First Edition: Tuesday, March 3, 2026

KFF HEALTH NEWS ORIGINAL STORIES

KFF Health News: Federal Aid For Lead Cleanup Is Receding. That’s A Problem For Cash-Strapped Cities
Tighter regulations and an influx of federal money in recent years have helped communities across the U.S. initiate efforts to clean up lead contamination in soil, drinking water, and older homes. But Congress and the Trump administration have partially rolled back those rules and resources, potentially making it more challenging for cash-strapped cities and towns to undertake sweeping lead remediation programs. That’s the case in New Orleans, where an investigation by Verite News found high lead levels in about half of the playgrounds on city property and found detectable levels of the toxic metal in most homes that tested their drinking water in a voluntary program. (Parker, 3/3)

KFF Health News: Even Patients Are Shocked By The Prices Their Insurers Will Pay — And It Costs All Of Us
Samantha Smith of Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, went into the operating room for emergency removal of an ectopic pregnancy. “I’m grateful I didn’t die,” she said, but she was shocked to see that the outpatient surgery was billed to her insurer for about $100,000. (Rosenthal, 3/3)

KFF Health News: KFF Health News’ ‘Letters To The Editor’: Readers Lean On Congress To Solve Crises In Research And Rehab
I have dedicated my life to research, but now that work, along with the trust, data, and progress behind it, is at risk (“NIH Grant Disruptions Slow Down Breast Cancer Research,” Feb. 3). As a rheumatologist and researcher, I have spent decades studying lupus — a chronic autoimmune disease that can affect nearly every organ system, producing symptoms that are often unpredictable and difficult to manage. Its impact on a patient’s quality of life is profound: Nearly 90% of people with lupus report being unable to maintain full-time work, while many also face interruptions in education or career progression. (3/3)

TRANSGENDER CARE

AP: Supreme Court Blocks California Schools' Transgender Policy
The Supreme Court cleared the way Monday for California schools to tell parents if their children identify as transgender without getting the student’s approval, granting an emergency appeal from a conservative legal group. The order blocks for now a state law that bans automatic parental notification requirements if students change their pronouns or gender expression at school. (Whitehurst, 3/3)

The New York Times: N.Y. Attorney General Orders Hospital To Resume Youth Transgender Care 
The New York attorney general’s office has ordered a major Manhattan hospital to resume providing puberty-blocking medication and hormone treatments to transgender adolescents, just two weeks after the hospital had stopped doing so. The hospital, NYU Langone Health, had closed its Transgender Youth Health Program after the federal government threatened to pull federal funding from hospitals that provided gender-transition treatments for adolescents. (Goldstein, 3/2)

The Hill: Texas Attorney General: ‘Illegal’ For Mental Health Providers To ‘Transition’ Kids In State
Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton (R) on Monday issued a legal opinion that it is illegal for mental health care providers to “transition” children under state law. In 2023, Texas S.B. 14 went into effect, banning gender-affirming care to treat gender dysphoria in adolescents. The bill barred the use of puberty blockers, hormone therapy and surgeries for adolescents, though surgical treatments for gender dysphoria are almost never performed before adulthood. This law, according to Paxton’s opinion, also applies to “indoctrination by activists providing mental ‘health care’ designed to confuse children about their gender.” (Choi, 3/2)

VACCINES AND OUTBREAKS

The Hill: Acting CDC Director Bhattacharya Urges Measles Vaccines
Jay Bhattacharya, the recently appointed acting director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), on Monday urged families to consider vaccinating against measles as outbreaks across the country continue. In a video statement posted on the social media platform X, Bhattacharya discussed the steps that the CDC is taking the address the measles situation in the U.S., including “surging” resources and coordinating with states to spread education and outreach. (Choi, 3/2)

CalMatters: California Measles Outbreaks Strain Public Health Agencies
Investigating any communicable disease is time-intensive and expensive. The first three measles cases reported in L.A. County this year cost an estimated $231,000, according to a health department analysis. Why does it cost so much? Because a disease investigation often requires a legion of public health nurses, physicians, epidemiologists and laboratory scientists to follow-up with hundreds of contacts, Balter said. (Hwang, 3/2)

CIDRAP: CDC: Unvaccinated International Traveler Spread Measles To 17 Other Travelers To, Within US
An unvaccinated adult who traveled from Europe to the United States while infectious with measles last year spread the virus to 17 other people, researchers from the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) write in The Journal of Infectious Diseases. For the report, published late last week, the researchers analyzed case samples and data from the CDC’s Port Health Activity Reporting System and health department investigations to describe subsequent contact-tracing efforts, environmental assessments, and laboratory testing. (Van Beusekom, 3/2)

