Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
First Edition: Friday, April 3, 2026
KFF HEALTH NEWS ORIGINAL STORIES
KFF Health News: Tax Time Brings Surprises For Some Who Receive ACA Subsidies
Tax time can come with big surprises for some people who have Affordable Care Act coverage, including owing money back to the government for premium subsidies received during the previous year. More changes lie ahead that make it important for those getting subsidies in 2026 to track their income and take steps to protect against that kind of financial hit. (Appleby and Jones, 4/3)
KFF Health News: Listen: What The Vaccine Schedule Whiplash Means For Your Kids
Big swings in federal vaccine policy are creating confusion for some parents and clinicians. A federal judge recently struck down Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s new, shortened list of recommended vaccines for all kids. But with the Trump administration likely to appeal, the situation is in flux. Meanwhile, cases of vaccine-preventable illnesses such as measles, mumps, and whooping cough continue to accumulate nationwide and in the Washington, D.C., area. (Rovner, 4/3)
KFF Health News: KFF Health News’ ‘What The Health?’: GOP Mulls More Health Cuts
Recent polling finds that health costs are a top worry for much of the American public, while Republicans in Congress are considering still more cuts to federal health spending on programs such as Medicaid and the Affordable Care Act. Meanwhile, the Supreme Court ruled that Colorado cannot ban mental health professionals from using “conversion therapy” to treat LGBTQ+ minors, a decision that’s likely to affect other states with similar laws. (Rovner, 4/2)
TARIFFS AND PHARMACEUTICALS
Stat: Small Drugmakers, Facing Tariff Threat, Negotiate Pricing Deals With White House
The Trump administration is negotiating new drug-pricing deals, now with smaller companies, according to three people with knowledge of the meetings, including a White House official. (Payne, 4/2)
THE LATEST FROM CMS
Modern Healthcare: CMS Proposes Medicare Pay Hikes For Nursing Homes, Hospice
Nursing homes, hospice providers, inpatient rehabilitation facilities and inpatient psychiatric facilities would receive payment boosts under a slate of proposed rules the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services issued Thursday. Nursing homes would see a 2.4% Medicare payment bump in federal fiscal year 2027, which begins in October. CMS proposed raising inpatient rehabilitation rates by 2.4%, hospice payments by 2.4%, and inpatient psychiatric facility rates by 2.3% for the same period. (Early, 4/2)
Modern Healthcare: CMS Holds ACOs Harmless From Suspect Medicare Billing Practices
Accountable care organizations have long raised concerns about the financial impacts of suspicious billing practices — but an announcement this week from the federal government could provide some relief. In a Tuesday memo sent to organizations in the Medicare Shared Savings Program and the ACO Realizing Equity, Access and Community Health, or ACO REACH, model, CMS announced it will exclude spending associated with certain codes from ACOs’ payment calculations. (Early, 4/2)
Healthcare Dive: CMS Tackles Big Policy Changes With Diminished Workforce
The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services is operating with fewer staff in the wake of the Department of Health and Human Services’ restructuring while embarking on a number of major policy initiatives, potentially complicating the agency’s ability to carry out its goals, experts say. The CMS lost around 300 employees in the Trump administration’s sweeping purge of the federal workforce last year, leaving remaining staff to carry out historic policy changes at the CMS including the first-ever national work requirement for Medicaid, an ambitious health technology initiative and more stringent fraud oversight. (Olsen, 4/1)
Roll Call: Senate Democrats Call On CMS To Rein In Medicare Advantage Abuses
A group of Democratic senators led by Elizabeth Warren is pushing the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services to rein in abuses from Medicare Advantage insurers as the Trump administration considers a policy that would enroll more seniors in the program. (Cohen, 4/2)
MORE ON THE TRUMP ADMINISTRATION
Healthcare Dive: One Year After HHS Layoffs, A Department In Disarray
The layoffs and subsequent attrition have winnowed staffing levels to such an extent that sources in divisions particularly affected described feeling like they were working on a skeleton crew. And the work of the HHS is suffering as a result, they said. (Parduhn, 4/1)
CBS News: HHS Announces $144 Million Program To Study Effect Of Microplastics On The Human Body
The Department of Health and Human Services will is introducing a first-of-its-kind program to study microplastics and the effect they have on the human body, HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. announced Thursday. Kennedy said the $144 million national program will be called STOMP, which stands for "Systemic Targeting of MicroPlastics." The program will bring toxicologists, data scientists and other experts together to create standardized tools capable of detecting and quantifying microplastics in the human body, research the effect they have on humans, and develop targeted strategies to remove them from the body, Kennedy said. (Breen, 4/2)
OUTBREAKS AND HEALTH THREATS
CNN: Kids May Be More Likely To Get The New ‘Cicada’ Variant Of Covid-19, Scientists Say. Here’s What To Know About BA.3.2
