Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
First Edition: Wednesday, Aug. 5, 2026
KFF HEALTH NEWS ORIGINAL STORIES
KFF Health News: Pediatricians And Health Departments Sidestep Trump’s CDC On Vaccine Guidance
For the last 30 years, whenever pediatrician John Snyder wanted to find the most up-to-date research on treating young patients, he would turn to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. If he wanted to learn more about an outbreak of measles or hantavirus, he would pore over the weekly CDC report that came by email. If a patient’s family was traveling to Africa or Asia, he would check the latest CDC vaccine recommendations for overseas travel. And if a family was worried about potential side effects from a shot, he could always send them to the CDC’s website to bolster his argument to get the immunization. (Brown, 8/5)
KFF Health News: Baltimore Is Rethinking What It Means To Call 911 — And Who Responds
In March in a McDonald’s parking lot off a busy street, mental health clinician Michala Williams met a 38-year-old woman in a car. “So, you called the police for help?” Williams asked the woman, who was sobbing uncontrollably and said she sometimes thinks about harming herself. (Maucione, 8/5)
KFF Health News: KFF Health News’ ‘An Arm and a Leg’: What’s Worrying Veteran Health Reporter Julie Rovner?
Julie Rovner, KFF Health News’ chief Washington correspondent and host of the What the Health? podcast, joins An Arm and a Leg host Dan Weissmann to discuss the state of U.S. healthcare. Rovner talks about the fallout from Trump administration cuts to Medicaid and Affordable Care Act subsidies. She also shares why she thinks healthcare will play a big role in the 2028 presidential election, and how she hopes her new podcast project — “How Would You Fix it?” — will contribute to the discussion. (8/5)
THE TRUMP ADMINISTRATION
The Hill: FDA Authorizes 4 New Flavored Nicotine Pouches Through Pilot Program
The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) on Tuesday granted marketing authorization to four new flavored nicotine pouches as part of the agency’s tobacco review pilot program launched last year. Four nicotine pouch products — Rich Berry 2 mg, Cappuccino 2 mg, Cappuccino 4 mg and Autumn Spice 2 mg — from Helix Innovations LLC received marketing authorization from the FDA. The authorizations are part of the agency’s pilot program launched in September 2025 meant to “streamline the review process for premarket tobacco product applications.” (Choi, 8/4)
Politico: A Lab-Leak Proponent Is In Line For Fauci’s Old Job
Steven Quay, a pharma executive known for his books making the case Covid came from a Chinese lab, is on the verge of getting Anthony Fauci’s old job. The post atop the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases comes with control over $6.5 billion in health research funding. Two people aware of the decision told POLITICO that Quay’s selection is still undergoing final vetting. POLITICO granted the two — one a senior HHS official, the other outside government — anonymity because the hire isn’t yet final. (Levien and Röhn, 8/4)
Axios: Fauci's Legal Woes Could Deter Scientists From Government Service
Senate Republicans' planned vote this week on whether to hold Anthony Fauci in contempt of Congress is the latest escalation in their attempt to right perceived COVID-era wrongs and further disempower the federal health care bureaucracy. (Owens, 8/5)
The New York Times: Justice Dept. Charges Doctor In $95 Million Skin Substitute Fraud Scheme
The Justice Department filed charges on Tuesday against Dr. Stephen Dubin, a doctor in Nevada, alleging that he orchestrated a $95 million Medicare fraud scheme that involved applying expensive and unnecessary wound coverings to elderly patients. Dr. Dubin was included in a 2025 New York Times investigation into skin substitutes, bandages manufactured out of dehydrated placentas that cost thousands of dollars per square inch but have not been found to help most wounds heal any better than regular bandages. (Kliff, 8/4)
Military.com: Army Refers Charges Against Doctor Blaine McGraw Who Allegedly Sexually Abused 93 Victims
The U.S. Army Office of Special Trial Counsel has referred charges against a doctor accused of sexually abusing dozens of individuals over an approximate five-year period. On Aug. 3, charges were referred against Major. Blaine McGraw, an obstetrician gynecologist who was assigned to the Carl R. Darnall Army Medical Center at Ford Hood, Texas. His case includes nine total charges and 272 specifications that are alleged to have occurred on various occasions between 2021 and 2026. There are 93 total alleged victims. (Mordowanec, 8/4)
