Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
First Edition: Friday, Jan. 30, 2026
KFF HEALTH NEWS ORIGINAL STORIES
KFF Health News: ‘I Can’t Tell You’: Attorneys, Relatives Struggle To Find Hospitalized ICE Detainees
Lydia Romero strained to hear her husband’s feeble voice through the phone. A week earlier, immigration agents had grabbed Julio César Peña from his front yard in Glendale, California. Now, he was in a hospital after suffering a ministroke. He was shackled to the bed by his hand and foot, he told Romero, and agents were in the room, listening to the call. He was scared he would die and wanted his wife there. “What hospital are you at?” Romero asked. “I can’t tell you,” he replied. (Boyd-Barrett, 1/30)
KFF Health News: Blurry Line Between Medical And Vision Insurance Leaves Patient With Unexpected Bill
Barbara Tuszynski was concerned about her vision but confident in her insurance coverage when she went to an eye clinic last May. The retiree, 70, was diagnosed with glaucoma in her right eye in 2019. She had a laser procedure to treat it in 2022, and she uses medicated drops in both eyes to prevent more damage. She is supposed to be checked regularly, she said. During the May appointment, Tuszynski’s optometrist examined her eyes and reassured her that the glaucoma had not worsened. (Leys, 1/30)
KFF Health News: KFF Health News’ ‘What The Health?’: The Hazards Of ICE For Public Health
The actions of federal Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents are having ramifications far beyond immigration. Medical groups say that ICE agents in health facilities in Minneapolis and other cities are imperiling patient care, while in Washington, the backlash from a second fatal shooting by agents in Minnesota has stalled action on an eleventh-hour suite of spending bills. (Rovner, 1/29)
ON CAPITOL HILL
Politico: Noem Says Her Response To Pretti Shooting May Have Been Wrong
Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem has conceded she may have gotten some information wrong in her initial response to Border Patrol’s killing of Alex Pretti, the Minneapolis ICU nurse she labeled a domestic terrorist. Noem also dodged questions about her leadership of DHS amid widespread outrage, even among some Republicans, about the deaths of Pretti and Renee Good during an aggressive immigration enforcement operation in Minneapolis. (Pellish, 1/29)
Chicago Tribune: Nurses Union Stages Vigil At Chicago VA To Honor Alex Pretti
Four days after federal immigration agents shot and killed intensive care unit nurse Alex Pretti in Minneapolis, some 150 people gathered outside the Jesse Brown Department of Veteran Affairs Medical Center in Chicago Wednesday evening to mourn his death and demand the end of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement. (Kenny, 1/29)
Kansas City Star: KC Nurses Gather At Research Medical Center For Alex Pretti Vigil
Two children watched with wide eyes Thursday evening as a woman with a bright red megaphone stepped up to speak on the sidewalk in front of Research Medical Center. The pair’s snow boots tramped the nearly week-old Kansas City snow, two candles clutched in their small hands. Their mother, Sarah Patton, stood behind them. (Zimmerman and Curiel, 1/29)
The Guardian: A Helper And A Patriot: Alex Pretti’s Family And Friends On The Life Of Nurse Killed By Federal Agents
People who knew Pretti describe him as "generous with his time" and denounce the Trump administration’s assessment of him. (Betts, 1/29)
The Guardian: Minneapolis ICE Watchers Face Violence, Teargas And Arrests. They Keep Showing Up
RM, an observer who asked that their name remain anonymous because they feared further retaliation from federal agents while patrolling, said that they were at the scene of a raid – on the same day that Good was killed – when agents smashed their car window and sprayed chemical irritants directly into their car. Then an agent cuffed RM and used a pain-inducing restraint to drag them out, crushing their wrist in the process. They were not offered water to clear the irritant out of their eyes for more than an hour. Eventually, they were left to wash their face at a broken, low-pressure sink inside the cell where they were held. “The whole incident was painful and humiliating,” said RM. When they were released about three hours later, without any charges, they were finally able to wash in a shower. It took almost an hour to fully rinse off – and the irritant spread and burned their skin even as they tried to wash it off. “That, I would say, is the most painful experience of my life.” (Leingang and Singh, 1/29)
Minnesota Public Radio: 2 More Kids From Liam Ramos’ Columbia Heights School In ICE Custody
Two more Minnesota children — a second grader and a fifth grader — were taken into custody with their mother on Thursday by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents. The children are from the same Columbia Heights elementary school as Liam Conejo Ramos, the 5-year-old whose detainment by ICE last week gripped the Twin Cities and the nation as images of the small boy flanked by agents in his winter hat circulated online. (Shockman and Yucel, 1/29)
