Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
First Edition: Tuesday, July 14, 2026
KFF HEALTH NEWS ORIGINAL STORIES
KFF Health News: Knee Pain? Ragged Cartilage? Research Suggests Surgery’s Not The Best Answer
Thousands of Americans who undergo a common knee surgery might be making their problems worse rather than better. Researchers who followed patients for 10 years after they received either the actual procedure, arthroscopic knee surgery to trim degenerative cartilage tears, or merely “sham surgery” — a skin incision — for knee pain, found that the surgery provided little or no benefit and was, in fact, associated with accelerated osteoarthritis and higher rates of reoperation. That generally meant a total knee replacement. (Rosenthal, 7/14)
KFF Health News: Lawmakers Look To Make Abortion Shield Laws Less Dependent On Who’s Governor
When Gov. Gavin Newsom, using his executive power, refused to extradite a physician accused of prescribing and mailing abortion pills to a Louisiana woman, he said California would “not ever” allow “extremist politicians” to punish its doctors. Newsom, who is considering a run for president, has long championed reproductive rights, but state lawmakers in the Democratically controlled California legislature know future governors might not have the same political beliefs. (Fortiér, 7/14)
CYCLOSPORIASIS OUTBREAK
The New York Times: ‘Lettuce Or Salad Greens’ Identified As Potential Source Of Cyclospora Outbreak
In a news release issued Monday, health officials in Michigan identified a possible source of an outbreak of cyclosporiasis, an illness resulting from infection with the parasite cyclospora, which is transmitted through food and water contaminated with feces. “Current results point to lettuce or salad greens as a potential source for this outbreak,” officials said via the release, though they cautioned that the source was not yet definitive, and that other food items could not be ruled out. They also did not specify a grower or supplier. (Callahan, 7/13)
The Washington Post: Authorities Investigate Taco Bell And Lettuce In Multistate Cyclosporiasis Outbreak
Federal and state health officials are investigating whether Taco Bell restaurants played a role in one of the largest U.S. outbreaks of a gastrointestinal illness caused by a parasite that contaminates fresh produce, according to two individuals familiar with the investigation. ... Some people who became ill told investigators they had eaten at Taco Bell, the person said. But others who became sick had not eaten there, suggesting the outbreak extends beyond the chain. (Sun, 7/14)
ABC News: Cyclosporiasis Cases In Michigan Surpass 2,600, Health Officials Say
Reported cases of cyclosporiasis, an intestinal illness caused by a parasite, have surpassed 2,600 in Michigan, the state's health department said on Monday. Cases jumped by more than 1,000 since Friday for a total of 2,642 reported since June 22, according to the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services (MDHHS). At least 44 people have been hospitalized. Michigan typically sees about 50 cases per year. Most cases have been reported in southeastern Michigan, including Wayne County, where Detroit is located, according to MDHHS. (Kekatos, 7/13)
EBOLA OUTBREAK
Reuters: Ebola Outbreak Is At Least Double The Formal Tally, WHO Says
The true number of Ebola cases in Congo is at least double, and possibly four times, the official tally, the World Health Organization's emergencies chief said on Tuesday. "We think, with some of our support and modelling, the scale of the outbreak is at least 2-4 times the number of cases we are finding," Dr Chikwe Ihekweazu, Executive Director of the WHO's Health Emergencies Programme, told reporters in Geneva after a visit to eastern Democratic Republic of Congo. (7/14)
Reuters: Exclusive: US To Block Citizens In Congo From Immediate Travel Home, Citing Ebola
The Trump administration on Monday said it is blocking American citizens in the Democratic Republic of Congo from traveling to the U.S. on commercial flights, according to a White House official. The order, which is being taken under a transportation authority known as Title 49, will place U.S. citizens in Congo or those who have recently left on a “do-not-board” list until they have spent at least 21 days in a third country, the person said. (Hunnicutt, 7/13)
The Washington Post: Second American Infected With Ebola Is Responding Well To Treatment In Germany
