Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
First Edition: Thursday, Feb. 26, 2026
KFF HEALTH NEWS ORIGINAL STORIES
KFF Health News: ‘Kind Of Morbid’: Health Premiums Threaten Their Nest Egg. A Terminal Diagnosis May Spare It
Early on, Jean Franklin got some career advice she followed religiously: “Pay yourself first.” So she did, socking away hundreds of thousands of dollars in retirement savings by the time she became a stay-at-home mom at age 41. She and her husband, Charles, a former high school teacher who goes by Chaz, planned to retire comfortably in the three-bedroom house where they raised their kids about 60 miles northwest of Sacramento. But early last year, the 63-year-old became unsteady on her feet. (Mai-Duc, 2/26)
KFF Health News: ‘You Aren’t Trapped’: Hundreds Of US Nurses Choose Canada Over Trump’s America
Last month, Justin and Amy Miller packed their vehicles with three kids, two dogs, a pet bearded dragon, and whatever belongings they could fit, then drove 2,000 miles from Wisconsin to British Columbia to leave President Donald Trump’s America. The Millers resettled on Vancouver Island, their scenic refuge accessible only by ferry or plane. Justin went to work in the emergency room at Nanaimo Regional General Hospital, where he became one of at least 20 U.S.-trained nurses hired since April. Fear of Trump, some of the nurses said, was why they left. (Kelman, 2/26)
VACCINES
ABC News: Surgeon General Nominee Casey Means Stops Short Of Recommending Certain Vaccines During Senate Hearing
President Donald Trump's surgeon general nominee, Dr. Casey Means, indicated she supports vaccines but stopped short of recommending certain shots during her confirmation hearing before the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions (HELP) committee on Wednesday. Means, who has a medical degree but does not hold an active medical license, appeared hesitant to say that some vaccines, such as the flu vaccine, prevent serious disease. (Kekatos, 2/25)
MedPage Today: ACOG Withdraws From ACIP, Citing Scientific Integrity Concerns
Recent changes to CDC's Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) prompted the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG) to withdraw as a liaison organization. (Robertson, 2/25)
NBC News: RFK Jr.'s CDC Panel To Discuss Covid Vaccine Injuries In Upcoming Meeting
Covid vaccines are once again on the agenda for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s vaccine advisory panel. The CDC’s Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) is scheduled to meet next month and plans to discuss Covid vaccine injuries, as well as potentially vote on recommendations, according to a Federal Register notice for the meeting posted Wednesday. (Lovelace Jr., 2/25)
The Washington Post: RFK Jr. Downplays Vaccine Agenda As Republicans Warn Of Midterm Risks
Trump administration officials are downplaying their push to overhaul vaccine policy and instead touting their work on food and drug pricing, as some Republicans warn that vaccines could prove to be a liability in the midterm elections. Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., who started making stops in cities around the country last month, has not highlighted during the tour how his department has enacted the most sweeping and controversial reduction to the childhood vaccine schedule in decades. And Kennedy did not list his vaccine actions in a supercut video posted to social media ahead of President Donald Trump’s State of the Union speech thanking the president for letting him “go wild.” (Roubein and Weber, 2/26)
Politico: Florida Child Vaccine Push Faces Bipartisan Opposition, Pediatrician Worries
Even as legislation pushed by Gov. Ron DeSantis to expand Florida’s religious exemption for vaccines moves through the Capitol, pediatricians are preemptively moving to relax their own vaccine requirements to keep young patients healthy from a variety of illnesses. (Sarkissian, 2/26)
CAPITOL WATCH
ProPublica, Medill Investigative Lab: Senate Leaders Warn Hegseth About Procuring Generic Drugs Overseas
Senate leaders are urging the Department of Defense to prioritize the purchase of generic drugs manufactured in the United States, warning that the country’s overreliance on foreign factories poses an “existential risk” to the military. In a letter last week, Sens. Rick Scott, R-Fla., and Kirsten Gillibrand, D-N.Y., asked Defense Department Secretary Pete Hegseth to provide information about drugs or key ingredients purchased from foreign sources and how long the department’s inventory would last if China restricted exports. (Norman and Roy, 2/26)
MORE ON THE TRUMP ADMINISTRATION
The Washington Post: Trump Administration To Withhold $259M In Minnesota Medicaid Funds, Citing Fraud
Vice President JD Vance announced Wednesday that the Trump administration would withhold $259 million in Medicaid payments for Minnesota, escalating its fight with the state as the White House seeks to elevate health care fraud as an election-year issue. “We have decided to temporarily halt certain amounts of Medicaid funding that are going to the state of Minnesota in order to ensure that the state of Minnesota takes its obligation seriously to be good stewards of the American people’s tax money,” Vance said at a news conference, standing alongside Mehmet Oz, the administrator of the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services. (Viser and Diamond, 2/25)
