Many Minnesotans Are Losing Their Sober Housing Due To New State Law
October 2, 2025
Morning Briefing
An anti-kickback law went into effect in August, part of Minnesota’s attempt to address concerns over fraud in social service programs, but critics warn of a disastrous effect on addiction treatment in the state. Other health news from across the nation comes from Virginia, Georgia, Idaho, Iowa, and Illinois.
Maine Family Planning Clinics End Primary Care Amid Medicaid Cuts
October 2, 2025
Morning Briefing
The clinics, with 18 locations and a mobile unit, provide birth control, sexually transmitted disease testing, cancer screenings, and routine OB-GYN visits, as well as primary care to nearly 1,000 patients. Also, a Texas judge transfers the abortion pill battle to Missouri; and more.
Summa Health Is First Health System Wholly Owned By Venture Capital Firm
October 2, 2025
Morning Briefing
General Catalyst’s Health Assurance Transformation Co. finalized the acquisition Wednesday and hopes to boost Summa’s efficiency by using AI to improve diagnoses and document patient visits. Also in the news: Johns Hopkins, CommonSpirit, Florida Blue, BayCare, and more.
White House Hedges Research Funds On Colleges’ Support For Trump Goals
October 2, 2025
Morning Briefing
Nine initial universities would enjoy “multiple positive benefits” if they agree to commit to strict definitions of gender, among other conditions. Plus, pharma tariffs have been delayed.
Genetic Analysis Finds Different Forms Of Autism, Study Shows
October 2, 2025
Morning Briefing
The study found that rather than being one single genetic condition, autism is instead a cluster of conditions with similar features. In other autism news: folate supplements vs. leucovorin; the dementia drug memantine may help a small subset of ASD youth with social functioning; and more.
HHS Declares Coalition For Health AI Won’t Squeeze Out The Startups
October 2, 2025
Morning Briefing
Health and tech giants involved in the group evaluate artificial intelligence tools and then advise physicians and hospitals on how they work. The administration claims CHAI could become a “cartel,” but CEO Brian Anderson says the coalition’s 3,000 members include startups and smaller providers.
Morning Briefing for Thursday, October 2, 2025
October 2, 2025
Morning Briefing
It’s that spooktacular time of year again: Send us your best scary health care haikus for our seventh annual Halloween contest! The deadline is 11:59 p.m. ET on Oct. 19. The top winners will receive custom cartoons that appear in the Morning Briefing on Oct. 31. Click here for the rules and to enter! Ìý👻
Health Agencies Stymied As Congress Remains Deadlocked On Funding Deal
October 2, 2025
Morning Briefing
The Department of Health and Human Services — particularly the National Institutes of Health — is seeing significant staff reductions as lawmakers continue the shutdown showdown largely over whether ACA subsidies should be extended. Plus, hospitals already filled to the brim are receiving an influx of patients now that CMS reimbursements for hospital at home care have been halted.
First Edition: Thursday, Oct. 2, 2025
October 2, 2025
Morning Briefing
Today’s early morning highlights from the major news organizations.
Workers’ Wages Siphoned To Pay Medical Bills, Despite Consumer Protections
By Rae Ellen Bichell
October 2, 2025
Ñî¹óåú´«Ã½Ò•îl Health News Original
Health care providers and debt collectors are biting from people’s paychecks to cover old medical bills. A Ñî¹óåú´«Ã½Ò•îl Health News investigation in Colorado shows that this aggressive collection practice is widespread even in a state considered to have strong consumer protections.
‘Demon Copperhead’ Author Lays Foundation for Women in Appalachia To Beat Addiction
By Taylor Sisk
October 2, 2025
Ñî¹óåú´«Ã½Ò•îl Health News Original
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.
Trump Directs Use Of AI For Pioneering Pediatric Cancer Research
October 1, 2025
Morning Briefing
The administration also announced that it is doubling the funding for the Childhood Cancer Data Initiative. Separately, the administration has restored most of the research grants it had stripped from UCLA. It also says it’s close to a deal with Harvard University.
Louisiana Becomes Fourth State With No Planned Parenthood Locations
October 1, 2025
Morning Briefing
Growing financial and political pressure led to the closures of its Baton Rouge and New Orleans clinics. No abortions were performed at the clinics, which provided other medical care services to nearly 11,000 patients last year, AP reported. Meanwhile, Pope Leo said Tuesday that people who support the death penalty are “not really pro-life.â€
Hospital At Home Programs Grind To A Halt Amid Government Shutdown
October 1, 2025
Morning Briefing
A pandemic-era program that allowed hospitals like UMass Memorial to deliver inpatient care in people’s homes comes to an end, putting extra strain on hospitals. Plus, Modern Healthcare looks at why some providers are betting on home health units, even now.
In Boon For Rural Health, Hospital In Rolla, Missouri, Will Double Size Of ER
October 1, 2025
Morning Briefing
The expansion at Phelps Health comes as 21 other hospitals, many of them in rural areas, have closed in the state in the past decade. Other states making news: Kentucky, Mississippi, Oklahoma, New Mexico, Maryland, Minnesota, Maine, and New Hampshire.
Scientists Find Twofold Rise In Long Covid Risk In Kids After Reinfection
October 1, 2025
Morning Briefing
Evidence indicates that over a six-month period, 1,884 per million young people developed long covid after two infections, twice the rate of 904 per million for young people with one infection, The New York Times reports. Plus, states have not been able to order updated covid shots for low-income children.
President Unveils ‘TrumpRx’ Site For Discounted Drugs And Deal With Pfizer
October 1, 2025
Morning Briefing
Pfizer has agreed to sell its drugs at lower prices to Medicaid patients and also to sell some of its meds on a “TrumpRx” website. The Wall Street Journal looks at how “TrumpRx” might work, while Mark Cuban gives the site a “B.”
Federal Health Workers Await Their Fates As Government Comes To A Halt
October 1, 2025
Morning Briefing
The impasse over Affordable Care Act subsidies continues, and there is no sign the shutdown will be over quickly, Politico reported. Two labor unions have sued the Trump administration over its threats to cut thousands of federal workers during the closure.
