Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
First Edition: Friday, April 24, 2026
KFF HEALTH NEWS ORIGINAL STORIES
KFF Health News: A ‘Barbaric’ Problem In American Hospitals Is Only Getting Bigger
In the last months, weeks, and days of his life, “I will not go to the emergency room” became my husband’s mantra. Andrej had esophageal cancer that had spread throughout his body (but not to his ever-willful brain), and, having trained as a doctor, I had jury-rigged a hospital at home, aided by specialists who got me pills to boost blood pressure; to dampen the effects of liver failure; to stem his cough; to help him swallow, wake up, fall asleep. (Rosenthal, 4/24)
KFF Health News: KFF Health News’ ‘Letters To The Editor’: Readers Chime In On Reproductive Rights, Therapy Chatbots, Medical Debt, And More
Kate Wells’ report on Michigan’s Upper Peninsula reveals an important gap between constitutional protections and real-world access to care (“Urgent Care Clinics Move To Fill Abortion Care Gaps in Rural Areas,” April 8). But the story leaves a critical question unanswered: Can urgent care centers bear this weight? (4/24)
KFF Health News: 'What The Health? From KFF Health News': RFK Jr. Vs. Congress
Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. completed his marathon tour of House and Senate committees this week to defend President Donald Trump’s proposed budget for his department, but he got grilled on lots of non-budget matters as well, most notably his proposed changes to the childhood vaccine schedule. Meanwhile, Trump made some of his own health policy, signing an executive order to facilitate the use of hallucinogens to treat mental health conditions. That action came just days after it was suggested to him in a text message from podcaster/influencer Joe Rogan, who was present in the Oval Office for the signing. (Rovner, 4/23)
KFF Health News: Watch: Acknowledging Health Care’s Great Divide
In this “How Would You Fix It?” interview, Julie Rovner, KFF Health News’ chief Washington correspondent and host of the What the Health? podcast, sat down with David Blumenthal — a physician, health policy expert, former Obama administration official, and author — to explore the dynamics that make fixing the nation’s health care system so difficult. They discussed the pivotal role the president of the United States plays in health policy — whether it is building support for or opposition to new plans and proposals. “Presidents have a level of authority which is often underappreciated, especially in health care,” Blumenthal said. (Rovner, 4/23)
MARIJUANA
The New York Times: Trump Administration Reclassifies Medical Marijuana, Loosening Restrictions
The rule moves F.D.A.-approved marijuana and state-regulated marijuana out of the Schedule I category, which includes drugs like heroin. (Barrett, 4/23)
The Hill: GOP Sen. Tom Cotton Criticizes DOJ's Medical Marijuana Rescheduling
Sen. Tom Cotton (R-Ark.) on Thursday criticized the Department of Justice’s (DOJ) decision to downgrade state-approved medical marijuana to a less dangerous drug. “Marijuana today is much more potent than just ten or twenty years ago, leading to increased psychosis, anti-social behavior, and fatal car crashes,” Cotton wrote on the social platform X. “Arkansans don’t want more dangerous drugs obtained more easily,” he continued. “A change to marijuana’s drug classification is a step in the wrong direction.” (Davis, 4/23)
The Wall Street Journal: What To Know About The Health Risks Of Marijuana
In many states, it is already easy to get marijuana. With the Trump administration’s move to reclassify the drug as less dangerous, it is about to get even easier. But doctors and researchers say marijuana can pose real risks to people’s health. The major concerns for adults are addiction and mental-health problems, particularly anxiety. These risks have become more of an issue in recent years as products with high levels of THC, the main psychoactive component of cannabis, have become widely available and popular. (Petersen, 4/23)
MORE ON THE TRUMP ADMINISTRATION
Modern Healthcare: CMS, FDA To Speed Medicare Coverage For Breakthrough Devices
The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services and the Food and Drug Administration on Thursday announced a quicker way for certain medical devices to gain Medicare coverage. The devices must be FDA-designated Class II and Class III breakthrough devices, and Class II devices must participate in the FDA’s Total Product Life Cycle Advisory Program — a voluntary program that offers early agency support to help bring innovative devices to market faster. CMS would work early with medical device companies during pivotal trial design to ensure trials generate the evidence needed for Medicare coverage decisions. (Dubinsky, 4/23)
