Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Newsom Signs Chatbot, Social Media Laws To Protect California Kids' Mental Health
CalMatters: California Enacts Laws Restricting Chatbots, Protecting Kids Online
California teens will be barred from “addictive” social media products and limited in their interactions with chatbots under two of the 13 bills signed into law by Gov. Gavin Newsom today to protect kids online. (Lecher, 9/10)
On Medicaid —
The Texas Tribune: More Than 200,000 Texans Are Waiting For Medicaid Approval
Vanessa Melendez had been going back and forth with the state over her family’s Medicaid and food assistance applications for months when the Houston mom learned she was pregnant with her third child. She submitted a new application for Medicaid for Pregnant Women, which covers care during pregnancy and for 12 months after giving birth, last December. And then she waited. (Huff and Keemahill, 9/10)
Politico: Oz’s Medicaid Fraud War Room Is Prompting ‘Aggressive’ State Crackdowns
One autism therapy provider in Nebraska recently lost half its staff and has a growing wait list of children who can’t access services. A small Colorado practice is losing out on tens of thousands of dollars as it continues treating a child whose care was suddenly denied. An autism clinic in New York has stopped accepting Medicaid patients. They say they are suffering because of the Trump administration’s crackdown on Medicaid fraud, even though none of the providers have been found guilty of fraud. (Hooper, 9/10)
CalMatters: Medi-Cal Assisted Living Waiver Leaves Rural Seniors Behind
Last summer, siblings Roselie and John Aiello decided it was time for Roselie to leave her home of 73 years. Raised on a cattle ranch in the small town of Mount Shasta, Roselie spent her life working as a butcher and handling animals, assisting her father until his death. When her three brothers moved away, she stayed at home on the ranch, with its winding dirt roads and green pastures. But over the years, the hard manual labor left her bones weak and her back curved, slowing her pace. (Blough, 9/8)
KFF Health News: Indigenous Groups Are Exempt From Medicaid Work Rules, But Native Hawaiians Aren’t
Native Hawaiians will need to comply with new work requirements to qualify for Medicaid after being excluded from exemptions carved out for other Indigenous groups, an omission that clinicians fear will exacerbate the challenges the marginalized population already faces in getting healthcare. In 43 states and the District of Columbia, President Donald Trump’s signature One Big Beautiful Bill Act will require most adults to work, go to school or enter a training program, or volunteer for at least 80 hours a month. Native Americans and Alaska Natives are exempt from the mandates, which take effect in January. (Mizuo, 9/11)
More health news from across the U.S. —
Chicago Tribune: Judge Denies Bid To Block Illinois Aid-In-Dying Law
A federal judge on Thursday denied disability rights advocates’ request to block an Illinois law going into effect this weekend that lets terminally ill patients obtain prescription medication to end their lives. (Gorner, 9/10)
Verite News: Louisiana Ranks Low In Annual Family, Child Well-Being Report
Louisiana needs investment, legislation and coordination to improve children’s lives, panelists said Tuesday (Sept. 8) at the “Families Count: Child and Family Well-Being in New Orleans” forum hosted by Verite News and sponsored by the Annie E. Casey Foundation. The foundation’s vice president, Leslie Boissiere, said Louisiana’s 2026 Kids Count Data Book results were mixed, ranking the state 48th nationally in overall child well-being despite gains since 2019. Louisiana had the nation’s largest improvement in education, but declining child health and high rates of child poverty remain, the results show. (Barney, 9/10)
ProPublica: School Voucher Programs Don’t Offer Much Choice To Kids With Disabilities
It’s after 6 p.m. by the time Angela Johnson hurries home from work. Her 12-year-old daughter, Amelia, is at their house outside of Pensacola, Florida, with a nurse trained to care for medically fragile children. Amelia, who was born with a rare genetic anomaly, has endured many surgeries and requires a brain shunt and a feeding tube. The nurse starts caring for Amelia as soon as a bus from the public school drops her off. Johnson loves much about the school. But as a physical therapist, she also recognizes its limitations. The district’s physical and occupational therapists have to travel from school to school. The classroom teacher can become overburdened. (Berry Hawes and Smith Richards, 9/11)
The New York Times: DNA From Cigarette Leads To Arrest In Unsolved Murder
An arrest in Washington State came about after a cigarette butt was flicked away during a traffic stop. (Walker, 9/11)