ON CAPITOL HILL
MedPage Today: Medicaid Fraud, Impact Of Upcoming Cuts In The Spotlight At Senate Hearing
At a Senate Budget Committee hearing about the Medicaid program, Sen. John Kennedy (R-La.) asked Andy Schneider, of Georgetown University's Center for Children and Families, whether states should be punished for cheating the Medicaid program out of money by letting non-eligible people stay enrolled, because more enrollees bring more Medicaid funds to the state. "Senator, I do not believe states are cheating," Schneider said. (Frieden, 8/5)
Stat: Senator Raises Pay-To-Play Questions On Flavored Vapes And Kratom
The top Democrat on the Senate Finance Committee launched an inquiry into the Trump administration’s recent actions on flavored vapes and kratom products, alleging a pattern of quid pro quos after the tobacco and kratom industries made large donations to the presidential campaigns of Donald Trump and Robert F. Kennedy Jr. (Todd, 8/5)
The Hill: Senate Funding Bill Seeks Hemp THC Ban Delay Until December 11
Makers of hemp THC products were thrown a lifeline when senators in a stopgap spending bill included a delay of a federal ban on their products. The Senate’s government funding bill set to be considered this week would delay the upcoming prohibition on most hemp-derived THC products until Dec. 11. Hemp industry groups and their allies touted the provision as a significant win that would give them more time to convince lawmakers to regulate their products, rather than ban them by closing the so-called “hemp loophole.” (Weixel, 8/4)
OUTBREAKS AND HEALTH THREATS
The Washington Post: CDC Expands Largest Known Cyclosporiasis Outbreak To 15 States
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is expanding the largest known cyclosporiasis outbreak to 15 states, adding six states where illnesses have been traced to shredded iceberg lettuce sourced from central Mexico, according to three individuals familiar with the investigation. Missouri, which is reporting 1,095 cases, is one of the states being added, according to a state health department spokesperson. The number of state cases jumped dramatically in the past week. Patients who were interviewed at length by state and local investigators said they consumed Taco Bell before getting sick, spokesperson Lisa Cox said. (Sun and Roubein, 8/4)
ABC News: 'Sharp Rise' In Cyclosporiasis Cases In UK Linked To Mexico Travel. Here's What To Know
Health officials in the U.K. are reporting a "sharp rise" in cyclosporiasis cases among travelers returning from Mexico. Between April 30 and July 15, 67 cases have been reported among some returning travelers in England, Wales and Scotland, according to data published last week from the U.K. Health Security Agency (UKHSA). Comparatively, an annual average of 93 cases has been recorded between 2022 and 2025, UKHSA data shows. (Kekatos, 8/4)
CIDRAP: GAO To HHS: Work With Other Agencies To Strengthen US Ability To Detect Emerging Diseases
A new Government Accountability Office (GAO) report says the US Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) and other relevant federal agencies could strengthen its ability to detect emerging infectious disease (EID) threats by improving collaboration across agencies, strengthening data quality and infrastructure, optimizing surveillance methods, and improving public messaging. The report comes as EIDs such as COVID-19, H5N1 avian influenza, and measles challenge public health systems. (Bergeson, 8/4)
HEALTHCARE INDUSTRY
Modern Healthcare: HCA Healthcare Acquires 40 Texas MedClinic Urgent Care Centers
HCA Healthcare has acquired 40 Texas MedClinic urgent care centers. Financial details and terms of the transaction were not disclosed. The acquired Texas facilities include eight in Houston that will be rebranded under the system’s CareNow urgent care division, according to an Aug. 3 LinkedIn post from Tyler Laymon, vice president of strategic growth at HCA Healthcare. (DeSilva, 8/4)
San Luis Obispo Tribune: Major CA Insurance Provider Will Keep 2 SLO County Hospitals In-Network
Effective Saturday, a new four-year contract will keep Blue Shield of California members in-network with all Dignity health hospitals, facilities and providers throughout the state, according to a news release from CommonSpirit Health, Dignity’s parent nonprofit. (Lynch, 8/4)
Iowa Capital Dispatch: Iowa Now Meets Federal Nursing Home Inspection Requirements, Audit Finds
