Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
First Edition: Friday, Sept. 11, 2026
KFF HEALTH NEWS ORIGINAL STORIES
KFF Health News: Indigenous Groups Are Exempt From Medicaid Work Rules, But Native Hawaiians Aren’t
Native Hawaiians will need to comply with new work requirements to qualify for Medicaid after being excluded from exemptions carved out for other Indigenous groups, an omission that clinicians fear will exacerbate the challenges the marginalized population already faces in getting healthcare. In 43 states and the District of Columbia, President Donald Trump’s signature One Big Beautiful Bill Act will require most adults to work, go to school or enter a training program, or volunteer for at least 80 hours a month. Native Americans and Alaska Natives are exempt from the mandates, which take effect in January. (Mizuo, 9/11)
KFF Health News: KFF Health News’ ‘Letters To The Editor’: Readers Wrestle With Healthcare Inequalities And Want A Word With Congress
Why can members of Congress remain on full taxpayer-funded salaries during prolonged medical absences while millions of working Americans cannot afford to get sick? Sen. Mitch McConnell’s current extended medical absence brings that disparity into sharp focus. He has missed dozens of Senate votes while continuing to receive his $174,000 taxpayer-funded salary. (9/11)
KFF Health News: KFF Health News’ ‘What The Health?’: Anger Over Health Costs Clouds Midterms
Affordability is top of mind for most voters this fall, and the high cost of healthcare is near the top of affordability complaints. And the news keeps getting worse: All indications are that insurance premiums will go up and benefits will go down in 2027. Meanwhile, a U.S. appeals court this week heard arguments in a case that could severely limit the availability of the abortion pill mifepristone, not just in states with abortion bans but also in those where abortion is still legal. (Rovner, 9/10)
CNN: Why There Will Be A New Moment Of Silence At This Year’s Ground Zero Ceremony
A seventh moment of silence at the September 11 ceremony at Ground Zero will honor those lost to diseases and other health effects from 9/11. Many first responders and survivors say it's a validation they’ve long fought for. (Dominus, 9/10)
The Washington Post: Cancer’s Toll On 9/11 Survivors Is Accelerating 25 Years Later
When Mariama James returned to her Lower Manhattan apartment on the evening of Sept. 11, 2001, it was covered in dust. She’d left the windows open that warm day, and the clouds of toxic material released when the twin towers collapsed had rushed in. “Everything was blanketed in white, like after a good snow,” James said. A few years later, James developed skin cancer. In 2013, James’s mother, Juanita, who was on her way to work in the financial district on the morning of the attacks and covered in the dust, was diagnosed with Stage 4 colon cancer. She died in 2023. (Wu and Hacker, 9/9)
The New York Times: 9/11’s Dust And Ash Coated Their Childhood. Is It Still Making Them Ill?
Much of the research on exposure to the World Trade Center residue has focused on emergency workers, but people there when they were young say their health is at risk, too. (Goldstein, 9/8)
NBC News: Dementia Is Taking A Toll On Sept. 11 Responders. A Federal Health Program Doesn’t Cover It.
When the World Trade Center Health Program was created in 2011, Stephen Stolarik was among the first to sign up. As a volunteer firefighter, he was at ground zero two days after the attacks, helping with recovery and cleanup efforts. Over the years, the federal program, which gives free healthcare to Sept. 11 responders and survivors, has covered his care for the post-traumatic stress disorder he developed, linked to his time there. (Lovelace Jr., Kopf and Llamas, 9/10)
The New York Times: After Causing Delays For 9/11 Health Claims, Social Security Pledges To Do Its Job
A federal fund for those who became sick or died after being exposed to toxic dust from the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks has been stymied in recent months by the Social Security Administration, which has not turned over key data required to resolve claims, according to lawyers, advocates and officials involved in the work. The reason for the inaction is unclear. But since the start of President Trump’s second term, the administration has made sweeping cuts to the agency, leading to complaints from citizens that basic services are long-delayed or nonexistent. (Barrett, 9/8)
The Washington Post: They Survived 9/11. Then They Devoted Their Lives To Helping Others.