CNN: Polls Show Concerns About Trump’s Mental Acuity Increasing
President Donald Trump won the 2024 presidential race after his initial opponent, then-President Joe Biden, withdrew over worries about his age and mental sharpness. But a year-plus into Trump’s four-year term, polls suggest the American people aren’t just increasingly unhappy with his job performance; they’re increasingly concerned about his mental capacity as well. (Blake, 2/26)
PHARMA AND TECH
MedPage Today: New Guidance Released On 'Whether And When' To Stop Psychotropic Meds
In a new consensus statement, a task force convened by the American Society of Clinical Psychopharmacology (ASCP) detailed circumstances in which the deprescribing of psychotropic medications may be clinically indicated. (Jeffrey, 2/25)
MedPage Today: Beware Of Radiation Doses Among Heart Scanners, Study Says
Cardiac imaging centers around the world may need to update their protocols and equipment, suggested findings of a large-scale study of radiation effective doses to patients undergoing diagnostic testing for coronary artery disease (CAD). (Lou, 2/25)
MedPage Today: FDA Approves First Drug For Allergic Fungal Rhinosinusitis
The FDA approved dupilumab (Dupixent) for treating allergic fungal rhinosinusitis, a first for the condition, the agency announced on Wednesday. Approval stipulates use in individuals 6 years and older with prior sino-nasal surgery, as the condition has a high rate of post-operative recurrence. (Ingram, 2/25)
CIDRAP: Curbing Overuse Of Dental Antibiotics Proves Daunting
About once a week, Erinne Kennedy, DMD, MPH, treats patients with complex dental infections who need antibiotics. She writes these prescriptions with care, because she knows the harm they can cause. In 2015, Kennedy’s grandmother suffered multiple infections with a superbug called Clostridioides difficile, also known as C difficile or C diff, which is associated with antibiotic use.Watching her grandmother battle the infection, which kills nearly 30,000 people in the United States each year, “was really devastating,” said Kennedy, assistant dean for curriculum and integrated learning at Kansas City University College of Dental Medicine in Missouri. (Szabo, 2/25)
Stat: Clinical Trials For Brain Implants Face A Significant Hurdle
Mike Willis just wants to go to the pub. He wants to stroll down the street, walk into a bar, and shoot the breeze with his friends. But the Cambridge, England, resident can’t do that anymore. Over the last six years, Willis, 71, has lost the ability to speak and socialize because of a neurodegenerative disorder. (Broderick, 2/26)
STATE WATCH
Kansas City Star: Kansas Tells Trans Residents Their Licenses Become Invalid
Transgender Kansans are being informed on the eve of a new state law going into effect that their driver’s licenses will be considered invalid as of Thursday. (Kelly, 2/25)
New Hampshire Public Radio: Legislation About Gender Identity Is Back On The Table In The NH State House
Several bills focused on gender identity were on the table in the House Judiciary Committee last week, including bills that were amendments or variations on legislation Gov. Kelly Ayotte vetoed last year and earlier this month. (Richardson, 2/25)
The (Cleveland) Plain Dealer: Appeals Court Upholds Block On Ohio’s ‘Fetal Remains’ Law, Citing The Reproductive Freedom Amendment
An appellate court in Cincinnati on Wednesday upheld a lower court ruling that permanently blocks a law requiring the burial or cremation of fetal remains from surgical abortions. (McGowan, 2/25)
Chicago Tribune: Illinois Republican Governor Hopefuls Oppose Abortion-Is-Murder Bill
Opposing abortion has been an Illinois Republican litmus test for decades, but even the party’s four candidates seeking the GOP nomination for governor are walking away from recently filed legislation that would criminalize the procedure as murder and make women who undergo an abortion and those who assist her eligible for the death penalty. (Pearson, 2/25)
San Francisco Chronicle: Texas AG Credits Abuser’s Claims In Lawsuit Against Bay Area Doctor
Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton has piled onto the legal woes of a Bay Area doctor accused of helping women overcome their states’ extreme abortion bans by sending abortion pills through the mail. Paxton announced Tuesday that his office had sued Dr. Remy Coeytaux along with nonprofit Aid Access and its founder Rebecca Gomperts, claiming they conspired to mail abortion medication into Texas against the state’s laws. (Hosseini, 2/25)
CBS News: Dearborn Heights Pharmacist Pleads Guilty In $3 Million Health Care Fraud Case
A Dearborn Heights pharmacy owner has pleaded guilty to a federal charge over his role in a $3 million medical insurance fraud scheme, the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Eastern District of Michigan said. Mohammad Hamdan, 44, was convicted of conspiracy to commit health care fraud in a five-year scheme that resulted in over $3 million in losses to Medicare, Medicaid, and Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan. The plea was entered on Tuesday in federal court in Detroit. (Wethington, 2/25)