CIDRAP: US Study Shows Rising Prevalence Of Fungal Infection
Analysis of a nationally representative sample of electronic health record (EHR) data shows aspergillosis diagnoses increased by more than 5% annually in the United States from 2013 through 2023, US researchers reported late last week in Open Forum Infectious Diseases. (Dall, 3/2)

CIDRAP: Analysis Suggests Rope Squirrels Are A Natural Reservoir Of Mpox Virus
A report in Nature details a case of likely direct interspecies mpox virus (MPXV) transmission from a fire-footed rope squirrel to wild sooty mangabey monkeys in a Cote d’Ivoire national park in 2023. To investigate the outbreak among a group of sooty mangabeys, the team examined molecular evidence from rodents and wildlife carcasses from the area, as well as ecological and behavioral evidence. The researchers have been monitoring the health of chimpanzees, mangabeys, and other wildlife in the park for decades. (Van Beusekom, 3/2)

RFK JR. AND MAHA

MedPage Today: RFK Jr. Says He Has ADHD
HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. said that he has attention deficit-hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) during an appearance on Joe Rogan's podcast that aired on Friday. The two were talking at the beginning of the show about being able to focus; Rogan implied he likes to wear headphones during podcasts because it "locks me in" and keeps him focused on his interviewee's voice. (Fiore, 3/2)

The New York Times: As Kennedy Turns From Vaccines, MAHA Allies See A ‘Betrayal’
To all appearances, it was the next stage in the dismantling of the American vaccine program. Federal regulators refused last month to review a new mRNA flu shot from Moderna, the latest consequence of Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s campaign to give skeptics control of the bureaucracy overseeing inoculations. But then, curiously, regulators had a change of heart. Within weeks, the review of the mRNA shot was back on. (Mueller, 3/2)

Stat: MAHA Goes Global: Inside The Rise Of The Make Europe Healthy Again Movement
In a crowded chamber last autumn, Robert Malone, a medical doctor and prominent adviser to Robert F. Kennedy Jr., spoke for more than 45 minutes about some of the health secretary’s favorite targets, including routine vaccines, ultra-processed foods, and antidepressants. When he wrapped with a signature nod to “making America healthy again,” a standing ovation broke out. This wasn’t a typical MAHA gathering in Washington, D.C. Malone was speaking at the European Parliament in Brussels, helping to launch a new organization: Make Europe Healthy Again, or MEHA. Echoing its American cousin, the group says it aims to prevent chronic diseases, protect the environment, promote scientific transparency, and help Europeans “reclaim [their] health and sovereignty.” (Galvin, 3/3)

THE TRUMP ADMINISTRATION

AP: Minnesota Sues Trump Administration Over $243M Medicaid Spending Withholding
Minnesota on Monday sued President Donald Trump’s administration in an attempt to stop it from withholding $243 million in Medicaid spending, warning it may have to cut health care for low-income families if the funding is held back. The lawsuit asked a U.S. court in Minneapolis to issue a temporary restraining order to block the withholding for Medicaid, which is the health care safety net for low-income Americans. (McAvoy, 3/3)

Modern Healthcare: DOJ Ramps Up Healthcare Fraud Enforcement, Raising Provider Costs
Federal law enforcement agencies have stepped up healthcare fraud enforcement, forcing providers to spend more time and money on defense. Last year, the Justice Department initiated the most fraud lawsuits against healthcare companies since it started tracking that data in 1986. Health systems, physician groups and other providers are bracing for more inquiries from federal law enforcers emboldened by new initiatives and artificial intelligence-backed data analytics. (Kacik, 3/2)

AP: White House Attributes Redness On Trump's Neck To Skin Cream
The White House on Monday attributed a large red spot on President Donald Trump’s neck to a skin cream he is using, without elaborating on what condition it is treating. The redness drew widespread attention Monday, when news photographers captured close-up images of the president’s neck during a Medal of Honor ceremony in the East Room of the White House. (Min Kim, 3/3)

MARIJUANA AND CANNABIS

NBC News: Supreme Court Leans Toward A Marijuana User's Challenge To Gun Restriction
The Supreme Court on Monday appeared sympathetic to a marijuana user's challenge to a federal law that bars people who consume illegal drugs from having firearms. Gun rights advocates argue the law falls afoul of the Constitution’s Second Amendment, which protects the right to bear arms. Based on oral arguments, it appears a majority of the court could rule in favor of Texas-based Ali Danial Hemani, an alleged regular user of marijuana who had a handgun at his home in the Dallas area when it was searched by the FBI in 2022. The ruling could be limited in scope, based on concerns that prosecutors could not show that Hemani's use of marijuana made him a danger to society. (Hurley, 3/2)

