- KFF HEALTH NEWS ORIGINAL STORIES
- 1. ‘Abortion as Homicide’ Debate in South Carolina Exposes GOP Rift as States Weigh New Restrictions
- 2. Millions of Americans Are Expected To Drop Their Affordable Care Act Plans. They’re Looking for a Plan B.
- 3. Journalists Update Listeners on Expiration of Insurance Subsidies and New Rural Health Funding
- HEALTH CARE PERSONNEL
- 7. About 15,000 Nurses Join Picket Line In New York City’s Largest Nursing Strike
- EDITORIALS AND OPINIONS
- 10. Viewpoints: Med Schools Must Update Training On Old Diseases; Gen Z’s Resistance To Talking Will Harm Them
From KFF Health News:
KFF HEALTH NEWS ORIGINAL STORIES
1. ‘Abortion as Homicide’ Debate in South Carolina Exposes GOP Rift as States Weigh New Restrictions
A proposed abortion ban in South Carolina would have allowed the criminal prosecution of women who obtain the procedure. It’s unlikely to become law, but this bill and other proposals across the country show how some conservative lawmakers are embracing increasingly punitive abortion restrictions. (Lauren Sausser and Bram Sable-Smith, 1/12)
An estimated 4.8 million people are expected to go without health coverage because Congress did not extend enhanced subsidies for Affordable Care Act plans. But even without a health plan, people will need medical care in 2026. Many of them have been thinking through their plan B to maintain their health. (Blake Farmer, Nashville Public Radio, 1/12)
3. Journalists Update Listeners on Expiration of Insurance Subsidies and New Rural Health Funding
KFF Health News journalists made the rounds on local and regional media recently to discuss topical stories. Here’s a collection of their appearances. (1/10)
Here’s today’s health policy haiku:
THOSE WE LEAVE BEHIND
Blue state: Not my fate!
Red state: My way or highway!
Rural health won’t wait.
– Anonymous
If you have a health policy haiku to share, please Contact Usand let us know if we can include your name. Haikus follow the format of 5-7-5 syllables. We give extra brownie points if you link back to an original story.
Opinions expressed in haikus and cartoons are solely the author’s and do not reflect the opinions of KFF Health News or KFF.
Summaries Of The News:
4. If Senate Votes To Extend ACA Subsidies, Trump Says He May Veto It
President Donald Trump made the comment aboard Air Force One on Sunday. Other ACA news is on Ohio Sen. Bernie Moreno’s role in the subsidy talks, the prospect of marrying to obtain more affordable health care, and more.
Bloomberg: Trump Says He May Veto Extension Of Health Care Subsidies
President Donald Trump said Sunday he may veto a bill to extend Obamacare subsidies if Congress sent one to his desk. Trump’s remark to reporters on Air Force One comes after nine swing-district House Republicans joined Democrats Wednesday in advancing legislation to revive expired Affordable Care Act subsidies for three years. The Senate has yet to vote on the measure. It’s unlikely that Democrats will be able to overcome Republican opposition in that chamber, but the GOP will face additional pressure following the House vote. (Mijares Torres and Subramanian, 1/11)
Politico: The Trump Loyalist At The Center Of The Senate’s Obamacare Talks
If the Senate is going to strike a deal to revive a signature Democratic policy, it will be in part because of an unlikely broker: a freshman Republican from the party’s MAGA wing. Sen. Bernie Moreno of Ohio is, on paper, an odd fit in the core group of about a dozen senators in talks to extend Obamacare credits that lapsed on Jan. 1. Most are well-known bipartisan dealmakers, such as Republican Susan Collins and Democrat Jeanne Shaheen. (Carney, 1/12)
Politico: Trump’s Plan To Strong-Arm Insurers Into Lower Prices Is Met With Skepticism
President Donald Trump plans to call health insurers to the table and demand lower prices as he seeks to allay voters’ concerns over affordability. But health policy experts, researchers and even some GOP members say it won’t be so simple. Even if a deal materializes, there are reasons to be skeptical that voluntary cuts by insurance companies could bring significant, lasting health care savings for Americans. (Haslett, 1/10)
On the ACA affordability crisis —
NPR: Marrying For Health Insurance? The ACA Cost Crisis Forces Some Drastic Choices
When he stops to think about it, Mathew says, his situation feels kind of ridiculous. “I find myself in the middle of some sort of rom-com plot,” he says. “For me to be able to see my doctor to tend to my autoimmune disease, I had to marry my best friend — it’s like some weird twisted plot of ‘Will and Grace.'” Mathew asked NPR not to use his full name because he fears repercussions from his health insurance company if they find out he got married to obtain coverage. (Simmons-Duffin, 1/12)
