Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
First Edition: Tuesday, June 16, 2026
KFF HEALTH NEWS ORIGINAL STORIES
KFF Health News: Backed By Threat Of Clawbacks, Feds Wield Tight Grip On $50B Rural Health Fund
In Maine, state health officials hoped to steer a slice of $190 million in new federal rural health funding to shield hospitals and clinics from the fallout caused by cuts to federal health programs. Their plan would have helped pay to treat low-income, uninsured patients. But federal leaders overseeing the five-year, $50 billion Rural Health Transformation Program said no. “It was not our decision,” said Lisa Letourneau, a senior adviser at Maine’s health department. (Tribble and Zionts, 6/16)
KFF Health News: Early-Onset Cancers Are On The Rise. Knowing Your Family History Is Crucial
Bryce Ramsey of Madison, Mississippi, was 33 when she was diagnosed with colorectal cancer. Upon noticing blood in her stool, she blamed the hemorrhoids she’d developed after delivering her son eight years earlier. Ramsey didn’t initially link her symptoms to cancer. “But I had just kind of made a deal with myself because the blood was starting to become more frequent,” she said. “I was like, ‘If this happens the next time I go to the bathroom, I’m going to make a call.’” (Anthony and Farmer, 6/16)
OUTBREAKS AND HEALTH THREATS
The New York Times: Kennedy Orders Woman To Stay In Hantavirus Quarantine, Despite C.D.C. Recommendation
A cruise ship passenger who was exposed to hantavirus in early May is still being held at a quarantine facility in Nebraska, against her wishes and against the recommendation of a medical review from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. On Monday, Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., a staunch proponent of medical freedom, signed an order to continue quarantining Angela Perryman, 47, even though others who had been held at the facility have, since May 31, been allowed to return to their homes if they wished to do so. (Mandavilli, 6/15)
Fox News: Deadly Parasitic Tapeworm Detected In West Coast Wildlife For First Time
A parasitic tapeworm known as Echinococcus multilocularis — often called the "fox tapeworm" — has been detected for the first time in West Coast wildlife. University of Washington researchers discovered the tapeworm, which can cause a rare but potentially deadly disease in humans, in 37 out of 100 coyotes sampled near Puget Sound in Washington State. The findings were published in PLOS Neglected Tropical Diseases earlier this year. (Sudhakar, 6/15)
Bloomberg: USDA Steps Up Screwworm Monitoring As Cases Expand In Texas
The US Department of Agriculture is stepping up its surveillance of New World screwworm, seeking to work with the Department of Homeland Security to contain a growing outbreak threatening the nation’s cattle herd. Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins said in a Monday press conference that the two agencies were planning to enter into an official memorandum of understanding this week, which will establish a formal framework for greater collaboration on response efforts to a deadly parasite. The agency is also looking into utilizing dogs, drones and artificial intelligence to detect larvae and assess where animals may need inspection. (Peng and Elkin, 6/15)
CIDRAP: How To Protect Outdoor Pets From New World Screwworm
The New World screwworm (NWS), a parasitic fly that had been eliminated from the United States for 60 years before reappearing in Texas earlier this month, has traditionally been considered a threat to livestock and wild animals. But a report of screwworm in a New Mexico dog last week highlights the insect’s danger to pets. (Szabo, 6/15)
CBS News: American Doctor Who Recovered From Ebola Arrives Back In U.S., Says He's 'Feeling Well'
The American doctor who contracted Ebola while working on a humanitarian mission in Congo has returned to the United States and said he's feeling well after recovering from the potentially deadly disease. Dr. Peter Stafford, his wife, Rebekah Stafford, and their four children all arrived safely on Monday, according to Serge, a Pennsylvania-based Christian missions organization. Stafford has been Ebola-free since May 30, the organization said. (Intarasuwan, 6/15)
CIDRAP: Head-To-Head Comparison Suggests Flu Was Much More Likely To Lead To Hospitalization Than COVID Last Winter
During the most recent respiratory virus season, the risk of hospitalization was higher for influenza than for COVID-19, per a US Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) study of nearly 13,000 patients. The authors, from the VA Saint Louis Health Care System, noted that while COVID-19 was tied to a substantially greater risk of hospitalization than flu early in the pandemic, data showed an increase in flu cases and hospitalizations in 2025-26 compared with previous seasons. The findings were published last week in The Lancet Infectious Diseases. (Van Beusekom, 6/15)
CANCER
Los Angeles Times: What COVID Is Teaching Doctors About The Relationship Between Viruses And Cancer