A second American infected with Ebola while working in the Democratic Republic of Congo has been transferred to Germany for care and is responding positively to treatment, his employer, an evangelical Christian organization said. Samaritan’s Purse said its employee arrived Monday at Frankfurt University Hospital. “He has responded well to treatment, is in stable condition, and is receiving excellent medical care in the hospital’s special isolation unit,” the group said in a statement. (Sun, 7/13)
CIDRAP: Africa CDC Calls For More Protection For Health Workers As Deadly Ebola Outbreak Shows No Sign Of Slowing
The leader of the Africa Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (Africa CDC), is calling for stronger protections for first responders, including more gear and enhanced safety protocols in light of the Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), which is officially entering its second month and showing little signs of slowed transmission. (Soucheray, 7/13)
THE TRUMP ADMINISTRATION
NPR: Trump's HHS Backs Off Most Radical Effort To Stop Healthcare For Trans Youth
The Trump administration is abandoning its most aggressive attempt to end gender-affirming care for youth nationally, according to an official document obtained by NPR. The document shows that the Department of Health and Human Services will not be finalizing a proposed rule that would have blocked all Medicaid and Medicare funding for hospitals that provide pediatric gender-affirming care. (Simmons-Duffin, 7/13)
FiercePharma: FDA Proposes To Simplify Registration Of US Drug Manufacturing
In an initiative to increase the efficiency of drug manufacturing in the United States, the FDA has proposed a streamlined pathway for registering production facilities that operate under a “hub-and-spoke” model. The new rule would cut red tape, allowing manufacturing entities that have equivalent production units at different locations to register as a single establishment instead of having each unit register and gain clearance separately. (Dunleavy, 7/13)
Politico: CBO Is Looking At How Fighting Health Care Fraud Could Help GOP Boost Defense Spending
The Congressional Budget Office, a nonpartisan legislative scorekeeper, is examining whether giving the federal government more fraud-fighting resources could help pay for a new spending package. Republicans are making a last ditch attempt before the election to pass another party-line budget bill. President Donald Trump has asked them to include $350 billion in new defense spending. (King, 7/13)
The Hill: $5.56B Recovered, 1,200 Barred In HHS Fraud Crackdown
The federal watchdog for the Department of Health and Human Services generated $5.56 billion in expected recoveries and projected savings over a six-month period, according to a report issued Monday, and barred just over 1,200 individuals and companies from federal programs. The HHS Office of Inspector General, in a semiannual report to Congress, said it returned $12.70 for every dollar it spent between October 2025 through March 2026. The Trump administration often cites rampant waste, fraud and abuse as justification for deep program cuts. (Weixel, 7/13)
The Hill: States Sue Department Of Education Over Alleged Unlawful Termination Of Mental Health Grants
A group of more than a dozen state attorneys general is suing the Department of Education (DOE) for what they claim to be the unlawful termination of congressionally approved mental health grants for public school students. The lawsuit filed on Friday was done so “protectively” essentially to back up a prior lawsuit filed by states in which a federal judge issued an injunction on a plan by the department to terminate the grants. The grants in question were awarded for a five-year project period, with funding doled out year-by-year through continuation grants. (Choi, 7/13)
Roll Call: Defense Funding To Research Troops’ Brain Injuries Shrank Since 2025
Funding for Defense Department medical research into traumatic brain injuries has dropped by more than three-quarters in the last three fiscal years, even as the problem continues to plague U.S. servicemembers. (Donnelly, 7/13)
The Examination: FDA Authorized Zyn Nicotine Pouches Without Knowing What They Were Made Of, Says Former Agency Scientist
A toxicologist says the agency failed to consider whether the pouch material could shed microplastics. (Chapman and Kranhold, 7/14)
ON CAPITOL HILL