A heavily mutated variant of the virus that causes Covid-19 appears to be affecting primarily children, scientists say, though it’s not causing more severe disease – in kids or in adults. Rather, experts say the fact that the virus is breaking with its pattern of being a menace, primarily, of older adults is a telling detail. It’s something to study and understand so that scientists can better predict the behavior of this ever-evolving virus. (Goodman, 4/2)
NBC News: A Deadly Bacterial Disease Is Returning, Doctors Warn, As Vaccination Rates Fall
A scar that runs along the base of Dr. Lara Johnson’s neck serves as a permanent reminder of the devastating effects of a vaccine-preventable disease. When Johnson was 4 years old, she caught a dangerous, potentially deadly bacterial infection: Haemophilus influenzae type b, commonly called Hib. (Edwards, 4/2)
CBS News: LA County Public Health Reports Flea-Borne Typhus Cases At All-Time High
The Los Angeles County Department of Public Health reported the highest-ever number of flea-borne typhus cases in 2025, with 220 cases. While cases were reported across the county, three areas were most affected, including Central Los Angeles City, Santa Monica, and Willowbrook. The disease is treatable with antibiotics, but the county said that 9 out of 10 people identified last year with typhus required hospitalization. (Sharp, 4/2)
The Hill: Chicago Authorities Warn Of Possible Measles Exposure At O'Hare
Officials from the Cook County Department of Public Health in Illinois warned Tuesday of possible exposure to measles from a contagious individual at O’Hare International Airport and two other locations. In a press release, the department said people may have been exposed to measles if they were in Terminal 5 at the airport between 10:45 a.m. and 2:30 p.m. CT on Tuesday, March 24. (Rego, 4/2)
The Texas Tribune: Most Of Texas’ 175 Measles Cases Are In Federal Detention Centers
State officials have reported 28 more measles cases in the last two weeks, bringing the statewide total to at least 175 infections so far this year. The vast majority of cases are in a federal detention facility in Hudspeth County, according to the Texas Department of State Health Services, which released the latest figures on Thursday. (Simpson, 4/2)
St. Louis Post-Dispatch: Missouri House OKs Bill To Track Tick-Borne Illness That Causes Red Meat Allergy
Missouri is one step closer to tracking cases of alpha-gal syndrome, a little understood tick-borne illness that causes an allergy to red meat and that experts say is on the rise. The House on Thursday approved legislation to add alpha-gal syndrome to the more than 100 diseases already tracked by the state’s Department of Health and Senior Services. (Friedheim, 4/2)
CBS News: Rabid Bat Found In Fremont Neighborhood
A dead bat found at a Fremont [California] home earlier this week has tested positive for the deadly rabies virus, according to authorities. In a press release issued Thursday, the Fremont Police Department said that Alameda County Vector Control staff responded on Tuesday to a home on Logan Drive in the city's Glenmoor neighborhood, where the bat was found. It was collected for testing and on Wednesday, the county's Public Health Department confirmed that the bat tested positive for the rabies virus, police said. (Castañeda, 4/2)
CBS News: Skunk Tests Positive For Rabies After Biting Oakland County Resident, Health Officials Say
Health officials in Oakland County reported that a resident was bitten by a skunk last Friday, which tested positive for rabies earlier this week. Oakland County Health Officer Kate Guzmán emphasized the importance of immediate action, advising anyone exposed to wild animals to wash the bite area and seek medical attention. (Henderson, 4/2)
HEALTHCARE INDUSTRY
Minnesota Public Radio: Allina Health Doctors, Clinicians Reach Tentative First Contract Agreement
After more than two years of negotiations, a union representing more than 600 doctors, physician assistants and nurse practitioners at Allina Health clinics has reached a tentative first contract agreement. (4/2)
Modern Healthcare: Henry Ford Health Acquires Cornerstone Medical Group
Henry Ford Health is adding to its rapid expansion across Southeast Michigan with the acquisition of Clinton Township-based Cornerstone Medical Group. Terms of the deal were not disclosed, but Cornerstone’s 25 locations across the region will be rolled into Henry Ford Medical Group, which employs 3,400 physicians and researchers. (Walsh, 4/2)
Healthcare Dive: CHS Closes Sale Of Alabama Hospital
Community Health Systems has closed the sale of another hospital as the for-profit health system makes progress paying down its debt. On Wednesday, nonprofit Huntsville Hospital Health System acquired Huntsville, Alabama-based Crestwood Medical Center from CHS for $459 million. (Halleman, 4/2)
Minnesota Public Radio: Interim Hennepin Healthcare Leader Steps Down
The person who was recently appointed as an interim leader of Hennepin Healthcare resigned Wednesday, according to an internal email obtained by MPR News. The Hennepin Healthcare Board appointed Dr. Kevin Croston as co-interim administrator in January after Hennepin Healthcare's previous interim CEO, Dr. Thomas Klemond, stepped down. (Zurek, 4/2)
Modern Healthcare: How DaVita, Bayada Are Building A Nursing Pipeline Amid Shortage
Healthcare providers are finding success using a DIY approach to recruit and train nurses amid a staffing crisis. They’re helping lower-level staff clinicians become registered nurses or offering enhanced education to nurses for roles in high-growth areas such as home healthcare, virtual healthcare and nephrology. (Eastabrook, 4/2)
