Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
First Edition: Thursday, Oct. 22, 2026
KFF HEALTH NEWS ORIGINAL STORIES
KFF Health News: Job-Based Health Plan Costs Rise, With Little Relief In Sight
Rising healthcare costs aren’t a problem just for those who buy their own health insurance. Increases hit employers and their workers this year, too, and more are expected for 2027 plans — adding to growing concerns about affordability heading into the midterm elections. Polls show that healthcare costs — and affordability, in general — are among top concerns cited by likely voters. Much attention has been focused on mounting costs and declining enrollment in Affordable Care Act plans, the insurance used by roughly 19 million people who buy their own. But work-based plans are adding financial pressure for the more than 150 million Americans covered through their jobs. (Appleby, 10/22)
KFF Health News: ‘Go To Canada’: Trump Touted Americans’ Access To Cheaper Drugs. A New Rule Threatens It
Days before it was to go into effect, the Trump administration pushed back a U.S. customs rule threatening the supply of vital prescription drugs imported by millions of Americans. Under the rule, Customs and Border Protection and the FDA will require coding on packages that makes it easier to know what’s in them. It is aimed at collecting tariffs on even low-value imports, and at catching illegal drugs like fentanyl. It will also add costs and complex paperwork to each order. Now the regulation, which was set to start Oct. 22, is delayed until Jan. 20. (Allen, 10/22)
KFF Health News: Trump Dangles Rural Health Dollars To Push States To Change Hospital Laws
The Trump administration has hinged federal funding for states on whether they end or loosen powerful but controversial laws that regulate the construction of new hospitals — with a handful of states poised to comply. A chunk of the $50 billion available to states through the five-year Rural Health Transformation Program is partly contingent on policy commitments. The administration told states it would score their applications higher if they walked back their certificate of need, or CON, laws, which give a state approval authority over the expansion or construction of any healthcare facility. Six states indicated plans to revisit their laws in their applications. (Jones, 10/22)
KFF Health News: Listen To The Latest ‘KFF Health News Minute’
Jackie Fortiér reads the week’s news: Support for “Medicare for All” is at its highest in at least a decade, even though many don’t understand the specifics. Plus, celebrities are getting full-body medical scans, but more screening might not be a good thing. (10/22)
OUTBREAKS AND HEALTH THREATS
The Hill: Pennsylvania Sees Rare Cases Of Congenital Measles
The Pennsylvania health department issued a warning to doctors Monday about an increase in measles cases during pregnancy, along with rising concern about congenital measles, a disease rarely seen in the U.S. The department’s alert said congenital measles — a measles infection in a newborn contracted from the mother — was identified “for the first time in decades.” (Weixel, 10/21)
Daily Herald: Measles Case Reported In DuPage County
A person in DuPage County has the measles, health authorities announced Wednesday. The individual, who had been vaccinated, recently returned from an international trip, the DuPage County Health Department said in a news release. County health officials said it was “a rare breakthrough infection.” (Sarkauskas, 10/21)
The New York Times: Is Rabies Making A Comeback?