A group of friends who worked in finance at the World Trade Center changed their lives after the attacks, something psychologists call post-traumatic growth. (Penman, 9/9)
The Washington Post: The Little-Known Tale Behind One Of The Only Planes Allowed To Fly After 9/11
A South Florida man was bitten by a deadly snake. The medicine he needed was in California. (Dennis, 9/8)
The New York Times: TSA May Allow Passengers With PreCheck To Bring Water Through Checkpoints
T.S.A. PreCheck members may soon be able to bring larger bottles of water through security at select airports, in a major shift to longstanding rules. The T.S.A. restricted the amount of liquids passengers could carry on after a foiled plot to blow up planes over the Atlantic Ocean using liquids in drink bottles.(Castro-Root and Chung, 9/10)
The Washington Post: TSA To Allow Gate Access Without Tickets At Some Airports
The Transportation Security Administration said it was offering gate access to people without plane tickets as an “exclusive benefit” to “our most trusted travelers,” meaning PreCheck members and people with Known Traveler Numbers, which are issued to travelers approved for expedited security screening. Gate access was restricted after the 9/11 terrorist attacks. (Walsh, 9/9)
ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE
CNN: Anthropic Says It Blocked Possible Attempts To Use AI To Develop Bioweapons
Anthropic says it has blocked multiple accounts that used the company’s artificial intelligence models in ways that could support the development of biological weapons. In a report published Thursday, the AI company known for its Claude model said it considers biological misuse one of the “most serious risks” to artificial intelligence models. (McPhillips, 9/11)
CNBC: OpenAI, Anthropic Researchers Ramp Up Calls For Slowdown Amid AI Fears
OpenAI and Anthropic researchers are ramping up calls for an AI slowdown and warning of existential risks to humanity after the resignation of a researcher at Anthropic fueled fresh scrutiny. (Nicol-Schwarz, 9/10)
Axios: How AI Makes Biological Research More Dangerous
This week's dire warnings about unchecked artificial intelligence destroying humanity are refocusing attention on how models already are being used in dangerous bioscience experiments — and the lack of safeguards. There's growing alarm about emerging risks from advances like AI-designed viruses. But it's hard to erect guardrails when there's no ironclad way of even knowing how some AI systems will act. (Bettelheim and Owens, 9/11)
Fierce Healthcare: CMS, FDA Officials Lay Out AI Agenda As Clinicians Debate Risks
Federal healthcare agencies are accelerating efforts to expand artificial intelligence's role in healthcare, with clinical AI emerging as a top strategic priority for the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services. At a healthcare AI event hosted by the Consumer Technology Association (CTA) in Washington, D.C., on Wednesday, Stephanie Carlton, deputy administrator at CMS, outlined the agency's evolving AI strategy as it aims to establish clearer pathways for AI market access and regulation while also exploring reimbursement frameworks for AI-enabled technologies. (Landi, 9/10)
CIDRAP: Oversight, Standards Needed For Ethical Integration Of AI Into Public Health Systems, Physicians Say
In its current state, industry-driven artificial intelligence (AI) can’t be ethically or responsibly implemented in public health systems, write physicians in the American Journal of Public Health. In the commentary yesterday, Terry Adirim, MD, MPH, of the Uniformed Services University of Health Sciences, and Amy Molten, MD, of Tufts University School of Medicine, said that, without stronger governance, AI poses risks to patients—especially those from historically marginalized groups such as children, racial minorities, indigenous people, older adults, homeless or incarcerated people, undocumented families, rural residents, and people with disabilities. (Van Beusekom, 9/10)
WP Intelligence: Tech Companies Are Pushing AI In Medical Records. Here’s What To Expect
Health systems are increasingly relying on AI tools, including those that are integrated with patients' medical histories. That raises privacy concerns. (Adams, 9/9)
OUTBREAKS AND HEALTH THREATS
The Washington Post: Federal Officials Poised To Declare End Of U.S.’s Largest Known Cyclosporiasis Outbreak
