Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
First Edition: Wednesday, Jan. 28, 2026
KFF HEALTH NEWS ORIGINAL STORIES
KFF Health News: When Suicidal Calls Come In, Who Answers? Georgia Crisis Line Response Rates Reveal Gaps
Kaitlin Cooke of Cartersville, Georgia, was contemplating suicide when she started calling a statewide mental health crisis line in 2018. She said she would sneak outside and call the hotline behind her car, where her boyfriend would not hear her. The counselors who answered her calls were there for her when no one else was, she said. Each time she called, they spoke to her for at least 45 minutes. And they told her that life “does get better.” “If it weren’t for this resource, I might have been a statistic,” said Cooke, now 31, who found a local therapist. (Miller and Grapevine, 1/28)
KFF Health News: Listen To The Latest 'KFF Health News Minute'
Arielle Zionts reads the week’s news: Some states are cutting public funding for a type of autism therapy, and older adults are more likely than younger ones to stop taking GLP-1 drugs such as Ozempic. (1/27)
PRESCRIPTION DRUG COSTS
NBC News: Medicare Will Negotiate The Price Of Botox And 14 Other Drugs This Year
The Trump administration on Tuesday announced the next round of prescription drugs up for Medicare price negotiations. The list includes Botox and the GLP-1 drug Trulicity. The negotiations stem from President Joe Biden’s Inflation Reduction Act of 2022, which gave the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services the authority to haggle over prices on the costliest prescription drugs each year. The results from the first round of negotiated prices went into effect this year. The drugs selected for this round of negotiation accounted for about $27 billion in total prescription drug spending under Medicare Part B and Part D, according to CMS. (Lovelace Jr., 1/27)
MEDICARE
Healthcare Dive: CMS Official Defends Flat Medicare Advantage Rate Proposal For 2027
The Trump administration’s top Medicare official is coming to the defense of the 2027 Medicare Advantage rate notice, after the rule sparked a wave of backlash from the health insurance sector. “Make no mistake. Let me not mince words in the least. We are massively in support of Medicare Advantage,” Medicare Director Chris Klomp said during a Paragon Health Institute event on Tuesday. (Parduhn, 1/27)
MedPage Today: Medicare Advantage Plans, Providers Blast Near-Flat Proposed 2027 Pay Rate
Medicare Advantage (MA) plans and the providers in their networks are crying foul over potentially getting virtually no reimbursement increase from the program in 2027. On Monday, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) announced that the proposed reimbursement for MA in 2027 would be "a net average year-over-year payment increase of 0.09%, or over $700 million in MA payments to plans in calendar year 2027," according to a fact sheet. The agency softened the blow a bit by adding, "When considering estimated risk score trend in MA driven by coding practices and population changes, the expected average change in payments will be 2.54%." (Frieden, 1/27)
Bloomberg: UnitedHealth Forecasts 2026 Revenue Drop On Shrinking Business
UnitedHealth Group Inc. forecast a decline in 2026 revenue, the first annual contraction in more than three decades, as the insurer falters in its attempt to rebuild confidence with investors after a stunning fall last year. The news was the second blow to shareholders in as many days. Late Monday, the US proposed holding payments to private Medicare plans flat next year, a huge disappointment that caused the stock to tumble as much as 10% in after-hours trading. (Tozzi, 1/27)
ACA AND SNAP
NBC News: Many ACA Enrollees Switched To Cheaper Bronze Health Care Plans. Here's Why That Could Be Risky
Kate Bivona and her husband don’t know what they would do if either gets seriously sick or injured. Until recently, that wasn’t the case. But beginning in January, the monthly cost of her Affordable Care Act insurance jumped by about $300 — making it too expensive for them to afford. Bivona and her husband dropped down to a bronze plan, cutting their bill by more than half but leaving them with an $18,000 annual deductible. “We would have to take out a loan,” said Bivona, a 37-year-old musician in Arizona. “We don’t have that kind of money, maybe a couple of thousand dollars in savings.” (Lovelace Jr., 1/27)
Chicago Tribune: New SNAP Work Requirements Start Feb. 1
Kenneth Robinson has gotten used to counting dollars and cents at the grocery store. He can afford eggs with the $150 he receives a month in SNAP benefits, so they stay in his cart. Ground beef or fish, on the other hand, may have to go back on the shelf after he counts prices in line, the 61-year-old Englewood resident said. (Johnson, 1/27)