The Baltimore Sun: Aberdeen-Based Company Designs New Trauma Care Simulator
Some military personnel and health care professionals will soon embark into a world where everything goes wrong on purpose — where stress is high, resources are limited, and the right decision needs to be made quickly. Operative Experience Inc., a company based in Aberdeen, said its Tier 3 Pro, a simulator based on the Department of Defense’s need to train service members to take care of one another when tragedy strikes, will fill a gap, providing hands-on training at an affordable price. (Foster, 4/2)
MedPage Today: Proposed Obesity Criteria Could Delay Care, Top Society Warns
Moving away from body mass index (BMI) alone to diagnose obesity may delay treatment for millions of patients, a group of experts from the Endocrine Society warned in a guideline communication. In January 2025, a Lancet Diabetes & Endocrinology global commission pitched a new framework that called for a more nuanced approach to diagnosing obesity. In theory, this would reduce misclassification and open the door for more personalized care. (Monaco, 4/2)
ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE
The New York Times: Why People With Chronic Illness Are Turning To AI Chatbots For Health Advice
When Margie Smith got sick in 2022, she sought help from a parade of specialists. She saw an allergist for an intractable cough; three pulmonologists for the cough and breathlessness; an ear, nose and throat doctor for severe acid reflux; a cardiologist after she almost passed out while exercising. She got the sense that most were siloed in their specialties and couldn’t assemble the full puzzle. Eventually, Ms. Smith, 70, of Swannanoa, N.C., turned to the A.I. chatbot Claude. (Astor, 4/2)
North Carolina Health News: Drilling Down On AI Use In Dentistry
It’s no longer futuristic or science fiction to think that your trip to the dentist might include robotics and artificial intelligence. Macon Singletary, a periodontist at North Raleigh Periodontics & Implant Center in Wake County, says it’s already here for him. Fear not, he says. Humans will still play a key role in your care. (Blythe, 4/3)
STATE WATCH
AP: Federal Officials Make 8 Arrests In Los Angeles Health Care Fraud Investigation
Federal officials on Thursday arrested eight people they say were involved in various health care fraud schemes totaling $50 million in and around Los Angeles. Five of the cases involved hospice-care centers in cities of Glendale, Artesia, Tarzana and Simi Valley in the Los Angeles area that allegedly billed Medicare for patients that were not terminally ill and did not qualify for hospice services, the U.S. Attorney’s Office said. One person was arrested in Idaho and another in LA for allegedly defrauding a West Coast labor union’s health care plans. An additional person arrested in LA was accused of forging immigration medical documents. (Ding, 4/3)
Minnesota Public Radio: Medicare Payments Set To Flow Again To Minnesota Rural Hospitals
A Medicare payment processing snafu that has effectively withheld millions of dollars from Minnesota rural hospitals for months and pushed some to the brink of closure appears to be easing. (Zurek, 4/2)
NBC News: Georgia Bans Many Midwives From Practicing. Several Are Suing The State
Twice a month, Sarah Stokely travels 4½ hours from her home in Rome, Georgia, to work for a week at a birth center in Blountville, Tennessee. Stokely is a certified nurse-midwife — the title for registered nurses who specialize in midwifery. But Georgia laws make it difficult for her to practice there. (Bendix, 4/2)
Stat: Conversion Therapy Ruling Has Implications For State Medical Boards
The U.S. Supreme Court ruling this week against Colorado’s ban on licensed mental health providers engaging in gender and sexuality “conversion therapy” could narrow the authority of state medical boards to regulate aspects of health providers’ care that involves speech, according to legal experts. The implications could extend far beyond matters related to LGBTQ+ rights to other forms of talk therapy, telehealth, and physician advice on Covid-19, vaccines, or reproductive care. (Gaffney, 4/3)
The Daily Yonder: Hands-On Telehealth Helps Reach Rural Texas Communities
A shipping container in Fort Davis is at the center of a new experiment in bringing telehealth to an aging rural population. Perched in the Davis Mountains of West Texas, Jeff Davis County faces steep barriers to care. Nearly one in five residents lacks reliable broadband. The only doctor in Fort Davis, the county seat, is semi-retired, and most people make the 30-minute drive to Alpine for care. (De Figueiredo, 4/2)
AP: Alabama Gov. Kay Ivey Released From Hospital After Lung Procedure
Alabama Gov. Kay Ivey was released from the hospital Thursday after undergoing a procedure to remove fluid pressing against her lung. Ivey, 81, is recovering at the Governor’s Mansion after staying two nights at a hospital in Montgomery, her office said. She will work from the residence and is expected to be back in the Capitol office next week. (4/2)
GLOBAL WATCH
AP: Congo Says Its Mpox Outbreak Is Over After 2 Years And Thousands Of Cases
Congo on Thursday declared the end of a two-year outbreak of the mpox disease that’s believed to have caused more than 2,200 deaths in the country. Health Minister Roger Kamba told journalists that the government had made the determination that the outbreak was over and no longer a national emergency. (4/2)
