Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
First Edition: Friday, Nov. 6, 2026
KFF HEALTH NEWS ORIGINAL STORIES
KFF Health News: Midterm Wave Sets A Course For ‘Medicare For All’ Fight
Fifteen years working as an emergency room nurse has convinced Kim Bogan that the only way to fix the American healthcare system is to tear it down and start over. Her patients arriving for triage are sicker than ever. They can’t afford many of the prescriptions they get in the ER. And sometimes when patients die, she wonders if she could have saved them had she not been caring for five or six other people at once. (Wells, 11/6)
KFF Health News: Healthcare Cuts Fuel Democrats' Election Blowout
Healthcare affordability. Abortion access. “Medicare for All.” Healthcare was a major force behind the big wins for Democrats in this week’s midterm elections. But the debate over what the Democratic Party will do next is just getting started. KFF Health News chief Washington correspondent Julie Rovner appeared on WAMU’s Health Hub on Nov. 4 to explore what Democrats might do with their newfound power. However, with President Donald Trump still in office, this blue wave is likely to crash into legislative limits. (Rovner, 11/6)
KFF Health News: KFF Health News’ ‘What The Health?’: A Blue Wave Hits Healthcare
Democrats are poised to take control of the House and Senate — as well as a majority of governorships — come January after voters delivered a stunning election rebuke of President Donald Trump and the GOP majorities in Congress. The changeover puts the spotlight back on health policy, an issue Democrats pressed hard in their election campaigns. (Rovner, 11/5)
THE LATEST ELECTION RESULTS
AP: Left-Leaning Washington And Colorado Ban Transgender Athletes
Voters in left-leaning Washington state and Colorado have approved measures designed to ban transgender athletes from participating in school-sanctioned sports. Measure 638 in Washington, which had more than 56% of the vote, will prevent students who were assigned male at birth from participating in sports designated for female athletes. The measure also requires athletes wanting to play in female sports to produce a statement from a health care provider verifying their gender. Proposition 134 in Colorado will require educational institutions and athletic associations to assign sports as male, female or coed. The proposal, which was supported by 52% of voters, will also limit athletes to playing in sports in the gender they were assigned at birth. (Graves, 11/6)
ProPublica: Missouri Passes Amendment 6, Protecting Citizen-Led Initiatives
Amendment 6, approved by a decisive margin, sharply limits the legislature’s ability to overturn laws and constitutional amendments enacted through citizen initiatives, and its ability to revive laws voters rejected through referendums. Missouri Republicans have only themselves to blame, according to political observers who have watched the conflict between lawmakers and voters intensify. They resisted a voter-approved Medicaid expansion, repealed paid sick leave protections and sought to reverse abortion rights. They sometimes packaged their efforts with unrelated culture-war provisions, like limiting healthcare for transgender minors, that were intended to appeal to conservative voters. (Kohler, 11/5)
The New York Times: Democrats Clear 250 House Seats In Decisive Power Shift
The Democratic House majority surged past 250 seats on Thursday as the party seized its biggest majority in nearly two decades by flipping more seats, including in Montana, where a former smoke jumper disrupted decades of Republican dominance. The last time either party held so many seats was 2008, when Democrats swept to power behind Barack Obama. The latest race calls by The Associated Press continued to strengthen Democrats’ hold on the House, though they also hoped to add to their margin in the Senate with seats in Alaska and Mississippi, where their nominees held narrow leads over the Republican incumbents. (Browning, 11/6)
AP: Iowa Democrat Wins State House Race Despite Suspending Campaign
A Democrat won a western Iowa legislative district in Tuesday’s elections even though he had suspended his campaign two months ago because of health issues, a sign of the party’s sweeping midterm successin the state and across the country. Eric Armstrong, whose name still appeared on the ballot, was elected to represent a state House district held by current Democratic state Rep. Josh Turek, who won his bid for U.S. Senate Tuesday. Voters in the district backed Republican President Donald Trump two years ago. (11/5)
MORE ON THE MIDTERM ELECTIONS
The New York Times: Katherine Clark Could Be The House Majority Leader. Who Is She?