KFF Health News: Millions Of Americans Are Expected To Drop Their Affordable Care Act Plans. They’re Looking For A Plan B
It’s feeding time for the animals on this property outside Nashville, Tennessee. An albino raccoon named Cricket reaches through the wires of its cage to grab an animal cracker, an appetizer treat right before the evening meal. “Cricket is blind,” said Robert Sory, who is trying to open a nonprofit animal sanctuary along with his wife, Emily. “A lot of our animals come to us with issues.” … The Sorys are passionate about their pets and seem to put the animals’ needs before their own. Both Robert and Emily started 2026 without health insurance. (Farmer, 1/12)
Biloxi Sun Herald: Mississippi Hospitals, Clinics Brace For End To ACA Subsidy
Healthcare providers are experiencing an “existential crisis,” said Angel Greer, CEO of Coastal Family Health Center, which serves 36,000 patients a year in seven South Mississippi counties, including those on the Coast. More Mississippians will be pouring into emergency rooms for primary care and untreated chronic conditions, she and other providers said.. “That’s unsustainable for our communities and for our hospitals,” Greer said. (Lee, 1/12)
The CT Mirror: Some ConnectiCare Customers Report Enrollment, Billing Problems
A processing error has potentially left several hundred Connecticut residents who enrolled in 2026 Affordable Care Act health insurance plans without their selected coverage, state exchange and insurance officials said. (Golvala, 1/9)
Minnesota Public Radio: Minnesota Lawmakers Visit Rural Communities To Hear Health Care Concerns
Minnesotans are facing a lot of health care challenges right now, especially in rural parts of the state. Costs are skyrocketing, clinics are closing, and even finding a provider or specialist to get the care you need can be difficult. So as state lawmakers prepare for the upcoming legislative session that begins next month, some of them are meeting with rural Minnesota residents to hear from them directly about their health care needs, and how the crisis of rural healthcare affordability and accessibility is impacting them. (Work, 1/12)
KFF Health News: KFF Health News’ ‘On Air’: Journalists Update Listeners On Expiration Of Insurance Subsidies And New Rural Health Funding
KFF Health News senior correspondent Julie Appleby discussed changes to the Affordable Care Act in 2026 and how enrollees may be affected on WUNC’s Due South on Jan. 7. (1/10)
5. RFK Jr.’s Vaccine Retreat Is Having Ripple Effects On States, Schools
States typically rely on the CDC for guidance on immunizations, and school systems take their cues from their states. The politicization of this particular health care policy is sowing confusion, leaving both to make their own determinations about vaccine mandates. Plus, viruses are on the rise.
The Hill: RFK Jr.’s Vaccine Moves Put New Focus On Patchwork Of State School Standards
Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s changes to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC) childhood vaccine schedule are making school vaccination requirements an open question for the future. While state health departments typically take their cues from the CDC, with schools following suit, the politicization of vaccines under Kennedy means states may increasingly forge their own paths. (Cochran, 1/9)
AP: Changes To The US Vaccine Recommendations Are Sowing Confusion And Could Harm Kids
Dr. Molly O’Shea has noticed growing skepticism about vaccines at both of her Michigan pediatric offices and says this week’s unprecedented and confusing changes to federal vaccine guidance will only make things worse. One of her offices is in a Democratic area, where more of the parents she sees are opting for alternative schedules that spread out shots. The other is in a Republican area, where some parents have stopped immunizing their children altogether. She and other doctors fear the new recommendations and the terminology around them will stoke vaccine hesitancy even more, pose challenges for pediatricians and parents that make it harder for kids to get shots, and ultimately lead to more illness and death. (Ungar, 1/10)
The New York Times: New Children’s Vaccine Schedule May Not Be The Last Of RFK Jr.’s Big Changes
Comments by Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and his allies suggest the revised schedule may presage an approach to immunization that prizes individual autonomy and downplays scientific expertise. (Mandavilli, 1/11)
The Hill: Cassidy On RFK Jr. Vaccine Schedule Change: ‘Let’s Just Take Care Of People And Move Beyond Your Ideology’
