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Overpowering Speaker Mike Johnson, a bipartisan coalition in the House voted Wednesday to push forward a measure that would revive an enhanced pandemic-era subsidy that lowered health insurance costs for roughly 22 million people, but that had expired last month. The tally of 221-205 was a key test before passage of the bill, which is expected Thursday. And it came about because four GOP centrist lawmakers joined with Democrats in signing a so-called discharge petition to force the vote. (Freking and Mascaro, 1/7)

Nine House Republicans voted on Wednesday to compel the lower chamber to vote on a Democratic bill to revive ObamaCare subsidies after they expired at the start of the new year. Republican Reps. Mike Lawler (N.Y.), Nicolas LaLota (N.Y.) Robert Bresnahan (Penn.), Brian Fitzpatrick (Penn.), Ryan Mackenzie (Penn.), María Elvira Salazar (Fla.), Max Miller (Ohio), David Valadao (Calif.) and Thomas Kean (N.J.) voted with all 212 House Democrats. The House will vote on final passage on Thursday. (Mancini, 1/7)

The drama will be in the House on Thursday, when an extension of the enhanced Affordable Care Act subsidies is expected to pass — but the action to watch is the bipartisan talks in the Senate to hammer out a compromise. (Sullivan, 1/8)

Sen. Bernie Moreno, a key negotiator, said text could be released early next week. (Carney, 1/7)

Democrat who pushed for landmark Americans with Disabilities Act will retire next year —

Representative Steny H. Hoyer of Maryland, the longest-serving House Democrat who for decades was one of his party’s top leaders, will not seek re-election and plans to retire when his term ends in early 2027, according to a person familiar with his plans. A moderate in a party that has often been dominated by progressives, Mr. Hoyer’s legacy after nearly a half-century of service in Congress includes leading the charge in the House to enact the Americans with Disabilities Act and writing the Help America Vote Act, a measure to clean up federal elections that became law in 2002. (Karni, 1/7)

In related news about Medicaid and SNAP —

A federal judge Tuesday ruled that Florida has violated the constitutional rights of people who were dropped from the Medicaid program because it sent notices to them that “border on the incomprehensible.” (Saunders, 1/7)

A move to change how Kansas City distributes some of the $70 million raised annually through a city health levy has triggered alarm among safety-net clinics. (King, 1/6)

A federal plan to align benefits for people with both Medicare and Medicaid could reorder competition among health insurance companies that do business with both programs. The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services is considering a requirement that health insurance companies selling Medicare Advantage Chronic Condition Special Needs Plans, or C-SNPs, also be Medicaid managed care contractors. (Tepper, 1/7)

The Nevada agency responsible for administering food stamps is planning to ask the federal government to prohibit recipients from using benefit dollars toward sugary and energy drinks and certain candies. During a legislative meeting Tuesday, officials with the Division of Social Services confirmed that they are planning on requesting a waiver that would go into effect in 2028. They said the state is also planning to ask the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) to allow food stamp recipients to buy additional hot foods, such as rotisserie chicken. (Neugeboren, 1/7)

In a striking reversal of past nutrition guidance, the Trump administration released new dietary guidelines on Wednesday that flip the food pyramid on its head, putting steak, cheese and whole milk near the top. ... After years of being advised to avoid eating too much red meat and foods high in fats, Americans are now being told to embrace them. The document, which is far shorter than previous versions, codifies some of Mr. Kennedy’s frequent talking points, like recommending that people cook with butter and beef tallow despite the fact that scientific evidence does not support doing so. (Callahan and Blum, 1/7)

A group of researchers that formed the scientific basis of new dietary guidelines included people with financial ties to the beef and dairy industries, as well as food companies and other groups. (Cueto and Todd, 1/7)

