First Edition: Thursday, Jan. 30, 2025
January 30, 2025
Morning Briefing
Today’s early morning highlights from the major news organizations.
Trump Administration’s Halt of CDC’s Weekly Scientific Report Stalls Bird Flu Studies
By Amy Maxmen
January 30, 2025
KFF Health News Original
An unprecedented freeze on the agency’s Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report sparks new concerns about political meddling in science.
Readers Offer Their Takes on the Opioid Crisis, Family Doctor Shortage, and Vaccine Policies
January 30, 2025
KFF Health News Original
KFF Health News gives readers a chance to comment on a recent batch of stories.
Telehealth Companies Boost Ad Spending While Taking on More Complex Medicine
By Darius Tahir
January 30, 2025
KFF Health News Original
Telehealth startups including Ro and Nurx are spending millions to promote themselves as easy dispensers of medicines. Some companies offer care for birth control, sexual dysfunction, and more complex conditions, including behavioral health disorders and obesity.
Medicaid Access Back But May Be Slow; Judge Halts Freeze On Some Grants
January 29, 2025
Morning Briefing
Several states lost access Tuesday to the federal Medicaid portal despite assurances from the Trump administration that his recent funding freezes wouldn’t affect the insurance program for low-income people. Plus: Secretary of State Marco Rubio announces a waiver for some lifesaving medicines that were part of the freeze.
Trump Signs Order Restricting Gender-Affirming Care For Those Under 19
January 29, 2025
Morning Briefing
The president’s order directs the secretary of Health and Human Services to issue regulations to end such care for minors, NBC News reported, and directs all federal agencies to rescind guidance from the World Professional Association for Transgender Health. In related news: Six transgender active-duty service members are suing over Trump’s policy on transgender troops.
RFK Jr.’s Family Members Warn He Is Ill-Equipped To Lead HHS
January 29, 2025
Morning Briefing
Confirmation hearings for Robert F. Kennedy Jr. begin today in the Senate. The Boston Globe explores a key area where Kennedy has largely been silent: entitlement programs such as Medicare and Medicaid.
UNC, Duke Team Up To Build State’s First Standalone Children’s Hospital
January 29, 2025
Morning Briefing
The planned 500-bed pediatric hospital will be somewhere in North Carolina’s Research Triangle region, but no specific location has been announced. Other health industry news is on hospital-at-home alternatives, buyouts, supply chain costs, “smart locks” at CVS, and more.
Ozempic Approved To Treat Chronic Kidney Disease With Type 2 Diabetes
January 29, 2025
Morning Briefing
The FDA’s move may change how doctors treat chronic kidney disease, which, according to Ozempic maker Novo Nordisk, affects around 37 million Americans and is one of the leading causes of death in the United States. Meanwhile, 20,000 advocates have called on CMS to include FDA-approved anti-obesity medications in Medicare and Medicaid.
Unvaccinated Resident Becomes Georgia’s First Measles Case Of 2025
January 29, 2025
Morning Briefing
The highly contagious and vaccine-preventable disease is mostly fatal in children under 5, but the childhood MMR vaccine rate has dropped five percentage points over the past 10 years. Meanwhile, the CDC says the Kansas tuberculosis outbreak is not the largest in U.S. history. Other news includes: data leaks, lead exposure, and more.
First Edition: Wednesday, Jan. 29, 2025
January 29, 2025
Morning Briefing
Today’s early morning highlights from the major news organizations.
Led by RFK Jr., Conservatives Embrace Raw Milk. Regulators Say It’s Dangerous.
By Stephanie Armour
January 29, 2025
KFF Health News Original
Controversy over raw milk reflects the push-pull the Trump administration faces in rolling back regulations and offering consumers more choices. For now, the CDC still recommends against consuming raw milk and the FDA bans its interstate sale.
Sports Betting Is Coming to Missouri. A Fund To Help Prevent Problem Gambling Will Follow.
By Zach Dyer
January 29, 2025
KFF Health News Original
Can a $5 million compulsive-gambling fund help Missouri avoid the mistakes of other states that have legalized sports betting?
Trump’s Funding ‘Pause’ Throws States, Health Industry Into Chaos
By Phil Galewitz
Updated January 29, 2025
Originally Published January 28, 2025
KFF Health News Original
A sweeping Trump administration order threw the nation’s health system into disarray Tuesday, as states and the health industry tried to make sense of what looked like a freeze on federal Medicaid funding.
Sleep-Related Infant Deaths Soar 12%, With Notable Racial Disparities
January 28, 2025
Morning Briefing
Meanwhile, overall infant mortality rates from 1999 to 2022 dropped by 24%, researchers found. Additional news of public concern covers breast milk guidance for air travelers, heart disease stats, the link between sugar-laden drinks and Type 2 diabetes, and more.
Morning Briefing for Tuesday, January 28, 2025
January 28, 2025
Morning Briefing
Each month, KFF Health News’ Rural Dispatch newsletter covers health issues in places where accessing care can be more challenging. Check out our Montana, Colorado, Georgia, and California newsletters, too. Sign up here!