Federal officials are poised to declare the end of the nation’s largest known cyclosporiasis outbreak after thousands of people became sick after eating shredded iceberg lettuce, according to two people familiar with the matter. The update may come as soon as later Thursday, according to the people, who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss an ongoing investigation. However, the timing is not guaranteed. In mid-July, Taylor Farms voluntarily recalled products from the market as federal officials began linking its lettuce from central Mexico to a cyclosporiasis outbreak. (Roubein, 9/10)
CIDRAP: CDC Warns Of New Salmonella Outbreak Linked To Broccoli Sprouts
The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) yesterday announced a new Salmonella outbreak linked to broccoli sprouts produced by Evergreen Fresh Sprouts. So far at least 22 people in four states have been sickened, and two patients have been hospitalized. No deaths have been linked to this outbreak. The sprouts were sold to food co-ops, restaurants, food service customers, and grocery stores in Idaho, Montana, and Washington. Sixteen people in Washington state have been sickened, four in Montana, and one each in Idaho and Utah. (Soucheray, 9/10)
The New York Times: Legionnaires’ Outbreak In The Bronx Kills One And Infects 4 Others
An outbreak of Legionnaires’ disease in the South Bronx has killed one person and infected four others, New York City health officials announced on Thursday evening. The Department of Health and Mental Hygiene is investigating the potential cluster in parts of Melrose and Morrisania, it said in a news release. (Freeman, 9/10)
WUSF: Florida Investigates Possible Hillsborough Death Related To Dengue As Cases Hit 95
The Florida Department of Health said Thursday it was looking into whether dengue fever was responsible for the reported death of a woman in Hillsborough County, where locally acquired cases surged to 95 of the 111 recorded statewide since July. (Mayer and Sheridan, 9/10)
The Guardian: Texas Reports First Equine Infection Of New World Screwworm On Ranch Horse
A horse in southern Texas has been infected with the New World screwworm, marking the first US equine infection as health authorities race to contain an outbreak of the flesh-eating parasite. The pest was discovered on the hind limb of a working ranch horse in Presidio county, according to a statement on Thursday from US Equestrian Foundation. (Ede-Osifo, 9/10)
The Washington Post: Rabies Cases Increased 17 Percent In July And August, CDC Says
Rabies cases in the United States from July to August increased 17 percent compared to the same period last year, following several “high-profile rabies outbreaks” and exposure events, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said Thursday. (Wang, 9/10)
The Baltimore Sun: Maryland Issues Vaccine Guidance After Federal Changes
Officials from the Maryland Department of Health issued a vaccine schedule for children and adults Thursday for the first time. A state law changed on July 1 to permit the department to set its own vaccine recommendations, as federal guidance shifts under the Trump administration. (Wilson, 9/10)
Chicago Tribune: Illinois Issues Its Own Flu, COVID-19, RSV Vaccine Guidance
Illinois is issuing its own guidance about flu, COVID-19 and RSV vaccinations for this fall – amid continuing confusion over federal vaccine recommendations. (Schencker, 9/10)
Chicago Tribune: Officials Warn Of Possible Measles Exposure At Union Station
City officials are warning of a possible measles exposure at Union Station after someone with the highly contagious illness passed through the West Loop hub late last month. (Kenny, 9/10)
THE TRUMP ADMINISTRATION
The Washington Sun: Appeals Court Compares ICE Detention To Japanese Internment In Scathing Ruling
A federal appeals court compared the Trump administration’s no-bond immigrant detention policy to the mass internment of Japanese Americans during World War II, in a scathing decision on Thursday. In the 2-1 ruling, 4th Circuit Court of Appeals Judge Nicole Berner argued that the administration had asked the court to “interpret certain amendments” made to federal immigration laws in 1996 in order to eliminate bond hearings for individuals in Immigration and Customs Enforcement detention. (Monnin, 9/10)
ProPublica: U.S. Absent From Group Discussing Wartime Protections For Civilians
Three years ago, the Defense Department led an ambitious international effort to better protect civilians during combat, a movement built on the bloody lessons of Afghanistan and Iraq. The Pentagon created a network with European partners, driving the creation of shared standards. Civilian harm experts described the moment as a “unique opportunity” for American leadership by example. (Allam and Rose, 9/10)