CRISIS IN MINNESOTA
Politico: Ilhan Omar Sprayed With Liquid At Minneapolis Town Hall
Minnesota Rep. Ilhan Omar was attacked by a man who sprayed a liquid while lunging at her before being detained at a town hall in Minneapolis on Tuesday. Omar was speaking to constituents in her district, which includes much of Minneapolis, about the turmoil in the city in the wake of federal immigration agents shooting Alex Pretti, the second U.S. citizen killed by federal agents in the city in less than a month. (Pellish, 1/27)
Politico: Alex Pretti Was Shot By 2 CBP Agents, Not Just 1, Report Finds
Authorities believe two federal officers fired their weapons in the shooting that killed Alex Pretti as he was wrestled to the ground in Minneapolis, according to a preliminary Homeland Security report to Congress. (Pellish and Carney, 1/27)
REPRODUCTIVE HEALTH
Politico: Trump Asks Federal Court To Hit Pause On Abortion Pill Case, Citing Ongoing Study
The Trump administration on Tuesday asked a federal court to put on hold a lawsuit from Louisiana seeking sweeping national restrictions on abortion pills while the Food and Drug Administration reviews the safety of the drug and decides whether or not to roll back access. The court filing stresses that the Trump administration is actively considering whether to keep current federal rules in place that allow access to the abortion pill mifepristone via telemedicine, mail delivery, and retail pharmacies. Allowing Louisiana’s lawsuit to move forward before that process is complete, the Justice Department argued, would “threaten to short circuit” sensitive regulatory and scientific work. (Ollstein, 1/27)
The 19th: A Pregnant Mother In ICE Detention Says She’s Bleeding — And Hasn’t Seen A Doctor In Weeks
A pregnant woman with two American-born children — including a breastfeeding infant — is awaiting deportation in a Louisiana immigration detention facility. She has been separated from her family for more than three weeks. ... Elvir-Quinonez, who found out she was pregnant in government custody, said she has experienced heavy bleeding and cramps while detained, and once had to go to the emergency room. (Luthra, 1/27)
The Texas Tribune: Texas Sues Alleged Delaware Abortion Pill Provider
Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton has accused a Delaware nurse practitioner of prescribing abortion-inducing drugs to Texas residents in what is now the second lawsuit the state has filed against an out-of-state provider over such medications. (Johnstone, 1/27)
Missouri Independent: Missouri’s Abortion Rights Trial Concludes, But A Decision Is Still Months Away
After 10 days of often emotion-filled testimony, a trial dissecting Missouri’s abortion regulations under the new constitutional right to reproductive health care concluded Monday. In closing arguments, attorneys from both the Missouri Attorney General’s Office and Planned Parenthood brought the focus back to the crux of the case: Are Missouri’s abortion regulations necessary safeguards for women or discriminatory road blocks for patients? (Hardy and Spoerre, 1/27)
CIDRAP: US Maternal Syphilis Rate Rises 28% In 2 Years, Marking Continued Surge In National Epidemic
The maternal syphilis rate in the United States rose 28% from 2022 to 2024, according to a new analysis from the National Center for Health Statistics (NCHS). The rising rate underscores the scope of a worsening public health crisis that has seen maternal syphilis rates climb more than 200% over the past decade. (Bergeson, 1/27)
VACCINES
NBC News: South Carolina Measles Outbreak Reaches 789 Cases, Surpassing Texas
Measles in South Carolina has spread to at least 789 people, surpassing the 2025 West Texas outbreak that sickened 762 people and killed two young girls. The majority of cases remain centered in Spartanburg County, mostly among people who were either unvaccinated or didn't know their status, the South Carolina Department of Public Health reported Tuesday. There have been 89 new cases confirmed since Friday, indicating that the outbreak isn't under control. (Edwards, 1/27)
Capitol News Illinois: Illinois Sees Its Worst Flu Season In Recent Years
Flu cases are increasing rapidly in Illinois as the state sees its worst flu season in more than 15 years. At least 100 people have died from the flu this season in Illinois, with 77 of those deaths occurring this month alone, according to the Illinois Department of Public Health. Children and the elderly have been the most-affected age groups. So far, there have been three pediatric fatalities in Illinois this flu season, IDPH reports. (Ardito, 1/27)
CIDRAP: CIDRAP Launches New Effort To Boost Evidence-Based Vaccine Information
