Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
First Edition: Friday, Aug. 21, 2026
KFF HEALTH NEWS ORIGINAL STORIES
KFF Health News: How Louisiana’s New Surgeon General Wants To Transform Public Health
Evelyn Griffin had led a life out of the spotlight until she testified at the Louisiana Statehouse five years ago and experienced what she called her “great awakening.” The state health department wanted to add covid vaccines to the school immunization schedule, a move no state has ever implemented. Robert F. Kennedy Jr., then known as a leading vaccine skeptic, had already claimed the covid shot was “the deadliest vaccine ever made” during a poster board presentation at the legislative hearing. (Westwood, 8/21)
KFF Health News: Watch: Mark Cuban Says You Can’t Fix Healthcare Until Every Price Is Known
The ongoing debate over the U.S. health system shouldn’t be based on whether the government or the private sector is the dominant player, billionaire entrepreneur Mark Cuban said this week. The bigger issue, he said, is whether the system’s participants are transparent about what they charge and what they pay. “I’m not opposed to single-payer or universal healthcare at all,” Cuban said Aug. 18 in an interview with KFF Health News. But “when you don’t know all the costs, when there’s no transparency, it’s impossible to determine if it’s a better solution or not,” he said. (Rovner and Norman, 8/21)
KFF Health News: New DOJ Guidance Could Give States Cover To Cut Disability Services
People with disabilities have long fought for the right to live at home rather than in institutions. Now, the Department of Justice says states don’t have to help make that happen. The decision by the Trump administration comes amid massive cuts in federal funding for Medicaid. Advocates worry this could be a one-two punch for disabled Americans who want to live independently. (8/21)
KFF Health News: KFF Health News’ ‘What The Health?’: Headless FDA Gets A New Nominee
Heidi Overton, a physician and White House domestic policy adviser, is President Donald Trump’s choice to be the next head of the Food and Drug Administration. Overton, an abortion opponent and supporter of Trump’s proposed changes to the childhood vaccine schedule, has made enemies while working on health policy from the White House and could face some tough questioning from senators. (Rovner, 8/20)
THE TRUMP ADMINISTRATION
MedPage Today: Physicians Sue U.S. Government Over New Dietary Guidelines
A physician group filed a lawsuit against HHS and the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), alleging that the government botched the most recent dietary guidelines. The suit was brought by the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine (PCRM), a Washington, D.C.-based nonprofit founded in 1985 that advocates for plant-based diets and alternatives to animal-based research. The group has a long history of using legal pressure to further their goals. (Robertson, 8/20)
NPR: As USS Lincoln Heads Home, Mental Health Experts Tally The Stressors Of Life At Sea
The USS Abraham Lincoln — which has been participating in U.S. military operations in the war with Iran — is now on its way home. The roughly 5,000 sailors and Marines aboard that ship have spent a grueling nine months at sea with little relief. Reports have emerged of deteriorating conditions — and of deteriorating mental health, including apparent attempts by crewmembers to jump overboard. The Navy has not confirmed those reports and NPR has not independently verified them. "A small number of mental health cases were treated with no loss of life," Acting Secretary of the Navy Hung Cao said in a statement last week. (Riddle, 8/21)
REPRODUCTIVE HEALTH
MedPage Today: ACOG Strengthens Support For Fallopian Tube Removal To Prevent Ovarian Cancer
Ob/gyns should routinely remove fallopian tubes during hysterectomy and recommend opportunistic bilateral salpingectomy (OBS) to patients undergoing other surgical procedures, according to a clinical practice update from the American College of Obstetricians & Gynecologists (ACOG). Published in Obstetrics and Gynecology, this update strengthens ACOG's support for OBS, which has a strong evidence base. Data from multiple studies have shown that removing the fallopian tubes is safe and can reduce a patient's lifetime risk of ovarian cancer by as much as 78%. (Bankhead, 8/20)
