Latest Morning Briefing Stories
Health Care Heartaches: Your Winning Health Policy Valentines
KFF Health News shares our favorite reader-submitted health policy valentines. One struck us in the heart and inspired an original cartoon.
Clinics Sour on CMS After Agency Scraps 10-Year Primary Care Program Only Months In
A planned 10-year federal program called Making Care Primary was supposed to help primary care doctors by easing administrative burdens, allowing them to focus on improving patients’ health. A year after the Trump administration eliminated the program, federal officials created an alternative plan that favors companies.
RFK Jr. Made Promises in Order To Become Health Secretary. He’s Broken Many of Them.
Before being confirmed to lead the Department of Health and Human Services, Robert F. Kennedy Jr. told U.S. senators he would not cut funding for vaccine research or change the nation’s official vaccine recommendations. He did both.
What the Health? From KFF Health News: New Flu Vax? FDA Says No Thanks
It’s been a busy week at the FDA, with a political appointee overruling agency scientists to reject an application for a new flu vaccine. Meanwhile, anti-abortion Republicans on Capitol Hill complain the agency is dragging its feet on reviewing the abortion pill mifepristone. Jackie Fortiér of KFF Health News, Lizzy Lawrence of Stat, and Alice Miranda Ollstein of Politico join KFF Health News’ Julie Rovner to discuss these stories and more.
La falta de médicos de atención primaria es un problema nacional. Algunas grandes redes de salud están recurriendo a la inteligencia artificial en busca de soluciones.
US Cancer Institute Studying Ivermectin’s ‘Ability To Kill Cancer Cells’
At a January event organized by allies of health secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., National Cancer Institute Director Anthony Letai said results may be released “in a few months.” Ivermectin, used to deworm horses and other animals, has become a symbol of resistance against the medical establishment among supporters of Kennedy’s “Make America Healthy Again” agenda and many conservatives.
This Ballad Hospital, Flooded by Hurricane Helene, Will Be Rebuilt for $44M in a Flood Plain
Ballad Health, the nation’s largest state-sanctioned hospital monopoly, plans to rebuild Unicoi County Hospital on land that two climate modeling companies say is at risk of flooding.
Ponerlos al tanto de estos riesgos podría disuadirlos de inscribirse en el Medicaid de Emergencia, que ofrece atención médica de urgencias a inmigrantes que no califican para la cobertura regular de Medicaid.
With ICE Using Medicaid Data, Hospitals and States Are in a Bind Over Warning Immigrant Patients
The Trump administration’s move to give deportation officials access to Medicaid data is forcing hospitals and states to consider alerting immigrant patients that information from emergency medical coverage applications could be used in efforts to remove them from the country.
When the Doctor Needs a Checkup
The physician workforce is aging fast, and some hospitals now require that older clinicians undergo testing for cognitive decline. Many have resisted.
If You’re Pregnant and Uninsured, Medicaid Might Be Your Answer
Prenatal care can make a huge difference to the long-term health of both the parent and baby. Every state offers health coverage to lower-income pregnant women who might otherwise go uninsured.
NIH Grant Disruptions Slow Down Breast Cancer Research
The Trump administration has made the future of federal funding for cancer research uncertain. At one groundbreaking breast cancer research lab, work that could save lives has slowed significantly.
Si estás embarazada y no tienes seguro de salud, Medicaid podría ser la solución
Todos los estados ofrecen cobertura de Medicaid a las mujeres embarazadas que cumplen con ciertos requisitos de ingresos. Pero cambia dependiendo del estado.
When Health Insurance Costs More Than the Mortgage
As health care costs skyrocket and federal lawmakers pull back help on insurance premiums, more middle-income families are facing tough choices on health care.
It’s 2026 and You’re Uninsured. Now What?
Many Americans are expected to lose ACA or Medicaid coverage in coming months and years as a result of the One Big Beautiful Bill Act and the expiration of enhanced pandemic-era subsidies that helped people afford Obamacare plans. Doctors and researchers say there are still ways to find affordable care.
Cuando el seguro médico cuesta más que la hipoteca
A pesar de las intensas discusiones y del cierre del gobierno más largo en la historia, el Congreso permitió que los subsidios mejorados de ACA expiraran el pasado 31 de diciembre.
Es 2026 y no tienes seguro médico. ¿Y ahora qué?
Los cambios en las políticas de salud en Washington están teniendo repercusiones en todo el país y haciendo que millones de personas pierdan su cobertura de Medicaid o de ACA. Pero hay opciones.
Blurry Line Between Medical and Vision Insurance Leaves Patient With Unexpected Bill
A Wisconsin retiree with glaucoma needed her eyes examined. Her Medicare Advantage plan from UnitedHealthcare listed her optometrist’s clinic as in-network, but she learned the hard way that a clinic can be in-network and out-of-network at the same time.
This Teen Never Got His Day in Vaccine Court. His Former Lawyer Now Advises RFK on Its Overhaul.
The federal government’s Vaccine Injury Compensation Program was supposed to help patients with their medical bills while protecting vaccine supply. But allies of Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. are routinely transferring cases from that program to launch lawsuits against drugmakers.
Medicare Advantage Insurers Face New Curbs on Overcharges in Trump Plan That Reins in Payments
Proposed Trump administration changes to federal Medicare Advantage payments would stop health insurers from mining patient data for extra medical diagnoses that generate more bills to taxpayers even without treatment.