An audit released Monday shows the state has made “substantial improvements” in efforts to inspect nursing homes and now meets federal requirements, State Auditor Rob Sand said. (Opsahl, 8/4)
Modern Healthcare: Cleveland Clinic Launches Drone Prescription Delivery Program
Cleveland Clinic just launched a drone delivery program for prescription drugs and already is talking about using the technology to send other items to patients and between its own facilities. Drone delivery in healthcare is not new, but moving a prescription delivery program past the pilot stage represents a new phase for health systems’ use of the autonomous aerial vehicles. Companies including Amazon Pharmacy and Matternet have explored drones’ use in healthcare, with Amazon piloting prescription deliveries in College Station, Texas, in 2023 and drone delivery platform Matternet transporting blood samples, lab materials and supplies between healthcare facilities. (Dubinsky, 8/4)
Modern Healthcare: AnMed Cybersecurity Incident Triggers Facility Closures
A cybersecurity incident last week has led to the ongoing closure of several AnMed facilities in South Carolina. The malware-related issue affected phone, internet and computer systems, according to a July 27 news release from the health system. Patient access to electronic health records has also been disrupted. AnMed has been working with unnamed third-party cybersecurity specialists as well as state and federal authorities to address the problem. (DeSilva, 8/4)
PHARMA AND TECH
Becker's Hospital Review: UnitedHealthcare To Tighten Reimbursement For Lab Tests
UnitedHealthcare is rolling out new reimbursement limits on five categories of lab tests across its commercial, ACA, Medicare Advantage and Medicaid plans. The five policies cover allergen testing, liver fibrosis testing, in vitro chemotherapy sensitivity assays, testosterone blood tests and vitamin B12 testing. (Emerson, 8/4)
Stat: Study: Exempting Rare Disease Drugs From CMS Pilots Would Ax Major Savings
Excluding rare disease treatments from a Medicare pilot program to lower drug prices would wipe out much of the savings from retail drugs, according to a Harvard University researcher. (Wilkerson, 8/5)
Bloomberg: P&G CEO Reveals $3.8 Billion Deal For Supplement Maker Thorne
Procter & Gamble Co. won the bidding war for supplement maker Thorne in a deal valued at $3.8 billion. L Catterton, which took the company private in 2023, said the all cash transaction is set to be completed in the fourth quarter of 2026, according to a statement Tuesday. (Brown, 8/4)
Stat: Aurora Therapeutics, Startup Hoping To Scale Baby KJ Treatment, Ends Program
Aurora Therapeutics, a startup focused on building personalized gene-editing drugs, has scrapped its lead program and slashed staff, just seven months after it launched, STAT has learned. (Mast and DeAngelis, 8/4)
Stat: Doctors Turn To MRI To Improve Prostate Cancer Screening Accuracy
With more than 333,000 new cases every year, prostate cancer is the most frequently diagnosed cancer in the U.S., and by far the most common among men. It is also the least deadly: Only about 4% of prostate cancers end up being lethal, and the 5-year survival rate is about 99%. (Merelli, 8/5)
MedPage Today: Pancreatic Cancer Vaccine Shows Interception Promise In High-Risk Patients
A peptide vaccine targeting KRAS mutations in pancreatic cancer showed preliminary evidence of activity in a small study of high-risk patients. The vaccine elicited KRAS-specific T-cell responses in 18 of 20 patients with mutations associated with pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC). (Bankhead, 8/4)
MedPage Today: About A Quarter Of Buprenorphine Prescriptions For OUD Abandoned
The proportion of new buprenorphine prescriptions for opioid use disorder (OUD) that were never dispensed or filled increased from 2020 to 2024, according to a retrospective cohort study. (Firth, 8/4)
STATE WATCH
NPR: Appalachia's Black Lung Rates Highest In Nearly 50 Years
Respiratory therapist Marcy Freeman doesn't need a research study to confirm for her a return to the dark days of coal mining. She finds evidence in a stack of more than 150 funeral programs, all for former patients at her pulmonary rehabilitation clinic in Norton, Virginia. "Each one of these represents a life that's gone because of black lung," Freeman explained as she flipped through the programs, recognizing names and images. (Berkes and Hicks, 8/5)
Boise State Public Radio News: What Are The Health Impacts Of Wildfire Smoke Amid 'Apocalyptic' Air Quality Levels?