Modern Healthcare: FTC, U.S. Anesthesia Partners Agree To Preliminary Settlement
The Federal Trade Commission has reached an agreement in principle with U.S. Anesthesia Partners to settle the government’s 2023 lawsuit. The terms of the preliminary settlement are confidential so USAP can carry out the negotiations necessary to fulfill them, the FTC said in a Thursday news release. The agency in its original complaint claimed the anesthesiology group allegedly violated antitrust laws and reduced competition for anesthesia services in Texas. The preliminary settlement resolves the charges, the FTC said Thursday. (Dubinsky, 4/23)
MedPage Today: The Most Lethal Cancers Get Shortchanged By Federal Funding, Study Shows
Highly lethal cancers received disproportionately less federal funding compared with other cancers that have better survival odds, according to a study by researchers at the National Cancer Institute. (Bankhead, 4/23)
PRESCRIPTION DRUG COSTS
AP: Trump And Regeneron Unveil A Drug Pricing Deal
President Donald Trump on Thursday announced a deal with drugmaker Regeneron to lower the cost of its pharmaceutical products as part of the White House’s signature drug pricing initiative. The deal involves Regeneron lowering the prices of all its current and future drugs on Medicaid, according to Trump. It also involves selling a cholesterol drug called Praluent for $225 on the White House’s discounted drug website TrumpRx, according to the agreement first outlined by NOTUS and confirmed in a White House fact sheet. (Swenson, 4/23)
AP: Trump Defends Drug Price Claims By Citing 'Two Ways Of Calculating'
President Donald Trump, who helped push the term “ fake news ” into the mainstream, now seems to have a new favorite subject: fake math. During a Thursday event announcing a deal with drugmaker Regeneron to lower the cost of its pharmaceutical products, Trump defended his past claims that prices on prescription medications had been cut by well over 100% — something that is mathematically impossible without manufacturers dropping prices to zero and then presumably paying consumers to use their product. (Weissert, 4/24)
Stat: Colorado, Virginia Lawmakers Resist Bids To Constrain Drug Affordability Boards
Legislators in two states have resisted efforts to restrict prescription drug affordability boards, the controversial panels that are designed to function as rate-setting authorities and place limits on the cost of prescription medicines. (Silverman, 4/23)
WHAT RFK JR. IS SAYING
NBC News: RFK Jr. Draws Backlash For Ripping Medicaid Programs That Pay People To Care For Relatives
Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. sparked outrage among disability rights advocates with recent comments alleging widespread fraud in Medicaid programs that pay people to care for elderly or disabled family members — a system millions of Americans rely on to survive. During testimony before the U.S. House Ways and Means Committee last week, Kennedy criticized Medicaid-funded programs that pay relatives to serve as caregivers, alleging they compensate people for tasks they “used to do as family members for free.” (Hixenbaugh, 4/23)
CNN: RFK Jr. Wants To Add Specialists To Preventive Care Panel. Experts Say It’s The Wrong Move
Less than a year after remaking a key vaccine advisory committee, US Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has set his sights on overhauling an HHS panel of medical experts that determine what preventive care Americans can receive at no cost. (Luhby, 4/23)
ON CAPITOL HILL
Politico: ‘Anorexic’ Reconciliation Bill Could Mean Planned Parenthood Gets Re-Funded
Republicans’ push for a narrow party-line bill focused solely on immigration enforcement funding is running into opposition from anti-abortion activists and lawmakers who fear it will trigger the return of hundreds of millions in Medicaid funding for Planned Parenthood. That, conservatives argue, would demoralize the GOP base ahead of the midterms and widen the existing rift between their movement and the Trump administration. (Ollstein and King, 4/23)
AP: Bipartisan Bill Aims To Cover Rotisserie Chicken With SNAP Benefits
A bipartisan group of U.S. senators wants government food assistance programs to foot the bill for rotisserie chicken from the grocery store. The senators this week introduced what they’re calling the Hot Rotisserie Chicken Act, which would make the supermarket staple an eligible purchase under the Supplemental Nutritional Assistance Program, formerly known as food stamps. (4/23)
Healthcare Dive: AMA Urges Lawmakers To Implement Safeguards On AI Chatbots
