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.
Colorado Gun-Control Bill Would Curb AR-15s, More In Effort To ‘Save Lives’
February 14, 2025
Morning Briefing
The bill — which would ban the manufacture and sale of semiautomatic rifles, shotguns, and pistols — hit a snag overnight, with state senators adding a major concession for people who complete a training course, The Colorado Sun reported. The lead sponsor of the bill, Democratic state Sen. Tom Sullivan, lost his son, Alex, in the 2012 Aurora theater shooting.
Longer Looks: Interesting Reads You Might Have Missed
February 14, 2025
Morning Briefing
Each week, KFF Health News finds longer stories for you to enjoy. Today’s selections are on hospital food, Zolgensma, seed oils, PTSD, and more.
RFK Jr. Is Sworn In To Lead HHS Amid A Backdrop Of Budget, Staff Cuts
February 14, 2025
Morning Briefing
Health secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. was also tapped to lead President Donald Trump’s “Make America Healthy Again Commission.” Kennedy plans to focus on the “diseases of isolation” driving chronic diseases, suicide, and depression but may face challenges from cuts and constraints that DOGE has imposed on the agency.
Bulwark Of Courts Blocks Trump’s Health Care Policy Agenda
February 14, 2025
Morning Briefing
Federal judges on Thursday blocked executive orders regarding transgender care, USAID, and birthright citizenship. Also, news outlets examine the fallout of funding cuts, medical research freezes, webpage deletions, and more.
On Same Day RFK Jr. Is Confirmed, La. Says It Will Stop Promoting Vaccines
February 14, 2025
Morning Briefing
Louisiana’s surgeon general said in a memo Thursday that the state would “encourage each patient to discuss the risks and benefits of vaccination with their provider” but would “no longer promote mass vaccination” through the news media or at health fairs, The New York Times reported.
Morning Briefing for Friday, February 14, 2025
February 14, 2025
Morning Briefing
The Morning Briefing will not be published Monday, Feb. 17, in celebration of Presidents Day. Look for it again in your inbox Tuesday.
First Edition: Friday, Feb. 14, 2025 ♥
February 14, 2025
Morning Briefing
Today’s early morning highlights from the major news organizations. Note to readers: The First Edition will not be published Monday, Feb. 17, in celebration of Presidents Day. Look for it again in your inbox Tuesday.
As States Mull Medicaid Work Requirements, Two With Experience Scale Back
By Renuka Rayasam Sam Whitehead
February 14, 2025
KFF Health News Original
As Republicans consider adding work requirements to Medicaid, Georgia and Arkansas — two states with experience running such programs — want to scale back the key parts supporters have argued encourage employment and personal responsibility.
A Dose of Love: The Winning Health Policy Valentines
Cartooning by Oona Zenda
February 14, 2025
KFF Health News Original
KFF Health News shares our favorite reader-submitted health policy valentines. One struck us in the heart and inspired an original cartoon.
KFF Health News' 'What the Health?': Courts Try To Curb Health Cuts
February 13, 2025
Podcast
Some of the Trump administration’s dramatic funding and policy shifts are facing major pushback for the first time — not from Congress, but from the courts. Federal judges around the country are attempting to pump the brakes on efforts to freeze government spending, shut down the U.S. Agency for International Development, eliminate access to health-related webpages and datasets, and limit grant funding provided by the National Institutes of Health. Meanwhile, Congress is off to a slow start in trying to turn President Donald Trump’s agenda into legislation, although Medicaid is clearly high on the list for potential funding cuts. Shefali Luthra of The 19th, Jessie Hellmann of CQ Roll Call, and Maya Goldman of Axios News join KFF Health News’ Julie Rovner to discuss these topics and more. Also this week, Rovner interviews Mark McClellan, director of the Duke-Margolis Institute for Health Policy and a former health official during the George W. Bush administration, about the impact of cutting funding to research universities.
Nearly 300 Gun Seekers Blocked Since Michigan Passed Red Flag Law
February 13, 2025
Morning Briefing
It has been one year since Michigan’s law took effect. It is aimed at preventing mass shootings and domestic violence, among other incidents. Meanwhile, a bipartisan group of lawmakers in Alabama has backed a ban on devices that convert semi-automatic weapons into machine guns. Other news includes: prison health care, mobile pharmacies, and more.
Research Roundup: The Latest Science, Discoveries, And Breakthroughs
February 13, 2025
Morning Briefing
Each week, KFF Health News compiles a selection of the latest health research and news.
