Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Texas Could Cut Children's Autism Program Amid Budget Woes
The Texas Tribune: Texas Proposes Eliminating Children’s Autism Program
For years, 7-year-old Israel Solis couldn’t communicate with the world around him. Born with autism and nonverbal, he would bite and scratch himself in frustration when someone couldn’t understand his needs. Therapy through a state-subsidized program gave him a voice: using a picture system he’s learned from his providers in Houston, he’s now able to convey his desires. But Texas wants to eliminate the state program entirely, stunning advocates, providers and parents. (Draeger-Mazer, 10/12)
Reproductive health news from Missouri, Virginia, and Pennsylvania —
Beacon: Kansas City: Missouri Hospital Closes Labor And Delivery After Bankruptcy Sale
For pregnant women living north of Interstate 70 in central Missouri, there weren’t many places to deliver a baby. Fitzgibbon Hospital in Marshall was one of them. Now it isn’t. Fitzgibbon delivered 252 babies in 2025. In April, the hospital filed for bankruptcy protection and began sale negotiations for its 60-bed hospital and its 99-bed long-term care facility. (Cunningham, 10/8)
Cardinal News: As Rural Maternity Care Shrinks, A Nonprofit Highlights Midwives’ Role In Southwest Virginia
A new education campaign aims to raise awareness of midwifery care in Southwest Virginia by highlighting stories of Appalachian midwives past and present. (Schabacker, 10/10)
CNN: How Guaranteed Income Changed One Mother’s Pregnancy
When My’Isah Savage was pregnant, she felt like she was constantly at the doctor’s office. “Especially during the first trimester, they want you there like every day,” she said. With an exasperated sigh, she remembered the 8-mile trip across the city that would take more than an hour each way on public transportation. Money was tight, and those were hours she wasn’t working. (McPhillips, 10/10)
Health news from California —
San Francisco Chronicle: Californians Are ‘Really Losing Sleep’ Over The Financial Burden Of Healthcare
One California woman felt forced to choose between a $400 medication or buying food for the month, which cost about the same. Another got a “crippling” $7,000 hospital bill after delivering her daughter by emergency C-section — even though she had health insurance. One family regularly weighs whether to pay a co-pay to see the doctor or get gas, saying, “Sometimes (the doctor’s visit) is going to have to wait for next time.” These are some of the ways Californians are struggling to afford healthcare, according to a survey released last month by the California Health Care Foundation, an Oakland-based nonprofit that researches health policy and trends. (Ho, 10/11)
Los Angeles Times: Trump's Medicaid Cuts Strip Refugees And Other Legal Immigrants Of Their Health Coverage
In Tucson, María Chacon has been caring for her son Jesus for almost five years since a car accident at 17 left him unable to breathe on his own. He requires a ventilator, a feeding tube and daily medication, and must be turned once every two hours to stop sores from forming. Chacon said he sometimes opens his eyes. The family is originally from Mexico and entered the U.S. on a T visa, offered to victims of human trafficking, in 2018. Chacon said Medicaid has helped cover almost $25,000 per month of care for her son, which includes a small stipend for her and her husband as compensation for being long-term caregivers. She said doctors have explained that even if they both worked 24 hours a day, they would not be able to cover the cost of his care. (Schuettler and Hussein, 10/12)
The Sacramento Bee: If Sports Betting Is Banned In California, Why Is Kalshi Allowed To Operate Here?
Sports betting is banned in California, even at tribal casinos. Yet online companies such as Kalshi and Polymarket offer customers in the state the opportunity to wager on the outcome of professional athletic events using a brokerage system that critics say is the equivalent of gambling. Is it legal? State and federal regulators disagree — as do courts across the country. (Bernstein, 10/11)
More health news from across the U.S. —
North Carolina Health News: Bipartisan Bill Aims To Close Rural NC’S Health Workforce Gaps
Two North Carolina congressional representatives — a Republican and a Democrat — have teamed up on federal legislation meant to recruit and retain doctors, nurses and other health care workers in rural communities. (Baxley, 10/13)
Cardinal News: Southwest And Southside Health Organizations Get Nearly $4 Million In Federal Grants To Boost Technology And Cybersecurity
The Virginia Health Care Foundation awarded 25 grants through the Rural Health Transformation Program this month, including a dozen awards worth nearly $4 million that went to organizations in Southwest and Southside Virginia. The grants will help rural hospitals, clinics and other healthcare organizations upgrade electronic health records, strengthen cybersecurity, improve internet connectivity and securely share patient information. (Schabacker, 10/13)
Modern Healthcare: CMS Rural Health Transformation Grants: How States Are Spending
Nearly a year into a new rural health funding program, states are launching an slew of projects to bolster care and access. In addition to cutting more than $1 trillion from Medicaid and other programs, President Donald Trump’s tax law established a five-year, $50 billion initiative called the Rural Health Transformation Program, which is meant to backfill funding losses for rural providers. (Early, 10/12)
AP: NYC Mayor Mamdani Orders Review Of NYPD Use Force Policies
Mayor Zohran Mamdani on Monday ordered the New York Police Department to conduct a sweeping review of how officers use force against civilians, moving to address growing discord among progressives who want the democratic socialist to exert stronger control over the nation’s largest police department. In a news release, Mamdani announced a slate of additional police oversight measures that include increased funding for the Office of the Inspector General for the NYPD and policies to increase accountability when officers are accused of misconduct. (Izaguirre, 10/12)
The 19th: Iowa Governor's Race: Lahn, Sand Make MAHA Priorities A Campaign Strategy
Zach Lahn looked out into a crowded room of potential Iowa voters. When he spoke, it was no surprise that the Republican nominee led with the two issues he’d brought up most often on the campaign trail: Iowa’s increasing cancer rates, and whether the state’s water has something to do with it. (Rodriguez, 10/9)
The New York Times: Six Flags Closes Multiple Rides After Death On Georgia Roller Coaster
One rider died and several others were injured at Six Flags Over Georgia, the police said. The company said it was temporarily closing nine rides in the U.S. and Canada as a precaution. (Walker and Chung, 10/12)
Maryland Matters: Deadly Heat Shatters State Records For Emergency Calls, Fatalities
The annual Maryland heat season ended with a record-breaking year for heat-related illnesses and deaths, with the state reporting that 61 Marylanders died due to hyperthermia in the season that ended Sept. 30. It shattered the previous record of 42 fatalities, set in 2012, according to available public data, and came close to doubling last year’s 34 deaths, continuing a troubling four-year rise in heat-related fatalities. (Brown, 10/10)
KFF Health News: KFF Health News’ ‘On Air’: Journalists Go Behind Health Headlines From Georgia, Michigan, And Russia
KFF Health News senior correspondent Jordan Rau discussed the use of antipsychotic drugs in sedating dementia patients on Michigan Public’s Stateside on Oct. 6. (10/10)
