- KFF HEALTH NEWS ORIGINAL STORIES
- 1. US Scientists Sequence 1,000 Genomes From Measles, a Disease Long Eliminated With Vaccines
- 2. State-Run Insurance Plans for Foster Kids Leave Some of Them Without Doctors
- 3. Political Cartoon: ‘Trauma Dumping?’
- EDITORIALS AND OPINIONS
- 11. Viewpoints: When Doctors Aren’t Available, Misinformation Prevails; Health Care Price Transparency Needed
From KFF Health News:
KFF HEALTH NEWS ORIGINAL STORIES
1. US Scientists Sequence 1,000 Genomes From Measles, a Disease Long Eliminated With Vaccines
This week, the CDC began to publish long-awaited data that will reveal the extent of measles’ comeback. While applauding the science, researchers say the Trump administration has done little to contain the virus. “That we’re even talking about this is nuts,” one virologist said. (Amy Maxmen, 4/2)
2. State-Run Insurance Plans for Foster Kids Leave Some of Them Without Doctors
North Carolina rolled out a $3.1 billion insurance plan for kids in foster care, but many doctors did not accept patients on the plan. The state is one of several experimenting with a model that has left kids’ guardians scrambling to find health care providers. (Andrew Jones, 4/2)
3. Political Cartoon: ‘Trauma Dumping?’
KFF Health News provides a fresh take on health policy developments with “Political Cartoon: ‘Trauma Dumping?'” by Will Santino.
Here’s today’s health policy haiku:
ABSENT A HUMAN TOUCH
My AI doctor
artificially informed.
Did you think at all?
– Kyle Giordano
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. Trump Ready To Levy 100% Tariffs On Some Imported Name-Brand Drugs
The tariffs would apply to pharmaceutical companies that haven’t struck most-favored-nation deals or that aren’t negotiating with the administration to bring down drug prices in the U.S. Plus, the latest on the partial government shutdown and the birthright citizenship case before the Supreme Court.
Stat: Trump Administration Prepares 100% Tariffs On Some Imported Drugs
The Trump administration has prepared an order that would impose a 100% tariff on imports of patented medications and their active ingredients, according to a draft obtained by STAT. (Payne, 4/1)
Updates from the FDA —
MedPage Today: Speeding Up Approvals, Getting More Drugs OTC Among FDA’s Top Priorities
The FDA is continuing its quest to speed up drug approvals and make more drugs available over the counter (OTC), FDA Commissioner Marty Makary, MD, MPH, said Wednesday. “We want to challenge the assumption that it takes 10 to 12 years for a drug to come to market,” Makary said during a press conference with reporters. “We believe it can be done faster without cutting any corners on safety. We’d like to modernize the agency with technology, while maintaining our gold-standard thresholds for approving drugs, devices, food, cosmetics, and tobacco.” (Frieden, 4/1)
Stat: FDA Commissioner Makary Praises Staff In Speech
Food and Drug Administration Commissioner Marty Makary recounted his agency’s achievements and acknowledged a “challenging start” to his tenure in a speech to staff on Wednesday afternoon. (Lawrence, 4/1)
Stat: GAO Says FDA Needs To Improve Conflict-Of-Interest Guidance
The Food and Drug Administration has often failed to share information on how it determines whether its advisory committee members have financial conflicts of interest and whether those individuals should participate in committee meetings, according to a review by the Government Accountability Office. (Silverman, 4/1)
On the immigration crisis —
The Washington Post: Trump Endorses Republican Plan To End DHS Shutdown
President Donald Trump endorsed a plan Wednesday to end the nearly seven-week-old shutdown of the Department of Homeland Security by going around Democrats to fund parts of the agency. Trump urged Republicans to send him a party-line bill by June 1 to fund two agencies within the department — Immigration and Customs Enforcement and Border Patrol — using the reconciliation process. (Beggin and Meyer, 4/1)
The Washington Post: Supreme Court Appears Skeptical Of Trump’s Effort To End Birthright Citizenship
The Supreme Court appeared poised Wednesday to uphold the legal principle that almost everyone born on U.S. soil is a citizen, as justices heard arguments in a major case that raises fundamental questions about who is considered American. The justices seemed ready to hand President Donald Trump a significant defeat in his push to end birthright citizenship, as the president sat watching the first part of the proceedings in the the public gallery — a historic first. Trump is the only sitting chief executive known to have attended arguments before the high court. (Jouvenal, 4/1)
