Morning Briefing
In This Edition:
- KFF HEALTH NEWS ORIGINAL STORIES
- 1. States Eye Aid To Prop Up Distressed Hospitals Amid Federal Medicaid Cuts
- 2. The Supreme Court Case That Could Slow Generic Drugs
- EDITORIALS AND OPINIONS
- 9. Viewpoints: Mifepristone Ruling Makes Drug Development Tricky; Hantavirus Outbreak Shows Risk Of WHO Absence
From KFF Health News:
KFF HEALTH NEWS ORIGINAL STORIES1. States Eye Aid To Prop Up Distressed Hospitals Amid Federal Medicaid Cuts Hundreds of hospitals nationwide are bracing for Medicaid cuts as a result of the One Big Beautiful Bill Act. Some state lawmakers are eyeing loans and other forms of financial aid to distressed hospitals in rural and urban areas, as healthcare providers warn of cuts to critical services and scramble for funding. (Bernard J. Wolfson, 5/5)
2. The Supreme Court Case That Could Slow Generic Drugs In “Hikma v. Amarin,” the Supreme Court’s decision could affect how quickly generic versions of brand-name medicines come to market. (Dan Weissmann, 5/5)
Here’s today’s health policy haiku:
‘EAT MORE FIBER’ IS ALL THEY SAY
Younger patients get
diverticulitis, too!
Why so few answers?
– 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:
REPRODUCTIVE HEALTH3. Mail-Order Mifepristone Access Restored For A Week, Sowing Confusion
The Supreme Court has temporarily lifted a lower court’s order to halt the prescribing of abortion pills via telehealth and dispensing them by mail. Even in states where abortion is legal, the off-and-on court rulings have left providers scrambling to get patients the care they seek.
NPR: Abortion Pill Mifepristone Gets A 1-Week Reprieve From Supreme Court Supreme Court Justice Samuel Alito on Monday put a one-week hold on major changes to how the abortion pill mifepristone can be prescribed. The ruling temporarily restores nationwide access to a drug used for most medication abortions in the U.S. On Friday, an appeals court had said the Food and Drug Administration needed to revert to rules that the pills, part of a two-drug regimen for medication abortion, must be prescribed only in-person. The change was effective immediately for the whole country. (Godoy and Simmons-Duffin, 5/4)
Axios: Abortion Pill Rulings Cause Confusion Nationwide access to abortion pills is again in legal limbo, almost two years after the Supreme Court threw out a case challenging mail-order prescribing of the widely used drug mifepristone. A circuit court ruling on Friday that dramatically dialed back access to the drug has caused confusion for pharmacies, telehealth companies and other clinicians, even in states where abortion is legal. (Goldman and Sullivan, 5/5)
In other reproductive health news —
Stat: Studying Maternal Mortality Expands To Paternal Mortality, Too Maternal health is a known crisis in the U.S., where pregnant women and new mothers die at a rate several times higher than in comparable countries. In recent years, increased awareness of the problem has led to interventions at the federal and state level and a strengthening of surveillance and data collection. Even as sizable improvements continue to be elusive, the picture of how many new mothers are dying, and why, is becoming clearer. A research letter published on Monday in JAMA Pediatrics argues fathers deserve similar attention. (Merelli, 5/4)
MedPage Today: Study Examines If Prenatal Exposure To Sedatives Is Linked To Psych Disorders Prenatal exposure to sedative drugs used for anxiety and insomnia was not associated with an increased risk of psychiatric or neurodevelopmental conditions in children when accounting for familial factors, a large population-based cohort study from South Korea indicated. (Monaco, 5/1)
CIDRAP: Nirsevimab Monoclonal Antibody For RSV Well Tolerated In Infants, Study Suggests A large Canadian study suggests that nirsevimab, a long-acting monoclonal antibody used to prevent respiratory syncytial virus (RSV), is well tolerated in infants, with mostly mild, temporary symptoms following immunization. The study, led by researchers at the University of British Columbia and published in the most recent issue of Human Vaccines & Immunotherapeutics, used parent-completed questionnaires to assess safety data from 1,559 infants during the 2024–25 RSV season. The questionnaires were completed in the week following immunization. (Bergeson, 5/4)
CIDRAP: Antibiotic Resistance Is Rising In Invasive E Coli Found In US Newborns, Study Finds An analysis of invasive Escherichia coli samples from newborns at a US pediatric hospital found rising rates of resistance to recommended antibiotics, researchers reported today in Open Forum Infectious Diseases. (Dall, 5/4)
HEALTHCARE COSTS4. UnitedHealth Group Says It Will Slash Pre-Authorizations By 30%
The Wall Street Journal reported that the insurance giant will stop requiring pre-authorizations for certain things, including echocardiograms, some outpatient surgeries, some outpatient therapy, and some chiropractic care. It will use AI-assisted tech to reduce the need for preapprovals, the insurer said.