The Marshall Project: Children In ICE Detention Skyrocket In Trump’s Second Term
The number of children in Immigration and Customs Enforcement detention on a given day has skyrocketed, jumping more than sixfold since the start of the second Trump administration. The Marshall Project analyzed data obtained by the Deportation Data Project and found that ICE held around 170 children on an average day under Trump. During the last 16 months of the Biden administration, ICE held around 25 children a day. (Flagg and Heffernan, 1/29)
SUBSTANCE ABUSE
The Hill: Donald Trump Signs Executive Order To Fight Drug Addiction
President Trump signed an executive order aimed at combating drug addiction and substance abuse on Thursday, dubbing it “the Great American Recovery Initiative.” The initiative directs federal agencies to use grant funds to support addiction recovery and increase awareness surrounding addiction. The effort will also help agencies consolidate a number of programs including those pertaining to drug prevention, treatment and recovery support. (Manchester, 1/29)
MEDICAID AND MEDICARE
Modern Healthcare: CMS Provider Tax Rule Tightens State Medicaid Requirements
States will have to find new ways to pay for Medicaid under a regulation the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services issued Thursday. The agency finalized a proposal it made last May to crack down on the provider taxes states assess on hospitals, Medicaid insurers and others to help finance their share of Medicaid spending. The final rule also implements related provisions from the tax law President Donald Trump enacted last July. These taxes generate $24 billion a year for states, according to CMS. (Early, 1/29)
Stat: Tech Firms Offer Discounted Help To States On Medicaid Work Requirements
Ten technology vendors are offering $600 million worth of discounts to states that pick them to help implement Medicaid work requirements, the Trump administration announced Thursday, signaling how lucrative they think the sweeping change could be. (Bannow, 1/29)
Fierce Healthcare: CMS Wants To Reward Hospitals That Buy American
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) is looking at ways it could incentivize hospitals to purchase supplies and medications made in the U.S.—including via a potential new “Secure American Medical Supplies” designation within the Medicare program. The agency this week put out the call for public feedback, inviting stakeholders to weigh in on how such a designation “could facilitate the creation of new, streamlined payment policies to support hospitals in their efforts,” according to an advance notice of proposed rulemaking (ANPRM). (Muoio, 1/30)
Modern Healthcare: Medicare Prior Authorizations Off To A Rocky Start, Providers Say
Less than a month into the program that introduced prior authorizations to fee-for-service Medicare, providers say they are running into the kinds of problems they warned about last year. The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services launched the Wasteful and Inappropriate Service Reduction Model, or WISeR, on Jan. 1. Under WISeR, vendors use artificial intelligence, machine learning and other technologies to review prior authorization requests for a limited set of procedures in six states through 2031. The agency touts the initiative as a means to reduce waste, fraud and abuse and predicts it will save $3 billion. (Early, 1/29)
PRESCRIPTION DRUG COSTS
Modern Healthcare: PBMs Must Disclose Rebates Under Labor Department Proposed Rule
Pharmacy benefit managers would have to follow new transparency requirements under a proposed rule issued Thursday by the Labor Department. Under the proposed rule, PBMs would be mandated to disclose information to large group employers about drugmaker rebates, pharmacy reimbursements and other negotiated compensation. The disclosures would have to include services provided, payments and the arrangements with other parties in the pharmaceutical supply chain, the proposed rule said. It would also allow employers to audit the accuracy of the disclosures and seek relief, if necessary. (Tong, 1/29)
Stat: Senators Raise Concerns About TrumpRx In Letter To HHS Watchdog
The Trump administration soon plans to launch TrumpRx, a website it says will allow patients to buy prescription drugs directly from pharmaceutical companies at a discount. Over several months, the administration has made deals with more than a dozen pharmaceutical manufacturers to expand access to their drugs through the platform. (Palmer, 1/29)
MORE ON THE TRUMP ADMINISTRATION
Stat: Lawsuit Challenges Federal Rule That Disabled People Receive Care In Community
A lawsuit targeting a landmark disability law has received new life after nine states filed an update that seeks to undercut federal mandates that people with disabilities receive care in their communities. (Broderick, 1/29)
Stat: Early-Career Researchers Feel Squeezed By Tighter Research Funding
An aspiring bioengineer, Alex Sathler was walking through the streets of London with a friend last summer when he pulled out his phone and saw that he’d been chosen for a prestigious National Science Foundation fellowship right before entering graduate school. He couldn’t believe his luck. (Wosen, 1/30)