Stat: Trump Dangles $500 ACA Refund Checks, But Legal Basis Is Unclear
The Trump administration is promising to send $500 refund checks to nearly 1 million people with Affordable Care Act health plans. The checks will be mailed out starting next month, just before the midterm elections, to many individuals living in swing states. (Herman and Bannow, 9/10)
The New York Times: A.I. Data Center Pollution Poses Health Threat, Former E.P.A. Officials Warn
A group representing more than 800 former employees of the Environmental Protection Agency on Thursday sounded the alarm over the health consequences of data centers. It warned that Trump administration policies to weaken pollution safeguards and speed up approvals of the facilities threatened to exacerbate those health harms. (Tabuchi, 9/10)
The Hill: Surgeon General Nominee Held Soda, Pharma Industry Stocks
President Trump’s surgeon general nominee reported investments in the tobacco company Philip Morris International as well as beverage companies Monster Beverage Corp., Coca Cola Co. and Pepsi Co., according to financial disclosures released Thursday. Nicole Saphier disclosed these investments in an ethics agreement, where she pledged to completely or partially divest from those companies, as well as shed stock holdings with a host of pharmaceutical and biotechnology industry leaders — including Eli Lilly, Biogen, Johnson & Johnson, Pfizer, AstraZeneca, Merck, AbbVie and more. (Weixel, 9/10)
ON CAPITOL HILL
Modern Healthcare: Congress Faces Key Healthcare Legislation Deadlines In December
The last major healthcare bills Congress passed were to cut more than $1 trillion from the health system with last summer’s tax law and to extend a raft of expiring programs. With the exception of taking a whack at pharmacy benefit managers, lawmakers have left every other important healthcare proposal on the shelf while feuding over immigration, war powers and other issues with little bearing on the health sector. (McAuliff, 9/10)
Modern Healthcare: Congress Urged To Overhaul No Surprises Act By Unions, Employers
A group of nearly 70 employers, unions, patient advocates and other organizations is calling on Congress to rework the No Surprises Act of 2020. The letter, led by left-leaning advocacy group Families USA and cosigned by 67 organizations, asked congressional leaders to address concerns about the law’s Independent Dispute Resolution process. Under the No Surprises Act, IDR arbitrators determine appropriate out-of-network reimbursement rates, with claims predominantly filed by providers or their aligned companies. (Tepper, 9/10)
MILITARY HEALTH
Military.com: Trump Order Could Cut VA Disability Claim Times By 30 Days
President Donald Trump signed an executive order this week aimed at speeding veterans' access to their benefits. Implementation will require the Defense Department and the Department of Veterans Affairs to share military records faster, a change the VA projects could cut disability-claim processing times for recently separated service members by 20 to 30 days. (Gramegna, 9/11)
Healthcare Dive: Veterans Affairs Taps Amwell For Telehealth Revamp
The Department of Veterans Affairs has selected Amwell to facilitate telehealth delivery across the agency. Amwell’s platform, which mainly offers virtual health visits, will help veterans connect with VA providers or other specialists in clinic. It will also support other telehealth services, such as virtual care delivery and care coordination within VA hospitals. (Vaidya, 9/10)
Military Times: Navy Not Doing Enough To Study Long-Term Brain Damage In Aviators, Lawmakers Say
House lawmakers released key findings Tuesday from an investigation into the Navy’s response to aviators dealing with flight-related brain injuries. The House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform said the Navy has not done enough to research and mitigate potential neurological damage for Navy pilots despite being aware of documented mental health concerns and suicides within the F/A-18 community. (Ceder, 9/9)
REPRODUCTIVE HEALTH
The Texas Tribune: Surrogate Isn’t The Parent Of The Child She Carried, Texas Rules
A Texas judge has ruled against an Alaskan surrogate in her bid to obtain custody over a medically fragile baby she birthed in Dallas. According to a Wednesday filing, attorneys for the surrogate McKenna West are now asking the U.S. Supreme Court to intervene after Texas’ unfavorable decision. (Langford, 9/10)
Healthcare Dive: Half Of U.S. Hospitals Lack Maternity Wards As Medicaid Cuts Loom: Report