In the United States, rabies can seem like a disease of the past, a remote risk caused by a mostly vanquished virus. But in recent months, this ancient foe has returned to the spotlight. A handful of unusual outbreaks have made headlines: rabid beavers at a Maryland state park, a cluster of goat cases at a North Carolina petting zoo. Officials in several states, including Idaho and Alabama, flagged surges in animal cases; California set an annual record for rabid bats. (Anthes, 10/21)
Axios: New World Screwworm Found In US Wildlife For First Time In Ongoing Outbreak
Federal and Texas officials on Wednesday confirmed the first known case of the New World screwworm parasite in U.S. wildlife during the current outbreak. The discovery raises new questions about whether the flesh-eating parasite is spreading beyond livestock. (Falconer, 10/21)
Southern California News Group: Deaths Mount As West Nile Virus Hotspots Emerge In LA, Orange Counties
More people are contracting mosquito-borne West Nile virus and dying in Los Angeles and Orange counties than anywhere else in California, pushing state levels to a five-year high. The two counties combined account for at least 63% of the 378 human infections reported this year by the California Department of Public Health, making the region a hotbed for the disease transmitted by the female Southern House mosquito. The actual count is likely higher than the state’s database, which lags behind the local numbers reported by individual counties. (Fobar and Saavedra, 10/21)
ABC News: Nigeria Confirms Its 1st Ebola Case As Kenya Reports 9th Infection: Health Officials
Nigeria is confirming its first Ebola case as an outbreak continues to spread in the nearby Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC). According to Nigeria's Federal Ministry of Health and Social Welfare, the patient is a woman who arrived on an international flight from Uganda. She was admitted to a private hospital in the Federal Capital Territory, where the capital city of Abuja is located. The woman received care for several days before a diagnosis was confirmed through laboratory testing on Tuesday. She is currently in isolation and receiving medical care, according to the ministry. (Kekatos and Jovanovic, 10/21)
CIDRAP: Epidemics Linked To Loss Of Health Workers, With Poorer Nations Hardest Hit
Infectious disease specialists gathered for an annual infectious disease conference in Washington, DC, today rallied to protest funding cuts to HIV research, prevention, and treatment. “Nothing has hurt me as much in the last year as the cruel and devastating cuts and attempts to silence us around HIV care, advocacy and research,” said Jeanne Marrazzo, MD, MPH, CEO of the Infectious Diseases Society of America (IDSA), one of the organizers of the IDWeek 2026 conference. (Szabo, 10/21)
WOMEN'S HEALTH
MedPage Today: Testosterone For Menopause May Carry Heart Risks
Testosterone therapy for menopause was linked to heightened risk of incident cardiovascular disease, a large retrospective cohort study suggested. (Robertson, 10/21)
MPR News: As Obstetric Care Dwindles In Rural Minnesota, New Fellowship Aims To Fill Gaps
Nearly 30 Minnesota hospitals have stopped providing obstetric services over the past 15 years, leaving fewer options for families who need maternity care close to home, according to University of Minnesota research. (Gordon and Finn, 10/21)
The Colorado Sun: Domestic Violence Deaths Are Up In Colorado. More Offenders Died Than Victims
The number of deaths stemming from domestic violence in Colorado has held steady over the past five years, with a slight uptick in both fatalities and cases reported in 2025, according to a report released Wednesday by Attorney General Phil Weiser’s office. (Breunlin, 10/21)
The 19th: A Historic Win For Paid Parental Leave, Led By Allegheny County Nurses
As a nurse in the neonatal intensive care unit, Jean Stone knows what it really means to live in a country with no paid parental leave. She’s watched this scene play out so many times it’s almost the norm: Once their babies stabilize in the NICU, parents often return to work to preserve whatever parental leave they have left for when their babies come home. Stone calls the parents in the middle of the day to update them — starting each call with, “Everything is OK” — and watch them come in at the end of their workday, their faces reflecting the relief of reunion. (Carrazana, 10/21)
THE TRUMP ADMINISTRATION
Axios: Americans' Opinion Of The CDC Hits Record Low
Americans' ratings of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention have fallen to a record low, according to a recent Gallup poll, driven by a plunge in Democrats' views of the agency. (Adkins, 10/21)
The New York Times: C.D.C. Ignored Request From States To Validate A New Measles Test
