Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
First Edition: Thursday, July 30, 2026
KFF HEALTH NEWS ORIGINAL STORIES
KFF Health News: Medicaid Insurers’ Contracts On The Line In Tight Governor’s Race
One of America’s most competitive gubernatorial races could settle a heated argument over whether private insurance companies should run Medicaid. The race is in Iowa, whose Medicaid program has been plagued with controversy since 2016, when the state hired national insurance companies to manage billions of dollars’ worth of benefits. That shift was made by then-Gov. Terry Branstad, a Republican. With his executive order, Iowa joined most other states in privatizing the management of Medicaid, which covers healthcare for more than 67 million Americans with low incomes or disabilities. (Leys, 7/30)
KFF Health News: Abortion Drug Law In Louisiana Heightens Hemorrhage Risk For Pregnant Patients
Over the past decade, Louisiana hospitals began stocking specialized carts designed to treat hemorrhages, one of the most common pregnancy complications in the state. The plug-in cart can be wheeled from room to room and holds surgical tools and lifesaving medications to stem blood loss. A state law passed in 2024 forced hospitals to remove a key drug — misoprostol — from the medical cart and keep it locked in a secure room designated for controlled substances. (Parker, 7/30)
KFF Health News: Listen To The Latest ‘KFF Health News Minute’
Zach Dyer reads this week’s news: Health insurance companies promised to make it easier to get doctor-ordered care, but patients are still waiting. Plus, a common surgery might not be the best way to solve knee pain. (7/30)
OUTBREAKS AND HEALTH THREATS
ABC News: More Than 18,000 Cyclosporiasis Cases Reported Across 45 States: CDC
Cases of cyclosporiasis, an intestinal illness caused by a parasite, have topped 18,000 in 45 states, according to updated data Wednesday from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Since May 1, at least 6,707 cases have been laboratory-confirmed, including 423 hospitalizations, the CDC noted. (Benadjaoud, 7/29)
San Francisco Chronicle: As West Nile Virus Rises In California, Experts Fear Severe Season
This year has the potential to be the worst in the U.S. in two decades for West Nile virus, a pathogen that mostly lives and breeds among birds and mosquitoes but can cause a deadly neurological disease in humans. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has reported 113 cases of West Nile virus in humans as of last Friday — the highest midyear count in more than two decades, noted Dr. Matt Willis, a former Marin County health officer who now writes a Substack on public health statewide called Your Local Epidemiologist. (Allday, 7/29)
The Hill: New Arizona Facility Funded By $25M To Help Eradicate New World Screwworm
Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins said Wednesday her department will invest $25 million towards opening a new sterile fly dispersal facility in Arizona to combat New World Screwworm (NWS). During a visit to the Grand Canyon State, Rollins joined Arizona GOP Reps. Andy Biggs, Juan Ciscomani and Eli Crane to tout the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) containment work ahead of the reopening of the southern cattle port in Douglas, Arizona. (Rego, 7/29)
ON CAPITOL HILL
Politico: Covid Rage Had Subsided. Then Congress Called Fauci To Testify
Besides the illness and death, the disruption and the loneliness, Americans remember the pandemic for its vitriol. The handling of Covid divided the parties, the states, families and neighbors and it’s taken years, in many cases, to repair the damage. Former Covid czar Anthony Fauci’s appearance on Capitol Hill Wednesday brought it all back. Rather than an evaluation of what went wrong and right, or how to do better next time, the rage stood out. (Paun, Levien and King, 7/29)
The New York Times: Fauci Pleads The Fifth, Refusing To Answer Questions On Covid Origins At Senate Hearing
