Skip to main content

The independent source for health policy research, polling, and news.

Subscribe Follow Us Donate
  • Trump 2.0

    Trump 2.0

    • Agency Watch
    • State Watch
    • Medicaid Watch
    • Rural Health Payout
  • Public Health

    Public Health

    • Vaccines
    • CDC & Disease
    • Environmental Health
  • Audio Reports

    Audio Reports

    • What the Health?
    • Health Care Helpline
    • KFF Health News Minute
    • An Arm and a Leg
    • Health Hub
    • HealthQ
    • Silence in Sikeston
    • Epidemic
    • See All Audio
  • Special Reports

    Special Reports

    • Bill Of The Month
    • The Body Shops
    • Broken Rehab
    • Deadly Denials
    • Priced Out
    • Dead Zone
    • Diagnosis: Debt
    • Overpayment Outrage
    • Opioid Settlement Tracking
    • See All Special Reports
  • More Topics

    More Topics

    • Elections
    • Health Care Costs
    • Insurance
    • Prescription Drugs
    • Health Industry
    • Immigration
    • Reproductive Health
    • Technology
    • Rural Health
    • Race and Health
    • Aging
    • Mental Health
    • Affordable Care Act
    • Medicare
    • Medicaid
    • Children’s Health

  • High Postcancer Medical Bills
  • Federal Workers’ Health Data
  • Cyberattacks on Hospitals
  • ‘Cheap’ Insurance

Morning Briefing

Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations

  • Email

Friday, Mar 20 2026

Full Issue

Longer Looks: Interesting Reads You Might Have Missed

Each week, KFF Health News finds longer stories for you to enjoy. Today's selections are on ICE detention, pacemakers, Candy Land, and more.

The New York Times: Handcuffs, Tents And Pleas For Medical Care: Pregnant In ICE Detention 

Women describe conditions that violate longstanding agency guidelines for how pregnant detainees should be treated. (Kitchener, Henriquez and Aleaziz, 3/20)

The New York Times: She Died After Her Pacemaker Battery Failed. Its Maker Knew Of Problems for Years.

Gladys Knepper, at 93, had a morning routine that never wavered. She woke up at 6 and made her bed. She got a pot of coffee going and went outside to pick up her copy of The Dubuque Telegraph Herald. So when a neighbor in Dyersville, Iowa, noticed that Ms. Knepper’s newspaper was still on her doorstep on Mother’s Day in 2024, she knew something was wrong. Inside, she found Ms. Knepper sprawled on the floor. (Thomas, 3/19)

The New York Times: New Spider Mimics ‘The Last Of Us’ Zombie Fungus Cordyceps 

A newly discovered species of spider in the Ecuadorean Amazon mimics a pathogen, known as a zombie fungus, to protect itself. (Robles-Gil, 3/20)

Undark: AI Slop Is Infiltrating Online Children's Content

Low-quality, mass-produced video content is alarming child development experts. Few guardrails are in place to stop it. (Tate Sullivan, 3/20)

The New York Times: Overlooked No More: Eleanor Abbott, The Creator Of Candy Land, Which Was Made To Distract Children With Polio

She invented the game nearly 80 years ago to distract children who were suffering in the hospital during a polio outbreak. The goal was to reach a simple cottage at the end of the path — Home — which held a special significance for the sick children who missed their families. They loved it. (Miller and Muirhead, 3/13)

This is part of the Morning Briefing, a summary of health policy coverage from major news organizations. Sign up for an email subscription.
Newsletter icon

Sign Up For Our Newsletter

Stay informed by signing up for the Morning Briefing and other emails:

Recent Morning Briefings

  • Wednesday, April 22
  • Tuesday, April 21
  • Monday, April 20
  • Friday, April 17
  • Thursday, April 16
  • Wednesday, April 15
More Morning Briefings
RSS Feeds
  • Podcasts
  • Special Reports
  • Morning Briefing
  • About Us
  • Donate
  • Staff
  • Republish Our Content
  • Contact Us

Follow Us

  • Instagram
  • YouTube
  • LinkedIn
  • Facebook
  • X
  • Bluesky
  • TikTok
  • RSS

Sign up for emails

Join our email list for regular updates based on your personal preferences.

Sign up
  • Editorial Policy
  • Privacy Policy

© 2026 KFF