The New York Times: Medical Examiner Rules That A Rohingya Refugee’s Death Was A Homicide
The medical examiner in Buffalo has ruled that the death of a nearly blind man left alone by Border Patrol agents on a frigid night was a homicide, a finding that could lead to criminal charges. Nurul Amin Shah Alam, a Rohingya refugee from Myanmar, died in February after the agents dropped him off outside a closed Tim Hortons doughnut shop. His death triggered outrage in Buffalo and around the nation. (Ley, 4/1)
The 19th: Fear Of ICE Deepens Postpartum Isolation For Immigrant Mothers
Laura stopped leaving her home weeks before she gave birth. She lived outside of Minneapolis, where many people had been taken by immigration officials. She thought of mothers separated from babies, of children taken to detention facilities. By the time she went into labor, her stress was so intense that her body had stopped producing sufficient oxytocin, her doctors told her. (Luthra, 3/31)
5. Bill Would Limit Insulin Costs At $35 For Patients With Private Insurance
About 57% of people with private health insurance plans don’t get any relief from state measures to cap costs. The bipartisan bill also calls for a program to provide more affordable insulin to uninsured Americans in 10 states, AP reported. Previous attempts to cap insulin costs have failed in Congress.
AP: New Bill To Lower Insulin Costs Gives Hope To Diabetes Advocates
Two-year-old Bain Brandon has Type 1 diabetes and needs insulin to live. But even with health insurance, the price tag isn’t cheap. A one-month supply of insulin vials and a three-month supply of backup pens for the Mississippi toddler cost his parents $194 last week, according to his mom, 29-year-old Marlee Brandon. They can afford it right now — but she worries about the future. “One day, Bain will be an adult, and he won’t be able to be on our insurance anymore,” she said. “I feel like a lot of people don’t realize how much and how expensive it is.” (Swenson, 4/2)
Fierce Healthcare: Hospitals Want Congress To Refine Long-Term Care Hospital Pay
Hospital associations have laid out their policy wish list for Congress regarding long-term care hospitals (LTCH), calling for refinements to various requirements around patient criteria and stay length that affect payments. The changes outlined by the lobbying groups, including the American Hospital Association, would relieve the “severe stress” the subsector is facing and head off facility closures that have mounted in recent years, they said. Failing to stem the loss of LTCH beds “will exacerbate growing hospital and post-acute capacity concerns in markets throughout the country,” they said. (Muoio, 4/1)
CBS News: Booker Urges Supreme Court To Allow Roundup Cancer Lawsuits To Proceed
Democratic Sen. Cory Booker filed a legal brief with the U.S. Supreme Court on Wednesday backing cancer patients in a high-stakes case that could determine whether thousands of lawsuits over the weedkiller Roundup can proceed — and drawing a direct contrast with the Trump administration’s position. The filing, known as an amicus brief, supports a plaintiff who alleges Monsanto failed to warn consumers about cancer risks tied to Roundup, one of the most widely used herbicides in the world. (Maguire, 4/1)
ABC News: Bipartisan Concern Grows As 9/11 Health Program Delays Stretch Past A Year
A year after staffing cuts, leadership disruptions and communication restrictions slowed the World Trade Center Health Program, decisions on whether to add new conditions remain unresolved, with no clear timeline, advocates told ABC News. The program serves roughly 140,000 responders and survivors with cancers, respiratory illness, and other conditions linked to 9/11 exposure. It is currently staffed well below capacity with about 83 employees, down from 93 a year ago and far short of the 120 positions authorized by the federal Office of Management and Budget, according to Ben Chevat, executive director of 9/11 Health Watch. (Neporent, 3/31)
6. CDC Puts Rabies And Pox Virus Testing On Hold As Staff Dwindles
As part of an agency-wide review, the CDC has been reevaluating what pathogen tests it offers to help states that are not equipped to conduct them. Experts are worried about the shortage of clinical expertise and testing offered. By July, the rabies team will have only one person equipped to advise state and local officials, and the pox virus team will have none.