Fierce Healthcare: Payers Urge Lawmakers To Reject NSA Enforcement Bill
A payer-backed group has launched a campaign challenging a bill that would build on the No Surprises Act. The Coalition Against Surprise Medical Billing (CASMB) announced on Monday that its "six-figure" campaign urges lawmakers to reject the No Surprises Act Enforcement Act, or H.R. 4710. This legislation, they argue, would "reward the actors misusing the [independent dispute resolution] process." (Minemyer, 7/13)
Politico: Democrats Divided On Whether To Make Daylight Saving Time Permanent
Top House Democrats used a Monday evening leadership meeting to debate whether to vote for legislation on the floor this week that would make daylight savings time permanent. The bill, known as the Sunshine Protection Act, advanced overwhelmingly in the House Energy and Commerce Committee earlier this year as part of a package to reauthorize surface transportation programs. House GOP leaders have chosen to bring it up as a standalone measure in a sign of momentum for the long-debated legislative proposal. (Rogerson and Brugger, 7/13)
ABORTION
AP: Idaho Is The 4th State With Abortion Rights On The 2026 Ballot
Idaho voters will decide whether to roll back the state’s abortion ban, the secretary of state told the group behind the initiative in a letter Monday, joining three other states where abortion will be directly on the ballot on Nov. 3. Voters in Virginia and Nevada — both states where abortion is already legal through at least 24 weeks of pregnancy — are considering state constitutional amendments to create a right to abortion. And in Missouri, which in 2024 became the first state to use a constitutional amendment to undo an abortion ban, voters are being asked to override that to bring back an abortion ban, with limited exceptions. (Mulvihill, 7/13)
Politico: Abortion Opponents Press Congress To Defund Planned Parenthood — Again
As House Republicans attempt to push through a party-line bill this week, anti-abortion activists and their allies in Congress are lobbying for their own preferred money-saver: reviving the ban on Medicaid reimbursement for Planned Parenthood that Congress recently allowed to expire, allowing the network of clinics to regain access to hundreds of millions in annual funding. Several groups, including Americans United for Life, Live Action, Students for Life Action and the National Right to Life Council, will hold a press conference on Capitol Hill on Thursday to demand GOP leaders include the measure in their party-line bill, and will then fan out to lobby individual offices. (Ollstein, 7/13)
PHARMACEUTICALS
The New York Times: Appeals Court Revives Lawsuits Tying Tylenol Use In Pregnancy To Autism And A.D.H.D.
A U.S. appeals court on Monday reversed a trial judge’s decision to dismiss lawsuits against the makers of Tylenol, reviving hundreds of cases filed by families who claim that their children developed autism or attention deficit hyperactivity disorder after their mothers took Tylenol during pregnancy. The judges, all Democratic appointees, ruled that the lower court overstepped by excluding scientific evidence presented by expert witnesses on behalf of the plaintiffs. That expert testimony, the judges argued, was valid evidence about a scientific question that they said was still under dispute. (Ghorayshi, 7/13)
The New York Times: Agitation In Dementia Can Be Helped By Medical Cannabis, Study Suggests
A combination of THC and CBD eased symptoms in an especially frail population: patients with advanced dementia near the end of their lives. (Belluck, 7/14)
HealthDay: Adderall Misuse Falls Sharply Among Young Adults, Study Finds
Half as many young adults are misusing Adderall, Ritalin and other ADHD medications these days to help them remain alert at study or work, a new evidence review says. Misuse of ADHD stimulant meds among adults under 30 fell from 7.5% in 2016 to 3.7% in 2023, researchers report in the Journal of Clinical Psychopharmacology. (Thompson, 7/13)
MedPage Today: Study Dampens Hope For GLP-1s As Insulin Off-Ramp In Type 2 Diabetes
Adding a GLP-1 receptor agonist was not associated with a lower likelihood of discontinuing existing basal insulin therapy among veterans with type 2 diabetes compared with other glucose-lowering agents, a target emulation trial found. (Monaco, 7/13)
STATE WATCH
The Washington Post: ICE Officer Shoots And Kills Man In Maine, Prompting State Investigation