Representative Katherine M. Clark of Massachusetts, the No. 2 House Democrat, is set to become the majority leader in January, after her party won control of the chamber. Ms. Clark, 63, a quiet, progressive power player in Congress, would make history as the first woman to hold that role, though Representative Nancy Pelosi broke a higher glass ceiling in 2007 when she became the first woman to be speaker. (Karni, 11/5)
Los Angeles Times: California’s Contemplative Governor-Elect Still Mulling Over How To Lower Prices, Provide Healthcare
In his first news conference since being elected governor, Xavier Becerra remained noncommittal on taxes, energy and healthcare policy — even refusing to commit to reversing cuts to Medi-Cal coverage for undocumented immigrants, a campaign pledge. But he asserted that he was already working with legislative counterparts on how to provide critical services and lower the cost of living. “I can’t make a commitment without knowing what exactly I’m facing,” Becerra said of reversing cuts to Medi-Cal. “I don’t think any voter, any taxpayer, any Californian wants to have a governor who’s still acting like a politician” on the campaign trail. (Nixon, 11/5)
The Washington Post: Texas’s New Democratic Governor Hinojosa Vows To Undo Policies She Calls Divisive
At a Thursday briefing where — unlike her predecessor, GOP Gov. Greg Abbott — she answered questions in English and Spanish, Gina Hinojosa said she had spoken with Abbott, who was “gracious” and assured her he would “fully cooperate” with the transition. “People are tired of the divisions, of the fighting, of the culture wars. This is the time to come together in a way that is about just delivering for the people of Texas,” Hinojosa said at the University of Texas, just miles from the Capitol where for the next two months Republicans retain control of every state office. (Hennessy-Fiske, 11/5)
The Hill: Bernie Sanders Urges Democrats To Prioritize Medicare For All
Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) on Thursday called for Democrats to pass “Medicare for All” when they take control of the Senate in January. “Healthcare must be considered as a human right, not a privilege. That means passing Medicare for All legislation now supported by 66 percent of the American people,” Sanders said in a video. Sanders will likely be the next chair of the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee, where he will have a major platform to push for a Medicare for All agenda in the next Congress. (Weixel, 11/5)
The Hill: The MAHA Movement Seeks Bipartisan Partners After Midterm Losses
A top leader in the Make America Healthy Again (MAHA) movement said he is willing to work with Democrats if they share his vision, after Republicans were trounced out of power in Tuesday’s midterm elections. Tony Lyons, a key ally of Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. who runs several MAHA political committees, said Wednesday that the movement must work with anyone who shares its goals. (Weixel, 11/5)
The Washington Post: GOP’s Losses Will Raise Pressure On Conservative Supreme Court Justices To Retire
The GOP’s sweeping losses in the midterm elections Tuesday set up an unsettling possibility for the party: If it doesn’t act now to confirm a new Supreme Court justice, it may not have another chance for years to come. That prospect is likely to ramp up pressure on the court’s two oldest conservatives — Justices Samuel A. Alito Jr., 76, and Clarence Thomas, 78 — to retire during the lame-duck period, while Republicans still have the votes to get a nominee confirmed by the Senate. The new Senate, in which Democrats will hold a majority, is seated on Jan. 3. ... The Supreme Court’s conservative 6-3 supermajority has delivered historic opinions on abortion, affirmative action, religious rights and much more that have thrilled Republicans. A younger replacement for Alito or Thomas could lock that advantage in for years to come. (Jouvenal, 11/5)
AFFORDABLE CARE ACT
Modern Healthcare: CMS Freeze On ACA Exchange Brokers Lifted By Court
Health insurance marketers have gotten a reprieve from a federal freeze on enrolling new agents and brokers to serve the Affordable Care Act of 2010 marketplaces. The U.S. District Court for the District of Maryland issued a stay Thursday against the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services’ block on new agent and broker sales registrations for the federal health insurance exchanges, according to two trade groups that filed lawsuits against the agency. (Tepper, 11/5)