The Wall Street Journal: UnitedHealth To Make It Easier For Patients To Get A Range Of Procedures UnitedHealth Group plans to stop requiring doctors to get approvals for an array of procedures, tests and services, cutting back on a process that has long been detested by physicians and patients. UnitedHealth, parent of the biggest U.S. health insurer, said the changes will slash the number of reviews by nearly a third starting later this year. Doctors have long complained about the paperwork they must complete to get insurers’ permission for care, which can lead to delays and denials. (Wilde Mathews, 5/5)
More news about the high cost of health care —
Becker’s Hospital Review: Hospitals Face Growing Fallout From ACA Coverage Cliff The warning signs were visible for months. Enhanced ACA premium tax credits expired at the end of 2025, and insurers are pulling back from the ACA marketplace while enrollment composition shifts toward high-deductible bronze plans. Now, the knock-on effects of these moves are beginning to emerge as leaders from the largest for-profit health systems elaborated on first-quarter results. (Condon, 5/4)
Healthcare Dive: Healthcare Bankruptcies Rise In Q1: Report The sector recorded 12 bankruptcy filings in the first quarter, up 33% from the fourth quarter of 2025, according to the analysis by Gibbins Advisors. (Olsen, 5/4)
Modern Healthcare: Humana Gains Medicare Advantage Members As Rivals Exit Markets A flurry of strategic decisions by Medicare Advantage insurers to exit underperforming geographic markets, mostly in rural areas, left Humana as the last company standing in dozens of counties this year. When the 2026 annual enrollment period closed, Humana had gained more than 1 million new Medicare Advantage members. That was more than it bargained for and the most in the industry. (Tepper and Broderick, 5/4)
CNBC: Health Cost Surge Makes Parental Paid Leave Benefits A Target For Cuts As healthcare costs soar, it’s not only individual Americans feeling the financial pain and looking to make trade-offs. Employers are scouring for ways to cut back and generous paid parental leave is among the employee benefits on the chopping block. (Munk, 5/3)
Stat: AMA Billing Codes Are New Target In D.C.’s. War On Health Care Fraud For decades, politicians have blamed the country’s biggest doctor lobby for some of the health care systems problems. Now it faces a new line of attack as Republicans portray their health care cuts as fraud-fighting policies. (Wilkerson, 5/5)
Modern Healthcare: GOP Reconciliation Bill May Target More Healthcare Cuts Congress struck a deal last week on the homeland security budget that doesn’t contain any more healthcare cuts, but the sector’s respite could prove brief. Those in the Republican majority who want to dig deeper into federal healthcare spending after enacting more than $1 trillion in cuts last year see more opportunities to press their case this year. (McAuliff, 5/4)
On Medicaid —
Healthcare Dive: How States Are Planning To Implement Medicaid Work Requirements: Survey Most states are planning to adopt less restrictive policies to verify compliance with work requirements mandated by the “Big Beautiful Bill,” but some are implementing the policies early or checking eligibility more frequently. (Olsen, 5/4)
MedPage Today: Will The Coming Cuts To Medicaid Spare The ‘Truly Needy’? Based on prior history, cuts to federal healthcare programs as part of the One Big Beautiful Bill Act (OBBBA) and the expiration of Affordable Care Act (ACA) enhanced premium subsidies will result in big drops in public coverage that will worsen existing problems in the health insurance marketplace, authors of a study found. (Frieden, 5/4)
KFF Health News: States Eye Aid To Prop Up Distressed Hospitals Amid Federal Medicaid Cuts At Martin Luther King, Jr. Community Hospital, patients on gurneys line the hallways of the emergency department waiting for care, and overflow mental health patients are consigned to outdoor tents. The 152-bed hospital, which sits on a sprawling medical campus close to the predominantly Latino and Black neighborhood of Watts, is struggling for financial stability. Its patients are poorer and sicker than average, many of them are uninsured, and three-quarters of MLK’s patient care revenue comes from Medi-Cal, the state’s version of the Medicaid program, which pays low rates. For hospitals statewide, by comparison, less than one-third of patient revenue comes from Medi-Cal. (Wolfson, 5/5)
In other healthcare industry updates —
Modern Healthcare: UPMC To Acquire CommonSpirit’s Trinity Health CommonSpirit Health and University of Pittsburgh Medical Center have signed a definitive agreement to transfer Steubenville, Ohio-based Trinity Health System to UPMC. The proposed deal includes Trinity Medical Center West, Trinity Medical Center East, Trinity St. Clairsville Neighborhood Hospital, Trinity Twin City Medical Center and associated clinics, according to a Monday news release. Financial terms of the transaction were not disclosed. The deal is expected to close in the fall, pending regulatory review and customary closing conditions. (Eastabrook, 5/4)
Modern Healthcare: Masimo Shareholders Approve Its Acquisition By Danaher For $9.9B Masimo Corp. shareholders have approved its proposed $9.9 billion acquisition by life sciences company Danaher Corp. Stockholders voted on the decision at a May 1 special meeting, the patient monitoring company said Monday. The deal is subject to regulatory approvals and other closing conditions. Masimo said it expects the acquisition to close this year. (Dubinsky, 5/4)
