KFF Health News' 'What the Health?': Starting To Feel the Shutdown’s Bite
The government shutdown continues with no end in sight, and while it theoretically should not affect entitlement programs, the lapse of some related authorizations — like for Medicare telehealth programs — is leaving some doctors and patients high and dry. Meanwhile, the FDA quietly approved a new generic abortion pill. Sarah Karlin-Smith of Pink Sheet, Tami Luhby of CNN, and Alice Miranda Ollstein of Politico join KFF Health News’ Julie Rovner to discuss those stories and more. Also, Rovner interviews Sarah Grusin of the National Health Law Program.
Daily Edition for Thursday, October 9, 2025
California Is First State To Ban Ultra-Processed Food From School Menus: The new law signed by Gov. Gavin Newsom includes soda, energy drinks, foods high in sugar or salt, and foods low in nutrients. Schools will be required to begin phasing them out by 2029. Read more from the San Francisco Chronicle and the Los Angeles Times.
UC Researchers, Patients Wary of Trump Cuts Even as Some Dollars Flow Again
By Christine Mai-Duc
Biomedical researchers and patients are caught in the middle as the Trump administration continues its campaign to strip grants from universities accused of bias. Courts have restored some frozen funds to California universities, but academics studying brain tumors, lung cancer, and strokes worry their grant dollars remain a bargaining chip.
Listen: Why ‘TrumpRx’ Might Not Save You Money
By Julie Rovner
On the “Today, Explained” podcast, KFF Health News’ Julie Rovner recaps the TrumpRx announcement and why the direct-to-consumer initiative may not save you money on prescription drugs if you have insurance through your employer or the government.
Daily Edition for Wednesday, October 8, 2025
CSUSB Halts PA Program: California State University, San Bernardino is shutting down its physician assistant studies program — at least for now — after it failed to get accredited. The end of the master's program is a blow to the Inland Empire, a region that's long dealt with doctor shortages. Read more from the Desert Sun.
California’s Nursing Shortage Is Getting Worse. Front-Line Workers Blame Management.
By Angela Hart
California’s nursing shortage is projected to worsen, and hospitals say funding cuts will only add strain. But front-line nurses blame heavy workloads, not a shortage, for driving workers away.
This Geriatrics Training Program Escaped the Ax. For Now.
By Paula Span
The Trump administration has restored promised funds to a program that teaches people in health care how to work with aging Americans.
Daily Edition for Tuesday, October 7, 2025
KP Health Workers Plan Large Strike Next Week: More than 31,000 union nurses and hospital staff across several states, including California, have sent a strike notice to Kaiser Permanente indicating their intent to walk off their jobs with the Oakland-based health care system on Oct. 14. Read more from The Mercury News and Becker’s Hospital Review.
Why Democrats Are Casting the Government Shutdown as a Health Care Showdown
By Amanda Seitz
Democrats are pressuring Republicans to extend billions of dollars in federal tax credits that have dramatically lowered premiums and contributed to record-low rates of uninsured Americans. It’s a chance to talk about a winning issue — and maybe regain support from working-class voters.
Daily Edition for Monday, October 6, 2025
San Francisco Scientist Part Of Trio That Wins Nobel Prize In Medicine: Fred Ramsdell, Mary E. Brunkow, and Dr. Shimon Sakaguchi won the Nobel Prize in medicine Monday for their discoveries concerning peripheral immune tolerance. Ramsdell, 64, is a scientific adviser for Sonoma Biotherapeutics in San Francisco. Read more from AP.