A federal immigration officer fatally shot a man Monday in Maine, leading the state’s attorney general to launch an investigation and fueling backlash to President Donald Trump’s crackdown. The office of Maine Attorney General Aaron Frey said initial reports indicated a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement officer shot the man when he attempted to flee in his vehicle during an enforcement operation in the small coastal city of Biddeford. ... Authorities did not identify the man who was killed, but the Maine Immigrants’ Rights Coalition said he was a 26-year-old Colombian national. Ruben Torres, the group’s director of advocacy and policy, said the man had a Social Security number and was authorized to work in the United States. (Hesson, Reynolds, Slater, Schaffer and Oakford, 7/13)
Verite News: Louisiana Takes Steps To Bring Its HIV Exposure Law In Line With Modern Science
Louisiana lawmakers took steps to modernize a state law that criminalizes intentionally exposing others to HIV, increasing protections for people living with the virus. Louisiana has one of the most punitive HIV exposure laws in the country. Before the state’s law was updated, public health experts and advocates for people living with HIV said the law was too broad, prohibiting exposure “through any means or contact.” The provision allowed people to be threatened and prosecuted for actions that couldn’t transmit the virus. (Parker, 7/13)
CIDRAP: Changes To Medicaid Could Have Severe Consequences For Americans With HIV
Without Medicaid, Deedee Burris, 53, of Chicago might not be here, or at least he'd likely be a lot less healthy. Burris was diagnosed with HIV in 1995, and, for much of the past 15 years, he's been enrolled in Medicaid, a public insurance program that is jointly funded by the federal and state governments. It's provided Burris with affordable, consistent treatment that turned a fatal condition into a chronic illness. "It plays a big role. You're able to get your medication, you're able to go to your doctor's visits, your ER [emergency room] visits," he said. (Boden, 7/13)
Modern Healthcare: Trump's Tax Law Squeezes State Medicaid Budgets
The deepest cuts to the healthcare system from President Donald Trump’s 2025 tax law don’t start until next year, but it is starting to become clear how states will grapple with them. The tax-cut law signed last July will spark some $1 trillion in Medicaid cuts, according to nonpartisan congressional budget estimates, and the administration has proposed cutting deeper by tightening rules around state Medicaid funding. As they enact their 2027 budgets, states as diverse as California, Idaho, Kentucky, North Carolina and Oregon are beginning to do the belt-tightening analysts and the government predicted. (McAuliff, 7/13)
Jackson Hole Community Radio: Measles Outbreak Prompts ‘State Of Emergency’ In Teton County, Wyoming
A third adult in Teton County has been diagnosed with measles, marking the first state’s first outbreak of 2026 and prompting the county to declare a “state of emergency.” (Boyd-Fliegel, 7/13)
HEALTHCARE INDUSTRY
Healthcare Dive: ‘The System Is Undeniably Broken’: More Insurers Sue CMS Over Medicare Advantage Stars
SCAN Health Plan and Alignment Healthcare both filed lawsuits against the CMS last week after regulators refused to recalculate industry-wide MA scores using the same methodology as for Clover Health. (Parduhn, 7/13)
PUBLIC HEALTH
Stat: America's Alcohol Epidemic: Experts Offer 12 Ways To Mitigate Harm
Alcohol kills more than 178,000 Americans each year. It doesn’t have to. Drinking’s deadly toll in the U.S. is the result of decades of policy decisions, industry influence, and cultural inertia, as STAT shows in its investigative series, The Deadliest Drug. The U.S. has not made a concerted effort to reduce heavy drinking since Prohibition ended nearly a century ago. (Cueto and Facher, 7/14)
GLOBAL WATCH
AP: Astronomers Find Evidence Of Sugar In Interstellar Space
The space between stars just got a little sweeter. Astronomers have detected a type of sugar in space that’s also found in raspberries and self-tanners. The sugar, called erythrulose, lurks in what’s called the interstellar medium: thin clouds of gas and dust littered between stars. Sugar does more than sweeten tea and powder doughnuts. Different varieties fuel our cells and even make up DNA. Scientists are itching to know how sugars form because they’re a key ingredient for life as we know it. (Ramakrishnan, 7/13)