Health officials in California and Washington, facing outbreaks of measles this past spring, asked the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in May to validate a test that can diagnose 500 cases in eight hours. They did not hear back for two months. Officials from the West Coast Health Alliance — California, Washington, Oregon and Hawaii — recounted the experience this week in a letter to Dr. Erica Schwartz, the C.D.C.’s new director, who assumed the position in August, shortly after they got the agency’s reply. According to the letter, obtained by The New York Times, the C.D.C. had told them that it had “other competing priorities” and could not dedicate time to making a high-volume test available to state labs. (Mandavilli, 10/21)
ABC News: Changes To Hepatitis B Vaccine Recommendations Could Leave Millions Of Children Vulnerable: Study
Changes to federal hepatitis B vaccination recommendations could lead to more childhood infections and leave up to 1.8 million young adults vulnerable to the virus, a new study finds. It comes as health experts raise concerns about the potential long-term impact of changing childhood vaccination recommendations. (Tsapatsaris and Assoumou, 10/21)
AP: Supreme Court Rejects Trump Administration On Restricting Transgender Inmate Medical Care For Now
The Supreme Court on Wednesday refused to allow the Trump administration to immediately enforce new medical restrictions for transgender people in federal prison. The decision leaves in place a lower-court block on the policy. It was adopted after an executive order from President Donald Trump, a Republican who has taken several steps to roll back transgender rights during his second term. (Whitehurst, 10/22)
Axios: Hegseth Approves Testing Of 'Heat Ray' At The Border. Here's How It Works
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has approved testing of a military-grade "heat ray" for potential use along the U.S.-Mexico border — a weapon that uses invisible energy beams to produce an intense burning sensation on human skin. (Scribner, 10/21)
The 19th: Amy Acton Survived Childhood Abuse. Ramaswamy Is Using It To Attack Her
Republican Vivek Ramaswamy is closing out one of the nastiest races of the 2026 cycle by suggesting that Democrat Amy Acton, his opponent in the Ohio governor’s race, has lied about the well-documented childhood sexual abuse she experienced for political gain. (Becker, 10/21)
PUBLIC HEALTH
CIDRAP: US Cervical Cancer Screening Rates Have Risen, But Disparities Remain, New Data Show
Since the 1970s, cervical cancer deaths in the United States have plummeted by more than half, thanks in part to screening, according to the American Cancer Society. Still, about 13,000 women receive new cervical cancer diagnoses annually—and about 4,000 of them die. Understanding cervical cancer screening (CCS) uptake trends can help doctors reach more patients and reduce the number of deaths. From 2019 to 2024, rates of CCS increased overall, but there were differences among the groups screened, finds a study published late last week in JAMA Network Open. (Holohan, 10/21)
CIDRAP: Kids More Likely To Be Vaccinated Against HPV If Doctors Offer Shots At Earlier Ages, Study Finds
When it comes to protecting kids from the human papillomavirus (HPV), earlier vaccination is better, new research shows. Children are more likely to be fully vaccinated against HPV—a ubiquitous virus that causes six types of cancer— if doctors offer the immunization when kids are 9 or 10 years old, compared with beginning the series of injections at ages 11 or 12, the age when most clinicians now offer the shots. (Szabo, 10/21)
NBC News: EXCLUSIVE: Nurse, 33, Diagnoses Own Breast Cancer After Doctor, Scans Missed The Signs
In October of 2023, Marci Bothwell had just turned 33 and completed her certification to become an oncology nurse. The mom of three was very knowledgable about the symptoms of many cancers, and how to monitor for them. But she wasn’t looking for unusual changes in her breasts when she found one. (Kee, 10/21)
SCIENCE AND INNOVATIONS
Stat: Immune Drug From Roivant Succeeds In New Eye Disease
Roivant and its spinout Priovant said Wednesday that their immune-modifying pill Lisraya was more effective than placebo in treating the inflammatory eye disease non-infectious uveitis. (Mast, 10/21)
MedPage Today: Another Incretin Drug Proves Mettle In Sleep Apnea
Treatment with the novel triple agonist retatrutide improved obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) in adults with obesity or overweight regardless of type 2 diabetes, two parallel randomized clinical trials showed. (Phend, 10/21)
MedPage Today: Ianalumab's Road To Approval For Sjogren's Looks Bumpier