Indiana Capital Chronicle: Planned Parenthood Can Refer Indiana Abortion Patients Out-Of-State, Federal Appeals Court Rules
A federal appeals court on Tuesday upheld a ruling that permanently bars the state of Indiana from penalizing Planned Parenthood for pointing pregnant minors to states in which abortion is legal. A three-judge panel of the U.S. Appeals Court for the Seventh District found that providing factual information on abortions, as well as referrals for the procedure, is speech protected by the First Amendment — and that the state’s arguments aren’t strong enough to overcome that. (Bonilla Muñiz, 8/19)
ProPublica: Missouri Republicans Are Trying to Repeal Abortion Rights by Leaning Into Anti-Trans Sentiment
Two years after falsely linking reproductive rights to gender transition care for minors, GOP lawmakers have packaged the two issues into one amendment in an effort to strip away the right to abortion. (Kohler, 8/21)
OUTBREAKS AND HEALTH THREATS
AP: Alfalfa Sprouts Food Poisoning Illnesses Linked In Two States
Minnesota health officials are warning consumers not to eat certain brands of alfalfa sprouts that have been tied to an unusual outbreak involving different disease-causing bacteria. Officials say 23 people in Minnesota have become ill with either E. coli or salmonella infections, with two of them hospitalized. Three had salmonella, and one of them also had a strain of E. coli bacteria called STEC O168:H8. Seven other people were sickened with a different version of E. coli, called STEC O103:H25. Thirteen more had yet another strain, STEC O26:H11. (Stobbe, 8/20)
The Washington Post: FDA Upgrades Recall Of Frozen Berries To Highest-Risk Warning
The Food and Drug Administration has upgraded a recall of frozen blueberries and mixed berries to its highest-level risk warning. Last month, Publix grocery stores recalled all lots of GreenWise Organic Whole Blueberries and Whole Mixed Berries because of potential E. coli contamination, which can cause stomach cramps, diarrhea and vomiting, and in some cases more serious complications. This week, the FDA elevated the notice to a Class 1 recall because of a “reasonable probability” the product could cause serious health consequences or death. (Wang, 8/20)
NPR: Federal Funding Cuts Test Cyclosporiasis Outbreak Response
Environmental health expert Bob Custard spent four decades working with local governments on things like clean water, rabies prevention and food safety. He also represents 160 others doing that kind of work as president of the West Virginia Association of Sanitarians. With the largest-ever cyclosporiasis outbreak concentrated in nearby states, Custard – now a public health consultant – said federal funding cuts have left local food safety programs across the state grossly understaffed. Health officials are unable to keep pace with the interviews and investigations needed to track and contain the diarrhea-causing bug. "It's like we have a house, and we decided to take smoke detectors out," Custard said of the current approach to foodborne illness. (Noguchi, 8/20)
CIDRAP: Louisiana Confirms Naegleria Fowleri Brain Infection In Resident Who Swam In Lake Claiborne
The Louisiana Department of Health (LDH) yesterday confirmed Naegleria fowleri infection in a Louisiana resident. The resident most likely acquired the infection while swimming in Lake Claiborne, located in Claiborne Parish in the northern part of the state. (Soucheray, 8/20)
North Carolina Health News: Scabies Cases Identified At NC Prison
For weeks, dozens of men at Neuse Correctional Institution, a medium-custody prison in Goldsboro, have experienced intense itching and pimple-like bumps appearing all over their bodies. Many of the men believe they have scabies, a skin condition caused by microscopic mites that burrow into the skin and lay eggs. (Crumpler, 8/21)
EBOLA OUTBREAK
Bloomberg: Africa CDC Says Ebola Spread Has Pandemic-Emergency Signs