THE TRUMP ADMINISTRATION
Stat: Two No Surprises Act Arbitrators Lose Federal Contracts
The Trump administration is cutting off two groups tasked with arbitrating disputes over surprise medical bills, citing a failure “to meet minimum performance standards.” (Payne, 11/5)
The New York Times: Justice Dept. Steps Up Criminal Inquiry of Supreme Court Abortion Decision Leak
The Justice Department is pursuing a criminal investigation into who leaked the Supreme Court’s 2022 decision overturning the right to abortion, examining the inner workings of an institution that has long operated in secrecy and resisted oversight from the other branches of government. At issue is who provided the draft decision to Politico two months before it was formally released by the court, a seismic breach of confidentiality that led to intense partisan accusations about the motivations of the leaker. (Kantor and Schmidt, 11/5)
Politico: RFK Jr. Ally Russell Brand Found Guilty Of Rape And Sexual Assault
Actor Russell Brand, a leading figure in Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s Make America Healthy Again movement, was found guilty Thursday in the United Kingdom of raping one woman and sexually assaulting three others between 2004 and 2009. Brand was arrested after the verdict was announced and is facing years in prison, according to the British Press Association, a national news agency. He will be sentenced on Monday, U.K. prosecutors said in a statement. (Paun, 11/5)
Politico: RFK Jr.’s Alliance With Trump Is On Tenterhooks
The MAHA and MAGA marriage is going through its roughest patch yet. Tuesday’s sweep by the Democrats, along with waning support from some of Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s biggest followers, suggests there’s plenty of reason for divorce. Kennedy now faces a gauntlet of hostile Democrats on Capitol Hill, while others are openly courting his supporters. (Chu and Paun, 11/5)
OUTBREAKS AND HEALTH THREATS
Bloomberg: Measles Kills Infant In Wisconsin, Marking State’s First Measles Fatality In 36 Years
Wisconsin reported its first measles death in more than three decades on Thursday, the latest state to suffer a fatality from a virus that was long eradicated in the US but recently surged back amid a wave of anti-vaccine sentiment. The death occurred in an infant, the Wisconsin Department of Health Services said in a statement. It is the third US measles death within the last week — matching the number of deaths in all of 2025. In the preceding 25 years, the US typically had no deaths. (Nix, 11/5)
The Washington Post: Infant Bleeding Surged Last Year As Parents Refuse Vitamin K Shot For Newborns
Cases of infant bleeding surged last year as more parents refused critical vitamin K injections for their newborns, according to new research released Thursday in JAMA Pediatrics. While the research does not point to a cause, scientists note some of the change comes during a time of growing skepticism around public health fueled partly in recent years by President Donald Trump’s administration. (Wu, 11/4)
The New York Times: Bird Flu Death In Washington State Renews Concern Over The Virus
The death, in Yakima County, Wash., is the first related to bird flu in the country this year, and the third since 2024. But it was only on Thursday, one day after an inquiry from The New York Times, that the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention updated its website. It still has not made any statements to the public about the death. Documents obtained by the Animal Welfare Institute, an advocacy group, showed that federal and state officials also have done little to stem the outbreak at the mink farm, where the virus, called H5N1, had been circulating for weeks before it was detected. (Mandavilli and Anthes, 11/5)
CIDRAP: New World Screwworm Cases In US Animals Jump To 113
The number of confirmed New World screwworm (NWS) cases in the United States jumped to 113 yesterday, as the US Department of Agriculture (USDA) reported an additional 42 cases since last week. The latest cases—in Texas, New Mexico, and Arizona—involve horses, cattle, sheep, dogs, and a chicken, according to the USDA's Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service. While Texas and New Mexico reported their first animal infestations with the parasitic fly in early June, Arizona confirmed its first case October 28, with an infested dog in Cochise County. (Szabo, 11/5)
AP: British Doctor With Ebola Evacuated To London From Congo