The New York Times: Michael Beck, 65, Dies; First To Report Symptoms Of ‘Havana Syndrome’
Michael Beck, the first of scores of federal workers to develop neurological symptoms while serving at U.S. government facilities overseas, a condition that has come to be known as Havana Syndrome and which, Mr. Beck claimed, resulted in his diagnosis of a rare form of Parkinson’s disease when he was 45, died on Saturday in Columbia, Md. He was 65. His daughter, Regan, said that he died while shopping and that the cause had not been determined. (Risen, 1/29)
HEALTHCARE INDUSTRY
The New York Times: Pizza Cutter And A Fork: A Bizarre Bid To Break Mangione Out Of Jail
A man was arrested on Wednesday evening after he impersonated an F.B.I. agent at a federal jail in Brooklyn while carrying a pizza cutter, saying he had a court order for the release of Luigi Mangione, according to a criminal complaint and people familiar with the episode. The man, Mark Anderson, originally from Mankato, Minn., appeared in federal court in Brooklyn on Thursday and was charged with impersonating an F.B.I. agent. A judge ordered him detained at the Metropolitan Detention Center, the same jail that houses Mr. Mangione, who is charged with murder in the 2024 fatal shooting of a health care executive. (Meko, Nerkar and Bromwich, 1/29)
MedPage Today: Blanket Ban On Physician Noncompete Agreements Is Off The Table, FTC Says
Physicians described how restrictive noncompete agreements have hurt their careers and their patients during an online workshop hosted by the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) this week. FTC Chair Andrew Ferguson said the agency plans to address anticompetitive noncompete agreements. At the same time, he made clear that the FTC had no interest in pursuing a blanket ban -- something the Biden administration tried and failed to implement. (Firth, 1/29)
Modern Healthcare: Community Health Systems To Sell 3 Hospitals To Tenor, Exit PA
Pennsylvania has given the go-ahead for Community Health Systems to sell three of its hospitals in a deal marking the company’s exit from the state. The Pennsylvania Department of Health has approved Tenor Health Foundation’s acquisition of Commonwealth Health, a CHS spokesperson said Thursday. The CHS subsidiary comprises Regional Hospital and Moses Taylor Hospital in Scranton and Wilkes-Barre General Hospital, along with clinics. CHS would have no affiliated hospitals in Pennsylvania following the close of the transaction, the spokesperson said. (DeSilva, 1/29)
Modern Healthcare: How Ohio Health, Advocate Are Reducing Hospital Readmissions
Health systems are getting smarter on how they handle post-acute care discharges to keep patients from bouncing back to the hospital. They’re educating clinicians on the most appropriate post-acute setting for patients, adding teams to speed up care transitions and going toe-to-toe with health insurers over referral denials. The added focus on process comes as more providers pivot to value-based care, which rewards them for quality and outcomes. (Eastabrook, 1/29)
PHARMA AND TECH
Bloomberg: UK Warns Of Severe Pancreatitis, Deaths Linked To Wegovy, Mounjaro
The UK warned some patients have died of severe inflammation of the pancreas linked to obesity and diabetes drugs such as Eli Lilly & Co.’s Mounjaro and Novo Nordisk A/S’s Wegovy. Though the worst cases of pancreatitis were rare, the UK Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency said Thursday doctors and patients should know some incidents had been particularly severe, as it strengthened its warning over taking the drugs. (Kresge, 1/29)
MedPage Today: Amputation Risk In Diabetes Drops With GLP-1 Drugs, Study Suggests
GLP-1 receptor agonist use was tied to a lower risk of recurrent major adverse limb events (MALEs) in people with diabetes compared with another drug class, a retrospective Taiwanese study showed. (Monaco, 1/29)
Stat: Popular Online Lab Tests May Not Be Covered By HIPAA Protections
As more Americans sidestep doctors’ offices to order lab tests and genetic screenings online, privacy experts warn that the new trove of sensitive health data could end up in the hands of companies selling certain types of insurance, lenders, employers, or law enforcement. (Ravindranath, 1/30)
REPRODUCTIVE HEALTH
Wyoming Public Radio: Abortion Could Be On The Ballot In Three Western States This Fall
Voters could weigh in on abortion rights this fall in Idaho, Nevada and Wyoming. In the post-Roe v. Wade era, where decision-making power over abortion lies in state hands, ballot initiatives have become a popular way of restricting or protecting these rights, and often a way to get around courts. (Merzbach, 1/29)
Bloomberg: Children’s Development May Be Affected By Covid During Pregnancy
For much of the pandemic, discussions of Covid-19 in pregnancy were dominated by a simple reassurance: Babies rarely tested positive. Doctors concluded that the virus seldom passed from mother to fetus. That message shaped medical guidance and public perception of the risks, but it was incomplete. Early studies relied heavily on nasal swab PCR tests that focused on whether babies had an active infection at birth. ... When researchers started using tests more sensitive than nasal swabs on newborns, evidence mounted that many babies had been exposed to the coronavirus in utero. (Gale, 1/30)
