GOP Falsely Ties Shutdown to Democrats’ Alleged Drive To Give All Immigrants Health Care
By Maria Ramirez Uribe, PolitiFact
Immigrants living in the U.S. without legal status are generally ineligible for federally funded health care programs. Democrats’ funding proposal would restore access to Medicaid and the Affordable Care Act marketplace for legal immigrants who will lose access once certain provisions of the Republicans’ tax and spending law take effect.
Inside the High-Stakes Battle Over Vaccine Injury Compensation, Autism, and Public Trust
By Céline Gounder
The evidence is unequivocal: Vaccines do not cause autism. Yet adding autism to the list of conditions covered by a federal payout program, as health secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. seems inclined to do, could threaten its financial viability. Such a move also would suggest that the science is unsettled, that vaccines may be riskier than diseases, which is a fallacy.
Daily Edition for Friday, October 3, 2025
San Joaquin Valley Sees West Nile Virus Surge: The San Joaquin Valley has become something of a hot spot for West Nile virus infections, public health officials say. Of at least 56 reported human infections confirmed through late September, almost 80% have occurred among Valley residents. A third Valley fatality was confirmed Thursday in Kings County. Read more from The Intersection.
Health Centers Face Risks as Government Funding Lapses
By Paula Andalo
Community health centers are key to delivering care in underserved communities around the country, but their services could be disrupted or scaled back after governments did not renew their funding.
Nuclear Missile Workers Are Contracting Cancer. They Blame the Bases.
By Patricia Kime
People who maintained the nation’s land-based nuclear missile arsenal are coming down with similar cancers. The Air Force is wrapping up a large study of the health risks they may have faced.
KFF Health News' 'What the Health?': Democrats Make This Shutdown About the ACA
The foreshadowed federal shutdown came after Congress failed to pass required spending bills, with Democrats demanding Republicans renew the expiring Affordable Care Act subsidies in exchange for their votes. While a shutdown does not affect Medicare and Medicaid, it could eventually hinder activities from every corner of the Department of Health and Human Services. Meanwhile, as Democrats and Republicans point fingers, HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. pursues policies and personnel that would undermine vaccines. Lauren Weber of The Washington Post, Shefali Luthra of The 19th, and Rachel Cohrs Zhang of Bloomberg News join KFF Health News’ Julie Rovner to discuss the news. Also this week, Rovner interviews KFF Health News’ Cara Anthony, who wrote a recent “Bill of the Month” feature about an out-of-network eye surgery that left one kindergartner’s family with a big bill.
Daily Edition for Thursday, October 2, 2025
Thieves Steal Supplies From Nonprofit That Feeds Homeless: Project Coffee Cup — a nonprofit that provides hot meals, coffee, and clothing to homeless Southern Californians — is struggling to recover after its supply trailer was ransacked. Read more from the Los Angeles Times. Keep scrolling for more news on the homelessness crisis.
‘Demon Copperhead’ Author Lays Foundation for Women in Appalachia To Beat Addiction
By Taylor Sisk
Barbara Kingsolver won a Pulitzer Prize for her bestselling novel about Appalachia’s drug crisis. She invested some of the proceeds into a home for women trying to beat substance use disorders.
Workers’ Wages Siphoned To Pay Medical Bills, Despite Consumer Protections
By Rae Ellen Bichell
Health care providers and debt collectors are biting from people’s paychecks to cover old medical bills. A KFF Health News investigation in Colorado shows that this aggressive collection practice is widespread even in a state considered to have strong consumer protections.
Daily Edition for Wednesday, October 1, 2025
In California, Federal Workers Await Their Fates As Government Comes To A Halt: In California, the impacts of the shutdown and potential firings will be felt by the public that relies on federal programs such as Social Security and the more than 150,000 federal employees who live in the Golden State. “It’s a very bad thing for California,” a National Federation of Federal Employees official said. “It’s probably one of the most negatively affected states in the country.” Read more from The Sacramento Bee, STAT, and Politico.