A British doctor who was working on the Ebola epidemic in Congo was evacuated Thursday to a London hospital for treatment for the virus, the U.K. government said. The man is the first British patient evacuated from the current outbreak of the deadly virus, and the third person to have tested positive to return to Europe. The doctor was flown to the U.K. on a medical evacuation arranged by the governments of Britain and Congo, and their international health partners. (11/5)
CIDRAP: As Ebola Cases Near 10,700, WHO Recommends Adding 2 Bundibugyo Vaccines To Clinical Trial
As the Ebola case and death total in the African outbreak continue to rise, expert groups convened by the World Health Organization (WHO) have recommended adding two candidate Bundibugyo Ebola virus vaccines to the ongoing Tumaini clinical trial. The outbreak case total now stands at 10,699, including 5,202 deaths, the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported today. (Van Beusekom, 11/5)
CIDRAP: New Evidence Affirms COVID Vaccine Is Safe During Pregnancy
Expecting moms have another reason to be reassured about the COVID-19 vaccine's safety for their unborn kids. An analysis published this week in JAMA Pediatrics found that in utero exposure to the immunization had no effect on a child's neurodevelopmental outcomes. The study matched women who received the COVID vaccine during or within 30 days before pregnancy with those who did not, resulting in 217 pairs of participants. Factors considered were delivery site, delivery date, insurance status, race, and ethnicity. (Boden, 11/5)
SOCIAL MEDIA AND MENTAL HEALTH
Los Angeles Times: Social Media Companies Sue California Over New Law Restricting Use For Children
Technology companies Google, Meta and Tik Tok sued the state of California on Wednesday to block a new law that restricts companies from targeting children younger than 16 with “addictive” social media content that can keep them scrolling for hours. Assembly Bill 1709, introduced by Assemblymember Josh Lowenthal (D-Long Beach), bars social media sites from providing features such as autoplay and recommended content displays to teenagers and young children. (Smith, 11/5)
The Hill: Google Sued Over Claims Of Gemini's Suicide Talk With Teen
Parents are suing technology giant Google, alleging the AI Gemini chatbot offered on school Chromebooks helped a young teen prepare plans for a suicide attempt and her funeral. The lawsuit was filed Wednesday in California Superior Court and claims a 13-year-old girl —dubbed “Emma” — chatted with Gemini over the course of several months, prompting a “severe psychological crisis.” The complaint alleges Google’s top executives knew Gemini was dangerous but released the chatbot anyway. (Nazzaro, 11/5)
HEALTHCARE INDUSTRY
Becker's Hospital Review: CMS To Make Drug Price Negotiation Framework Permanent
CMS has finalized a rule that sets ongoing policies for the Medicare Drug Price Negotiation Program, starting with negotiated prices that take effect in 2029. The agency said the rule is designed to give drugmakers in the program a clearer, more predictable process going forward, according to a Nov. 5 news release. (Kuchno, 11/5)
Modern Healthcare: CMS Proposes Rollback Of Medicare, Medicaid Provider Rules
The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services is carrying on its deregulatory press in a draft regulation that would update the conditions of participation for federal health programs. For example, the proposed rule published Thursday would eliminate numerous emergency preparedness and training protocol measures from the Conditions of Participation, Conditions for Coverage and Requirements for Participation providers and suppliers must meet to participate in Medicare and Medicaid. (Early, 11/5)
MedPage Today: Physician Groups Give Mixed Reviews On Medicare Fee Schedule Final Rule
Physician groups had mixed opinions on the final Medicare Physician Fee Schedule rule for 2027, which included slightly increased pay cuts for doctors who treat Medicare beneficiaries, compared to a proposed rule released in July. (Frieden, 11/5)
Chicago Tribune: State Board Approves Lurie Children's Hospital In Downers Grove
Lurie Children’s Hospital can move forward with building a new, highly anticipated children’s hospital in Downers Grove, after a state board voted to approve Lurie’s plan for the facility Thursday. The Illinois Health Facilities and Services Review Board voted unanimously Thursday to allow Lurie to proceed with building the facility — the last approval needed for the project. (Schencker, 11/5)