HEALTH CARE INDUSTRY

Stat: CMS Halts Enrollment In Elevance’s Medicare Advantage Plans, Citing Years Of Misconduct
Elevance Health will no longer be able to enroll people into its Medicare Advantage plans starting March 31, according to a new, harshly worded suspension notice from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services. CMS is imposing the punishment after Elevance failed to submit required information to federal regulators over a seven-year period, the government said. The suspension will not affect the 1.9 million people who were already enrolled in an Elevance Medicare Advantage plan heading into this year. (Herman, 3/2)

Modern Healthcare: Medicare Advantage Insurers Back CMS Curb To Chart Review Payment
Medicare Advantage insurers may be willing to relinquish one moneymaking tactic if that means they can avoid taking a bigger hit down the line. The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services has proposed modifying the Medicare Advantage risk-adjustment system to exclude diagnoses insurers uncover in chart reviews but aren’t connected to medical claims. Insurers benefit financially when Medicare Advantage members are categorized as sicker and costlier to cover. (Tepper, 3/2)

CBS News: Mount Sinai, Anthem Extend Deadline Before Thousands Of Patients Lose In-Network Care Due To Contract Dispute
As Mount Sinai Health System and Anthem Blue Cross Blue Shield negotiate a new contract, the parties agreed to temporarily extend their deadline before tens of thousands of patients in New York lose access to in-network care. About 9,000 Mount Sinai physicians became out-of-network to roughly 200,000 Anthem patients when the sides failed to reach an agreement on Dec. 31, but state law mandated no changes for patients before March 1. (DeAngelis, 3/2)

Modern Healthcare: Former UVA Health CEO Dr. K. Craig Kent Files Defamation Lawsuit
Former UVA Health CEO Dr. K. Craig Kent filed a defamation lawsuit over the alleged circumstances of his resignation from the health system last year. Kent left UVA Health in February 2025 following an internal investigation spurred by a letter the health system’s physician group sent to the university board alleging that he neglected patient care concerns. Kent said he was open to feedback after physicians sent the initial letter, which more than 120 physician group faculty members signed anonymously. (Kacik, 3/2)

San Francisco Chronicle: Half Of UCSF Social Workers Say They’ve Been Assaulted Or Harassed
As a clinical social worker at San Francisco General Hospital, Julia Williams works closely with people whom many residents go out of their way to avoid. Her patients have severe mental illness, substance use disorders and difficult-to-manage behaviors. No other facility in the city will accept them. Williams, 30, is passionate about improving conditions for these patients. So much so that she returned to work just a few months after giving birth to her first child. (Hoeven, 2/2)

MedPage Today: Study Links Nurse Understaffing To Higher Risk Of Death, Readmissions
Understaffing of hospital nurses was linked to worse patient outcomes, especially during day shifts, according to a retrospective cohort study from Japan. Among more than 77,000 hospital admissions across 82 acute care hospital wards, patients exposed to nurse understaffing over a 24-hour period and during day shifts had a higher risk of in-hospital mortality versus those who experienced adequate staffing ... reported Noriko Morioka, PhD, of the National Institute of Public Health in Wako, and co-authors. (Firth, 3/2)

Stat: FDA Offers Clues To AI Regulation With RecovryAI Designation
The Food and Drug Administration has been talking a big game about bringing artificial intelligence to patients. In January, when it announced relaxed rules for certain AI products, Commissioner Marty Makary said the agency is “developing a new regulatory framework for AI.” How the agency will regulate rapidly-evolving uses of generative AI is one of the big questions facing health technology developers. Large language models’ wide-ranging applications evade simple measures of safety and efficacy, challenging the FDA’s longstanding approach to device validation — and the agency has yet to authorize a device that relies on generative AI. But a recent breakthrough designation from the FDA could offer hints about its approach to regulating patient-facing chatbots that fall under its purview. (Palmer, 3/3)

PHARMA AND TECH

Fox News: New Nanoparticle System Shows Promise For Preventing Type 1 Diabetes
Researchers have developed an mRNA therapy that could help prevent or slow the development of type 1 diabetes. With this chronic autoimmune disease, the body’s immune system attacks and destroys insulin-producing beta cells in the pancreas, according to the American Diabetes Association. People with type 1 diabetes must take insulin daily to survive and manage blood sugar levels. (Rudy, 3/2)

NPR: Ivermectin Takes Off Among Cancer Patients
MaryJo Perry raises animals on her property outside of Jackson, Miss., and uses ivermectin to treat her cattle. To her, the drug is as familiar, safe, cheap and effective as vitamins: "We've been using it on the farm for 40 years." Perry, who studied animal science and at one time wanted to be a vet, also uses it to treat mange in stray dogs she rescues near her home. It works without side effects, she says: "I've never seen issues with it." (Noguchi, 3/2)