Sen. Bill Cassidy (R-La.) expressed further frustration Sunday with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) changing the childhood vaccine schedule. The CDC, overseen by Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., reduced the number of recommended vaccines for children from 17 to 11 on Monday, putting it in line with Denmark. “Let’s just take care of people and move beyond your ideology,” Cassidy, a medical doctor, told host Jacqui Heinrich on “Fox News Sunday.” (Rego, 1/11)
AP: Germany Sharply Rejects RFK Jr.’s Claims That It Prosecutes Doctors For Vaccine Exemptions
The German government has sharply rejected accusations by U.S. Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. claiming that it has been sidelining patient autonomy, especially during the COVID-19 pandemic. “The statements made by the US Secretary of Health are completely unfounded, factually incorrect, and must be rejected,” German Health Minister Nina Warken said in a statement late Saturday. Kennedy said in a video post earlier on Saturday that he had sent the German minister a letter based on reports coming out of Germany that the government was “limiting people’s abilities to act on their own convictions when they face medical decisions.” (Grieshaber, 1/11)
On measles, flu, RSV, bird flu, and meningitis —
The Baltimore Sun: Health Officials Warn Of Potential Measles Exposure On Amtrak, BWI Airport Shuttles
A person with an infectious case of measles passed through Maryland this past week, potentially exposing passengers on Amtrak trains and shuttle buses serving BWI Airport, the Maryland Department of Health said Sunday. (Pryce, 1/11)
ABC News: South Carolina Reports 99 New Measles Cases
At least 99 new measles cases are being reported in South Carolina amid the state’s outbreak. This brings the total number of cases in the state to 310. There are currently 200 people in quarantine, according to health officials. The outbreak has been ongoing as state health officials continue to push for vaccinations. The majority of cases are located around Spartanburg County. (Benadjaoud, 1/9)
NBC News: Flu Is Particularly Hard On Kids This Season
The flu is hitting children especially hard this season. “This is really one of the worst flu seasons we’ve been seeing,” said Dr. Suchitra Rao, an infectious diseases physician at Children’s Hospital Colorado in Aurora. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported Friday that the rate of kids and teenagers hospitalized with flu nationwide is the second highest in 15 years for this point in the season. Rao said her hospital has seen “record-breaking numbers of children with influenza.” (Edwards, 1/9)
CIDRAP: US Respiratory Virus Activity Reaches High Levels As Flu, RSV Spread
Respiratory virus activity across the United States has climbed to high levels, driven by increases in influenza and respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) activity, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC’s) weekly respiratory illness update. Meanwhile, COVID-19 levels remain relatively low but show signs of an uptick. (Bergeson, 1/9)
The New York Times: Bird Flu Viruses Raise Mounting Concerns Among Scientists
In the United States, the term bird flu has become synonymous with a particular virus that has devastated poultry and dairy farms over the past few years. But that virus, called H5N1, is not the only form of bird flu in circulation. Concerned scientists are keeping a close eye other types, including a fast-changing flu virus called H9N2.In a study published in November, researchers in Hong Kong showed that over the last decade, this virus has acquired mutations that allow it to spread more efficiently among people and to cause more severe disease. (Mandavilli, 1/10)
The last survivor of the 1925 Alaska diphtheria epidemic has died —
The New York Times: Jirdes Winther Baxter, 101, Dies; Last Survivor Of Epidemic In Alaska
Jirdes Winther Baxter, the last known survivor of a 1925 diphtheria epidemic in Nome, Alaska, which prompted a legendary sled dog relay of nearly 700 miles that delivered a lifesaving serum to the isolated frontier town, died in Juneau, the capital, on Jan. 5. She was 101. Her death, in a hospital, was confirmed by a son, Fred J. Baxter. (Longman, 1/11)
6. Courts, Congress Thwarting Trump’s Cuts On Safety Net Programs, Science
A federal judge suspended the administration’s block on federal aid to five Democratic states while their lawsuit winds through the courts. Meanwhile, lawmakers are working together to advance legislation to rescind funding cuts for scientific research. Plus, news outlets unpack health guidance.