Bloomberg: ASG Hospital Said To Plan Filing For $500 Million IPO This Month ASG Hospital Pvt., an Indian eye-care chain backed by General Atlantic, is planning to file for an initial public offering as early as this month that could raise up to $500 million, according to people familiar with the matter. The company is considering selling roughly 15% of fresh equity in the offering, which is expected to also include stock sold by existing investors, the people said, asking not to be identified because the information is private. (Mascarenhas and Sanjay, 5/5)
ADMINISTRATION NEWS5. Feds Investigate Mass. Women’s College For Allowing ‘Biological Men’
In its fight against trans people, the Trump administration on Monday launched a Title IX probe of Smith College, a 155-year-old liberal arts college in Northampton, Massachusetts. The Department of Education blasted the school for “granting [transgender people] access to women-only spaces.” Smith College told CNN it “is fully committed to its institutional values, including compliance with civil rights laws.”
CNN: Department Of Education Opens Investigation Into Smith College For Admitting Trans Women In the Trump administration’s latest move to limit trans rights, the Department of Education has launched a Title IX investigation into Smith College, an all-women’s college in western Massachusetts, for admitting trans women. (Sottlle, 5/4)
More health news about the Trump administration —
The New York Times: Kennedy Starts A Push To Help Americans Quit Antidepressants Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. on Monday announced several initiatives intended to rein in the prescription of selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors, the most widely prescribed class of antidepressants, which he has described as exceptionally difficult to quit. Mr. Kennedy has long signaled that reducing the use of psychiatric drugs would be an aim of his tenure, but Monday’s announcements were the first significant step in that direction. (Barry, 5/4)
The New York Times: Soil At D.C. Golf Course Where East Wing Debris Was Dumped Contains Toxic Metals Soil at a public golf course in Washington where the Trump administration dumped debris from the demolition of the White House East Wing has tested positive for lead, chromium and other toxic metals, according to data released by the National Park Service. The data, which the Park Service published on its website last week, showed relatively low levels of these contaminants in the soil at East Potomac Golf Links. (Joselow, 5/4)
The Texas Tribune: An Unreported ICE Killing Of An American Shattered 2 Texas Families The last words Joshua Orta heard his childhood best friend utter were “I’m sorry.” Then Ruben Ray Martinez, a slender 23-year-old, slumped back in the driver’s seat. An officer had fired repeatedly through the open window, at least one bullet piercing Ruben’s heart. (Kriel, 5/4)
Bloomberg: US Health-Aid Deal With Zambia Stalls On Privacy, Mineral Access Demands Zambia’s talks with the US over a new $2 billion health-aid deal stalled because the proposed agreement included data sharing that would violate citizens’ privacy rights and was conditional on first agreeing to preferential access to mineral resources, the nation’s foreign minister said. The inclusion of the terms related to data sharing were unacceptable and “unconscionable,” Mulambo Haimbe said in a statement Monday. He also said it was concerning that the health pact depended on the governments signing a critical minerals agreement favoring US companies. (Hill and Mitimingi, 5/4)
ProPublica: Prosecutors Had A Drugs-For-Votes Scheme ‘Locked Up.’ Under Trump, They Were Told Not To Pursue Charges. Before the 2024 election, federal prosecutors were “full steam ahead” looking into how a prison gang in Puerto Rico gave drugs to inmates if they voted for a GOP gubernatorial candidate. After Trump’s election, the investigation evaporated. (Rutledge, 5/5)
On the gun violence epidemic —
The Washington Post: Gunfire Between Secret Service And Armed Person Briefly Locks Down White House The White House was briefly locked down Monday afternoon after a U.S. Secret Service officer exchanged gunfire with an armed individual nearby, the agency said. The person, whose identity was unknown, was shot about 3:30 p.m. at 15th Street SW and Independence Avenue SW near the Washington Monument shortly after Vice President JD Vance passed by in a motorcade, according to the Secret Service. Uniformed officers approached the individual, who tried to flee on foot before firing at the agents, Secret Service Deputy Director Matthew C. Quinn said at a news conference. They fired back, and the person was struck and taken to a hospital. Gunfire from the person struck a nearby juvenile, who did not sustain life-threatening injuries, Quinn said. He said it wasn’t clear whom the person may have been targeting. (Solano, Thompson and Wang, 5/4)
PHARMA AND TECH6. FDA Allows Early Access To Experimental Pancreatic Cancer Drug
In clinical trials, daraxonrasib has been shown to double the average survival time for patients who had received conventional treatments, HealthDay reports. Other pharmaceutical news is about IBD therapy, GLP-1s, “skinny labels,” and more.