Dr. Anthony S. Fauci refused on Wednesday to answer questions from a Senate committee, repeatedly invoking his constitutional right not to incriminate himself before a panel dominated by hostile Republicans who accused him of causing the coronavirus pandemic and insinuated that he enriched himself while Americans died. “On the advice of counsel, I respectfully decline to answer based upon my rights under the Fifth Amendment to the Constitution,” Dr. Fauci repeated more than 100 times during a nearly three-hour hearing before the Senate Homeland Security Committee. (Stolberg, 7/29)
The Hill: Bernie Moreno Lashes Out At Anthony Fauci During COVID Hearing
Sen. Bernie Moreno (R-Ohio) lobbed an expletive at Dr. Anthony Fauci during a Senate hearing Wednesday on the origins of and government response to the COVID-19 pandemic, in which the former White House chief medical adviser invoked his Fifth Amendment right. Moreno said he decided to run for office soon after learning that a woman was arrested at an Ohio middle school football game in 2020 for refusing to wear a mask, which was reportedly against the school’s policy at the time. (Davis, 7/29)
MedPage Today: Senate Considers Vote To Hold Fauci In Contempt
A Senate committee plans to vote next week on whether to recommend holding Anthony Fauci, MD, in contempt following a hearing on Wednesday that centered on how the infectious disease expert handled the COVID-19 pandemic as well as the origins of the deadly coronavirus. (Frieden, 7/29)
THE TRUMP ADMINISTRATION
MedPage Today: Senate Dems Question If RFK Jr.'s Family Will Profit From Vax Settlement
Four Democratic lawmakers have questioned whether HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.'s family will profit from a sizeable settlement involving Merck's human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine (Gardasil). In a letter dated July 28, Democratic Sens. Elizabeth Warren (Mass.), Angela Alsobrooks (Md.), Richard Blumenthal (Conn.) and Andy Kim (N.J.) wrote, "We are seeking clarity on whether this settlement may have resulted in a significant financial award to one of your sons, raising fresh concerns about conflicts of interest you may possess" as HHS Secretary. (Firth, 7/29)
Becker's Hospital Review: CMS Finalizes Payment Rules For Inpatient Psychiatric, Skilled Nursing Facilities: 12 Things To Know
CMS issued its fiscal year 2027 final payment rules for skilled nursing facilities and inpatient psychiatric facilities July 29. The rules update Medicare payment rates and revise quality reporting, value-based purchasing and patient assessment policies. (Condon, 7/29)
The Colorado Sun: John Hickenlooper’s Plan For Universal Healthcare? First Make The Prices Transparent
Here’s a costly pop quiz: If you’re delivering a baby at, let’s say, HCA HealthONE Rose Medical Center in Denver, how much is it going to cost? If you answered “It depends” or, ultimately, “I don’t know,” you win the game but also understand one way consumers lose in the healthcare system. (Ingold, 7/29)
ProPublica and WBUR: Senate Leaders Push U.S. DOT Over Bus Safety Data
Two leading Democrats on the U.S. Senate committee that oversees transportation safety pressed the nation’s regulator of buses on Wednesday to provide proof it can detect troubled private companies that provide services to schools and municipalities. (Sanders and Mariano, 7/29)
The Hill: Michael Kidd-Gilchrist Joins Senators To Push For Better Stuttering Diagnosis And Care For Millions Of Kids
Sens. Jim Banks (R-Ind.) and Andy Kim (D-N.J.) on Wednesday introduced legislation that attempts to improve identification and treatment for children who stutter, with an assist from former NBA player Michael Kidd-Gilchrist. The legislation, titled the Kidd’s Stuttering Act, proposes directing the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) to add stuttering and fluency screening measures to its core set of pediatric health quality measures by 2028. (Rego, 7/29)
PUBLIC HEALTH
The Washington Post: 12,000 Pounds Of Smoked Bacon Recalled In 3 States
About 12,000 pounds of smoked bacon imported from Canada were recalled because of lack of proper reinspection before entering the country, the Agriculture Department’s Food Safety and Inspection Service said. The bacon from Maple Leaf Foods was shipped to grocery distributors and retailers in Idaho, Oregon and Washington state. FSIS inspects imported products for packaging, documentation, condition and contamination. (Canino-Quiñones, 7/29)
AP: CDC Report Highlights Mold Disease, A Worry After Flooding
