Daily Edition for Tuesday, September 2, 2025
Salmonella Outbreak Linked To California Egg Producer: A Salmonella outbreak linked to recalled eggs has sickened at least 95 people across 14 states, with the vast majority of cases — 73 — reported in California. Eighteen people have been hospitalized. Investigators traced the source to Country Eggs, a Lucerne Valley (San Bernardino County) producer that supplied large brown cage-free eggs sold as “sunshine yolks” and “omega-3 golden yolks.” Read more from the San Francisco Chronicle and CIDRAP.
Listen to the Latest ‘KFF Health News Minute’
The “KFF Health News Minute” brings original health care and health policy reporting from our newsroom to the airwaves each week.
When Hospitals and Insurers Fight, Patients Get Caught in the Middle
By Bram Sable-Smith
About 90,000 people spent months in limbo as central Missouri’s major, and often only, provider fought over insurance contracts. Patients getting caught in the crossfire of disputes has become a familiar complication, as about 8% of hospitals have left an insurer network since 2021. Trump administration policies could accelerate the trend.
Listen: As Kids Head Back to School, Parents Sort Out Confusion Over Vaccine Access
By Jackie Fortiér
Confusion over federal immunization policy could have major implications for how families with private insurance and Medicaid pay for routine vaccinations. Some doctors are encouraging parents not to wait and get their children shots as soon as they are eligible.
Social Security Praises Its New Chatbot. Ex-Officials Say It Was Tested but Shelved Under Biden.
By Darius Tahir
Social Security, under the leadership of a tech enthusiast, rolled out an artificial intelligence-powered chatbot to answer calls. But as beneficiaries complain about glitches, lawmakers and former officials ask whether it’s a preview of a less human agency at which rushed-out AI takes the place of pushed-out government workers.
Watch: How Concerns of CDC Scientists Over Political Interference Have Grown This Year
By Amy Maxmen
KFF Health News correspondent Amy Maxmen traces the political turmoil at the CDC under President Donald Trump.
Senior CDC Officials Resign After Monarez’s Ouster, Citing Concerns Over Scientific Independence
By Céline Gounder
Four senior officials with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention announced their resignations in recent days, citing what they described as growing political interference in the agency’s scientific work, particularly regarding vaccines.
Daily Edition for Tuesday, August 26, 2025
Glenn Medical Center Closing Up Shop: Willows-based Glenn Medical Center plans to close its emergency department, with the hospital closing shortly after, following CMS’ plan to revoke its critical access hospital designation, effective Oct. 21. GMC still has a path forward to preserve its primary care and specialty clinics. Read more from Becker’s Hospital Review.
Blue States That Sued Kept Most CDC Grants, While Red States Feel Brunt of Trump Clawbacks
By Henry Larweh and Rachana Pradhan and Rae Ellen Bichell
The Trump administration’s cuts of public health funds to state and local health departments had vastly uneven effects depending on the political leanings of where someone lives, a new KFF Health News analysis shows.
An Insurer Agreed To Cover Her Surgery. A Politician’s Nudge Got the Bills Paid.
By Cara Anthony
A kindergartner in Missouri needed eye surgery. Her insurer granted approval for her to see a specialist nearby, yet her parents were confused when they still owed more than $13,000. Then her uncle, a former state senator, reached out to a colleague who contacted the hospital and the insurer.