The New York Times: C.D.C. Pauses Testing For Rabies And Pox Viruses
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has temporarily paused testing for rabies and pox viruses, the family of viruses that includes smallpox and mpox, according to an update to the agency’s website on Monday. The C.D.C. offers testing for dozens of pathogens to assist state and local public health laboratories that are not equipped to conduct them. The organization began evaluating its tests in late 2024 as part of an agencywide review. (Mandavilli, 4/1)
Other news about vaccines and outbreaks —
WUSF: Florida’s Plan To End Vaccine Mandates Hits A Road Bump
Florida aimed to become the first state in the nation to end all vaccine mandates. But lawmakers failed to agree on a path forward. (Sheridan, 4/2)
CIDRAP: COVID Vaccines, Boosters May Help Mitigate Long-COVID Risk In Cancer Patients
COVID-19 vaccination and boosting appeared to play an important role in protecting cancer patients against long COVID during the Omicron wave, researchers reported yesterday in JAMA Network Open. (Dall, 4/1)
CIDRAP: RSV Vaccination Coverage Remains Low Among Older US Adults
Respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) vaccination coverage among older US adults remained low through the end of the 2024–25 respiratory virus season, according to a new study published in Vaccine. In 2024, the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices recommended RSV vaccination for adults aged 60 to 74 years who are at increased risk of severe RSV and for all adults aged ≥75 years. (Bergeson, 4/1)
CNN: RFK Jr. Pledged To Fight Lyme Disease. Does That Include Supporting A Vaccine?
As secretary of the US Department of Health and Human Services, [Robert F. Kennedy Jr.] has promised to take on Lyme disease, which is an even bigger problem now than it was 40 years ago. At a roundtable discussion he convened in December with patients, clinicians and researchers, he pledged greater support for improving diagnostics and treatment. (Tirrell, 3/31)
CIDRAP: End In Sight For South Carolina’s Measles Outbreak; Chicago On Alert After Potential Airport Exposure
The largest measles outbreak in the United States seems to be winding down. The South Carolina Department of Public Health says the state has now gone two full weeks without a new infection. Also, no one in the state is in quarantine or isolation for measles at this time, according to Brannon Traxler, MD, MPH, South Carolina’s chief medical officer. There have been 997 reported cases of measles in South Carolina since the outbreak began in the Upstate region in October of last year. (Boden, 4/1)
KFF Health News: US Scientists Sequence 1,000 Genomes From Measles, A Disease Long Eliminated With Vaccines
This week, the Centers for Diseases Control and Prevention posted online its first large tranche of advanced genetic data from measles viruses spreading last year. Scientists with knowledge of the operation expect the agency to post heaps more in weeks to come, revealing whether the U.S. has lost its hard-won measles elimination status. The CDC withheld the data for months as a team hit hard by mass layoffs and resignations sorted through the information. (Maxmen, 4/2)
CIDRAP: Berlin Sees Rapid Rise In Locally Acquired Mpox Clade 1b Cases
A rapidly expanding cluster of mpox caused by clade 1b virus has been identified among men who have sex with men (MSM) in Berlin, Germany, according to a rapid communication published last week in Eurosurveillance. Of the 35 identified cases from December 2025 to last month, 34 were most likely acquired locally. The sharp increase in locally acquired infections marks a shift from historic patterns in which most mpox cases in Europe were largely travel-related. (Bergeson, 4/1)
7. FDA Sanctions Eli Lilly’s Easier-To-Use GLP-1 Weight Loss Pill Foundayo
Unlike Novo Nordisk’s Wegovy pill, Lilly’s orforglipron pill can be ingested at a user’s leisure and is not required to be taken on an empty stomach. The company “designed this to fit into people’s lives as easily as possible,” a Lilly official said. Plus, a group of teens has developed a wearable device to help people with dementia track everyday tasks.