NBC News: GLP-1s May Increase Risk Of Osteoporosis And Gout, New Research Finds
GLP-1 drugs — including Ozempic and Wegovy — may be tied to a slightly higher risk of osteoporosis and gout, according to research presented Monday at the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons’ annual meeting. Dr. John Horneff, an associate professor of orthopedic surgery at the University of Pennsylvania and the lead author of the study, said he began looking into the issue after some patients appeared to develop serious tendon tears after relatively minor injuries. That led them to examine whether GLP-1s might affect bone and other connective tissue more broadly. (Lovelace Jr., 3/2)

MedPage Today: GLP-1 Drugs May Work Differently In Women
Women lost more weight than men while using GLP-1 receptor agonists, a systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized clinical trials showed. ... Aside from sex, the weight-loss effects of GLP-1 agents were generally consistent across other subgroups, including those stratified by race, ethnicity, age, baseline body mass index (BMI), and HbA1c, the team reported in JAMA Internal Medicine. (Monaco, 3/2)

Stat: UniQure Plans To Seek Approval For Huntington’s Therapy Still Blocked By FDA
UniQure said Monday that plans to seek approval for its Huntington’s disease treatment with the Food and Drug Administration remain blocked, another setback for a company whose therapy once appeared on a path to approval. Following a meeting with the FDA at the end of January, UniQure said regulators are still not persuaded that data from a completed single-arm clinical trial of its gene therapy, called AMT-130, are sufficient to support a marketing application. (Feuerstein, 3/2)

MedPage Today: What One Adderall Pill Does To The Heart Within Hours Of Use
A single dose of amphetamine-dextroamphetamine (Adderall) had acute cardiovascular effects for healthy young people not regularly using it, a small controlled study found. (Lou, 3/2)

STATE WATCH

CBS News: Lawsuit Accuses Illinois Prison Of Forcing Pregnant Woman Into Induced Labor
A woman is suing the Illinois Department of Corrections, claiming she was forced to give birth before her due date while she was incarcerated in 2024. According to the federal lawsuit, Amy Hicks was in custody at Logan Correctional Center in downstate Lincoln for a drug conviction in 2024. She was 7 ½ months pregnant. Prison officials told Hicks it was prison policy to schedule an induction for all pregnant inmates. Hicks filed a grievance, saying she wanted to go into labor naturally, but she was still forced to undergo the procedure, according to the lawsuit. (Feurer, 3/2)

San Francisco Chronicle: Newsom: S.F. Is Among The Worst Counties For Implementing CARE Court
Gov. Gavin Newsom named San Francisco County’s CARE Court program as one of the lowest-performing in California on Monday, as part of a new effort to bolster his signature mental health care program. (Bollag, 3/2)

The New York Times: In The Northwest, Polyamory Finds Something New: Legal Protection 
Under President Trump’s leadership, the country as a whole is swinging to the right on social policy. But the Pacific Northwest, as usual, is swinging its own way. A wave of recent local ordinances in large liberal bastions like Portland, Ore., but also smaller communities like Astoria, Ore., which has a population of 10,181, would confer the beginning of legal protections to polyamorous relationships. The goal, pushed by a group based in California, is to establish legally protected family structures for groups of adults who are romantically or otherwise tied together under one roof. (Griffin, 2/28)

PUBLIC HEALTH

NBC News: Rectal Cancer Rates Are Rising In U.S., Driving An Increase In Illness In Younger Adults
A rise in rectal cancer rates is driving an increase in colorectal cancer diagnoses in people younger than 65, according to a report published Monday from the American Cancer Society. Colorectal cancer rates in people under 65 are surging, with nearly half (45%) of new diagnoses occurring in this age group, up from 27% in 1995. At the same time, colorectal cancer rates are falling in people 65 and older. (Edwards, 3/2)

GLOBAL WATCH

CIDRAP: Spain Confirms Person With Variant Swine Flu In Catalonia
Health authorities in Spain confirmed to the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) a human case of variant H1N1 swine influenza (H1N1v). This marks the first case of H1N1v flu in Spain since 2024; since 2009, only four human cases of swine flu have been documented in Spain. No human-to-human transmission of H1N1v has ever been documented in Spain. The case was detected in Catalonia in February, the same region where the case in 2024 was detected. The patient had no flu symptoms. (Soucheray, 3/2)

AP: South African Probes Sanitary Product Suppliers Over Health Risks
South Africa’s consumer regulatory authority is investigating nine sanitary pad suppliers after a local university study detected potentially harmful chemicals in some menstrual products they sell to women in the country. On Monday, the National Consumer Commission (NCC) said its probe could take six months or more to complete. In the interim, suppliers are asked to submit their most recent test results, with results expected in a month. “The NCC is prioritizing this investigation,” spokesperson Phetho Ntaba told The Associated Press. (Gumede, 3/2)