Africa’s worsening Ebola outbreak is displaying several of the characteristics that health authorities consider when assessing whether a disease should be escalated to a pandemic-emergency status, according to the continent’s top public-health authority. Yap Boum, head of emergency preparedness and response at Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention, stopped short of saying the outbreak should formally be designated a pandemic emergency, a decision that rests with the World Health Organization. Still, he pointed to Ebola’s severity, complex transmission and impact on health systems as among the criteria raising concern. (Kew, 8/20)
CIDRAP: WHO Delivers Ebola Vaccine To DR Congo To See If It Can Protect Against Bundibugyo Strain
Today the World Health Organization (WHO) announced it has allocated 70,000 Ervebo doses for use in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) to help combat its fast-growing Ebola outbreak. (Soucheray, 8/20)
COVID
CNN: The Traditional Respiratory Virus Season Hasn’t Started, But Covid Is Already Climbing
Are you coughing, hacking or feeling feverish? It may not be just a summer cold; you might want to consider taking a Covid test. Although the autumn respiratory illness season hasn’t kicked off, and flu and RSV activity remain low, there’s a growing summer wave of Covid-19. (Christensen, 8/20)
CIDRAP: Researchers Probe Why 2 Indigenous Groups In Bolivia Had Lowest COVID Death Rates In World
Two Indigenous groups in Bolivian Amazon had the lowest COVID-19 death rates ever reported in the height of the pandemic—less than one-tenth of 1%—despite high rates of infection and severe disease—a finding that researchers say has implications for disease-mitigation efforts in future pandemics. For the study, published in Social Science & Medicine, a team led by researchers from the Universita di Corsica in France interviewed and took blood samples from members of the Tsimane and Moseten communities aged 17 years and older in July and December 2020 and March through May 2021. (Van Beusekom, 8/20)
HEALTHCARE INDUSTRY
The Wall Street Journal: Exclusive: U.S. Workers Are Paying More For Healthcare, And Next Year Will Be Worse
Surging healthcare costs are walloping U.S. workers, and they will only worsen next year. For 2027, employers may be facing the biggest health-insurance increase in at least two decades. Americans with workplace coverage are expected to spend an average $5,297 this year on healthcare, $388 more than 2025, according to a new estimate from benefits-consulting firm Aon. The spending represents a combination of payroll deductions for premiums and out-of-pocket charges like deductibles and copays. (Wilde Mathews and Loftus, 8/20)
Modern Healthcare: Centene To Cut Some Medicare Advantage Plans, Exit 3 States
Centene is scaling back its Medicare Advantage presence next year as the health insurance company looks to cut costs. The insurer plans to completely withdraw from Oklahoma, Tennessee and Hawaii, according to a notice the company distributed to third-party marketing organizations last week. (Tepper and Broderick, 8/20)
Becker's Hospital Review: Mount Sinai Receives Cease-And-Desist Demand From Insurer Over New Patient Policy
EmblemHealth issued New York City-based Mount Sinai Health System’s independent practice association a cease-and-desist letter regarding its decision to stop accepting new patients from some of the insurer’s government-backed plans. The insurer sent Vincent Tammaro, Mount Sinai’s executive vice president and CFO, the letter Aug. 19. Politico first reported that an archived version of Mount Sinai’s website said the health system stopped accepting some new patients with government-backed health plans — including EmblemHealth’s Medicaid plan, Essential Plan, Health and Recovery Plan and Child Health Plus offering — Aug. 1. (Casolo, 8/20)
Modern Healthcare: Cityblock To Acquire Homeward Health
Cityblock Health said it plans to acquire a rural provider in Michigan and has raised another $116 million to fund its growth. The longtime Medicaid-focused provider has signed a definitive agreement to acquire Homeward Health in an all-stock transaction. The deal is expected to close in the next few weeks, a Cityblock spokesperson said Thursday. Financial terms were not disclosed. (Hudson, 8/20)
CBS News: Drug Mix-Up At Nashville Hospital Causes Complications In 4 Patients