The AMA is calling on lawmakers to take action to address AI, in letters to the co-chairs of the Congressional Artificial Intelligence Caucus, the Congressional Digital Health Caucus and the Senate Artificial Intelligence Caucus. Congress should plug regulatory gaps that prevent AI oversight, given current frameworks weren’t designed for generative AI tools that can shift from casual conversation to therapeutic guidance within a single interaction, the AMA said. (Olsen, 4/23)
STATE WATCH
CBS News: Philadelphia Nurses Fear Proposed Pediatric Care Changes Could Limit Access For Low-Income Families
Nurses at Jefferson Einstein Philadelphia Hospital are raising concerns about proposed changes to pediatric care, warning the move could limit access for some of the city's most vulnerable families. Pennsylvania Association of Staff Nurses and Allied Professionals organized a rally on Thursday afternoon in which nurses and elected officials called on Jefferson Health to reconsider its plan. According to the union, the health system intends to close four pediatric practices by June 30 and transfer three others to a for-profit provider, True North Pediatrics. (Wright, 4/23)
WGCU: Florida Gulf Coast University Breaks Ground On New Medical Building
Florida Gulf Coast University in Fort Myers took another step toward preparing future health care workers this week when it broke ground on a $117 million health sciences building. The building will be known as Marieb Hall South and will house simulated intensive care units, labor and delivery suites, and operating rooms. (Barbor, 4/24)
CBS News: Minnesota Counties Push Legislature To Shore Up Support For Software Upgrades Decades Overdue
To watch Zach Wegner work is like taking a trip back in time. When he powers up his laptop and opens software used to enroll thousands of Dakota County, Minnesota, residents for food assistance, there is a reminder on screen of how long it's been since there was an upgrade: "Copyright 1994." But the program MAXIS is even older than that, first launching in 1989, only a few years after the "Oregon Trail" game was widely available. (Cummings, 4/23)
MPR News: Food Insecurity Among College Students Continues To Climb With Rising Grocery Costs
Morgan Styke, 24, and a senior at Minnesota State University, Mankato is looking through boxes of apples, cantaloupes, carrots and potatoes and loading up her shopping cart with the fresh produce at the free farmers market held on campus. As a full-time student with a seven year old son at home, and with grocery prices continuing to rise, Styke said she must increasingly rely on the university-run campus food pantry and this free farmers market to help stock up her fridge and put food on her table. (Yang, 4/24)
The Baltimore Sun: Lawsuit Alleges Fertility Center Didn't Get Father's Consent
A Hanover man filed a lawsuit against his ex-girlfriend, claiming she tricked him into providing a sperm sample by falsely claiming she had miscarried his quadruplets — then used that sample later to have children without his consent. (Trovato, 4/24)
AP: Ex-Funeral Home Owner To Be Sentenced In Colorado Corpse Abuse Case
A former funeral home owner who helped her ex-husband hide nearly 200 decomposing bodies faces sentencing Friday for corpse abuse in a case that forced Colorado officials to clamp down on an industry plagued by repeated scandal and notoriously lax oversight. A plea agreement calls for Carie Hallford to receive from 25 to 35 years in prison during her appearance before District Judge Eric Bentley in Colorado Springs. Her ex-husband, Jon Hallford, received a 40-year sentence on corpse abuse charges at a February hearing in which he was called a “monster” by family members of those whose bodies were left to rot. (Brown and Slevin, 4/24)
CBS News: Baltimore County Dental Assistant, Family Convicted Of Illegally Distributing Oxycodone To Dentist
A Baltimore County dental assistant and her family members were convicted and sentenced for illegally distributing oxycodone prescription drugs to a licensed dentist, Maryland Attorney General Anthony Brown announced on Wednesday. Samantha Cook, a part-time dental assistant for Dr. Andrew Fried at Perry Hall Family Dental, was given three years of supervised probation, 100 hours of community service, and is prohibited from serving as a provider in any state or federal health care programs. (Thompson, 4/23)
CBS News: Code Orange Air Quality Alert Issued For Atlanta Over Georgia Wildfires As Doctors Urge Caution
Smoke from wildfires burning along the Florida-Georgia line is now impacting air quality in metro Atlanta, raising health concerns as people report seeing haze and smelling smoke across the city. The Georgia Forestry Commission reports that the continuing drought and high winds have kept the fires spitting out smoke as crews attempt to get them under control. (Wilkerson, 4/23)
GLOBAL WATCH
CIDRAP: Moderna’s Combo Flu-COVID Vaccine Receives European Authorization