Findings from a pair of randomized trials in Sjögren's disease with the anti-B cell biologic ianalumab have now been published and it's no longer clear that they're sufficient to support regulatory approvals. The two trials were called NEPTUNUS-1 and NEPTUNUS-2 and were almost identical in design. Some results were presented last year at the American College of Rheumatology's annual meeting, indicating that their primary endpoint (more change from baseline in disease activity than with placebo) was met in both studies. P values approached the usual 0.05 threshold for insignificance, but pooling the data made them look stronger. (Gever, 10/21)
MedPage Today: Psilocybin Tied To Lower Inflammation In Parkinson's Trial
Markers of systemic inflammation and mitochondrial stress were reduced after psilocybin therapy in Parkinson's disease patients with mood dysfunction, a small nonrandomized trial showed. Relative to baseline, an inflammatory index was significantly lower at all follow-up time points after psilocybin was administered, reported Ellen Bradley, MD, of the University of California San Francisco (UCSF), and co-authors. (George, 10/21)
HEALTHCARE INDUSTRY
Stat: American Diabetes Association Shakes Up Leadership
Just over six weeks after the American Diabetes Association said its review of an incident at its New Orleans meeting in June would need more time, one of its top leaders is out. (Cooney, 10/21)
Stat: Telehealth Sees Rising Off-Label Use Of GLP-1s For Substance Abuse
For the popular diabetes and obesity medications known as GLP-1s, addiction medicine is one of many possible promising next acts. (Palmer, 10/22)
Modern Healthcare: Why Health Systems, Companies Are Launching Insurance Plans
A new wave of companies think they can pull off the difficult feat of becoming a health insurer. National carriers have pulled back in recent years by exiting unprofitable business lines and geographies, as costs rise in commercial insurance and government health programs. Health systems, reckoning with cost inflation, must battle insurers during network negotiations and enlist outside vendors to ease prior authorization pressures. And that’s leading some companies to bet their twist on administering health insurance will succeed where others failed. (Tong, 10/21)
Modern Healthcare: Why UnitedHealthcare, Aetna Are Investing In Shared Provider Data
Major health insurance companies are joining forces to build up a legacy provider data platform in preparation for looming federal mandates.At the start of the year, UnitedHealth Group subsidiary UnitedHealthcare, CVS Health subsidiary Aetna, Horizon Blue Cross and Blue Shield and nine other insurers acquired the Council for Affordable Quality Healthcare and transitioned it from a nonprofit organization to a for-profit company. In June, the group rebranded the operation as DataSpring. Last week, DataSpring, several large insurance companies and the American Medical Association launched a new shared provider data standard. (Tepper, 10/21)
Bloomberg: Elevance Raises Full-Year Guidance On Lower Medical Costs
Elevance Health Inc. raised its full-year profit guidance after a better-than-expected third quarter and signaled earnings next year would top current Wall Street estimates, a sign of growing confidence as the healthcare giant rebuilds profits in its insurance business. Elevance, which includes a major insurer and a health services arm, boosted its 2026 earnings outlook by $2 a share. Adjusted earnings next year will increase by at least 12% from a new baseline of $26.75 a share, which excludes some current-year items, the company said in a presentation Wednesday. (Swetlitz, 10/21)
Modern Healthcare: Epic Systems To Launch Connectors Tool For AI Agents
Epic Systems will roll out a new tool that enables artificial intelligence agents to find information and complete tasks in other apps. Connectors will give developers the ability to link outside apps to the Epic electronic health record, the company said Wednesday. It will also let users pull information from those apps to its clinician AI assistant, Art; its patient-facing generative AI tool, Emmie; and Penny, the company’s AI-backed revenue cycle management product. (Famakinwa, 10/21)
Modern Healthcare: Horizon Blue Cross Parent To Buy Summit's NJ Operations
The parent company of Horizon Blue Cross Blue Shield of New Jersey has agreed to acquire multispecialty care provider Summit Health’s operations in the state. The transaction is subject to regulatory approval, Horizon Mutual Holdings said Wednesday. Horizon did not provide an expected closing date or financial details of the proposed deal. (Hudson, 10/21)
MPR News: CentraCare Healthcare System To Acquire Stellis Health
Stellis Health, a healthcare organization based in Wright County, plans to merge with CentraCare, the central Minnesota region’s largest healthcare provider. (Marohn, 10/21)
Modern Healthcare: Risant Health To Acquire Integris Health
