Listen to the Latest ‘KFF Health News Minute’
February 18, 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.
White House Chops Funding For ACA Health Insurance Navigators By 90%
February 18, 2025
Morning Briefing
Explaining the cuts, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services said the higher funding did not represent “a reasonable return on investment.” But The Hill reports that navigators were particularly effective in helping people enroll in Medicaid and the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP).
As ‘Disease Detectives’ Lose Their Jobs, Worry Escalates Over Bird Flu, Measles
February 18, 2025
Morning Briefing
“We’re heading in the wrong direction,” Caitlin Rivers, a senior scholar at the Johns Hopkins Center for Health Security, told The Washington Post. Meanwhile, a measles outbreak in Texas has doubled in size, and a fourth American was hospitalized in Wyoming with human bird flu.
Covid Vaccine Requirements Will Cost Schools Federal Funds, Per Trump Rule
February 18, 2025
Morning Briefing
Fifteen colleges would be affected by the executive order; K-12 schools nationwide no longer have such a requirement. Meanwhile, hospitals and medical providers are feeling the strain of the nation’s worst flu season in 15 years.
Missouri Judge Clears Way For Abortions To Restart
February 18, 2025
Morning Briefing
In November, voters approved enshrining abortion rights into the state constitution, but regulations on health centers were so strict that most didn’t meet them, AP reported. The latest ruling blocks those regulations. In other news, New Jersey has broadened elderly care outside of nursing homes.
More People Search For Gambling Addiction Help As Sports Betting Grows
February 18, 2025
Morning Briefing
A new study suggests that the growing number of states legalizing sports gambling is cause for concern. Meanwhile, heart failure deaths are up, partly due to medical successes that enable people to live longer. Other news is on cancer treatments, the Senate Aging Committee, and more.
Uncertain Times Delay Private Equity Investments In Home Care
February 18, 2025
Morning Briefing
Concerns about the economy and federal policy are causing investors to take a beat on investing in companies that provide in-home care. Also, states remove mental health questions from licensure forms so doctors won’t fear getting help. Other industry news: a medical oxygen shortage, medical delivery drones, and more.
HHS Purges Thousands Of Public Health Experts, Inspectors, And Others
February 18, 2025
Morning Briefing
Practically every Department of Health and Human Services agency lost workers, who were told via email that their jobs have been eliminated. The mass firings prompted the head of the FDA food division to resign in protest.
First Edition: Tuesday, Feb. 18, 2025
February 18, 2025
Morning Briefing
Today’s early morning highlights from the major news organizations.
Pain Clinics Made Millions From ‘Unnecessary’ Injections Into ‘Human Pin Cushions’
By Brett Kelman
Illustration by Oona Zenda
February 18, 2025
KFF Health News Original
Pain MD, which once ran as many as 20 clinics across three states, gave chronic-pain patients about 700,000 total injections near their spines, according to court documents. Last year, federal prosecutors proved at trial that the shots were medically unnecessary and part of an extensive fraud scheme.
Iowa Medicaid Sends $4M Bills to Two Families Grieving Deaths of Loved Ones With Disabilities
By Tony Leys
February 18, 2025
KFF Health News Original
States are required to claw back health care costs from the estates of many Medicaid recipients. Some, including Iowa, are particularly aggressive in their pursuit.
Journalists Talk Southern Health Care: HIV Drug Access, Medicaid Expansion, Vaccination Rates
February 15, 2025
KFF Health News Original
KFF Health News journalists made the rounds on national and local media recently to discuss topical stories. Here’s a collection of their appearances.
Sights, Sounds Trigger Trauma for Super Bowl Parade Shooting Survivors
By Bram Sable-Smith
February 14, 2025
KFF Health News Original
Survivors and witnesses of gun violence often freeze emotionally at first, as a coping mechanism. As the one-year mark since the parade shooting nears, the last installment in our series “The Injured” looks at how some survivors talk about resilience, while others are desperately trying to hang on.
Urgent CDC Data and Analyses on Influenza and Bird Flu Go Missing as Outbreaks Escalate
By Amy Maxmen
February 14, 2025
KFF Health News Original
Delays in urgent CDC analyses of seasonal flu and bird flu, and the agency’s silence, will harm Americans as outbreaks escalate, doctors and public health experts warn.
Medicaid Changes Come Into Focus As House Begins Paring Budget
February 14, 2025
Morning Briefing
Looking to trim $880 billion, Republican lawmakers are considering block-granting Medicaid funding and establishing work requirements for beneficiaries, Modern Healthcare reports. As Politico points out, cutting Medicaid won’t be so simple.
Bird Flu Is Spreading Undetected To People, CDC Testing Results Indicate
February 14, 2025
Morning Briefing
Veterinarians who worked with cattle had antibodies in their system that showed they had the H5N1 virus, though they exhibited no symptoms and none knew they were working with sick animals, according to a report. Meanwhile, as states report more cases, people are urged to avoid dead birds.
Births Are Up. So Is Infant Mortality After Abortion Bans, Studies Show.
February 14, 2025
Morning Briefing
In states with abortion bans, infant mortality rates were 6% higher than expected. The studies suggested abortion bans significantly affect people struggling economically. Meanwhile, New York won’t extradite Dr. Margaret Carpenter in an abortion pill case. The doctor also is being fined by Texas.
Health System Leaders Move To Improve Quality Of Ambulatory Care
February 14, 2025
Morning Briefing
According to Becker’s Hospital Review, outpatient care needs are projected to increase. This will require the same level of standardized safety protocols and rigorous reporting mechanisms.