Ever since the federal government began issuing the Dietary Guidelines in 1980, it has told Americans to limit themselves to one or two standard alcoholic drinks a day. Over time, the official advice morphed to no more than two drinks a day for men, and no more than one for women. No longer. The updated guidelines issued on Wednesday say instead that people should consume less alcohol “for better overall health” and “limit alcohol beverages,” but they do not recommend clear limits. (Caryn Rabin, 1/7)

Reaction has been mixed to the Trump administration's announcement Wednesday of new dietary guidelines that focus on increasing intake of whole foods and decreasing consumption of overly processed foods. (Frieden, 1/7)

In other news about nutrition and health —

Before beginning his tenure as secretary of the United States Department of Health and Human Services, Robert F. Kennedy Jr. posted an old picture of his father, Bobby Kennedy, and another man at a drive-in fast food restaurant on the social media platform X. RFK Jr. took the family photograph as an opportunity to rail against plant-based seed oils, cooking oils extracted from seeds like sunflowers, soybean, and corn. He wrote in the caption that they “are one of the driving causes of the obesity epidemic” and that Americans are being “unknowingly poisoned” by them. (López Lloreda, 1/8)

Common preservatives used to keep food safe and extend shelf life may be linked to a higher risk of several cancers and type 2 diabetes, according to two new studies from France. (LaMotte, 1/7)

A report from the Heritage Foundation, titled “Saving America by Saving the Family,” urges President Donald Trump and lawmakers “to save and restore the American family” through massive tax credits for families with more children while capping alimony payments, enacting strict work requirements on social benefit programs, discouraging online dating, creating marriage “bootcamp” classes and more. (Tucker and Bogage, 1/8)

In related news about parenting —

Without federal subsidies, Breyanna Rodriguez’s child care bill for her four children would run $4,400 a month, which would eat up most of her husband’s paycheck. With child care assistance, Rodriguez, who lives in Cortland, Illinois, is able to work part-time and take community college classes while she prepares for nursing school. Now, citing concerns about fraud, the Trump administration has said it will withhold frozen federal child care funding for Illinois and other states while it conducts an extensive review. If she loses her subsidy, Rodriguez said, “I’ll have to drop out of work. I’ll have to drop out of school.” (Balingit and Kramon, 1/8)

On the immigration crisis —

Just hours after an Immigration and Customs Enforcement agent shot a 37-year-old woman in Minneapolis on Wednesday, President Trump told a group of New York Times reporters that the woman was at fault because she had tried to “run over” the officer. ... As a slow-motion surveillance video of the shooting played on the laptop, we told him that this angle did not appear to show an ICE officer had been run over. “Well,” Mr. Trump said. “I — the way I look at it … ” “It’s a terrible scene,” Mr. Trump said at the end of the video. “I think it’s horrible to watch. No, I hate to see it.” But did this fatal shooting mean his ICE operation had gone too far? Mr. Trump sidestepped the question, instead blaming his predecessor's immigration policies. (Kanno-Youngs, 1/8)

The Trump administration says it is focused on protecting unaccompanied migrant children. It imposed strict new background checks on those seeking custody of young migrants and cut ties with a chain of youth shelters accused of subjecting children in its care to pervasive sexual abuse. (MacMillan, 1/8)

On the environment and health —

President Donald Trump extended the US retreat from global cooperation on climate action by signaling a withdrawal from flagship international organizations, including the main United Nations and scientific bodies focused on the issue. The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change and the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change are among a total of 66 groups the US will exit, spanning multiple sectors. The climate moves are seen as likely to diminish the US role in addressing greenhouse gas emissions, and significantly limit the global influence of those entities. (Stringer and Dlouhy, 1/8)

Public health advocates sued the Trump administration Wednesday to compel officials to disclose whether their rapid demolition of the White House’s East Wing annex exposed workers or the public to hazardous building materials. The Asbestos Disease Awareness Organization, which filed Freedom of Information Act requests in November but says it has yet to receive any relevant documents, is demanding that the White House explain whether it undertook asbestos inspections, air monitoring, waste disposal safeguards and other legally required steps as part of its demolition project. (Diamond and George, 1/7)