In early 2022, around the time the Omicron variant started driving a new surge in COVID-19 cases, researchers at James DeGregori’s University of Colorado Anschutz lab noticed something unusual: When lab mice with dormant breast cancer cells were infected with either influenza or SARS-CoV-2, the animals were significantly more likely to develop aggressive lung tumors. What’s true for a mouse isn’t always true for a human. But when the team examined healthcare databases, they were surprised to find that something similar appeared to be going on in the human population. (Purtill, 6/15)
St. Louis Post-Dispatch: Swansea Woman's Cancer Diagnosis Leads To Bankruptcy
A routine mammogram a year ago — Angie Salvador's first ever — launched her on an odyssey through the American healthcare system. More tests were ordered. A biopsy followed. Then the bad news: breast cancer. (Barker, 6/15)
CBS News: A Mom's Stage IV Cancer Had No Symptoms. An Innovative Surgery Saved Her Life
When Amy Piccoli's son brought home a stomach bug in May 2024, she thought she knew what she was in for. The Los Angeles mom of three was used to seasonal illnesses and 24-hour viruses. Piccoli got sick, as she expected. But she soon became "really dehydrated" and ended up in the emergency room. As part of their workup, doctors ran a CT scan. The test showed spots on her liver and a mass in her colon. A follow-up MRI led to a biopsy. Piccoli said she "kind of blacked out" when she received the results. (Breen, 6/13)
MedPage Today: In High-Risk B-Cell ALL, Swapping Out Chemo For Blinatumomab Improves Outcomes
Replacing two high-dose chemotherapy courses with blinatumomab (Blincyto) significantly improved event-free survival (EFS) in pediatric patients with newly diagnosed high-risk B-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL), an interim analysis from a phase III trial showed. (Bassett, 6/15)
MedPage Today: Timely 'Nudges' Can Help Encourage More End-Of-Life Conversations In Cancer
Reminders, or "nudges," to both oncology clinicians and patients led to a significant increase in difficult conversations about poor-prognosis cancers, a large randomized study showed. Involving more than 1,000 patients and their oncology providers, the study showed that patients who received a nudge along with their clinicians were 79% more likely to have serious illness conversations (SICs) within 60 days as compared with the no-nudge group. (Bankhead, 6/15)
THE TRUMP ADMINISTRATION
The Hill: Trump Admin Pays To Store Expired Contraceptives In Belgium
Millions of dollars’ worth of contraceptives meant to be distributed to low-income nations in Africa have expired, but the Trump administration is paying tens of thousands of dollars a month to keep them in storage in Belgium, according to a report from the U.S. Agency for International Development’s (USAID) inspector general. About $9.7 million worth of taxpayer-funded contraceptives purchased by USAID and originally destined for low-income nations in Africa got stuck in Belgium after the Trump administration shut down the agency last year. According to the report, about $8 million worth of hormonal contraceptives, injectable contraceptives and other family planning commodities are no longer usable after they were moved from climate-controlled storage. (Weixel, 6/15)
The Hill: RFK Jr. Demands Explanation For Journal's Vaccine Study Removal
Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. is demanding answers from a science journal on why a study regarding vaccination and sudden infant death was removed from the publication. In a letter dated June 11, Kennedy wrote to Toxicology Reports Editor-in-Chief Lawrence H. Lash concerning a 2021 study titled “Vaccines and sudden infant death: An analysis of the VAERS database 1990–2019 and review of the medical literature.” (Choi, 6/15)
The New York Times: Kennedy Seeks To Expedite Appeal Of Ruling That Blocked His Vaccine Policies
The Trump administration has requested an expedited appeal of a federal court ruling that blocked a series of decisions on vaccines made by Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., including rescinding routine recommendations for immunizations against a half-dozen childhood diseases. Mr. Kennedy announced in a social media post on Friday that the administration had filed the motion to expedite appeal so that federal vaccine advisers could meet to decide whether to recommend shots before the fall flu season. (Mandavilli, 6/15)
Axios: Dems Offer Roadmap To Expand Drug Price Talks
Senate Democrats on Tuesday are unveiling a proposal to expand Medicare drug price negotiations, in a bid to counter President Trump's election-year messaging on health care affordability. (Sullivan, 6/16)
The New York Times: How Kratom, An Addictive Gas Station Drug, Found Allies In Trump’s Cabinet
For years, federal health officials have warned about the risks associated with a supplement derived from the leaves of kratom trees that adherents say can kill pain or boost energy. Sold in gas stations across America, kratom has been linked to liver toxicity, seizures and thousands of deaths. Powerful figures close to President Trump, including Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin, pushed to downplay those concerns. (Vogel and Jewett, 6/15)
PUBLIC HEALTH
AP: FDA Issues Product Recall For Alfredo Sauce Over Salmonella Fears