AP: Judge Halts Trump Administration Block On Federal Money For 5 States
A federal judge ruled Friday that President Donald Trump’s administration cannot block federal money for child care subsidies and other programs aimed at supporting low-income families with children from flowing to five Democratic-led states for now. The states of California, Colorado, Illinois, Minnesota and New York argued that a policy announced Tuesday to freeze billions of dollars in funds for three grant programs is having an immediate impact on them and creating “operational chaos.” In court filings and a hearing earlier Friday, the states contended that the government did not have a legal reason for withholding the money from them. (Mulvihill and Schoenbaum, 1/10)
The New York Times: Trump’s Steep Science Budget Cuts To Be Turned Back By Congress
Congress is racing to undo thousands of cuts to federal science programs that President Trump called for last year when planning the government’s current budget. If enacted, the president’s bid for an overall cut in scientific funding to $154 billion from $198 billion — a plunge of 22 percent — would have been the largest reduction in federal spending on science since World War II, when Washington and the seekers of nature’s secrets began their partnership. (Broad, 1/10)
The Boston Globe: Fear Pushes Immigrant Families Into Shadows Of Health Systems
Health providers across Massachusetts are noticing a troubling ripple effect from stepped-up immigration enforcement: Immigrant families are skipping medical appointments, choosing to forgo care, canceling their limited state-provided health insurance, and weighing health risks against fears of detention or deportation. Providers worry the situation will worsen because of a Dec. 29 court decision that allows Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents to access personal information Medicaid has on undocumented immigrants. Undocumented immigrants aren’t eligible for full Medicaid coverage through the state-run plan, called MassHealth, but they are among 247,500 noncitizens in the state who receive a limited version that covers emergency medical care. ICE now can access many of those records. (Rahal and Laughlin, 1/12)
On the food pyramid and MAHA —
Stat: New Dietary Guidelines Include A Section On Testosterone Levels
Testosterone is having a moment at the Department of Health and Human Services. Late last year, the Food and Drug Administration convened an expert panel to discuss easing access to testosterone replacement therapy, including the prospect of removing the hormone from the list of scheduled, or restricted, substances and taking the black box warning off testosterone products. (Merelli, 1/12)
The New York Times: Beef Tallow Rises To The Top Of The U.S. Food Pyramid
Beef tallow, a fat that both cardiologists and the federal government told Americans to avoid for nearly half a century, has become an unexpected breakout star in the new federal dietary guidelines. The rendered beef fat has been quietly growing in popularity over the past few years among cooks who like how it crisps fries and doughnuts, beauty influencers who smooth it on their skin and others who favor it for high-fat diets or believe it’s healthier than oil pressed from seeds. (Severson, 1/10)
Politico: Parents On RFK Jr.’s Advice On Sweets: ‘Completely Unrealistic’
New dietary guidelines from the Trump administration have some big asks of Americans, from prioritizing protein to avoiding highly processed food. The most onerous directive, though, was probably for moms and dads. Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins want them to stop giving their kids sugar until they turn 11. That, says Keri Rodrigues, a mother of five boys and the president of the National Parents Union, is “completely unrealistic.” (Paun and Yarrow, 1/10)
The Wall Street Journal: Supplements Are A $70 Billion Industry. RFK Jr. Is Good For Business.
When Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. released his MAHA Report in May, a who’s who of the wellness world convened at the White House for the occasion. There was the influential physician Mark Hyman, who co-founded the direct-to-consumer testing company Function Health, recently valued at $2.5 billion. Also in attendance: Alex Clark, the host of the popular Turning Point USA podcast “Culture Apothecary.” Longevity influencer Gary Brecka, who’d recently had Kennedy over to get intravenous drips and use Brecka’s hyperbaric chamber, was present, along with the “medfluencers” Dr. Will Cole and Dr. Paul Saladino. (Ashley O’Brien, 1/10)
7. About 15,000 Nurses Join Picket Line In New York City’s Largest Nursing Strike
New contract provisions on AI and workplace violence, along with salary increases to keep up with inflation, are among their demands. Also, Texas joins 17 other states making it easier for foreign doctors to work legally without repeating their residencies.
Politico: Nearly 15,000 Nurses Go On Strike At Top New York City Hospitals
Nearly 15,000 nurses are walking out of their hospital jobs early Monday morning and onto the picket line, in what their union says is the largest nursing strike in New York City history. New York State Nurses Association members working for Montefiore Medical Center, New York-Presbyterian and the Mount Sinai Health System are demanding salary increases to account for inflation while fighting to maintain protections against understaffing that they won after a three-day strike three years ago. They are also calling for new contract provisions on artificial intelligence and workplace violence. (Kaufman, 1/12)
The Texas Tribune: Texas Changes Law To Attract Foreign-Trained Doctors
Like many internationally trained physicians in the United States, it took years before Duncanville surgeon Anil Tibrewal could call Texas home. Fifteen years of medical training to be exact. While the U.S. usually requires international medical graduates to complete a second medical residency in this country, Tibrewal completed three: one in India, another in England and the third in New York and Cleveland. (Langford, 1/9)
Stat: Medicaid Approves Extra Payments For Hospitals, Doctors Ahead Of Cuts
The federal government approved $60 billion worth of extra Medicaid funds for hospitals, doctors, nursing homes, and other medical providers in the closing months of 2025 — money that will gradually get cut under Republicans’ tax law. (Herman, 1/12)
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