Wildfires in central Oregon continue to funnel smoke into Southwest Idaho and the air quality in the Treasure Valley remains poor. The Idaho Department of Environmental Quality has issued several advisories since July 20. As local air quality readings remain in the unhealthy to hazardous range, what are the impacts of wildfire smoke exposure on people's health? (Luchetta, 8/4)
The Star Tribune: Long-Shuttered Appleton, Minn., Prison To Reopen For ICE Detainees
The 1,600-bed prison has been closed since 2010. Contractors started repairs on the facility last fall. (Magan, 8/4)
The Marshall Project: Illinois Lawmakers Decry Prison’s ‘Gut-Wrenching,’ ‘Heartbreaking’ Conditions
Illinois lawmakers are calling for changes at the Joliet Treatment Center, after a Marshall Project, Chicago Sun-Times and WBEZ investigation exposed an epidemic of fires that resulted in two deaths at the prison. In the last three years, there have been more than 70 fires at the prison, including a dozen cases of self-immolation, the investigation found. (Heffernan, 8/4)
North Carolina Health News: Medicaid Expansion Hasn’t Curbed Firearm Suicides Among Men
From better access to health care to lower financial barriers to treatment, the benefits of Medicaid expansion have been well documented: reduced mortality rates for recipients, improved economies in expansion states and more people getting access to treatment for opioid use disorder. One thing, though, has not improved consistently in states that opened the government-funded health insurance coverage to more people under the Affordable Care Act: the firearm suicide rate among men. (Baxley, 8/5)
New Hampshire Public Radio: Women In NH Face Provider Shortages And Barriers To Healthcare Access, Study Finds
A study from the New Hampshire Insurance Department released Monday found that women face challenges accessing appropriate healthcare due to provider shortages, concerns about healthcare affordability, and a low understanding of insurance coverage by participants of online surveys and group sessions. (Richardson, 8/4)
Tradeoffs: A Wyoming Doctor’s Fight To Keep Abortion Legal In Her Deep Red State
Four years after the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade, the fight over abortion access continues to rage. At least four states will ask voters in November to enact or repeal constitutional amendments protecting abortion access. Earlier this year, the Supreme Court rejected another attempt by abortion opponents to make pills for abortion more difficult to access — though other legal challenges are ongoing. (Herman and Gorenstein, 8/4)
New York Post: Hero Civilian Who Fired Back At In-N-Out Shooter Trained In Self Defense After Witnessing Another Mass Shooting
Jordan Salinas, 35, a healthcare worker and the full-time caregiver of his brother, who uses a wheelchair, had been horseback riding with his girlfriend the morning of the shooting when the couple pulled into the Twin Falls In-N-Out location for lunch and immediately noticed something amiss. ... He later said when he witnessed the 2021 mass shooting at the Boise Towne Square mall, in which two people were killed and several more were wounded, he noticed gunmen deliberately went after “soft targets.” The hero civilian reasoned that his role as a healthcare provider for his wheelchair-bound brother would make the duo sitting ducks in such a scenario. (Nesi, 8/3)
PUBLIC HEALTH
NBC News: Pesticide Exposure Linked To Higher Risk Of ALS, Research Finds
Cases of the neurodegenerative disease, also known as Lou Gehrig’s disease, have risen in the U.S. over the last decade. (Bendix, 8/4)
The Baltimore Sun: 'Farm Effect' On Easing Childhood Asthma Explained
German scientists have identified bacteria in cows’ digestive systems and manure that may help children avoid developing asthma. The catch: They have to inhale the germs. (Hille, 8/4)
GLOBAL WATCH