Federal health officials have issued a recall for alfredo sauce distributed to dozens of U.S. states by a supplier because of potential salmonella contamination. The sauce was voluntarily recalled by the supplier because it contained a dry milk powder ingredient that was possibly contaminated with salmonella, according to a U.S. Food and Drug Administration enforcement report. There were 913 cases recalled and each of those cases contained 12 sealed bags of sauce, with each bag weighing over 3 pounds (1.36 kilograms), the FDA said. (6/15)
Bloomberg: Happiest Baby Faces FDA Warning For $1,700 Snoo Bassinet Safety Issues
Happiest Baby, Inc., maker of the wildly popular Snoo Bassinet that sells for $1,700, received a safety warning from US regulators for selling unauthorized products and for unsanitary conditions — including mold — reported on some items. The company sold new sizes of its bassinets that haven’t been vetted by the the US Food and Drug Administration for safety and effectiveness, posing risks to infants that use them, the agency said in a statement Monday. The FDA regulates medical devices and considers the Snoo products, which provide robotic movements to help newborns sleep, to be devices. (Inampudi, 6/15)
MedPage Today: Newborn Girls Appear Less Likely To Get Vitamin K, Hepatitis B Shots
Newborn girls were less likely to receive vitamin K prophylaxis and hepatitis B vaccination than newborn boys, according to a cohort study involving more than 93,000 babies. (Henderson, 6/15)
CNN: Social Media Use Early On Can Lead To Substance Experimentation
The minimum age requirement for most social media platforms is 13 years old, but nearly 40% of adolescents between the ages of 8 and 12 use social media. Doing so could lead these tweens to earlier experimentation with drugs and alcohol. (Trivedi, 6/12)
KUNC: More Seniors Are Using Cannabis. Researchers In The Mountain West Want To Know Why
Many older adults are turning to edible cannabis for the first time to find relief from age-related health issues. Researchers want to better understand their motivations. A new study out of the University of Utah and University of Colorado Boulder surveyed about 170 adults in Colorado over the age of 60 about why they wanted to purchase edible cannabis products. (Cohen, 6/15)
SCIENCE AND INNOVATIONS
MedPage Today: New Type Of Maggots Cleared By FDA As Medical Treatment
The FDA cleared medical-grade Australian sheep blowfly (Lucilia cuprina) larvae in what maker Cuprina Holdings believes marks the first debridement product to use this particular species. Dubbed Medifly Maggots, the product is indicated for removing dead or infected tissue from non-healing necrotic skin and soft tissue wounds -- such as pressure or neuropathic foot ulcers -- and non-healing traumatic or post-surgical wounds. (Ingram, 6/15)
CIDRAP: Uptake Of Long-Acting Injectable HIV Therapy Remains Low Among Medicare Beneficiaries, Study Finds
Despite the promise of freeing people with HIV from taking daily pills, uptake of long-acting injectable antiretroviral therapy (LA-ART) among older Americans remains limited, according to a study published late last week in JAMA Network Open. Researchers found that just 3% of Medicare beneficiaries with HIV were using the injectable treatment in 2023, two years after the Food and Drug Administration approved the sustained viral suppression regimen. The findings also revealed geographic and racial disparities in who received the therapy, mirroring longstanding disparities in access to HIV care. (Bergeson, 6/15)
MedPage Today: Study Looks At Risk For Dementia After Shingles Vaccine In High-Risk Group
Older adults at higher risk for dementia were less likely to have a dementia diagnosis if they received a herpes zoster (shingles) shot, a cohort study using target trial emulation showed. (George, 6/15)
Stat: Covid Vaccination Cut Risk Of Adverse Heart Events, Large Study Finds
Recent Covid vaccination appears to have broad cardioprotective effects, according to a new study, which found reduced risk of events like heart attacks and stroke, hospitalization, and death in people who had received the vaccine. (Chen, 6/15)
CIDRAP: Paper Spotlights High Healthcare Burden And Costs Of Long COVID
A new study suggests that post-COVID-19 condition (PCC), commonly known as long COVID, has placed a substantial burden on healthcare systems in the years since the onset of the pandemic and is associated with significantly higher healthcare use and costs compared with either COVID infection without lingering symptoms or no history of infection. (Bergeson, 6/15)
HEALTHCARE INDUSTRY
Modern Healthcare: Blue Cross Blue Shield Plans Posted Negative Margins In 2025
Nonprofit Blue Cross and Blue Shield health insurers underperformed relative to national and regional competitors last year as costs mounted. Only seven nonprofit Blues plans reported positive operating margins in 2025, one fewer than the prior year, according to an S&P Global Market Intelligence analysis of health insurance company regulatory filings. (Tepper, 6/15)
Fierce Healthcare: Centene Offering Staff Buyouts As It Navigates Murky ACA Waters