CIDRAP: Large Study Finds COVID-19 Shots Don’t Affect Fertility
During the pandemic, many women were afraid to be vaccinated because of widespread misinformation that COVID-19 shots would harm their chances of getting pregnant. But in a new study from Sweden, researchers found no statistically significant difference in rates of childbirth or miscarriage among vaccinated and unvaccinated women. (Szabo, 1/29)
MedPage Today: More Evidence Backs AI-Supported Mammography
Mammography screening supported by artificial intelligence (AI) showed consistently favorable outcomes compared with standard double reading by radiologists, including a noninferior interval cancer rate, according to results from the MASAI randomized trial. (Bassett, 1/29)
The Maine Monitor: Maine Indigenous Organization Trained 30 New Doulas
Wabanaki Public Health and Wellness for the first time has trained about 30 doulas to help families leading up to and during birth as other birthing services across the state have ceased. Lisa Sockabasin, co-CEO of the health organization based in Bangor, said she heard from concerned community members about the crisis of closing birthing centers across Maine, so Wabanaki Public Health and Wellness decided to help fill in the gaps. Most of the participants in the late-September training were Indigenous, though some were not, she said. (Lundy, 1/29)
STATE WATCH
CalMatters: Cops Have To Treat Marijuana In Your Car Differently After New California Supreme Court Ruling
In a ruling handed down today, the high court ruled that police must find marijuana in a condition that’s ready to be smoked if they are going to charge a driver with an open container violation. (Duara, 1/29)
SF Gate: Officials Confirm Tuberculosis Outbreak At SF Private School
The San Francisco Department of Public Health is investigating an active outbreak of tuberculosis at Archbishop Riordan High School that has sickened at least three individuals. (Mohney, 1/29)
News Service of Florida: Florida House Subcommittee Approves A Major Health Care Measure
A Florida House panel Thursday backed a wide-ranging plan that seeks to trim health care regulations and carry out federal changes in programs such as food assistance and Medicaid. (Saunders, 1/30)
Mississippi Today: Mississippi Lawmakers Push Bills To Ban Cellphone Use In Schools
Cellphones could soon become a rarer sight in classrooms, thanks to the Mississippi Legislature. The House Education Committee passed a bill during its Wednesday meeting that would require local school boards to enact policies that restrict or prohibit the use of cellphones during the school day. The Senate Education Committee greenlit a similar bill during its meeting last week, which bodes well for the legislative success of the policy. (Bose, 1/29)
The Texas Tribune: Texas Hill Country Floods Are Worsening Mental Health Issues
During a rain storm that rolled into Kerr County one night last week, Austin Dickson, who lives near Kerrville, began receiving calls from concerned neighbors that water was rising downtown. They feared the conditions could become a repeat of the July 4 floods. Dickson, who is also the CEO of the Community Foundation of the Texas Hill Country, said his community is suffering from anxiety and PTSD, which mental health experts say are expected to surge this year. (Simpson, 1/29)
LIFESTYLE AND HEALTH
NBC News: Longevity: A Person's Genes Play A Much Larger Role In Lifespan Than Thought
A person’s genes play a far greater role in likely lifespan than previously thought, according to a major new study published Thursday in the journal Science. Using data from human twin studies, an international team of researchers arrived at the conclusion that the genetic contribution to how long we’re likely to live is as high as 55%. (Cox, 1/29)
NBC News: Experts Worry B6 Toxicity From Electrolyte Drinks Or Supplements Is Rising. Here's What To Know
There’s growing awareness of rare, but potentially serious side effects from high doses of vitamin B6, a nutrient that’s become popular in a range of dietary supplements, electrolyte drinks and fortified foods. Vitamin B6, or pyridoxine, is a nutrient critical to many bodily functions, including nerve health, protein metabolism and blood sugar regulation. Because vitamin B6 is also vital to brain development, it’s important during pregnancy and infancy. It’s often promoted to help boost energy, as well as relieve stress. (Leake, 1/29)
The Hill: California-Based Navitas Organics Recalls Chia Seeds Sold At Amazon, Whole Foods
A “superfood” sold nationwide is under recall over the risk of salmonella contamination. California-based Navitas Organics is recalling certain eight-ounce packages of organic chia seeds after its supplier notified the company of a recall. The seeds, which are advertised on the product pouches as a “plant-based superfood,” were sold online by retailers including Amazon, and at Whole Foods and other retailers across the country. (Tanner, 1/29)
