed. Other public health news is on life expectancy, the effect of the pandemic on toddlers, remembering AIDS activist Michael Seltzer, and more.
Shield Laws Likely To Go To High Court As NY Steps Into Texas Abortion Case
September 9, 2025
Morning Briefing
As The New York Times explains, shield laws in at least eight states protect health care providers who prescribe abortion pills by telemedicine and send them to patients in states with bans. Other states making news: Louisiana, Texas, Wyoming, South Carolina, Utah, Maine, and others.
FDA OKs Trial For Gene-Edited Pig Kidney Transplants
September 9, 2025
Morning Briefing
Stat reports that Boston-based eGenesis will likely begin the study early next year, aimed at helping patients with end-stage kidney disease. Other pharma and tech news is on Novartis, Summit Therapeutics, “smart cartilage,” and more.
White House Signals Cuts To Poor Americans’ SSI Disability Benefits
September 9, 2025
Morning Briefing
The proposed reversal would end the Biden-era rule for Supplemental Security Income that allowed those in need to still receive it even if someone in the household was on SNAP. It could affect hundreds of thousands of poor Americans. Meanwhile, California looks to ban private companies from charging fees to help file veterans’ disability claims.
FDA’s Makary Says Autism Report Isn’t Written, Calls WSJ Story ‘Premature’
September 9, 2025
Morning Briefing
Chief Marty Makary says it hasn’t even been started yet but that it will be released “within a month,” Bloomberg reported. Meanwhile, Kenvue, the parent company of Tylenol, is seeing its stock drop after The Wall Street Journal’s story saying the government plans to link autism with Tylenol use during pregnancy.