Centene will offer buyouts to employees as it navigates a significant membership decline, a spokesperson confirmed to Fierce Healthcare. The spokesperson said that on Monday the insurer announced a voluntary separation program designed to "to support employees who may be considering a transition." It's unclear how many people Centene is aims to reach with the program, but Centene employs about 61,000 people in total. (Minemyer, 6/15)
MedPage Today: ED Docs Being Replaced By Private Equity-Owned Firm Call It A 'Kick In The Teeth'
Emergency medicine physicians under contract with Valley Health in Winchester, Virginia, said they were blindsided by the news that the health system planned to end their contract and partner with a private-equity owned practice management company instead. "You're always taught as a young kid, you got to stand up for your rights," said Ronak Shah, MD, vice president of Emergency Medicine of Blue Ridge (EMBR), an independent, physician-led company. Those ideals, however, crashed headlong into harsh realities -- from the cost of litigation to the lack of strong legal protections for independent practice physicians in Virginia. (Firth, 6/15)
Modern Healthcare: Masimo CEO Katie Szyman Stepping Down After Danaher Acquisition
Masimo Corp. CEO Katie Szyman posted on social media she is stepping down following the company’s acquisition by Danaher Corp. Szyman, who was appointed to lead Masimo in February 2025, in a Sunday LinkedIn post announced her decision to leave the patient monitoring company. Life sciences company Danaher announced Wednesday it completed its acquisition of Masimo. The $9.9 billion deal made Masimo a wholly owned subsidiary of Danaher, and its common stock is no longer trading on the Nasdaq Stock Market. (Dubinsky, 6/15)
Modern Healthcare: Ascension, CHS Hospital Sales Fuel Regional Health System Growth
Acquiring four hospitals in southwest Michigan was not an easy path for Beacon Health System. The nonprofit system, headquartered in South Bend, Indiana, is nearly a year into post-deal integration after purchasing facilities from Ascension last July — the largest acquisition in its history. It added more than 2,700 employees across the hospitals, 35 outpatient clinics and an ambulatory surgery center. (Hudson, 6/15)
Bloomberg: Sigma Healthcare Withdraws From Boots Sale Process
Sigma Healthcare Ltd. announced its withdrawal from the Boots sale process, after being among the parties exploring a potential acquisition of the British pharmacy chain in a deal that could be worth as much as $10 billion. Sigma “has elected to withdraw its interest and cease discussions immediately,” it said in a statement Monday. (Leigh, 6/15)
STATE WATCH
The Texas Tribune: Texas Among 7 States That Don’t Fund Gambling Addiction Help
Working to create the Texas Lottery in 1991, state lawmakers ran into concerns that government-sponsored gaming would tempt Texans prone to compulsive or problem gambling. In response, lawmakers devoted $2 million a year to a state-run “compulsive gambling program” to identify and treat problem gamblers. (Runnels, 6/15)
Stat: FDA Approves Colorado’s Plan To Import Cheaper Drugs From Canada
The Food and Drug Administration said Monday that it will allow Colorado to import certain prescription drugs from Canada in an effort to bring prices down for residents, making it the second U.S. state to be granted such authorization. (Lawrence and Silverman, 6/15)
Sahan Journal: South Minneapolis Clinic Will Offer Non-ER Sex Assault Exams
A clinic in south Minneapolis will soon offer forensic sexual assault exams, giving survivors another option for care besides the emergency room. Southside Community Health Services, which previously operated out of an elementary school, recently opened its new location on East Lake Street. The community health center aims to support low-income and uninsured residents in a diverse corridor of the city. (Pross, 6/15)
Becker's Hospital Review: Alabama System Disputes It Denied Suspect Care Before Nurse’s Killing
A lawsuit filed on behalf of the man accused of fatally shooting a DCH Health System nurse alleges the Tuscaloosa, Ala.-based system failed to provide emergency psychiatric care before the attack, a claim DCH disputes, saying the man never entered its emergency department or presented himself for care, WBRC News reported June 15. The complaint, filed in Tuscaloosa County Circuit Court on behalf of Matthew James Taylor by his mother, Amanda Taylor, alleges Mr. Taylor sought emergency psychiatric evaluation and treatment at DCH Regional Medical Center but was refused screening, stabilization, treatment or admission on May 12. (Ruder, 6/15)
North Carolina Health News: EPA's PFAS Retreat Is 'A Slap In The Face,' NC Advocate Says
Two years ago, Emily Donovan stood on a stage in Fayetteville and introduced then-EPA Administrator Michael Regan. Regan, who was secretary of the North Carolina Department of Environmental Quality before being tapped by the Biden administration to lead the EPA, had returned to the region — where in 2017 the public first learned that the Cape Fear River was contaminated with per‑ and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) — to announce the first‑ever national drinking water standards for six of them. (Atwater, 6/16)