The University of Minnesota’s Center for Infectious Disease Research and Policy (CIDRAP) today announced a new collaboration with The Evidence Collective and Unbiased Science to support and expand access to clear, evidence-based vaccine information. Under the partnership, CIDRAP (publisher of CIDRAP News) will work with the two organizations, which specialize in science communication across multiple platforms, to provide rapid and clear responses to emerging vaccine safety claims, inaccurate vaccine information, and major changes in federal vaccine policy. (Dall, 1/27)
CIDRAP: This Year’s Pfizer COVID Vaccine Estimated To Be 57% Effective Against Emergency, Urgent Care
The 2025-26 Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine is about 57% effective against emergency department/urgent care (ED/UC) visits and 54% effective against outpatient visits among adults roughly 4 weeks after vaccination, with considerable uncertainty, according to preliminary estimates published on the preprint server medRxiv. (Van Beusekom, 1/27)
HEALTHCARE INDUSTRY
NPR: The ‘Bible Of Psychiatry’ Will Get A New Format And Philosophy For Its Next Edition
The diagnostic manual known as "the Bible of psychiatry" is about to get a major overhaul. The American Psychiatric Association (APA) puts out the tome known in the field as the DSM-5. That stands for the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, 5th edition. (Chatterjee, 1/28)
MedPage Today: The 50 Best Hospitals In The U.S., According To Healthgrades
The top 50 hospitals in the U.S. are located in 19 states, according to the 2026 rankings from Healthgrades. The rankings also list the top 100 and 250 hospitals in the country, altogether representing the nation's best 1%, 2%, and 5% of hospitals, respectively. Well-known healthcare facilities such as the Mayo Clinic, Johns Hopkins, and NYU Langone made the top 50 list, alongside smaller community hospitals. (Fiore, 1/27)
Stat: Why Hospitals Are Making Their Own ChatGPTs For Patient Records
To make the most of his 30-minute appointments with patients, Penn Medicine Chief Health Information Officer Srinath Adusumalli goes through his patients’ charts the day before to figure out why they are seeing him, a cardiologist. To do that, he has to navigate multiple tabs in the electronic health record: prior appointments, prior labs and imaging tests, as well as scanned documents from other hospitals. (Trang, 1/28)
Daily Southtown: Cancer Center To Open At UChicago Ingalls Memorial In Harvey
A cancer treatment center funded by a grant from the Ralph Lauren Corporate Foundation will open this year at UChicago Medicine Ingalls Memorial Hospital in Harvey, according to a news release. (Lewis, 1/27)
PHARMA AND TECH
Stat: Gene Therapy Startup Altido Bio Takes Aim At Glioblastoma Brain Tumors
Nick Leschly, the CEO who became synonymous with the curative promise and complicated reality of gene therapy, is back with a new company. The startup, Altido Bio, is trying to commercialize a CAR-T cell therapy developed at Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) for glioblastoma, a nearly always fatal brain tumor. It recently closed a $12.5 million seed round led by ARCH Venture and is trying to raise a $75 million Series A. (Mast, 1/28)
The New York Times: Peter H. Duesberg, 89, Renowned Biologist Turned H.I.V. Denialist, Dies
Peter H. Duesberg, a renowned molecular biologist who became famous for his pioneering work on the underpinnings of cancer but infamous for his assertion, in the face of evidence to the contrary, that H.I.V. does not cause AIDS, died on Jan. 13 in Lafayette, Calif. He was 89. His death, at a care facility near his home in Oakland, was from kidney failure, his wife, Sigrid Duesberg, said. (Flam, 1/27)
STATE WATCH
AP: Winter Storm Deaths Rise And Power Outages Drag On
Three Texas siblings who perished in an icy pond were among several dozen deaths in U.S. states gripped by frigid cold as crews scrambled Tuesday to repair hundreds of thousands of power outages in the shivering South and forecasters warned the winter weather is expected to get worse. Brutal cold lingered in the wake of a massive storm that dumped deep snow across more than 1,300 miles (2,100 kilometers) from Arkansas to New England and left parts of the South coated in treacherous ice. Freezing temperatures hovered Tuesday as far south as Tennessee, Arkansas and North Carolina and were forecast to plunge again overnight. (Bates, Hall and Bynum, 1/28)
St. Louis Public Radio: Missouri House Bills To Extend Trans Restrictions Move Forward
Members of the Missouri House’s Emerging Issues Committee voted to send two bills to the full chamber that would indefinitely extend the state’s restrictions on transgender people. Nine representatives, all Republicans, voted in favor of the bills. Four Democrats were opposed. (Halloran, 1/27)
The New York Times: Who Decides When A Home Is Safe? A California Bill Says Science, Not Insurers.