A first-of-its-kind U.S. study suggests invasive mold infections may be an underappreciated — and potentially deadly — threat. The researchers detected about 450 cases in Atlanta-area hospitals over five years. About a third of the patients died in the hospital. The findings, published this week by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, come from an attempt to better gauge how common these kinds of illnesses are. The government does not require doctors to report the illnesses. (Stobbe, 7/29)
Modern Healthcare: Tobacco Surcharge Lawsuits Target Employer Wellness Programs
Employers are chewing on strategies to avoid costly lawsuits over their employee wellness programs. Dozens of corporations including JPMorgan Chase and Walmart have been sued due to their health plans’ execution of tobacco cessation programs. A former Comcast employee sued the cable and internet company this month, for instance. Health plans can charge employees that use tobacco products up to 50% more in premiums in some states to encourage healthier behavior. But companies must offer a reasonable alternative workers can utilize to receive lower-cost insurance, and plaintiffs allege the programs fail to meet key criteria. (Tong, 7/29)
SCIENCE AND INNOVATIONS
Axios: New CDC Data: High Blood Pressure During Pregnancy Is Rising In Every State
Rates of high blood pressure during pregnancy have soared across the country, according to new CDC data. High blood pressure is associated with serious complications for mom and baby. (Mallenbaum, 7/29)
MedPage Today: CAR T-Cell Therapy In Pregnant Autoimmune Patients: Safe For Baby?
So far, pregnancies among the first women treated with chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T-cell therapy for autoimmune rheumatologic diseases have proceeded without any concerns, researchers reported. (Gever, 7/29)
MedPage Today: Study On Vaginal Estrogen For UTI Prevention Backs A Less Messy Approach
Periurethral application of a smaller amount of estradiol cream with a finger was noninferior to standard intravaginal application with an applicator among postmenopausal patients with recurrent urinary tract infections (UTIs), the TAPER randomized trial found. (Robertson, 7/29)
CIDRAP: Women Often Opt For Self-Collection HPV Screening, New Studies Show
Screening for human papillomavirus (HPV) remains an effective way to find high-risk strains of HPV early. With self-sample HPV testing kits, women can collect their own swab instead of having a doctor or nurse conduct the test. Two studies examine how women respond to HPV self-sampling testing and find that, when it’s offered, women prefer it. The self-collecting tests could encourage more HPV screening in populations missed in annual screenings. (Holohan, 7/29)
CIDRAP: Long COVID May Affect Up To 5% Of Healthcare Workers In Hospitals, New Data Suggest
Long COVID affected roughly 3% to 5% of healthcare workers at three Spanish hospitals from 2020 to 2023, with prevalence increasing with age and in some occupational groups, according to a new study published in BMC Public Health. For the study, a team led by researchers at the Center for Research in Occupational Health at the Universitat Pompeu Fabra in Barcelona and the Center for Biomedical Research Network of Epidemiology and Public Health in Madrid analyzed occupational health registry data from 8,441 healthcare workers diagnosed as having COVID-19 at three public hospitals from 2020 through 2023. (Bergeson, 7/29)
MedPage Today: FDA Committee Votes Down Duchenne Drug
An FDA panel said that trial data did not provide substantial evidence showing that investigational deramiocel was effective in treating cardiomyopathy among patients with Duchenne muscular dystrophy. In a 9-3 vote, the FDA's Cellular, Tissue, and Gene Therapies Advisory Committee said deramiocel did not meet the cardiac endpoint, though the primary outcome of the drug's phase III HOPE-3 trial was change in upper limb function. (George, 7/29)
MedPage Today: Antihistamines Panned For Eczema
Antihistamines hold only a slight benefit for atopic dermatitis (eczema) and shouldn't be routinely used in management, a network meta-analysis concluded. For moderate to severe atopic dermatitis, adding a first-generation H1 antihistamine had no significant impact on severity of the condition or itch severity compared with placebo, found Derek K. Chu, MD, PhD, of McMaster University in Hamilton, Ontario, and colleagues. (Phend, 7/29)