The Washington Post: Staffer At Assisted-Living Facility Charged With Killing 87-Year-Old Resident
An 87-year-old resident of a Maryland assisted-living facility was shot and killed by a man authorities say was a 22-year-old staff member who later fired two shots at a state trooper during a traffic stop, according to records filed in Montgomery County District Court on Wednesday. The incidents — 10 days apart and in different areas of the state — led to the arrest Tuesday afternoon of the staff member who is being held in a Montgomery jail. (Morse, 2/25)
CBS News: Rabies Vaccine Recall Prompts Warning To Pet Owners From Allegheny County Health Department
The Allegheny County Health Department is warning pet owners about a rabies vaccine recall. According to a message that the health department posted to Facebook on Tuesday, Boehringer Ingelheim Animal Health issued a voluntary recall because some vials contained sterile water instead of a rabies vaccine. (Bartos, 2/25)
ENVIRONMENT AND HEALTH
CNN: Majority Of Americans Say Government Is Not Protecting Them From Toxic Chemicals
More than 70% of American adults are very or somewhat concerned about exposure to toxic chemicals in their food and drinking water, according to a new survey by the Pew Charitable Trusts. Public concern is so intense that 5 out of 6 adults in the United States said they wanted the federal government and industry to do more to protect them. (LaMotte, 2/26)
CNN: Men In Their 50s May Be Aging Faster Due To Toxic ‘Forever Chemicals’
The “forever chemicals” known as PFAS appear to be aging men faster in their 50s and early 60s, a new study found. (LaMotte, 2/26)
The Hill: Emissions From Data Centers Can Cause Breathing Issues, New Report Finds
Emissions from data centers can cause breathing issues and premature deaths for those living nearby, according to a new report. The report was compiled by Community & Environmental Defense Services (CEDS) founder and president Richard Klein, who has been working in development-related concerns for 40 years. Klein found that a single data center could pose negative health risks for people living at least 0.6 miles away, sometimes further. Klein said risks increase when a home is near multiple data centers. (Millard, 2/25)
Verite News New Orleans: Get The Lead Out: How New Orleans Can Reduce Toxic Heavy Metal Exposure
Lead in playground soil, water pipes, and paint peeling off old buildings is pervasive in New Orleans and poses significant public health risks, particularly for children, an investigation by Verite News has found. But approaches taken by two cities and one state that faced similar problems may give the cash-strapped Big Easy a roadmap for lowering those risks. Verite News tested soil samples from 84 city parks with playgrounds in its four-month investigation conducted at the end of 2025 and found that at least 46 had lead concentrations that exceed the 2024 federal hazard level for soil in urban areas. (Parker, 2/25)
PUBLIC HEALTH
Los Angeles Times: Deadly Bird Flu Found In California Elephant Seals For The First Time
The H5N1 bird flu virus that devastated South American elephant seal populations has been confirmed in seals at California’s Año Nuevo State Park, researchers from UC Davis and UC Santa Cruz announced Wednesday. The virus has ravaged wild, commercial and domestic animals across the globe and was found last week in seven weaned pups. The confirmation came from the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s National Veterinary Services Laboratory in Ames, Iowa. (Rust, 2/25)
Fox News: Flu Season Expected To Extend Into Spring Months, Health Expert Warns
Health experts are warning that the 2025-26 flu season isn't over yet. In fact, people should prepare for the virus to linger well into the warmer months, according to Dr. Michael Glazier, chief medical officer and pediatrician at Bluebird Kids Health in Florida. The current season is tracking with historical trends, the doctor said, as influenza A typically strikes first and most aggressively. (Quill, 2/25)
CIDRAP: Public Health Alerts: Multistate Infant Botulism Outbreak Associated With Powdered Infant Formula
A Public Health Alerts report today describes a US multistate outbreak of infant botulism tied to powdered infant formula, identifying a clear link between illness in dozens of infants and exposure to a specific formula product. Public Health Alerts, a new collaboration between NEJM Evidence and CIDRAP, fills a gap in reliable data, offering expert-reviewed reports that translate frontline observations into actionable public health evidence. An NEJM Evidence editorial explains the initiative further. (Wappes, 2/25)
The Hill: Frozen Blueberries Recalled In Several States Under FDA’s Highest Risk Level
An Oregon-based company is recalling nearly 60,000 pounds of frozen blueberries that may be contaminated with Listeria monocytogenes. Willamette Valley Fruit Company in Salem, Oregon, voluntarily ordered the recall Feb. 12, and on Tuesday, the FDA labeled the recall Class I, its most severe. The classification is reserved for situations in which exposure to the item has a “reasonable probability” of causing “serious adverse health consequences or death,” according to the FDA website. (Tanner, 2/25)