A medical emergency has happened on the International Space Station —

NASA is considering ending a mission on board the International Space Station early after an astronaut suffered a medical emergency. The US space agency said Wednesday it could curtail the Crew-11 mission in a rare move, which involve astronauts from the US, Japan and Russia, after postponing a Jan. 8 spacewalk in light of the emerging health concern. “Safely conducting our missions is our highest priority, and we are actively evaluating all options,” NASA said in a statement. (Lee, 1/8)

It may be a "better thing" if fewer children receive the flu vaccine, Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. told CBS News, after the Trump administration announced sweeping changes to childhood vaccine recommendations. This week, the Centers for Disease Control announced vaccines to fight respiratory syncytial virus, meningococcal disease, flu, and COVID are now recommended only for children at high risk of serious illness or after consultation between doctors and parents, as a part of the CDC's scaling back of key childhood vaccination recommendations. Until recently, the CDC recommended that everyone 6 months and older get the annual flu vaccine. (Watson, 1/7)

Two young children are dead from flu complications in Boston, city officials said yesterday, noting that these are the first pediatric flu deaths in the city since 2013. The two children were both under the age of 2 years; earlier this week, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) said nine pediatric influenza deaths had been recorded so far in the 2025-26 flu season as of January 5, before the two deaths in Boston were confirmed. (Soucheray, 1/7)

San Mateo County health officials said Wednesday that an adolescent died in a flu-related case in December. The child had not received this season’s flu shot, and it was unknown whether the person suffered from other health conditions, officials said in a statement. The child’s name and age were not released. Adolescence usually covers ages 10 to 19, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (Hernandez, 1/7)

Also —

The antiviral treatment Tamiflu is in short supply in parts of the US, as patients and pharmacists battle one of the worst flu seasons in decades. A Walgreens store outside of Macon, Georgia, has experienced shortages for weeks – especially for the capsule version of the flu treatment. Normally, the pharmacy can receive supply overnight, but now it’s taking two to three days, according to one of the store’s pharmacists. (Nix, Edney and Swetlitz, 1/7)

As flu activity continues to increase in the U.S., public health experts have been urging Americans to get vaccinated to protect themselves. Health systems have reported a somewhat challenging flu season as a new variant spreads across the country, driving a rise in cases. Additionally, research has shown that the annual flu shot is not perfectly matched with the new variant. (Kekatos, 1/6)

Health officials in Missouri and Illinois are still recommending flu shots for children six months and older despite federal officials scrapping that guidance earlier this week. (Suntrup, 1/7)

More news about vaccines —

Five career scientists and researchers, who spoke on the condition of anonymity for fear of retaliation, said they are angered by the bypassing of expertise in Monday’s decision. That process to alter vaccine recommendations, they and several former health officials said, did not include extensive consultation with the agency’s subject matter experts or the CDC’s vaccine advisory panel that is usually done. (Sun, 1/7)

Health secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s allies are hopeful that his agency’s move this week to reduce the number of recommended pediatric vaccines opens the door to stripping vaccine makers of the liability shields afforded to them by a landmark 40-year-old law. (Cirruzzo and Payne, 1/8)

A growing body of evidence has supported the idea that one dose of the human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine is enough to protect most people, but experts worry there isn't enough evidence to support that recommendation just yet. That lack of consensus didn't stop HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. from officially reducing the recommended number of HPV vaccine doses to one as part of his gutting of the childhood vaccine schedule this week. (Robertson, 1/7)

Officials have confirmed 20 more measles cases in Utah, raising the state total to 176, and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) released nationwide totals for 2025, noting 2,144 confirmed cases. Of the 176 infections in Utah, 129 (73%) are in the Southwest Utah health district, which has seen high measles activity alongside neighboring Mohave County, Arizona. (Soucheray, 1/7)