Stat: Latigo Posts Results On Competitor To Vertex Non-Opioid Pain Reliever
For decades, efforts to develop non-opioid pain drugs were marked by failure. But what was once a graveyard of drug discovery is quickly turning into a race for a multibillion-dollar market, with Latigo Biotherapeutics publishing positive data on Wednesday for a therapy meant to rival a Vertex medicine already on the market. (Wosen, 7/29)
HEALTHCARE INDUSTRY
Fierce Healthcare: FTC Sues Hims & Hers, Alleging It Breached Patient Privacy
The Federal Trade Commission, along with Utah and California authorities, sued telehealth company Hims & Hers, alleging it misled consumers about privacy, billing and subscription practices. The FTC alleges that Hims & Hers shared consumers’ sensitive health information, including medical conditions, with third-party advertising platforms, despite claiming that its services maintain consumers’ privacy. The case was joined by officials in Utah and Los Angeles County. (Landi, 7/29)
Modern Healthcare: Doctronic Acquires Summer Health For Pediatric Primary Care
Artificial intelligence primary care platform Doctronic has acquired Summer Health. The deal allows Doctronic to expand into pediatric primary care. Summer Health’s virtual care platform offers on-demand access to pediatricians via text messages. Doctronic’s platform uses chatbots for health-related questions and intake, and offers consultations with human physicians. Terms of the transaction were not disclosed. (Famakinwa, 7/29)
Modern Healthcare: Humana To Exit Some Medicare Advantage Markets In 2027
The major health insurance company most reliant on Medicare Advantage is changing course and pulling back from the program, Humana Chief Financial Officer Celeste Mellet said Wednesday. Humana will exit underperforming geographic markets next year and shed 600,000 beneficiaries as it confronts high costs and tightened profit margins, Mellet said during a call with investor analysts to announce the company’s second-quarter earnings. (Tepper, 7/29)
Modern Healthcare: HCA, Tenet Earnings Hit By ACA Exchange Coverage Losses
A rise in uninsured patients and challenges in specialized care are increasing the financial pressure on large for-profit health systems. A growing number of patients are dropping their insurance coverage under the Affordable Care Act, and a greater-than-expected portion of those patients are staying uninsured. The shift in payer mix is leading to lost revenue and higher levels of uncompensated care. Weaker surgical volumes and higher expenses tied to specialized physicians are adding to the obstacles. (Hudson, 7/29)
Modern Healthcare: Medicare Nursing Home Pay To Rise 2.4% For 2027 Under CMS Rule
Medicare reimbursements to skilled nursing facilities will rise 2.4% in fiscal 2027 under a final rule the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services published Wednesday. The agency finalized the same payment update it proposed in April. Nursing homes got a 3.2% payment hike this year.The reimbursement update reflects a 3.3% gross increase based on expenses from the skilled nursing facility market basket, minus a 0.9 percentage point productivity adjustment. The fiscal year begins Oct. 1. (Early, 7/29)
Stat: $47 Million Program Offers Hybrid University-Industry Ph.D. Training
Young life scientists have been increasingly abandoning academia, a seismic shift that has fueled calls for rethinking graduate education. On Wednesday, the Trump administration announced that it’s funding a pilot program to test a new strategy: Giving Ph.D. students industry experience — and dollars — as part of their training. (Wosen, 7/29)
STATE WATCH
CalMatters: A Doctor Evaluated California’s Largest ICE Detention Center
U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement is failing to provide adequate healthcare at a new detention center in California City, according to a report from an independent monitor at the facility, where detainees complained of missing medications and months-long delays to cancer treatment. The findings appear in a report by Dr. Muthusamy Anandkumar, a court-appointed monitor of the California City Immigration Processing Center, which is about 75 miles east of Bakersfield and run by the private prison company CoreCivic. The federal government purchased the facility earlier this month but CoreCivic continues to operate it. (Duara, 7/29)