Fortune: Southeast Asia Shouldn’t Copy The U.S. Healthcare Model, Says Walgreens Boots Alliance’s APAC Head
The U.S. is the world’s largest healthcare spender, pouring roughly 17% of its GDP—or $5.6 trillion—into treatments and care. Yet, according to Li Zhong, the APAC president of the Walgreens Boots Alliance (WBA), while Americans generally have a long lifespan, they have a shorter healthspan than their counterparts in Vietnam, despite the latter devoting just 4.6% of its GDP to health spending. (Ang, 11/6)
STATE WATCH
Los Angeles Times: Newsom Moves To Commute All California Death Sentences To Life In Prison Without Parole
Gov. Gavin Newsom told the California Supreme Court on Thursday that he will commute the death sentences of all 548 state prisoners awaiting execution, reducing their punishments to life in prison without parole. “I take this action because I firmly believe that state-sanctioned killing is incompatible with California’s values, undermines the foundation of our legal system, and diminishes each of us,” Newsom wrote in a letter to Californians explaining his decision. “I know we cannot execute people in our imperfect legal system and remain true to our core values, first among them justice and human decency.” (Luna and Sharp, 11/5)
Cardinal News: Grant Program Aims To Expand Southwest Virginia’s Behavioral Health Workforce By Making Training More Affordable
Laura Pritchard-Compton was 34 and had already been working in nonprofit management and consulting for just over a decade when she enrolled in graduate school to become a therapist. It was a second career, and pursuing it meant balancing her education with the financial responsibilities of supporting her family. (Schabacker, 11/6)
InvestigateWest: A State Law Targeted Fentanyl Dealers. Prosecutors Are Using It To Charge Users Too
When two Idaho lawmakers pitched harsher penalties for people caught with fentanyl, they said the new law would target drug dealers -- not those struggling with addiction. But 2 years after the law was implemented, prosecutors have charged at least 30 people with fentanyl trafficking without presenting evidence that they were dealing or distributing the drug. (Bryen, 11/5)
Honolulu Civil Beat: Hawaiʻi Doctors May Soon Start Prescribing Fresh Food
More than 100,000 Hawaiʻi residents who qualify for Medicaid may soon find their doctors prescribing them fresh food as medicine. The script could be for fresh fruit and vegetables, even ahi, beef, chicken and eggs. The federally funded initiative will start as soon as January as part of a special state Medicaid program aimed at addressing chronic diet-related health issues in low-income communities. (Heaton, 11/5)
MPR News: Report Calls For More Funding, Support To Address 'Collective Trauma' Across The State
Minnesotans know that the state has been through a lot over the past six years. The COVID-19 pandemic, the murder of George Floyd, fraud scandals, the Annunciation Catholic School shooting, the killings of Melissa and Mark Hortman and Operation Metro Surge. (Moini and Finn, 11/5)
The New York Times: Lucien Smith, Art-World Star, Died From Accidental Drug Overdose
Lucien Smith, the celebrated artist who found success at an early stage in his career and became known for his “Rain Paintings,” died from an overdose of fentanyl and oxycodone, the New York City medical examiner’s office said on Thursday. His death was ruled an accident. (Taylor and Sheridan, 11/5)
PUBLIC HEALTH
Stat: Novartis Cites Previously Unknown Tumor Cases Possibly Tied To Gene Therapy
Novartis has acknowledged seven previously unknown instances in which tumors were found in children who were treated with its spinal muscular atrophy therapy, a surprising development that has raised concerns among families, physicians, and patient advocacy groups. (Silverman and Mast, 11/5)
WUSF: A New Test Could Speed Diagnosis Of A Tough-To-Treat Lung Disease, Called NTM
Florida is a hot spot for a pulmonary disease caused by non-tuberculous mycobacterium, or NTM for short. This chronic lung infection can cause symptoms similar to tuberculosis, including persistent cough, shortness of breath, fever, night sweats and weight loss. (Sheridan, 11/6)
The Baltimore Sun: Steak Vs. Soy: Research Flips The Script On ‘Manly’ Proteins
Red meat may not give the “High-T” dietary fix some people assume, as new research suggests that “soy boy” vegans may top their meat-eating peers in terms of testosterone. (Hille, 11/5)