HealthDay: Experimental Pancreatic Cancer Drug Daraxonrasib Gets FDA Green Light The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) granted expanded access for the use of an experimental pancreatic cancer drug, daraxonrasib. This means the drug will be available for early access to those who previously received conventional treatment for metastatic pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC). A healthcare provider must request access to the medication for their patient, according to an FDA statement. (Huynh, 5/4)
More pharma and tech news —
Stat: Johnson & Johnson Advances IBD Therapy, Despite Trial Miss A closely watched therapy developed by Johnson & Johnson failed to show a statistically meaningful improvement for patients with inflammatory bowel disease. But the company plans to advance the drug into late-stage testing, focusing on a growing subgroup of patients. (DeAngelis, 5/5)
Bloomberg: A $12 Billion US Deal Pushes India’s Sun Pharma Into Big Leagues For Indian billionaire Dilip Shanghvi, who made his fortune selling cheap generic drugs to the world, it was clear at least more than a decade ago that a shift toward specialty treatments would be key to success in the crowded local market. Last week, his firm Sun Pharmaceutical Industries Ltd. announced a $12 billion deal that could be the biggest test yet in the company’s long-brewing bid to transform into an international giant. The company agreed to acquire New Jersey-based Organon & Co. in an all-cash deal that marks one of India’s largest global takeovers and challenges Shanghvi to merge a large, complex business. (Sanjay and Kalesh, 5/5)
Becker’s Hospital Review: AI Is Finding Cancer Earlier. Are Systems Ready For What Comes Next? Mayo Clinic research published April 28 showed an AI model could detect pancreatic cancer up to three years before clinical diagnosis. Projected to be the second-leading cause of cancer-related death in the U.S. by 2030, early diagnosis has a significant effect on survival outcomes for pancreatic cancer patients. The study from Rochester, Minn.-based Mayo Clinic adds to the larger evidence of AI’s value for cancer detection, but are health systems willing and able to scale these tools? (Gregerson, 5/4)
CNBC: Weight Loss And Hair Loss: The Growing Market From GLP-1s A common side effect of many GLP-1 drugs is hair loss. It’s creating a formerly untapped but growing market for hair treatment products. (Neelakandan, 5/2)
The Baltimore Sun: ‘I Intend To Stay On It Forever.’ Along With Rapid Weight Loss, Patients See Other Benefits And Risks Of GLP-1 Drugs Two years ago, Jennifer Kirtley looked down at the scale and saw 328 pounds. Today, she’s looking in the mirror at a size 6. After a transformative 180-pound weight loss from weekly Wegovy shots, Kirtley says she is happy with her overall weight and health. (Goodman, 5/4)
KFF Health News: KFF Health News’ ‘An Arm and a Leg’: The Supreme Court Case That Could Slow Generic Drugs The Supreme Court has heard a big case about “skinny labels” on generic drugs. It could shape the future of affordable prescriptions in America. The same medication can be used to treat many conditions. And each use can have its own patent, even though the drug itself never changes. When patents expire, companies can make their own generic versions — but only so long as they make it clear that it can’t be used for anything else that still has a patent. This is what’s called a “skinny label.” (Weissmann, 5/5)
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