Kaiser Permanente-backed Risant Health is set to acquire its third health system, Integris Health. Risant and Integris have signed a definitive agreement, according to a Wednesday news release. The proposed deal is expected to close early next year, pending regulatory approval. Financial details were not disclosed. (Hudson, 10/21)
STATE WATCH
Bloomberg: California Voters To Decide On $8.4 Billion Immunology Bond Backed By Michelson
Billionaire Gary Michelson has pledged $120 million to help establish a medical research institute in Los Angeles. Now he’s asking California voters to approve a far larger investment of public money, with much likely to go to the California Institute for Immunology and Immunotherapy, which he co-founded and chairs. Proposition 38 would authorize $8.4 billion in state borrowing to study the immune system and develop treatments for afflictions including cancer, heart disease and Alzheimer’s. Michelson says the investment would help sustain American scientific advancements as the Trump administration cuts federal research funding. (Gittelsohn, 10/21)
The Texas Tribune: Texas Trans Rights Group Blames Backlash On False Mailers
Pamphlets purporting to come from a transgender rights organization — mailed to families across Texas and igniting a storm of criticism from conservatives — came from a company formed last month in Wyoming. Social media posts began circulating Monday and Tuesday, the opening days of early voting for the Nov. 3 midterm election, that showed a pamphlet marketed as a resource guide for LGBTQ+ students from the Texas Transgender Student Union. (Runnels, 10/21)
Florida Phoenix: Florida's Proposed School Vaccine Proposals Challenged In Administrative Court
Gov. Ron DeSantis’ administration didn’t follow rulemaking procedures and overstepped its authority when it proposed eliminating four required vaccines for school and daycare entry, a rule challenge filed in state administrative court alleges. (Sexton, 10/21)
Stat: Feds Launch Medicaid Fraud Crackdown In NYC Adult Day Care Centers
Just one week after being granted the authority to kick providers off of federal health care programs, U.S. health officials are using it on adult day care centers in New York City they say are committing fraud. (Bannow, 10/21)
AP: Fire At Senior Living Facility In Mississippi Forces Evacuations
A fire tore through a Mississippi senior living center Wednesday, forcing the evacuation of its residents and destroying much of the building that was home to more than 100 people. There were no confirmed casualties, but authorities searched the site into the night to account for everyone. There were no immediate reports of injuries at Brookdale Clinton, where many residents have mobility issues, and by Wednesday night the fire was under control, according to officials. (Bates and Golden, 10/22)
AP: Toledo Chemical Tank Leak Forces Evacuations And Shelter-In-Place Orders
A ruptured chemical tank billowed a white plume into the air for hours Wednesday, forcing hundreds of residents out of their homes due to the potentially toxic leak and the possibility of an explosion. More than 50,000 people in Toledo, Ohio, were advised to stay indoors for much of the day until the city lifted a shelter-in-place order in the evening. (Seewer and McCormack, 10/22)
AP: Idaho Prosecutor Seeks Death Penalty For Mom Charged In Twins' Deaths
An Idaho prosecutor is seeking the death penalty against a woman charged with murder in the 2025 deaths of her twin toddlers. Andrea Shaw, 23, has pleaded not guilty and has said the 18-month-old twins became sick and died after receiving flu shots and routine childhood vaccinations. But Payette County Prosecutor Mike Duke wrote in court documents that an autopsy revealed symptoms consistent with smothering and wrote that suffocation “is the only conceivable explanation” for their deaths. (Boone, 10/21)
North Carolina Health News: New Unit Aims To Fill Gaps In Mental Health Care For NC Youth In Juvenile Detention
Arkevious Armstrong, 45, returned to C.A. Dillon Juvenile Detention Center in Butner on Oct. 12. He had last walked out of the facility 30 years ago. Armstrong spent four years of his childhood there, from age 13 to 17. This time, though, he came to celebrate the opening of a new behavioral health unit at the facility. (Crumpler, 10/22)
The Marshall Project and St. Louis Public Radio: Why 22 St. Louis City Jail Detainees Have Died Since 2020
They were all held at the St. Louis City Justice Center, waiting for their day in court. One, 32 years old, died of complications from his untreated diabetes, the city medical examiner’s office concluded. Another, a year older, hanged herself in her cell, dying days later from a lack of oxygen to her brain, according to her autopsy report. A third, 31, died from what the city said was an overdose, but his family called it negligence by the jail’s employees. (Scott and Wimbley, 10/21)
