Read today’s Kaiser Health News
In other news:
Judge deems Trump's National Institutes of Health grant cuts illegal: A federal judge in Boston on Monday said the termination of National Institutes of Health grants for research on diversity-related topics by President Donald Trump's administration's was "void and illegal," and accused the government of discriminating against minorities and LGBT people.
U.S. District Judge William Young during a non-jury trial said NIH violated federal law by arbitrarily canceling more than $1 billion in research grants because of their perceived connection to diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives.
Young said he was reinstating grants that had been awarded to organizations and Democratic-led states that sued over the terminations. And the judge strongly suggested that as the case proceeds he could issue a more sweeping decision.
8 healthcare startups make CNBC Disruptor 50 list FYI: Eight startups that specialize in healthcare made the 2025 CNBC Disruptor 50 list.
Average age of moms giving birth in U.S. has climbed to nearly 30 years old, CDC data show: In the report, published Friday by the CDC's National Center for Health Statistics, researchers found the average age of all mothers giving birth in the United States increased from 28.7 years old in 2016 to 29.6 in 2023. For new first-time moms, average age also increased, from 26.6 in 2016 to 27.5 in 2023. The data was taken from the National Vital Statistics System, which includes all birth records in the country.
Former 23andMe CEO wins bidding war against Regeneron: The genetic testing firm announced Friday that, after hearing bids from both Wojcicki's TTAM Research Institute non-profit and Regeneron Pharmaceuticals — again — she made the winning offer. TTAM will spend $305 million to acquire all of 23andMe's assets, including the Personal Genome Service and Research Services, as well as the Lemonaid Health business.
About Covid-19
New COVID variant NB.1.8.1 could be more than 1 in 3 cases, CDC projects: The new COVID-19 variant NB.1.8.1, which was linked to a large surge of hospitalizations in parts of Asia, could now make up more than 1 in 3 cases across the United States, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention projected this week.
Cost-Utility Analysis of COVID-19 Vaccination Strategies for Endemic SARS-CoV-2: In this model-based economic evaluation of 1 million simulated individuals, annual vaccination of adults aged 65 years and older was estimated to be a cost-effective intervention, while the cost effectiveness of vaccination for younger ages and biannual vaccination for older adults was dependent on model assumptions.
Changed Recommendations for COVID-19 Vaccines for Children and Pregnant Women: A Failure of Process, Policy, and Science Excellent summary.
About health insurance/insurers
Medicare and the Health Care Delivery System MedPAC’s annual June analysis and recommendations provides a wealth of information and reasoned suggestions for changes.
Proposed Medicaid cuts, quantified An excellent summary of what would happen if the House legislation passes the Senate.
How Congress members get their health insurance: Members of Congress and their staff receive their insurance through DC Health Link, the exchange market in Washington, D.C. The arrangement was implemented in 2014, as part of the ACA, which established the marketplace.
In addition to federal benefits, many members of Congress are also eligible for Medicare. In 2025, a third of senators and about 20% of representatives were over the age of 70, according to Pew Research Center.
6 payers recently fined by states FYI
About pharma
15 largest pharmacies in the US FYI: Total prescription dispensing revenue at U.S. retail pharmacies hit $683 billion in 2024, marking a 9% increase from the previous year, according to a June 16 post from the Drug Channels Institute.
AstraZeneca signs $5.2bn deal to develop drugs for chronic disease with Chinese biotech: The drugmaker will collaborate with CSPC Pharmaceuticals on several drugs including a pill to treat immunological diseases. CSPC will receive $110mn upfront and will be eligible for payments based on development milestones of up to $1.6bn and sales milestones of up to $3.6bn.
About healthcare IT
Multinational Attitudes Toward AI in Health Care and Diagnostics Among Hospital Patients:
Findings This cross-sectional study surveying 13 806 patients using a nonprobability sample from 74 hospitals in 43 countries found that while patients were generally supportive of AI-enabled health care facilities and recognized the potential of AI, they preferred explainable AI systems and physician-led decision-making. In addition, attitudes varied significantly by sociodemographic characteristics.
Meaning These findings highlight the global imperative for health care AI stakeholders to tailor AI implementation to the unique characteristics of individual patients and local populations and provide guidance on how to optimize patient-centered AI adoption.