Read today’s Kaiser Health News
In other news:
White House to fix ‘formatting errors’ in RFK Jr. ‘MAHA Report’: The White House on Thursday said it will fix errors in its “Make America Healthy Again,” or MAHA, report after a news outlet’s investigation found that it cited sources that don’t exist. The report, released last week to much fanfare by the administration, cited hundreds of studies to purportedly find the root causes of chronic diseases. Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. called the report a “milestone.”
But an examination by the news organization NOTUS found that some of those studies did not actually exist.
About Covid-19
Contradicting RFK Jr., CDC keeps recommending covid vaccine for kids: Coronavirus vaccines are still recommended for healthy children if their doctors approve, according to updated immunization schedules published late Thursday by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, contradicting Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s announcement earlier this week.
Prior COVID vaccination produces immune response against new SARS-CoV-2 strains, study finds: The findings are promising and suggest that, despite a drop in antibodies for mutated parts of the virus, vaccination offers ongoing protection from severe disease.
About health insurance/insurers
EMPLOYER HEALTH PLAN PERFORMANCE GAP EXPANDS, SAYS J.D. POWER: KEY TAKEAWAYS:
The latest results from J.D. Power show a growing gap between high- and low- performing health plans in the U.S.
The best performers — regional, Blue Cross Blue Shield, and provider-sponsored plans — are getting better while the worst performers — the large national carriers — are getting worse.
Member experience has become a competitive differentiator — something for all carriers to keep in mind as employers make benefit decisions.
About hospitals and healthcare systems
13 health systems with credit rating upgrades FYI
4 new health systems launched in 2025 FYI
About the public’s health
Projected Outcomes of Removing Fluoride From US Public Water Systems:This cost-effectiveness analysis using data for 8484 children (mean age, 9.6 years) from the US National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey for 2013 to 2016 found that elimination of fluoride would be associated with an increase in tooth decay of 7.5 percentage points and cost approximately $9.8 billion over 5 years.
About healthcare personnel
Physician Practice Benchmark Survey Among the findings: Forty-two percent of physicians were in private practice in 2024, an 18 percentage point drop since 2012 (our first year of the Benchmark Survey)…An additional 7.7 percent of physicians (data not shown) indicated that they or another physician had an ownership stake in their practice but identified their practice as owned by a hospital, private equity group, or insurer…