The world’s first combination seasonal influenza and COVID-19 vaccine, Moderna’s mCombriax, has received marketing authorization from the European Commission, following a positive review from the European Medicines Agency’s Committee for Medicinal Products for Human Use. “By combining protection against two significant respiratory viruses in a single dose, our vaccine aims to simplify immunization for adults, particularly those at high risk,” said Moderna CEO Stephane Bancel, MBA, in a press release. “mCOMBRIAX offers an important new option for Europeans, while also aiming to strengthen the resilience of healthcare systems across Europe." (Soucheray, 4/23)
AP: Health Data Of Half A Million Members Of A UK Project Offered Online In China
DNA and other confidential health data from 500,000 people who volunteered for a massive U.K. health study were offered for sale online in China following a data breach this week, the British government said Thursday. The information from the U.K. Biobank database was found listed for sale on the website Alibaba, but names, addresses, contact details or telephone numbers were not included, the technology minister, Ian Murray, told lawmakers. Murray said he could not give a complete guarantee that nobody could be identified as the data could include gender, age, month and year of birth, socioeconomic status, lifestyle habits, and measures from biological samples. (Pylas, 4/23)
Bloomberg: Norway Wants Kids To Be Kids With Under 16s Social Media Ban
Norway plans to restrict access to social media for children under 16, joining a growing number of countries responding to concerns about the potential harm kids face online. The bill comes after “overwhelming” demand from the public, the government said Friday. It plans to bring the legislation to parliament before the end of the year. The limit will apply up until January 1 the year a child turns 16 with technology companies responsible for age verification, the government said. (Lundgren and Taksdal Skjeseth, 4/24)
SCIENCE AND INNOVATIONS
MedPage Today: Think Heart Attacks Cause Most Sudden Cardiac Deaths? Think Again, Study Says
The epidemiology of sudden cardiac deaths (SCDs) was turned on its head Thursday, with research showing that in reality, ischemic cardiac disease is not the leading driver of SCDs, as previously thought. (Lou, 4/23)
Medical Xpress: Vitamin D May Help Prevent Diabetes, Depending On Genes
More than two in five U.S. adults have prediabetes, a condition marked by higher-than-normal blood sugar levels that often leads to type 2 diabetes. A new study finds that vitamin D may help delay or prevent that progression, but only in people with certain genetic variations. The study, published in JAMA Network Open, found prediabetic adults with certain variations in the vitamin D receptor gene had a 19% lower risk of developing diabetes when taking a high daily dose of vitamin D. (4/23)
Medical Xpress: Dopamine Deficiency Found To Drive Memory Impairment In Alzheimer's Disease
Why do memories fade in Alzheimer's disease—and can they be restored? University of California, Irvine researchers have uncovered a key mechanism underlying memory loss, showing for the first time that dopamine dysfunction in the entorhinal cortex, a critical memory-related brain region, contributes directly to impaired memory formation. The study, published in Nature Neuroscience, identifies a previously unrecognized role for dopamine in Alzheimer's-related cognitive decline and points to potential therapeutic strategies using existing drugs such as Levodopa. (4/23)
Medical Xpress: Gene-Screen Strategy Separates Parkinson's Promoters From Protectors, Revealing New Drug Targets
A novel strategy that combines computational and experimental approaches has allowed researchers at Baylor College of Medicine and the Duncan Neurological Research Institute (Duncan NRI) at Texas Children's Hospital to distinguish alterations in gene function that contribute to Parkinson's disease from those that protect from the condition. The study, published in Neurobiology of Disease, revealed novel risk factors and previously unrecognized therapeutic targets, offering hope for a future in which effective therapies will be available to prevent, slow down or stop this devastating disease. (4/23)
Medical Xpress: Freeze-Dried Platelet Product Slows Swelling And Bleeding In Traumatic Brain Injuries
A freeze-dried blood product that could be stored for years on ambulances or in remote emergency departments is showing promise at treating traumatic brain injuries. The news comes from a mouse study done by researchers at UC San Francisco. If it pans out in people, it could answer a huge unmet need for therapies that treat these injuries, which are the leading cause of death in people under 44 years old. A research paper on this topic is published in the Blood Journal. (4/23)