Tennessee authorities are investigating after a drug mix-up at a Nashville hospital caused patients to experience complications during what should have been routine surgeries. The error occurred at Ascension Saint Thomas Midtown on Friday, Aug. 14. CBS affiliate WTVF reported that four patients had received doses of potassium instead of standard pain drugs while undergoing joint replacement operations. All of the operations were supposed to be outpatient procedures, WTVF reported. (Breen, 8/20)
Modern Healthcare: Epic UGM 2026: 4 Takeaways On AI Strategy, TEFCA
Thousands of health system executives came together this week for Epic Systems’ annual user group meeting, as the electronic health record vendor faces numerous obstacles, including high-profile leadership changes and a reported antitrust investigation. The four-day event offered attendees a look at Epic’s research and development road map, insight into the role artificial intelligence will continue to play at the company, the vendor’s regulatory wish list and more. (Famakinwa, 8/20)
PHARMACEUTICALS
The New York Times: How Moderna Nearly Tripled Its Stock Price In A Single Day
The company’s fortunes cratered as demand for Covid-19 vaccines plummeted. But it was busy working on something else. (Robbins, 8/20)
FiercePharma: Roche Earmarks $750M To Double The Size Of Its Oregon Manufacturing Facility
Eight months after more than doubling down on its construction of a $2 billion drug manufacturing facility in Holly Springs, North Carolina, Roche is making a similar move on the other side of the United States. At the campus of its Genentech unit in Hillsboro, Oregon, Roche will invest $750 million to double the size of its existing production facility. The new outlay will support the construction of a fill-finish plant that will produce drug-delivery devices, such as prefilled syringes and auto-injectors, which largely allow patients to administer drugs by themselves at home. (Dunleavy, 8/20)
MedPage Today: First Therapy Approved For Dangerous Metabolic Disorder
The FDA on Wednesday granted accelerated approval to pariglasgene brecaparvovec (Genglycos) as the first treatment for glycogen storage disease type Ia (GSDIa), an inherited metabolic disorder that requires frequent consumption of cornstarch to prevent severe or life-threatening hypoglycemia. (Ingram, 8/20)
FiercePharma: Novo Testing Smaller Doses Of Wegovy Pill In Phase 3 Study
Just eight months after it introduced its oral version of semaglutide for obesity, also known as the Wegovy pill, Novo Nordisk is testing the GLP-1 in smaller doses in the late-stage OASIS 5 study. The company has not made public the strength of the doses being tested in the placebo-controlled trial, which is underway in the United States and Europe. A starter dose of the Wegovy pill comes in at 1.5 mg, with the titration schedule ramping up in increments of 4 mg, 9 mg and then a maximum dose of 25 mg. (Dunleavy, 8/20)
STATE WATCH
MPR News: Minnesota Group Homes Run By Sekou Dukuly Shut Down Due To Fraud Allegations, Safety Risks
The Minnesota Department of Human Services is suspending payments to all group home companies affiliated with a high-ranking government official in Liberia, citing “credible allegations of Medicaid fraud,” following an MPR News and APM Reports investigation this week. The Department of Health says it will shut down three group homes he managed and will transfer their residents to other facilities. The investigation published Monday found that Sekou Dukuly, the managing director of Liberia’s National Port Authority, had been the director at three Golden Touch Health Care group homes since 2025. (Peak, Roth, Lu and Euzet, 8/20)
AP: Hundreds In Pink Rally For Lindsay Clancy At Her Murder Trial
Hundreds of Lindsay Clancy supporters, many wearing pink clothing emblazoned with phrases such as “Believe,” “She Needed Help” and “Peace For Lindsay,” gathered Thursday outside the courthouse where she is on trial in the killings of her three children. Several of the 300 women, and a few men, said Clancy’s story resonated with them and that they wanted to raise awareness about how the mental health system treats women. Clancy’s lawyer does not dispute that she killed the children, but says she should not be held criminally responsible because she was mentally ill. (Casey, 8/20)