Hospitals are increasingly shutting down their maternity wards, with nearly half of all U.S. hospitals lacking obstetric services as Medicaid cuts loom, according to a new report from the University of Minnesota Rural Health Research Center. Over 700 hospitals shuttered their maternity wards between 2010 and 2024, according to the report. Rural areas were hit the hardest, with more than 57% of rural hospitals lacking a birthing ward in 2024. (Health, 9/10)
AP: Olivia And Tom Walton Pledge $100M To Cut US Maternal Mortality Rate
Healthy Moms, Healthy Babies America, a bipartisan campaign founded by philanthropists Olivia and Tom Walton, announced a $100 million pledge Thursday to make giving birth in the United States safer. The five-year commitment aims to cut the maternal mortality rate in the United States in half by 2031. (Gamboa, 9/10)
CANCER
Stat: Cancer Medicines Running Low Across The U.S., Survey Finds
An ongoing shortage of cancer medications continues to force leading cancer centers around the U.S. to seek work-around strategies to treat patients and a majority also report that clinical trials have been disrupted, according to a new survey. (Silverman, 9/10)
Stat: Lifesaving Childhood Chemotherapy Raises Risk Of Cancer Later In Life
Platinum-based chemotherapy — in particular cisplatin and carboplatin — are a lifeline for children with certain cancers. These treatments, for instance, transformed the prognosis of hepatoblastoma, a rare cancer of the liver that is the most commonly diagnosed in childhood, from a five-year survival rate of 20% to more than 80% for localized tumors. (Merelli, 9/10)
Fox News: Alcohol-Attributable Cancer Deaths In The US Have Doubled Since 1990, Study Finds
Annual U.S. cancer deaths tied to alcohol consumption more than doubled over a three-decade period, according to a recent study led by researchers at the Sylvester Comprehensive Cancer Center at the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine. The findings, published in The Lancet Regional Health — Americas and presented at the American Society of Clinical Oncology Annual Meeting in Chicago, revealed that alcohol-attributable cancer deaths jumped from 11,361 in 1990 to 23,126 in 2023. (Quill, 9/10)
PHARMACEUTICALS
The Wall Street Journal: Exclusive: Cheap Biologic Drug Alternatives Stall, Threatening U.S. Healthcare Savings
Ninety percent of the expensive, widely used biologic drugs facing patent expiration by 2034 have no lower-cost alternatives in development, according to a new report by the Association for Accessible Medicines, a trade group representing generic drugmakers. This means Americans could miss out on nearly $200 billion in healthcare savings over the next decade with 118 popular biologic drugs going off patent, according to the association’s estimates. These drugs are highly complex medicines manufactured inside living cells and often end up being multibillion-dollar blockbusters for drug companies. (Martinez, 9/10)
MedPage Today: Preschoolers With Cystic Fibrosis Get Close To Normal On Alyftrek
In cystic fibrosis, vanzacaftor-tezacaftor-deutivacaftor (VTD; Alyftrek) showed great potential for modifying the progression of disease in young children, according to the TIMBERLINE study. Assessing safety and tolerability of VTD in 67 children age 2-5 years old already on an existing triple combination cystic fibrosis transmembrane conductance regulator (CFTR) modulator, investigators found 96% of the children had adverse events, mostly mild (52%) or moderate (39%) in severity. Another 3% had serious adverse events, none considered related to VTD. (Lou, 9/10)
Stat: Gifts From Pharma Companies Keep On Giving, A New Study Finds
For years, drugmakers have offered free meals, samples, gifts, and speaking fees to physicians, a widely studied issue due to concerns such largesse may unduly influence prescribing habits. But to what extent have interactions between doctors and pharmaceutical representatives changed behaviors over time? (Silverman, 9/10)
STATE WATCH
CalMatters: California Enacts Laws Restricting Chatbots, Protecting Kids Online
California teens will be barred from “addictive” social media products and limited in their interactions with chatbots under two of the 13 bills signed into law by Gov. Gavin Newsom today to protect kids online. (Lecher, 9/10)
Chicago Tribune: Judge Denies Bid To Block Illinois Aid-In-Dying Law
A federal judge on Thursday denied disability rights advocates’ request to block an Illinois law going into effect this weekend that lets terminally ill patients obtain prescription medication to end their lives. (Gorner, 9/10)