Following a Times investigation, a state lawmaker is proposing the first health-based standards for assessing smoke contamination after wildfires. (Callimachi and Migliozzi, 1/27)
CalMatters: Residents Of A Polluted California Town Pinned Hopes On New State Rules. They’re Still Waiting
Residents of Kettleman City live surrounded by pollution. Farms spray pesticides on almond and pistachio trees in this farmtown. A composting facility handles human sewage waste nearby. Particulate matter and diesel fumes from heavy freeway traffic fill the air. And the West Coast’s largest hazardous waste landfill is just a few miles away from town. “There is a lot of cumulative burden from living next to, not just a landfill, but so many other polluting sources,” said community advocate Miguel Alatorre. When it comes to identifying why residents get sick, it’s impossible to point to any one cause. (Reyes-Velarde, 1/27)
San Francisco Examiner: SF Homeless Count Methodology Changes Worry Some Advocates
San Francisco is set to significantly change how it counts The City’s homeless population, leading some advocates for the homeless to say they worry the new method will make it more difficult to compare its numbers with those from previous tallies. (Gurevich, 1/26)
MENTAL HEALTH
AP: TikTok Settles As Social Media Giants Face Landmark Trial Over Youth Addiction Claims
TikTok agreed to settle a landmark social media addiction lawsuit just before the trial kicked off, the plaintiff’s attorneys confirmed. The social video platform was one of three companies — along with Meta’s Instagram and Google’s YouTube — facing claims that their platforms deliberately addict and harm children. A fourth company named in the lawsuit, Snapchat parent company Snap Inc., settled the case last week for an undisclosed sum. Details of the settlement with TikTok were not disclosed, and the company did not immediately respond to a request for comment. (Huamani and Ortutay, 1/27)
AP: Stanford Settles Wrongful Death Lawsuit With Katie Meyer's Family, Announces Mental Health Initiative
Stanford and the family of Katie Meyer have settled a wrongful death lawsuit filed against the university following the star soccer player’s suicide in 2022. When she died, the 22-year-old Meyer was distraught over the prospect of disciplinary action from the university for “defending a teammate on campus over an incident,” her father, Steve Meyer, told NBC’s “Today” soon after her death. (1/27)
PUBLIC HEALTH
MedPage Today: Medicaid Expansion Linked To Lower Mortality In Breast Cancer
Medicaid expansion under the Affordable Care Act (ACA) was associated with lower overall mortality among women with breast cancer, according to a retrospective cohort study. (Bassett, 1/27)
Bloomberg: Baby Formula Contamination More Common With Push To Mimic Mother's Milk
Baby formula contamination crises that have prompted recalls around the world underscore a recurring problem with infant nutrition: the more sophisticated it becomes, the harder it is to keep safe. In France, authorities are investigating the deaths of two infants who died after consuming potentially tainted formula, prompting fresh fears over the risks of a global market dominated by Nestlé SA, Danone SA and Abbott Laboratories. In the US, health officials are investigating hospitalizations tied to formula from ByHeart Inc., a fast-growing American startup. Together, the cases highlight weaknesses in an industry that has long struggled to balance nutritional innovation with safety. (Deutsch, Kinzelmann, and Edney, 1/28)
GLOBAL WATCH
AP: India Says It Has Contained Nipah Virus Outbreak
India’s Health Ministry said Tuesday that two Nipah cases had been detected since December and that all identified contacts had been quarantined and tested. The ministry did not release details about the patients but said 196 contacts had been traced and all tested negative. “The situation is under constant monitoring, and all necessary public health measures are in place,” the ministry said. (Saaliq, 1/28)
AP: New French Bill Sets Minimum Age For Social Media Use At 15
French lawmakers approved a bill banning social media for children under 15, paving the way for the measure to enter into force at the start of the next school year in September, as the idea of setting a minimum age for use of the platforms gains momentum across Europe. The bill, which also bans the use of mobile phones in high schools, was adopted by a 130-21 vote late Monday. French President Emmanuel Macron has requested that the legislation be fast-tracked and it will now be discussed by the Senate in the coming weeks. (Petrequin, 1/27)
