Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Viewpoints: Vaccine Schedule Overhaul Ignores Science; 'Free Births' Are Risky Consequence Of Medical Distrust
The Washington Post: RFK Jr.’s Vaccine Schedule Overhaul Sidesteps Scientific Review
The Department of Health and Human Services announced on Monday that it is overhauling the childhood vaccine schedule, reducing the number of routine shots universally recommended for babies and children from covering 17 diseases to 11. (1/5)
The Boston Globe: The Appeal Of 'Free Births' Without Doctors Or Midwives
Saldaya and the Free Birth Society are now at the center of international scrutiny, the subject of a sprawling investigative series and podcast by the Guardian. (Jennifer Block, 1/3)
The Boston Globe: Your AI Doctor May Be Working For Someone Else
Nearly half of Americans now turn to AI chatbots for health advice — everything from lifestyle tweaks to second opinions on cancer treatment. (Isaac Kohane, 1/6)
Stat: Congress Must Update CMS Hospital At Home Waiver
When I started leading the Center for Clinical Standards and Quality at the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services in 2020, we were staring down a crisis. Hospitals were running out of beds, patients needed safe alternatives, and we had to act fast. The result was the Acute Hospital Care at Home (AHCAH) waiver — an expansion of a demonstration project that allowed hospitals to deliver high-acuity care in the place most patients prefer: their own homes. (Lee Fleisher, 1/6)
The Washington Post: 10 Health Stories That Could Define 2026
As 2026 gets underway, health policy is entering a period of consequential change that will affect who can access medical care, what it costs and how the nation approaches public health. (Leana S. Wen, 1/6)