OpenAI is introducing a new feature in ChatGPT that will allow users to analyze medical test results, prepare for doctors appointments and seek guidance on diets and workout routines — marking the company’s biggest push yet into the health care sector. ChatGPT Health, announced Wednesday, is intended to help provide useful health and fitness information but stop short of making formal diagnoses. The new feature can connect with peoples’ electronic medical records, wearable devices and wellness apps, such as Apple Health and MyFitnessPal, the company said. (Ghaffary, 1/7)

More news about artificial intelligence —

Dr. Jesse Ehrenfeld, former president of the American Medical Association, has been named global chief medical officer of Aidoc. The startup offers artificial intelligence-enabled tools designed to support clinical decision making. Ehrenfeld will work with health systems looking to implement a comprehensive approach to AI-powered clinical technology, Aidoc said in a Wednesday news release. (DeSilva, 1/7)

Health tech gadgets displayed at the annual CES trade show make a lot of promises. A smart scale promoted a healthier lifestyle by scanning your feet to track your heart health, and an egg-shaped hormone tracker uses AI to help you figure out the best time to conceive. Tech and health experts, however, question the accuracy of products like these and warn of data privacy issues — especially as the federal government eases up on regulation. (Hill, 1/8)

Google and Character.AI, a maker of artificial intelligence companions, agreed to settle a lawsuit that had accused the companies of providing harmful chatbots that led a teenager to kill himself, according to a legal filing on Wednesday. The lawsuit had been filed in U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Florida in October 2024 by Megan L. Garcia, the mother of Sewell Setzer III. Sewell, 14, of Orlando, killed himself in February 2024 after texting and conversing with one of Character. AI’s chatbots. In his last conversation with the chatbot, it said to the teenager to “please come home to me as soon as possible.” (Rocha, 1/7)

More health industry developments —

Three children’s hospitals are under federal investigation for providing gender-affirming care to transgender youth, as the Trump administration continues to use all the levers it can to block such care. (Rummler, 1/7)

Dr. Heather Skanes opened Alabama’s first freestanding birth center in 2022 in her hometown of Birmingham. Skanes, an OBGYN, wanted to improve access to maternal health care in a state that’s long had one of the nation’s highest rates of maternal and infant mortality. (Vollers and Hassanein, 1/7)

Operating expenses continue to exceed revenue for many system-affiliated medical groups, with average expense ratios over 100%, according to the “AMGA 2025 Medical Group Operations and Finance Survey.” The organization gathered data from 39 medical groups — 25 system-affiliated and 14 independent — encompassing more than 7,100 clinics and over 34,500 provider [full-time equivalents]. (Gooch, 1/7)

For cancer patients, traveling to receive drug infusions is often a regular part of treatment. Luminate Medical wants to bring infusions to them. The startup has raised $21 million in new venture financing from 8VC, Artis Ventures and others to deliver chemotherapy and other cancer-drug infusions in the home—a service that could ease burdens on patients, but one that isn’t typically offered today. (Gormley, 1/7)

�鶹Ů�� Health News: Solving The Home Care Quandary
You’re ready to leave the hospital, but you don’t feel able to care for yourself at home yet. Or, you’ve completed a couple of weeks in rehab. Can you handle your complicated medication regimen, along with shopping and cooking? Perhaps you fell in the shower, and now your family wants you to arrange help with bathing and getting dressed. There are facilities that provide such help, of course, but most older people don’t want to go there. They want to stay at home; that’s the problem. (Span, 1/8)

Earlier application of basic bleeding control called Stop the Bleed could have saved up to 70 Maryland lives, according to a first-of-its-kind analysis published by the Journal of the American College of Surgeons in December. (Hille, 1/7)

Chicago and Cook County saw another steep decline in fatal opioid overdoses last year, records show, four years after a recent peak in such cases during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic. (Charles, 1/7)