The 19th: San Francisco Women's Shelter Told It No Longer Aligns With Trump Admin Priorities
For a long time, reaching out for help felt insurmountable. Through her job, Monica Paz had seen firsthand the discrimination faced by trans women survivors at mainstream domestic violence service organizations. (Mithani, 7/29)
WyoFile: Wyoming’s Second Largest City Has Unsustainable Maternity Care Shortage
Longtime obstetrician Susan Sheridan understands well that on-call coverage is part of her vocation. But with the number of OB-GYNs who serve Wyoming’s second-largest city plunging from an average of six to just two, the schedule has become overwhelming. “When there’s five of us, every fifth day you’re responsible for ER coverage and consults, in addition to whatever you have scheduled in your day,” Sheridan said. “At this point, it’s now every other day for my partner and I to cover that.” (Klingsporn, 7/29)
AP: Father Of Apalachee High School Shooter To Be Sentenced For Second-Degree Murder
A man who gave his son the gun used to kill two students and two teachers at Appalachee High School in Georgia is set to be sentenced Thursday after he was convicted of second-degree murder and involuntary manslaughter. Colin Gray’s sentencing comes just days after his 16-year-old son, Colt Gray, pleaded guilty to murder and other charges and was sentenced to serve life in prison without the possibility of parole for the Sept. 4, 2024, shooting at the school about 45 miles (73 kilometers) northeast of Atlanta. (Brumback, 7/30)
The Baltimore Sun: Baltimore's Response Efforts Continue A Year After Mass Overdose
Baltimore City plans to expand its street-based overdose response efforts and provide more information about how millions of dollars from its Opioid Restitution Fund are being spent. (Pryce, 7/29)
The Baltimore Sun: Maryland Heat Deaths Reach 38, Surpassing Last Year’s Total
Maryland has recorded 38 heat-related deaths so far this summer, already surpassing last year’s total of 36, according to data from the Maryland Department of Health. It is the highest number since 2012, when the state recorded 46 heat-related deaths, largely tied to a windstorm event. (Pilsbury, 7/29)
North Carolina Health News: North Carolina’s Drought Hammers Farmers, Worsens Food Insecurity
As North Carolina weathers one of its worst droughts in more than 18 years, farmers are seeing the results in withering yields of corn, fruits and other crops. This has affected their bottom line, to be sure, but the effects are more widespread. Hunger relief programs that rely on local produce can’t buy as much at the slightly higher prices that small farmers are having to charge to stay afloat. (Lopez, 7/30)
Stat: Healthy Until Proven Sick: Medicaid Work Rules Threaten Patient Care
Starting next week, Nebraskans on Medicaid will be at risk of losing their health coverage unless the state can verify that they work, volunteer, or attend school for 80 hours per month. Come January, millions of other low-income Americans will face the same cliff. (Cueto, 7/30)
Post-Tribune: NWI Survey Aims To Create Report Card For Disabled And Senior Citizens
Everybody Counts will be launching a survey and community forums to create a Northwest Indiana report card for accessibility for people with disabilities and senior citizens. Indiana state officials are in the process of writing a plan for what people with disabilities and senior citizens need for independent living, said Teresa Torres, the director of Everybody Counts. (Kukulka, 7/29)
Military.com: VA Hospital Among First To Offer New Implant For Overactive Bladders
A veterans' hospital has launched a new treatment to help veterans who have overactive bladders and urinary incontinence. VA Augusta Health Care System has become the first hospital in Georgia and the second VA Medical Center in the nation to offer the Altaviva implant, a device that changes how the brain and bladder communicate. (Plummer, 7/30)
