Latest KFF Health News Stories
Raw Cheddar Tied To California E. Coli Outbreak, But Dairy Declines A Recall
The FDA has said that Raw Farm cheddar is the likely source of an outbreak that has sickened at least five in California, one in Florida, and one in Texas. Other public health news is on vitamin D3 supplements, blood pressure guidelines, and more.
Writers examine these public health issues and others.
Thousands Of Kaiser Nurses Join Strike Over Use Of AI In Mental Health Care
The one-day strike, slated for Wednesday, will see participation from the National Union of Health Care Workers and the California Nurses Association. Kaiser Permanente maintains that the unions are misrepresenting its push for AI inclusion, saying, “Many AI tools have the potential to help our clinicians spend more time focused on serving our members and patients.”
RFK Jr.’s Vaccine Policies Put On Hold; Judge Says Government Overstepped
Judge Brian E. Murphy said that the government skirted the long-standing practice of following “a method scientific in nature” when it revised the childhood vaccine schedule and that it acted improperly when it remade the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices.
First Edition: Tuesday, March 17, 2026
Today’s early morning highlights from the major news organizations.
Google Quietly Nixes AI Search Feature That Gave Health Tips From Strangers
A Google spokesperson confirmed to The Guardian that the “What People Suggest” feature had been dropped. Also in health industry news: Illinois’ Prime Healthcare, Vanderbilt Health, Stryker, and more.
New Pennsylvania Hospital Offers Care To Northern Maryland Patients
The “small-format” hospital will offer 24/7 emergency care and will alleviate transport times. Other states making news: Iowa, California, Georgia, Colorado, Virginia, and elsewhere.
Viewpoints: American Health Is Declining Under RFK Jr.; Congress Can’t Let Medicare Miss Innovations
Editorial writers tackle these public health topics.
Those Under 40 Should Watch, Manage Cholesterol, New Heart Guidelines Say
New heart disease guidelines out Friday recommend that people as young as 30 should consider lifestyle changes, statins, and other ways of managing cholesterol. More public health news is on marijuana use among teens, kidney stone prevention, and more.
Covid Work Group Aims To Upend How ACIP Approaches Vax Injuries: Report
Among the group’s proposals outlined in its “Killer Jab?” report is a suggestion to create research centers to study harms from covid vaccines and the illness, The New York Times reported. The report relied on dubious data to reach its conclusions, an expert in pediatric infectious disease said.
More Businesses Adopting Tax Credit To Help Workers Pay For ACA
As Politico reported, at least six states are looking at offering the tax credits to businesses that adopt the Trump administration policy, known as Individual Coverage Health Reimbursement Arrangements. ICHRAs allow businesses to give workers a tax-exempt subsidy to purchase ACA coverage, as opposed to offering a traditional group plan.
Family Planning Clinics Have Just Days To Reapply For Title X Funding
The Department of Health and Human Services’ long-delayed guidance eliminates verbiage deemed inappropriate by the Trump administration and advises against “non-discriminatory services.” Current grants expire April 1.
First Edition: Monday, March 16, 2026
Today’s early morning highlights from the major news organizations.
Longer Looks: Interesting Reads You Might Have Missed
Each week, KFF Health News finds longer stories for you to enjoy. Today’s selections are on USAID, social prescribing, the sex lives of seniors, and more.
A New Normal: US Marks 6 Years Since Declaring A National Covid Emergency
What’s changed, and what hasn’t, since President Donald Trump declared the U.S. emergency on March 13, 2020. At the time, nearly 2,000 Americans were infected with the virus. But at-home covid tests and vaccines wouldn’t become available until much later that year.
Opinion writers discuss these public health issues.
Vaccine Panel Follows WHO’s Advice, Adds Subclade K To Fall Flu Shots
In fact, the Vaccine and Related Biological Products Advisory Committee recommended that all three viral strains be changed in this fall’s doses. FDA Commissioner Martin Makary must sign off on the change. Meanwhile, as measles cases wane in South Carolina, other states report upticks.
Medicare Advantage Spending A $76B Boon For Insurers, MedPAC Reports
The Medicare Payment Advisory Commission is calling on Congress to rein in spending after it found tens of billions of dollars in overpayments. The insurance industry is pushing back on those findings.
CMS Issues Organ Donation Guidelines After Reports Of Families Being Rushed
Organ procurement organizations and hospitals said the guidelines are already being followed, MedPage Today reported. “Patient care and safety always come first,” Jeffrey Trageser, president of the Association of Organ Procurement Organizations, said in an emailed statement. Plus: A woman who received a partial liver transplant says she no longer has evidence of liver cancer.
Despite Medical Groups’ Opposition, Fla. Might Again License Naturopaths
Legislation to license and regulate naturopathic doctors (NDs) has cleared the state Legislature. Florida stopped offering licenses to NDs in 1959. Meanwhile, the American Medical Association and the American Academy of Family Physicians have consistently stated that NDs are not physicians, MedPage Today reported.