The law ensures drug overdoses treated by emergency medical workers are tracked in a statewide system. The law took effect at the start of this year. (1/6)

On recovery from substance abuse —

�鶹Ů�� Health News: In Lodge Grass, Montana, A Crow Community Works To Rebuild From Meth’s Destruction
Brothers Lonny and Teyon Fritzler walked amid the tall grass and cottonwood trees surrounding their boarded-up childhood home near the Little Bighorn River and daydreamed about ways to rebuild. The rolling prairie outside the single-story clapboard home is where Lonny learned from their grandfather how to break horses. It’s where Teyon learned from their grandmother how to harvest buffalo berries. It’s also where they watched their father get addicted to meth. (Houghton, 1/8)

Thanos first stepped into the peer cafe across from the bus station in downtown Raleigh looking for his friend — and the promise of a free coffee. What keeps him coming back months later is a community of people and group sessions that have supported his substance use recovery. (Knopf, 1/8)  

Emergency doctors in Baltimore are wary of a new additive to street fentanyl that can complicate overdose treatment and prompt severe withdrawal symptoms. (Hille, 1/6)

Yoga alongside standard buprenorphine therapy hastened opioid withdrawal recovery and improved autonomic regulation compared with buprenorphine alone, an early-stage randomized trial in India showed. Among 59 participants with opioid use disorder in the intent-to-treat analysis, those in the yoga group recovered from withdrawal faster than those in the control group, with a median stabilization time of 5 days versus 9 days, respectively, researchers said. (Firth, 1/7)

A new study of over 32,000 US veterans has found that the longer people stay on medications for opioid use disorder (buprenorphine, methadone, or extended-release naltrexone), the greater the probability of short- and medium-term survival. This benefit continues to increase for at least four years of ongoing treatment, considerably longer than most patients currently stay in treatment. (1/8)

Weight loss and cardiometabolic benefits were fully reversed within 2 years for people who stopped weight management medications, a systematic review and meta-analysis showed. (Monaco, 1/7)

Arrowhead Pharmaceuticals said Tuesday that its gene-silencing candidates helped people with obesity lose fat, very early results that could intensify the competition among biotechs to develop longer-lasting weight loss drugs. (Chen, 1/6)

Very high lipoprotein(a) levels strongly predicted long-term cardiovascular disease risk in healthy women, according to a cohort study, while mild to moderately high levels were not really red flags. Contemporary guidelines do not generally endorse universal screening. (Lou, 1/7)

Previous research has shown that small amounts of rifampin, the most powerful antibiotic against TB, can reach the brain. But those studies did not explore the link between higher doses of rifampin and reduced mortality. (Bergeson, 1/7)

Adding a daily fish oil supplement to psychotherapy showed no significant benefit over placebo for kids and teens with moderate-to-severe major depressive disorder (MDD), a randomized trial showed. (Monaco, 1/2)

While his war on vaccines may be getting more attention, health secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. is coming for another important medical tool: antidepressants. In November, he posted on X that the CDC is “finally confronting the long-taboo question of whether SSRIs and other psychoactive drugs contribute to mass violence.” We fear that in 2026, he may turn his rhetoric into action. (Stephen B. Soumerai and Christine Y. Lu, 1/7)

Serious question: Do you know anyone who consults the food pyramid before they decide what to eat? I do not! Honestly, the last time I dedicated any brain cells to it was in fifth-grade home ec class. (Jessica Karl, 1/7)

If there is one thing to strongly object to about these guidelines, it’s that they are likely to be hard for many people to follow. (Dr. Emily Oster, 1/8)

Massachusetts Public Health Commissioner Robbie Goldstein told the editorial board that Massachusetts is continuing to base its policies, including school immunization requirements, on the American Academy of Pediatrics’ vaccine schedule, which includes both those vaccines. (1/8)

Simple interventions can make a big difference. (Shira Schoenberg, 1/5)