CNN: Another GLP-1 Weight Loss Pill Gets FDA Approval, And It Has Fewer Restrictions On How It’s Used
The US Food and Drug Administration on Wednesday approved the second GLP-1 pill for weight loss, adding another option to a rapidly growing arsenal of obesity therapies. (Tirrell, 4/1)
Fox News: Ozempic And Mounjaro Use Blamed For Leaving Potato Farmers With Unusual Surplus
The rapid rise of weight-loss injections is reshaping the quantity of food people eat — leaving farmers in some areas with a growing surplus of unsold potatoes. (McGreal, 4/1)
MedPage Today: Large GLP-1 Drug Review Takes Closer Look At Risks, Rewards
GLP-1 medications showed a range of potential benefits and safety concerns in an umbrella review of non-cardiometabolic outcomes, though the data quality for many remained limited. (Monaco, 3/31)
In other tech news —
Becker’s Hospital Review: Meta Gets Into Health Wearables With AI Glasses
Meta is entering the health wearables market with AI glasses designed to keep tabs on what you eat. The Meta AI glasses are now available for people with prescription lenses and come with hands-free food tracking as part of a software update. Via a voice prompt or photo, wearers can log what they eat, with the glasses extracting nutrition details and logging them into the Meta AI app. (Bruce, 4/1)
The Baltimore Sun: Howard Teens Develop Device To Help Those With Dementia
Millions of people with dementia work hard to complete everyday tasks, from taking medication to locking the door. For families, keeping track of these small but essential routines can be exhausting, and missing a step can have serious consequences. Seeing a need through community and family, four juniors from Mount Hebron High School — Saanvi Kakarlapudi, 16; Ahana Roy, 16; Amitha Sabbani, 16; and Tanvi Anand, 17 — developed MindLink, a wearable device designed to act as an automatic to-do list. (Yelenik, 4/1)
AP: Virtual Replicas Of Patients’ Hearts Help Doctors Tackle Irregular Heartbeat
Scientists created virtual replicas of patients’ diseased hearts so precise that blocking a dangerous irregular heartbeat in these digital “twins” showed doctors how to better treat the real thing. One of the first clinical trials of these custom models suggests it might improve care for ventricular tachycardia, a notoriously difficult-to-treat arrhythmia that is a major cause of sudden cardiac arrest, blamed for about 300,000 U.S. deaths a year. (Neergaard, 4/1)
8. Health Care Led Job Creation Last Year; Hiring Continued To Rise In March
Meanwhile, Modern Healthcare reports on how people are spending less on health care relative to GDP. This is in part due to technological advances that are creating fewer complications and more procedures moving to outpatient settings, which lowers overhead costs.
Bloomberg: US Companies Add 62,000 Jobs, Led By Health Care, ADP Says
US companies added more jobs than expected last month, suggesting the labor market may be stabilizing. Private-sector payrolls increased by 62,000 in March after a similar advance in the prior month, according to ADP Research data out Wednesday. The median estimate in a Bloomberg survey of economists called for a 40,000 advance. (Niquette, 4/1)
Modern Healthcare: Why US Healthcare Spending Growth Is Slowing: Brookings Institute
The combination of technology and alternative care options is slowing the growth rate of healthcare spending. In January, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services said healthcare expenditures rose 7.2%, to $5.3 trillion, in 2024. Healthcare spending accounted for 18% of gross domestic product in 2024, less than the 21.2% the agency projected. Advances in care delivery, reduced pricing on some treatments and payer restrictions on care utilization drove down spending, according to a recent study by public policy organization Brookings Institute. (Hudson, 4/1)
Modern Healthcare: A Look At Oracle Health Amid Mass Layoffs
Oracle began laying off thousands of employees Tuesday, including at Oracle Health, the unit it formed following its acquisition of electronic health records company Cerner Corp. The company is eliminating about 30,000 roles, which represents 18% of the company’s workforce, CNBC reported. Many of the affected employees took to social media and LinkedIn to announce they’d been laid off and were ope